What Jai Lucas brings to the Kentucky basketball program and its recruiting efforts
The Kentucky bench is going to be a crowded place when basketball returns to Rupp Arena.
In addition to the recent hire of Bruiser Flint to take Kenny Payne’s spot on the UK staff, John Calipari added Texas assistant coach Jai Lucas to the Wildcats’ program Monday in a newly created role that will focus on recruiting but touch all aspects of the team. The 31-year-old is seen in college basketball circles as a rising young star in the coaching ranks and leaves a position on Shaka Smart’s staff in Austin for a job at Kentucky where he will not be one of the Wildcats’ three assistant coaches.
The exact parameters of Lucas’ role in Lexington are not yet clear, but the Herald-Leader was told last week that he is not expected to be one of the three coaches who — in addition to Calipari — will be representing Kentucky on the recruiting trail. His designation on UK’s staff will also prevent him from an on-court coaching role during games.
Lucas’ official title will be “special assistant to the head coach and recruiting coordinator.” In his role as recruiting coordinator, Lucas will “independently manage official and unofficial visits and be responsible for all recruiting strategy for the program,” according to a release by the school.
He is seen as a major asset to the Wildcats’ program moving forward.
“The fact that they’re getting him as an administrative guy — an off-the-road guy — we’re talking about one of the best up and coming assistant coaches in America,” Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans told the Herald-Leader. “So to have him be put into an off-the-road spot is big. And … to get Lucas in there alongside Bruiser, and, of course, Tony Barbee, Joel Justus, (John Robic) — that’s as strong of a coaching staff as there is in college basketball.”
Flint will join Barbee and Justus as the three assistant coaches on Calipari’s staff. Robic, who has been with the UK program since Calipari’s arrival in 2009, also holds the title of special assistant to the head coach and plays an integral part in the team’s game-planning and opposition scouting.
Though he is not currently in one of the positions that include traveling to recruit off campus, Lucas will be able to participate in the video meetings that have become so popular with recruits and their families amid the NCAA’s current ban on recruiting travel due to COVID-19, giving UK another prominent voice to sell its program during those conversations with prospects.
Lucas has spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Texas following three seasons in a support staff role there. The Houston native also played for the Longhorns for two seasons. He originally chose Florida out of high school — picking the Gators over Kentucky — before transferring to Texas after one season in Gainesville.
During his time on the Texas coaching staff, Lucas — a former McDonald’s All-American point guard — gained the reputation as a promising recruiter who could relate to high school prospects. He was instrumental in helping the Longhorns land top-10 national recruit Greg Brown in the most recent recruiting cycle, and he’s expected to play a role in the Wildcats’ recruiting efforts despite his non-coaching role.
“At the end of the day, he’s still going to be recruiting,” Evans said. “He might not be on the road, but there are still ways to do it.”
His addition will give Calipari quite the coaching dynamic.
Robic and Flint have both been assistant coaches under Calipari going back to his earliest days as UMass head coach in the late 1980s. Flint succeeded Calipari as UMass head coach and later was the head coach at Drexel before most recently serving as an assistant at Indiana. Robic was the head coach at Youngstown State before rejoining Calipari at Memphis.
Barbee played for Calipari — while Flint and Robic were assistant coaches — at UMass and later served as an assistant coach there and at Memphis before becoming a head coach at UTEP and Auburn.
Justus, 38, was recently named by ESPN as one of the best college basketball coaches under 40, coming in at No. 25 in those rankings. (Lucas received an honorable mention on that list).
“When it comes to depth — four or five guys who could all be running their own basketball programs, on the same staff — that’s pretty impressive,” Evans said.
Calipari noted in Monday’s release that Lucas is already familiar with UK’s program after seriously considering the Wildcats as a high school star more than a decade ago.
“For our team to add a young but established and accomplished coach to our staff was an opportunity we were thrilled to have,” Calipari said. “I’ve known the Lucas family for 25 years and followed Jai’s career both as a player and as a coach. As our fans know, Jai was recruited here as a player and knows a lot about this program. I have always been impressed by the work he has done and the relationships he’s created. Jai is another guy who everyone has respect for because of his work ethic and his players-first approach. He will be a great addition.
“With the staff we have assembled and the people who are a part of our program, I’m really excited to get started with this group. I like my team.”
Jai Lucas and UK recruiting
The departure of Kenny Payne this month for the NBA’s New York Knicks was obviously a blow to the Kentucky program, but the Wildcats will still be a force on the recruiting trail.
For all of Payne’s well-deserved praise in the area, Barbee and Justus have also been bringing in highly touted prospects to UK’s program. Among last season’s Kentucky starters, Barbee was the lead recruiter for star freshman Tyrese Maxey and junior center Nick Richards, who became one of the country’s best big men. Justus was the lead recruiter on point guard Ashton Hagans and SEC player of the year Immanuel Quickley.
The returning duo was also instrumental in putting together what should be one of the best backcourts in America this season, with Justus leading the recruitments of point guard Devin Askew and shooting guard Brandon Boston Jr., while Barbee had the lead on playmaker Terrence Clarke. (Boston and Clarke are both projected as NBA lottery picks next year). Barbee was also the lead recruiter for point guard Nolan Hickman, who recently became UK’s first commitment for the 2021 class.
Lucas should only add to the Wildcats’ recruiting arsenal.
Barbee already has extensive ties to Texas — thanks in part to his four seasons as UTEP’s head coach — and he most recently landed Maxey, a top-10 recruit, out of the state. UK is also just a few years removed from recruiting Texas natives PJ Washington, De’Aaron Fox and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Lucas gives Kentucky yet another major recruiter in the state.
“His network base in Texas is as great as anyone in the sport right now,” Evans said. “And you talk about a state that is developing talent at maybe the best rate of anyone. Texas is the most talented state in America, bar none, in 2022. And 2022 is the best class, as far as depth, that I’ve seen in recent memory. So you talk about that, and you throw the Kentucky name next to Jai’s — that’s pretty immense.
“I think it really develops a pipeline further with the state of Texas and Kentucky basketball.”
Lucas is also the son of former NBA head coach and one-time No. 1 overall draft pick John Lucas, who remains an influential figure in grassroots basketball. The elder Lucas still hosts high-profile camps throughout the country and connects with young players and their parents through those events, as well as his involvement in such major recruiting showcases as the NBPA Top 100 Camp. The Lucas family — which includes Jai’s older brother, John Lucas III, a 12-year pro player — remains deeply involved with grassroots basketball in Texas.
Though Jai Lucas won’t be on the road recruiting at major basketball events or visiting players’ high schools or living rooms, he can still meet with prospects and their families when they come to UK’s campus, and he can still communicate with them through phone calls and video sessions.
With Calipari often selling the family atmosphere surrounding UK’s program, Lucas will be yet another friendly face in the effort.
“He’s very easy-going. He’s only 31 years old. Just got done playing basketball seven, eight years ago. So he relates a lot to these kids,” Evans said. “He’s walked in those guys’ shoes. He was a heavily recruited prospect. He played professionally. His experience and background — and just how recent it was — definitely allows for a much easier recruiting process when it comes to relatability.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
