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Jai Lucas Has Completely Flipped The Script At Miami

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Trinton Breeze

Trinton Breeze

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When you look back at Miami during the 2024-25 season, you probably ask yourself, what the heck happened? Even after a Final Four run just a couple years ago, no one saw a fall-off like that coming for the Miami Hurricanes basketball program.

Last season, the Hurricanes finished 7-24 (3-17 ACC). It was tough to watch, you can ask me and my dad. The team struggled on both ends and just didn’t look like it was representing the jersey on its chest the way Miami basketball should.

That led to...

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Trinton Breeze said:
When you look back at Miami during the 2024-25 season, you probably ask yourself, what the heck happened? Even after a Final Four run just a couple years ago, no one saw a fall-off like that coming for the Miami Hurricanes basketball program.

Last season, the Hurricanes finished 7-24 (3-17 ACC). It was tough to watch, you can ask me and my dad. The team struggled on both ends and just didn’t look like it was representing the jersey on its chest the way Miami basketball should.

That led to longtime head coach Jim Larrañaga stepping down, admitting he couldn’t keep up with the new era of NIL and everything that comes with it.

Jai Lucas, who was the associate head coach at Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball at the time, took over the job at Miami, first reported by CanesInSight’s Peter Ariz.

As soon as Licas was hired he attacked the transfer portal, brought in key pieces, such as Tre Donaldson, Ernest Udeh, Tru Washington, Malik Reneau and completely changed the energy around the program.

He’s now the fastest first-time head coach in the ACC to reach 20 wins since Bill Guthridge did it at North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball in 1997-98.

in a week from now, Lucas will be in Miami for a whole year. He brought in a top-15 portal class, has Miami sitting inside the top-15 for the 2026 recruiting class, and most importantly, he’s winning.

In a seven-day stretch, Lucas took down No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball at home without ever giving up the lead, then outcoached Will Wade in the closing minutes against NC State, holding them to just seven points in the final minute. Yesterday he also beat Virginia Tech.

Now Miami sits at 21-5 and 10-3 in the ACC. Lucas completely flipped the script for Miami Hurricanes basketball.

He was the right hire.

Go Canes.
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I usually stay out of these basketball threads. But I'd dip into them once in a blue with discussion about my nephew and how it related to Miami. I was very clear I was deadset against him coming here under coach L as I felt he greatly undervalued Bigs. To be equally as clear when Jai who we've known for at least 10 years due to a relationship with his father and a presence at his academy in houston started to push nephew to come here instead of miss st. I was open to the idea. However that is two completely different things than to discredit coach L from how successful he was here and the heights he took this program... I don't have to like the role of bigs in his game plans, but I'd just be an idiot to take away anything from what we achieved under him. So when you come on here and write an article saying how jai came here and completely flipped the program it's a pretty naive thing to say. It's a team sport and the reality of it is everyone will have a down period or another from time to time if varying factors line up. That's what happened. Beyond that coach L is an old man in a young man's game. Don't take away his credit though just so we can prove Jai was the right hire. One doesn't have to disparage the other. Be better than that.
 
Brooklyndee said:
Saying he flipped a program by coming here that made final 4, elite 8 etc and had us in legit talks routinely is disparaging coach L...
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...was a solid program with due credit to Coach L, but it did hit a pretty sorrowful rut. Coach L(new) has lifted us out of that rut, quite remarkable with a ground up wholesale rebuild of roster. Love the "L"'s both!
 
BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati said:
"He was the right hire" before first regular season is complete tracks with younger gens using "generational" and "elite" in every other description.
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Facts, every year guys get labeled "Generational" thats not how that word works lol. Lebron James is generational, a once in a lifetime or every 20 year type player. Just like the 2025 Indiana is the best team ever nonsense.
 
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Alex_Dynamix said:
Facts, every year guys get labeled "Generational" thats not how that word works lol. Lebron James is generational, a once in a lifetime or every 20 year type player. Just like the 2025 Indiana is the best team ever nonsense.
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If people would like to say that's the best story ever I'd at least pay it a little bit of attention. But for anyone that actually knows the game and thinks Indiana was in that conversation for one of the best college teams ever like they could even get on the field with a number of the teams that are really in that conversation they should slap the **** out of themselves and pull the trigger now. We made at least six meaningful game changing mistakes against them and if just one of them goes the opposite way and their game went exactly how it did we win. That's not what happens with one of these teams they're trying to say Indiana is
 
Brooklyndee said:
If people would like to say that's the best story ever I'd at least pay it a little bit of attention. But for anyone that actually knows the game and thinks Indiana was in that conversation for one of the best college teams ever like they could even get on the field with a number of the teams that are really in that conversation they should slap the **** out of themselves and pull the trigger now. We made at least six meaningful game changing mistakes against them and if just one of them goes the opposite way and their game went exactly how it did we win. That's not what happens with one of these teams they're trying to say Indiana is
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100% Agree. Had a game winning drive served on a platter still even after all those mistakes.
 
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