Miami officially names Jai Lucas as Head Men’s Basketball Coach

[gacaneaddict]

If we can bring in Will Wade as an assistant I will feel great about this hire.

This was an awful hire, and a chance that didn't need to be taken, but he we are. Hope he defies the odds of assistants first jobs being P4 jobs.

My suggestion like when JD was hired for baseball, find a hobby during the season. Come back to the basketball board in about 3 years to see if we got smart and hired a proven veteran winning coach.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

It is officially official!
I like HIS VISION for the program and I feel connected already.
Relationships, Development and Competition.
Are you a Connector because I am.

 

[Pentagon Cane]

In what world was Haith considered a good recruiter? Also, are you really pulling the race card as part of your argument?

The thing about Haith is he was an assistant with some pretty mediocre programs for years before his three year stint with Texas prior to Miami. Can't say that about Lucas.

 

[AmherstCane]

The thing about Haith is he was an assistant with some pretty mediocre programs for years before his three year stint with Texas prior to Miami. Can't say that about Lucas.

As an assistant coach Lucas has made it out of the first weekend once. In his coaching career.

This hire is just so Miami. Heavy on sizzle, light on substance.

 

[SPAMM]

As an assistant coach Lucas has made it out of the first weekend once. In his coaching career.

This hire is just so Miami. Heavy on sizzle, light on substance.

Well get ready, if he turns the program around he is gone. Miami, at best, is a stepping stone for a young up and comer.

 

[fincane]

As an assistant coach Lucas has made it out of the first weekend once. In his coaching career.

This hire is just so Miami. Heavy on sizzle, light on substance.

For some reason to me it actually makes sense that CIS broke this. Of course a hire like this would involve this site. Someone who should've known better couldn't keep their mouth shut and it gets to CIS. The biggest selling point for the hire is recruiting. The thing that has the most sizzle in college sports.

CIS makes a video and they bring on one of the bigger loudmouths in Miami media in Mike Ruiz to mostly celebrate Ferman being loud wrong. I believe Ruiz said one of the reasons this is such a big deal is because other programs wanted Lucas and Miami got in early. If that aint typical Miami ****. "It matters because someone else wanted it"

 

[IndayArtHauz]

Not who I would’ve picked, but he’s intriguing.

 

[King of Allapattah]

Fair enough. Good points.

If win big means a championship, then we haven’t seen an abundance of that. But we’ve seen a massive amount of legends, most of the guys who’ve titles in the 21st century, exit the profession in the past 10 to 15 years — most notably in the past 5 — so there is still a lot of tourneys to be played & for guys to stamp themselves.

There are a decent amount of examples from the 21st century. Scott Drew, who after a single season at Valparaiso, became Baylor’s HC then built up the program to win a title 18 years later. Matt Painter at Purdue, with only one year of previous head coaching experience, built up the program pretty well over the past 20 years.

Brad Stevens, elevated from assistant to making the championship game twice. Mark Few revolutionized the program after being a longtime assistant. Brian Dutcher, to a lesser extent, has done the same thing at San Diego State.Kevin Ollie won a title at UConn after being an assistant for a few years.

Hubert took them to the championship game plus a sweet 16 in his first 2 tournament appearances out of 3 years. He has won 70%+ of his total and conference games.

Fans may be antsy, but UNC is happy with him which is why they gave him a contract extension recently. To each their own but I view that as successful even with Carolina’s standards.

I think one crucially important detail that has been overlooked is Lucas being from a coaching family. Scott Drew, Kelvin Sampson, Dan Hurley, and many other successful modern college coaches are cut from that same cloth.

Some of the guys you mentioned as long time assistants were known as some of the best coaching minds in the college game, not as recruiters. Jai has made a living plucking players. Question now is, can he coach? That’s basically what it will come down to. There are a plethora of young up and coming lifelong assistants who vould recruit but struggled as HCs.

 

[hotshot]

This is a good problem to have. No one ever wants our coaches because they usually fail.

In L's case, it was age.

 

[cway313]

Since you want to be literal.

Basketball will be second best at his current place of employment. From infrastructure to attention. Fan engagement and enthusiasm will always be fickle. He has to rebuild a roster(something he's never done as a HC). Remember all the nice stories of Coach L going to dorms to deliver pizzas? That is part of the gig at Miami. He can't just be a recruiter and coach. He'll be marketer, fundraiser and he has to be the program's biggest advocate all while trying to win games in a Power 4 conference. How does he handle personalities? And I'm not talking about those of his players. Can he hire a power 4 level coaching staff? Keep them? Can he fire people and not let loyalty win out?

If Miami is going to invest more heavily in the basketball program that means the people who do are gonna want microwave results. No track record of success to point to if things start slowly to keep the dissenting voices quiet. He doesn't even have the buffer of being a native son like Mario. When Mario messes up a coordinator hire the account is still full for him to fix it. How many mistakes that need to be fixed with money will Lucas get?

And these things aren't actively working against him just like history isn't but he has to overcome them all the same.

If you are expecting a Final Four run next year you will be disappointed. The expectation should be he changes the trajectory long term and acquires elite talent immediately. Miami has never been a basketball school. As long as he has the re$ource$ he needs he gives us as good of a shot as anyone else. Mario was seen as the savior because he could receuit even though his coaching is viewed as a detriment. The only difference I see is alumni status.

 

[jkdood]

Love the Positivity! (Neigh to the naysayers).

 

[JZCane0825]

If we can bring in Will Wade as an assistant I will feel great about this hire.

This was an awful hire, and a chance that didn't need to be taken, but he we are. Hope he defies the odds of assistants first jobs being P4 jobs.

My suggestion like when JD was hired for baseball, find a hobby during the season. Come back to the basketball board in about 3 years to see if we got smart and hired a proven veteran winning coach.

Great - see you in a few years then!

 

[Canedude08]

As an assistant coach Lucas has made it out of the first weekend once. In his coaching career.

This hire is just so Miami. Heavy on sizzle, light on substance.

But, DUKE!!!!!!

Hoping it works out, but I've seen this happen before at Miami, and it ended terribly.

 

[Canedude08]

If you are expecting a Final Four run next year you will be disappointed. The expectation should be he changes the trajectory long term and acquires elite talent immediately. Miami has never been a basketball school. As long as he has the re$ource$ he needs he gives us as good of a shot as anyone else. Mario was seen as the savior because he could receuit even though his coaching is viewed as a detriment. The only difference I see is alumni status.

Mario also had a track record, he wasn't learning how to be a HC. He had been a HC, with success at multiple stops. He is the only coach to have won anything at arguably the worst job in FBS(FIU), rebuilt Oregon in pretty short order. He wasn't some career assistant that hadn't ever ran his own program.

Lucas has never worked at a midmajor, he's never had to build, nor manage a program. It's not an accident that the only two coaches that have done anything of note at Miami are HOF quality coaches, who had extensive experience before they got to Miami(L and Ham). Yes, I know that Clark was able to ride Ham's coattails for a couple of years, but we saw how quickly it fell apart.

 

[Canedude08]

Well get ready, if he turns the program around he is gone. Miami, at best, is a stepping stone for a young up and comer.

Nah, complete nonsense. No one is saying Miami is a blueblood, but a coach that finds success here has plenty of good reasons to stay. Ham left to coach MICHAEL JORDAN, L stayed because he fell in love with the area, and honestly, he was older and not willing to move. Katie Meier stayed for two decades, fell in love with the area, especially the Keys. It's very likely she turned down some solid gigs over the years, because she liked where she was.

 

[cway313]

Mario also had a track record, he wasn't learning how to be a HC. He had been a HC, with success at multiple stops. He is the only coach to have won anything at arguably the worst job in FBS(FIU), rebuilt Oregon in pretty short order. He wasn't some career assistant that hadn't ever ran his own program.

Lucas has never worked at a midmajor, he's never had to build, nor manage a program. It's not an accident that the only two coaches that have done anything of note at Miami are HOF quality coaches, who had extensive experience before they got to Miami(L and Ham). Yes, I know that Clark was able to ride Ham's coattails for a couple of years, but we saw how quickly it fell apart.

I won't get into a Mario debate. I disagree, but it doesn't matter. The point is he is known as a poor coach that can recruit at a high level. He was celebrated as a recruiter. Attempting to dismiss Lucas after praising Mario is counterintuitive.

 

[King of Allapattah]

Well get ready, if he turns the program around he is gone. Miami, at best, is a stepping stone for a young up and comer.

Great point!!

If you are expecting a Final Four run next year you will be disappointed. The expectation should be he changes the trajectory long term and acquires elite talent immediately. Miami has never been a basketball school. As long as he has the re$ource$ he needs he gives us as good of a shot as anyone else. Mario was seen as the savior because he could receuit even though his coaching is viewed as a detriment. The only difference I see is alumni status.

Mario had a lot more experience, particularly as a head coach.

 

[AmherstCane]

But, DUKE!!!!!!

Hoping it works out, but I've seen this happen before at Miami, and it ended terribly.

I feel bad here. Jai seems like a really great & dynamic person who is willing to hitch his career to Miami. He will - no doubt - be an awesome ambassador for the school.

But his career - up until last year’s Duke team - is a highlight film of underperforming programs.

Chris Caputo was an assistant at George Mason and Miami and coached in the second weekend of the tournament FOUR times as compared to Jai’s ONCE.

So what is the value of having been at a blue blood school with elite recruits… if you didn’t win?

He doesn’t have a durable model - from experience - of how to build and sustain an elite program. And on top of that he doesn’t even really know the basics because being the head guy is just different and he’s never done it before.

Anyway… just letting off some steam. He really seems like a great dude. Hope it works.

 

[King of Allapattah]

It’s official now. This wasn’t my first choice but he’s here now. As a Canes fan there’s nothing else to do but support the program and hope Coach Lucas and staff can get things turned around. GO CANES!!!

 

[cway313]

Great point!!

Mario had a lot more experience, particularly as a head coach.

Correct, but he also had known deficiencies. We have no idea what Lucas will be other than a recruiter. That matters more in basketball than football.