Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer makes a staff change, with others looming

Jon Scheyer’s work to enhance and improve his Duke basketball coaching staff includes promoting one of his current assistant coaches.

Jai Lucas, who left Kentucky to join Duke’s staff last season, is getting a bump up to associate head coach, the school announced Thursday.

Lucas joins Chris Carrawell as associate head coaches for Scheyer, who is beginning his second season as head coach following Mike Krzyzewski’s 2022 retirement.

“Jai has been an amazing addition to our coaching staff,” Scheyer said in a statement on Thursday. “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. He’s incredible with relationships. You can ask any of our players, when they’re around him they feel better — that’s the mark of a good coach. I’m very lucky to have him on our staff and excited to name him associate head coach.”

The only current member of Duke’s coaching staff who didn’t play or coach for Krzyzewski, Lucas proved a valuable asset last season when the Blue Devils went 27-9 and won the ACC championship. Scheyer often referred to Lucas as the team’s defensive coordinator and the Blue Devils thrived on that end.

“For me, it’s great having someone that can push and challenge you that thinks differently,” Scheyer said last February. “I’ve known the way that we’ve done it, which has been as successful as anything possible, and you need to adjust. We have a different team this year.”

Duke finished 30th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game, 27th in field goal defense (40.6%), 24th in 3-point defense (30.5%) and 37th in blocked shots (4.5 per game). The Blue Devils joined NCAA champion Connecticut and Houston as the only three teams to finish in the top 40 nationally in those four categories.

In 36 games played, Duke held its opponent below its season scoring average 31 times. The Blue Devils were 27-4 in those games.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to continue my coaching career at Duke,” Lucas said in a statement. “I appreciate the trust that Jon 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. Durham is home for me and my family and it’s an honor for me to be here.”

The son of Durham native and Houston Rockets assistant coach John Lucas II, Jai Lucas played college basketball at Florida and Texas before coaching at Texas and Kentucky prior to coming to Duke last year.

The 34-year-old Lucas’ promotion comes as Scheyer is making other staff changes. Assistant coach Amile Jefferson’s pending move to the Boston Celtics staff means Scheyer needs to replace him. NCAA rules changes allowing up to five assistant coaches, an increase of two over the previous rules, means Scheyer can make three hires.

One of the positions is expected to be filled by former Duke guard Will Avery, who played for Krzyzewski in 1998-99 and came back to Duke in 2019 following his professional career to finish his degree while working as a team manager. Avery graduated in May.

As of July 1, the NCAA will allow schools to add two additional coaches, who are allowed to work with players on and off the court but are not allowed to recruit off campus.

Scheyer said he is considering candidates who have Duke ties, but is open to adding another candidate like Lucas who had no previous ties to the Blue Devils.