Jai Lucas has 'Big Shoes to Fill' According to Jim Larranaga
From one coach to another, Jim Larranaga is excited for Jai Lucas to be his replacement but knows that Lucas has big shoes to fill.
"First thing I would tell him is he has some really big shoes to fill," Larranaga said. "I was there 14 years. We did an awful lot of great things and it was so great to work at the University of Miami. It's such a great institution the people are wonderful. I listened to Jai's interview with Joe Zaki and Joe Z did a great job and Jay did a great job explaining his interest and how excited he is."
Larranaga doesn't know Lucas well but he knows his father John from working him out early in his coaching career. He knows the ball knowledge that comes with the basketball family tree is elite and knows that he could lead the program in the right direction.
"I don't know Jai very well," Larranaga said. "He was an assistant at Duke obviously we battled for the last three years. He worked under John Scheyer but I'm very good friends with his dad. I hired his dad to work the Davidson College Basketball Camp when John Lucas was a player at the University of Maryland before he became an All-American in both basketball and tennis. I used to work his dad out at 6:30 in the morning John Lucas, his senior, is one of the great guys, great athletes, NBA player first pick in the draft so you know he comes from a family tree of basketball guys so I'm sure he'll come in with a lot of enthusiasm and do a great job."
Lucas will be introduced to the Hurricanes on Monday as he prepares to take the next step in his professional coaching career.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at justice.sandle111@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.