Duke basketball makes another adjustment to coaching staff

The Duke basketball program has made another adjustment with its coaching staff. 

There has been movement among the Duke basketball coaching staff once again but this time it’s not disappointing news.

A week after assistant coach Amile Jefferson left the Blue Devils for a job with the Boston Celtics, head coach Jon Scheyer has promoted Jai Lucas from an assistant coach to an associate head coach.

The program made the announcement official on Thursday.

Lucas, who has only spent one year with Duke, joins Chris Carrawell as associate head coaches on Scheyer’s staff.

“Jai [Lucas] has been an amazing addition to our coaching staff,” Jon Scheyer said in a statement.

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“I’m so proud of what he’s done in taking our defense to another level this past season and he’s great on the floor with player development.”

Lucas came to Duke from John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky and held the reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country.

Duke currently has the No. 2 recruiting class in 2023 and already has pledges from a 5-star and 4-star prospect in 2024.

Duke basketball still looking to fill coaching vacancy

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to continue my coaching career at Duke,” Jai Lucas said in the press release.

“I appreciate the trust that Jon [Scheyer] has put in me, and I look forward to helping him and our staff continue building on the incredible legacy and tradition in this program.

Duke won the ACC Tournament Championship in the first year that Lucas was on staff and saw two players, Dereck Lively and Dariq Whitehead, selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.

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The Blue Devils return key pieces from last year like Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell, Tyrese Proctor, and Jeremy Roach.

“Durham is home for me and my family and it’s an honor for me to be here,” Jai Lucas said.

Duke still has a vacancy on its coaching staff from Amile Jefferson’s departure that has yet to be filled.