Jai Lucas, Miami finalize agreement to make him Hurricanes’ coach, AP source says

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Jai Lucas and Miami have finalized the contract that makes him the school’s new men’s basketball coach, nearly two weeks after they struck preliminary agreement on a deal, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday.

Lucas will be introduced to the Miami community on Monday, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side revealed any details publicly. The university was planning to formally announce the hiring on Thursday, the person said.

Lucas is expected to begin a five-year contract. He will be with Duke for its regular-season finale against North Carolina on Saturday, then fly to Coral Gables on Sunday and begin the new job officially on Monday.

Lucas has been at Duke for three seasons and currently is the Blue Devils’ associate head coach. Miami interviewed a number of candidates — some with college experience, some with NBA experience — and quickly identified Lucas, the son of former NBA coach John Lucas, as its top choice, then worked to get an agreement done.

At Miami, Lucas will take over for Jim Larrañaga, who stepped down suddenly in December and was replaced on an interim basis by longtime associate head coach Bill Courtney — who will coach the Hurricanes’ season finale on Saturday.

ESPN first reported the completion of the contract.

Lucas will leave Duke before what could be the start of a national title run. The Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are widely expected to have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That means the Blue Devils could play until early April; the transfer portal opens on March 24, and Miami wanted its new coach in place by then to begin the process of rebuilding a roster.

Miami — just two years removed from a Final Four run — will not make the ACC Tournament. The Hurricanes enter the finale at 2-17 in the ACC and 6-24 overall, one loss shy of setting a school record for most in a season. They play host to N.C. State on Saturday in their finale.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/jai-lucas-miami-finalize-agreement-230613861.html

Author : Associated Press

Publish date : 2025-03-05 23:06:00

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