Duke basketball assistant could become candidate for Texas job
Texas basketball announced the firing of head coach Chris Beard on Thursday after his suspension following his arrest on a domestic violence charge on Dec. 12. As the program seeks out a new leader — Rodney Terry remains the interim head coach this season — Duke basketball assistant Jai Lucas might make the list of candidates.
Lucas, who is in his first year on the Blue Devil staff under first-year head coach Jon Scheyer, has no experience as a head coach. So it seems unlikely he would be the Longhorns' first choice to take over the reins.
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However, the 34-year-old Texas native, a former beloved Longhorn point guard (2009-11) and assistant (2016-20), is undoubtedly a proven recruiting guru and likable figure in the sport. With that in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lucas at least get an interview, especially if some bigger-name coaches turn down Texas.
Plus, it's worth noting that his father, John Lucas II, was a widely respected NBA head coach for three franchises between the 1990s and early 2000s; he's now an assistant with the Houston Rockets.
After going undrafted in 2011, Jai Lucas played one year overseas in Latvia before spending the 2012-13 season in the G League.
In 2020, he left Texas to join John Calipari's staff at Kentucky. Then in April, Scheyer lured him to Durham, where he helped build a 2023 Duke basketball recruiting class that consists of five five-stars.
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