According to sources, Duke coach Jon Scheyer is hiring Jai Lucas from Kentucky as an assistant coach.
Lucas is the first basketball hire from outside of the Duke family since Mike Krzyzewski hired Tim O' Toole as an assistant coach in 1995.
He is the third and final assistant for the first staff at Duke. The assistant coach and the director of player development have both been promoted. Mike Schrage was hired as the special assistant to the head coach.
Lucas is one of the best young assistant coaches in the country. He played college ball for the University of Florida and the University of Texas before a brief professional career. He was an assistant coach at Kentucky for the past two seasons after spending seven seasons at Texas.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said when he hired Lucas that he had known the Lucas family for 25 years and that he followed Jai's career both as a player and a coach. I have always been impressed by the work he has done. Jai is one of the guys who everyone has respect for because of his work ethic and approach. He will be a great addition.
Lucas is a Texan and well connected in the state. He helped land Texas products Daimion Collins, Sahvir Wheeler and Cason Wallace. He was the first to contact five-star point guard Ty Ty Washington Jr.
The hire was first reported.
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