Head coach Jai Lucas orchestrated a historic 19-win turnaround, rebuilding the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball program from scratch and earning national coaching honors for his impressive debut season.
The Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball program underwent a significant turnaround this season. They finished with a 26-9 overall record, were the third seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. After an offseason of uncertainty, with no returning players, coach Jai Lucas managed to overcome adversity as a first-year head coach.
The 37-year-old recruited several impactful players through the transfer portal, such as seniors Tre Donaldson, Malik Reneau, and Ernest Udeh Jr., plus junior Tru Washington. Also, brought in a couple of immediately-ready freshmen in Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen. Despite having to build chemistry on the fly, the team showed competitiveness throughout the season.
Coach Lucas led a resurgence with the Hurricanes men’s basketball program, resulting in being named the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year, which honors the top first-time head coach in Division I college basketball. He led the team to a 19-win improvement following a 7-24 season, which tied an NCAA record for the largest year-over-year turnaround.
Not only did the Texas native make a national impact, but in the program’s history books. Coach Lucas tied for the most regular-season win total with 24, second-most wins at the Watsco Center with 15, fastest first-time head coach in the ACC to reach 20 wins since 1997-98, and led the Hurricanes to their 13th NCAA Tournament appearance.
The team didn’t have an NBA lottery prospect like Cam Boozer with the Duke Blue Devils, Caleb Wilson with the North Carolina Tar Heels, or Mikel Brown Jr. with the Louisville Cardinals. Regardless, coach Lucas brought in impactful players who were ready to take on expanded roles compared to previous destinations, such as Reneau and Donaldson, both of whom were named All-ACC members.
Entering his second season with the program, coach Lucas has an opportunity to revamp the roster with potentially more talent. They have an incoming freshman in five-star forward and McDonald’s All-American Caleb Gaskins.
It was reported that Allen is committed to returning for his sophomore season, but Washington and guard Noam Dovrat are entering the transfer portal. The rest of the roster has yet to announce a decision.
Retaining Henderson will likely be a top priority for coach Lucas to keep the trajectory moving up for the program. He averaged 13.8 points on 56.7 percent shooting, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, playing in all 35 games.
Coach Lucas established a foundation with the Hurricanes, but the next challenge will be to take things a step further.
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