Report: Jai Lucas, Miami MCBB Agree to HC Contract After Jim Larranaga Exit

Miami has found its replacement for Jim Larrañaga.

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas has agreed to a deal to become the Hurricanes' next head men's basketball coach. According to Borzello, the deal is expected to be announced Thursday and Lucas will join the team after the regular season.

Lucas played collegiately for Florida and Texas and had a brief stint in the NBA G League from 2012 to 2013.

He started his coaching career at Texas as an assistant from 2016 to 2020 before joining Kentucky's staff as an assistant. After three seasons with the Wildcats, he joined the Blue Devils staff as an assistant ahead of Jon Scheyer's first season as head coach. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2023.

Though Lucas is relatively young, just 36, he already has an impressive resume after coaching for three high-level programs and learning from a legendary coach in John Calipari, Kentucky's former head coach.

Larrañaga, Miami's coach since 2011, stepped down in December, citing changes to the college sports landscape as one of the reasons for his exit.

"At this point, after 53 years, I just didn't feel that I could successfully navigate this whole new world that I was dealing with because my conversations were ridiculous with an agent saying to me, 'Well, you can get involved [with a prospective player] if you're willing to go to $1.1 million,' and that would be the norm," he said at a news conference in December.

During Larrañaga's tenure, Miami reached the NCAA Tournament six times. The Canes reached the Sweet 16 four times, the Elite Eight twice and went to the program's only Final Four in 2023.

Miami has struggled following Larrañaga's departure. The Hurricanes are 6-24 on the season and sit at the bottom of the ACC at 2-17 in conference play, leaving Lucas with plenty of work to do upon his arrival.