It would appear that Duke has found the newest—and final—addition to its coaching staff.
Kentucky assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jai Lucas has been officially announced as an assistant coach for the Blue Devils, per a team release Monday. It was previously reported Friday by 247Sports' Travis Branham that Lucas would fill the final vacancy on new head coach Jon Scheyer's staff in Durham ahead of the 2022-23 season, Scheyer's first at the helm.
"My family and I are excited to be joining the Duke University family," Lucas said in Monday’s release. "The opportunity to come to Duke and be a part of Jon Scheyer's first staff was something I felt I could not pass up. I look forward to building on the foundation established by Mike Krzyzewski and the former Blue Devils, while helping Coach Scheyer usher in a new era of Duke Basketball. Durham is a special place for me, and I'm thrilled to get to be around so many of my family members."
Lucas, 33, previously played at both Florida and Texas in his collegiate career before getting his start on the sidelines with the Longhorns, for whom he eventually became an assistant coach. From there, Lucas—whose mother and father both hail from Durham—joined the Wildcats in 2020 as a recruiting coordinator before becoming an assistant coach for Kentucky shortly after.
At Kentucky, Lucas quickly cemented himself as one of college basketball's best recruiters, landing commitments from five-star prospects Shaedon Sharpe, Cason Wallace, TyTy Washington and Daimion Collins.
Lucas' hiring marks the final piece of the puzzle for a renewed coaching staff after former head coach Mike Krzyzewski's retirement at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. After Scheyer's ascent to head coach and former assistant coach Nolan Smith's departure to Louisville, Amile Jefferson was promoted to assistant coach and former Elon head coach Mike Schrage joined the Blue Devils as special assistant to the head coach.
"Jai embodies everything I was looking for in this role," Scheyer said in Monday’s release. “I've been impressed by his winner's mindset, great feel for the game, and strong work ethic. Through his impressive playing and coaching career, he has built extraordinary relationships across the basketball landscape and shown a unique ability to connect with student-athletes. I could not be more excited to welcome Jai, his wife, Kori, and son, Jaxin, to Durham."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Jonathan Levitan is a Trinity senior and was previously sports editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.