New coordinator seeks to ‘streamline,’ not revamp Kentucky recruiting
Jai Lucas, newly hired as Kentucky’s “recruiting coordinator,” said he will take a not-broke-don’t-fix-it approach to that phase of his duties.
“It’s just a way to streamline everything with the staff,” he said on a Zoom teleconference Monday.
Lucas, who had been on the staff at Texas since 2016, said he understood the demands on an assistant coach to recruit, work with players, prepare for games and compile scouting reports. He described his contribution as “just kind of manage all that for the staff so they can take a little off their plate, so they can focus a little bit on the guys.”
While the new-to-UK title of “recruiting coordinator” connotes an upgrade, there’s next-to-no room for improvement. In each of the 12 recruiting cycles with John Calipari as coach, Kentucky’s class has been ranked first or second nationally each year. Although ever-demanding UK fans might note that Kentucky’s classes have been ranked No. 2 in four of the last five years (and five of the last seven).
“I’m not trying to come in here and reinvent the wheel or anything like that,” Lucas said. “But if I can come in here and help streamline stuff and let it go more efficiently . . . , once I get my feet under me, I think it’ll go pretty good.”
One way to help UK recruiting is to find additional ways to make social media a tool, he said, adding that would be especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic. He predicted a “whole different landscape” for recruiting maybe as soon as next year.
Lucas, the son of former Maryland All-American John Lucas, said he has known Calipari for years. His father worked the fantasy camps when Calipari was the coach at Memphis.
When asked how Calipari recruited him to join the UK staff, Lucas said, “this place recruits itself. I mean, if you’re passionate in wanting to be at the highest level there is in basketball, especially in college basketball, it’s hard to say no to Kentucky.”
As a high school player and McDonald’s All-American, Lucas said yes to Kentucky.
“I was coming to Kentucky until Coach (Tubby) Smith left and took the Minnesota job,” he said. “And that kind of left me in scramble mode.”
Lucas intended to join Patrick Patterson as the stars of that Kentucky class. Instead, he committed to Florida, which had been the first school to call when he reopened his recruitment.
He has stayed in contact with Patterson, Lucas said. Upon joining the UK staff, he heard from Patterson, who plays for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
“He texted me and just said, you finally joined the right team even though it may be years later,” Lucas said.
Describing himself as a “people person” who considers building relationships a key in recruiting, Lucas said at age 31 he can relate to current players.
“I can give them, ‘hey, I know what you’re going through; I know what you’re thinking,’” he said. “ . . . I’m still not too far removed from playing and being where they are.”
