Jon Scheyer lands Kentucky Wildcats assistant for his first Duke Blue Devils staff
Jon Scheyer ventured outside the Duke family, but still found someone with Durham roots, to round out his first Blue Devils coaching staff.
Duke announced Monday that Kentucky assistant Jai Lucas has agreed to leave John Calipari’s staff to become an assistant coach with the Blue Devils.
“Jai embodies everything I was looking for in this role,” Scheyer said in a statement on Monday. “I’ve been impressed by his winner’s mindset, great feel for the game, and strong work ethic. Through his impressive playing and coaching career, he has built extraordinary relationships across the basketball landscape and shown a unique ability to connect with student-athletes.”
The move was originally reported on Friday and Calipari confirmed in a Twitter statement that day he was losing Lucas to Duke.
“Yesterday, Jai informed me he was taking a promotion at another school,” Calipari wrote on Friday. “I asked where and when he told me Duke, he expected me to be mad. I support what he thinks is best for his family. He’s been loyal, terrific on the road and great for our players, and I want what’s best for him, so I’m good with it. I am not surprised that there was interest in Jai because there is always interest in our staff. This year, all of our assistants have been approached about other opportunities. When you have a great staff, that’s what happens!”
The 33-year-old Lucas, a Houston native who played college basketball at Florida and Texas, is the son of John Lucas II. A Durham native, John Lucas II starred at Hillside High School and in college at Maryland before his 14-year NBA playing career. He’s currently an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets.
“My family and I are excited to be joining the Duke University family,” Jai Lucas said in a statement on Monday. “The opportunity to come to Duke and be a part of Jon Scheyer’s first staff was something I felt I could not pass up. I look forward to building on the foundation established by Mike Krzyzewski and the former Blue Devils, while helping coach Scheyer usher in a new era of Duke basketball. Durham is a special place for me, and I’m thrilled to get to be around so many of my family members.”
After his college career, Jai Lucas played overseas and in the NBA G League. He started his coaching career at Texas as support staff in 2013, becoming a full assistant coach for the Longhorns in 2016, before joining Calipari’s Kentucky staff in 2020 as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach.
At Duke, Lucas will join associate head coach Chris Carrawell and assistant coach Amile Jefferson to comprise Scheyer’s coaching staff. Duke also hired former Elon head coach Mike Schrage as a special assistant to the head coach.
Scheyer, 34, became Duke’s head coach when Mike Krzyzewski retired after the Blue Devils completed their 32-7 season and made the Final Four.
Lucas arrives at Duke with an outside perspective on the program. Carrawell and Jefferson are both former Duke players, as is Scheyer. Schrage worked as Duke’s recruiting coordinator and director of basketball operations before embarking on his coaching career at Stanford in 2008.
Though he lacks Duke ties, Lucas has played and coached under several top coaches. Current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan recruited Lucas to Florida and coached him for one season in 2007-08. Lucas transferred to Texas where he played for now-Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.
Barnes hired Lucas as a special assistant coach at Texas in 2013. When Shaka Smart replaced Barnes as Texas head coach in 2015, he retained Lucas as director of basketball operations. A year later, Lucas became an assistant coach.
Lucas coached the last two seasons for Calipari at Kentucky.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Jon Scheyer lands Kentucky Wildcats assistant for his first Duke Blue Devils staff."