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Kentucky is finalizing a deal with Texas assistant Jai Lucas to join the men’s basketball coaching staff, according to Pete Thamel.
Sources: Texas basketball assistant Jai Lucas is finalizing a deal to go to Kentucky. Lucas will be in an off-court role for the Wildcats.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 24, 2020
Lucas is expected to serve as a special assistant to the head coach.
Kentucky fans may remember the memorable recruitment of Lucas as a high school recruit in the 2007 class. The former McDonald’s All-American was heavily pursued by Kentucky, and there was talk of Lucas being a package deal with fellow 2007 recruit Patrick Patterson.
Despite strongly considering Kentucky, Lucas ultimately signed with the Gators, and Patterson later became a Wildcat. After just one season at Florida, Lucas transferred to Texas where he would finish his college career.
Lucas is from a very popular and respected basketball family. His father, John Lucas II, was an All-American at Maryland who enjoyed a 14-year career in the NBA and was later head coach of three NBA teams.
Jai’s older brother, John Lucas III, played collegiately at Baylor and Oklahoma State. He went on to play for six NBA teams.
At Texas, Lucas has helped the Longhorns land coveted recruits like Mo Bamba, Jarrett Allen and Greg Brown. He’s not expected to be a recruiter for Kentucky since it’s an off-court role, but he should still help Calipari open more doors in the recruiting world, especially in Texas.