Earlier in the 2024-25 season, the Miami Hurricanes were dealt shocking news. Head coach Jim Larranaga, who led the team to the Final Four in 2023, announced he was retiring from coaching. Larranaga cited the changing landscape in college sports with NIL as a reason for his decision. That left the Hurricanes getting a rather early start to find Larranaga's replacement.
One direction for head coach-needy teams to go in is to poach one of the top assistant coaches from one of the top programs in the nation. It appears the Hurricanes are going in that direction.
ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported early Sunday morning that Miami has focused on Duke associate coach Jai Lucas as their next head coach. The report indicates that a deal isn't close to being completed and that the search will take shape towards the end of the season.
Duke's Jai Lucas emerges as 'the focus' of Miami's head coach search
Lucas has been with Duke since 2022, first as an assistant under head coach Jon Scheyer before becoming associate head coach in 2023. Lucas primarily coaches the defense, which currently allows an average 61.0 points per game, the seventh-lowest average in all of Division I basketball.
Before joining Duke, Lucas was an assistant coach for the Texas Longhorns from 2016-20 and the Kentucky Wildcats under John Calipari (2020-22).
It's understandable why the Hurricanes are focusing on Lucas. Not only is Duke one of the best teams in the country and he is responsible for the success on defense, but he is a notably strong recruiter. As the Associated Press points out, Lucas was responsible for recruiting Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the sons of former NBA player Carlos Boozer.
Once the regular season ends for Miami, expect their search to pick up. From there, we will see if they can finalize a deal with Lucas.