Miami basketball coach Jai Lucas agrees to contract extension, per report
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Miami has signed men’s basketball coach Jai Lucas to a significant contract extension, according to a report.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel, Lucas and the Canes have agreed to a 5-year extension. The move comes after an impressive first season in Coral Gables that saw the Hurricanes match their program record with 24 regular-season victories.
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The extension also presumably comes with a raise for Lucas, who would have potentially been a candidate for a number of head coaching vacancies this offseason. Lucas, long known as an elite recruiter in college basketball, engineered an impressive one-year turnaround for the Canes after they bottomed out in 2024-25.
Per KenPom, Miami’s defensive efficiency ranked 35th nationally for the 2025-26 season. The year prior, Miami was near the bottom of Division I in that category — 339th nationally.
Looking ahead to 2026-27, Miami is expected to contend for another NCAA Tournament appearance. Miami made additions such as Somto Cyril from Georgia and Acaden Lewis from Villanova in the transfer portal.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
