Reborn with a new coach, Miami is set to start the Jai Lucas era against visiting Jacksonville on Monday night in Coral Gables, Fla.
Lucas, a first-time head coach at age 36, has replaced Jim Larranaga, 76. Larranaga retired last season, midway through a 7-24 campaign.
It’s hard to know what to expect from the Hurricanes, who made it to the NCAA’s Elite Eight in 2022 and the Final Four in 2023 before they crashed out the past two years.
Lucas, an ace recruiter who was an assistant at Texas, Kentucky and Duke, has brought in a top-25 freshman class. That class includes two of the top 60 players in the nation, per the 247Sports composite: 6-foot-6 forward Shelton Henderson and 6-foot-4 guard Dante Allen.
Miami has also added a promising group of transfers, including 6-foot-9 forward Malik Reneau (from Indiana); 6-foot-3 point guard Tre Donaldson (Michigan); 6-foot-4 defensive ace Tru Washington (New Mexico); and 6-foot-11 center Ernest Udeh Jr. (TCU).
“Our identity will be on the defensive end, finishing possessions with rebounds,” Lucas said. “That was my thought process for Year 1, to be big positionally, defend and rebound.”
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Sun Conference’s coaches picked the Dolphins to finish sixth in the league. Last season, Jacksonville went 19-14, losing in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational.
Jordan Mincy, who is set to start his fifth season as Jacksonville’s coach, will have to replace guard Robert McCray V, who transferred to Florida State. McCray, who was a third-team All-ASUN player last season, was Jacksonville’s only double-figure scorer (16.2), and he also led the team in assists (4.5).
The Dolphins have added two transfer guards: 6-foot junior Jaylen Jones from Oakland and 6-foot-4 sophomore Chris Lockett Jr. from Boise State.
A key returner is 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Chris Arias, who made the ASUN’s All-Freshman team. Charles Caporaso, a 7-foot center, arrives as a junior-college transfer.
“We’ve got a lot of new and exciting talent,” Mincy said. “We have high-character student-athletes who are ready to take our schedule on.”
