After Jai Lucas's Miami Revival Project, There's Only One Option for Coach of the Year

Despite losing to Purdue in the second round of this year's NCAA Tournament, Jai Lucas and his staff have re-awakened Miami basketball and put the country on notice.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas calls a play during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

When Jai Lucas took over the Miami program as a first-year head coach, not many knew what to expect.

Lucas had been around high level basketball for years, and his coaching experience reflected that with prior stops at Texas, Kentucky, and Duke. After all, he was the second most important recruiter in the country after Jon Scheyer, at one point.

Lucas even came from an impeccable basketball family. His father played in the NBA for 14 seasons before he was the head coach of three separate organizations. His brothers were stars in their own rights. But Jai elected to cut his career short in the G-league and pursue coaching.

Despite all of those factors, some were still uncertain of the hire when it was made. They thought Miami needed experience, or someone who had turned ships around before. Those people were wrong. Miami needed Jai Lucas, just as much as Lucas needed Miami.

"My coach of the year is Jai Lucas," Ernest Udeh Jr. said after his team's 79-69 loss to Purdue. "He did a great job of bringing a group of guys together...(who are) high character individuals. I love playing with these guys. I love this team. This has been the greatest team that I've been on."

Those are high praises from one of Lucas's most experienced players. According to the team, though, there's much more to Lucas than his on-court decision-making or the team's impeccable 19-win improvement over last season.

"I realized (coach was special) when I was going through my situation at the hospital after a few days, coach Jai was there every day," Marcus Allen said. "Whether it was for two minutes or 20 minutes, he was there calling, checking in, talking with my doctors. You would think he was a parent, honestly. That's how involved he is, and he gave each and every one of us that treatment, so that's what makes him the coach of the year."

In his postgame press conference, Lucas echoed the sentiment that he wanted to give this group of players everything he had, because he knew exactly what they were about to go through, and what was to be expected of them.

"I wanted to make sure I gave them everything I had of me, so they could enjoy their last year of basketball and get the utmost out of basketball," Lucas said. "And I felt like they did...but as much as they can say about me, I can say about them. I'm forever in debt for them. They put Miami basketball in a place where we can go nowhere but up."

Up is the exact direction in which Miami basketball is trending, and with Jai Lucas at the helm, the rest of the country knows that the team out of Coral Gables is not to be trifled with anymore.

When Jai Lucas took over the Miami program as a first-year head coach, not many knew what to expect. But they do now.

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