How Jai Lucas Approaches Year 2 as Head Coach of UM Men’s Basketball

MIAMI, Fla. – As Jai Lucas comes off a remarkable 26-9 inaugural season as the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball head coach, comfort isn’t something he can afford, despite reportedly signing a five-year extension during the summer.

“There are 12 new players; we have Dante [Allen] and Shelton [Henderson] back, so everyone else is new,” he said in Monday’s media availability. “It’s completely new players, different skill sets, so it’s starting completely over – Year 1 all over again. We changed up how we did the summer and the fall just to help with that.”

Before All-ACC forward Malik Reneau’s official reinstallation to the 2026-27 roster, which came following an injunction ruling in an Indiana court, the Hurricanes newcomers were eight transfers and two freshmen. The big portal additions were playmaking guard Acaden Lewis, SEC shot-blocking leader and center Somto Cyril, and Men’s Horizon League Player of the Year forward DeSean Goode.

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Last season, Lucas had a similar but tougher situation. After accepting the head coaching job, there were no returning players from the 2024-25 7-24 season. Although it was a unique challenge, Lucas took it as an opportunity to start from scratch. He brought in six transfers, six freshmen, including Allen and Henderson, and three international talents.

Afterwards, Lucas led the newly assembled team to surpass expectations tremendously, including a win over No. 13 UNC at the Watsco Center.

Even with completely different players, there were certain aspects the 37-year-old carried over from the previous roster to the current one.

“There are some things that we always want to be staples of our program,” Lucas added. “We always want to be big, physical; win the free-throw line and rebounding. I think we have more size on this wing this year than we did last year.”

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After Reneau’s official return, the Hurricanes have 11 players, including guards, listed at 6-4 or taller. He alluded to adding Goode, Nick Dorn, and Brent Bland…

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Publish date : 2026-09-26 21:30:00

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