Jai Lucas has reshaped Miami’s men’s basketball program by recruiting a wave of Florida-born players, overhauling his coaching staff with seasoned veterans, and immediately pursuing top in-state prospects, all part of a strategic overhaul aimed at returning the Hurricanes to national contention after last season’s last-place ACC finish. Since his April hiring as the league’s youngest head coach, Lucas has convinced five Sunshine State natives—Malik Reneau (Indiana), Tre Donaldson (Michigan), Ernest Udeh Jr. (TCU), Dante Allen (decommitted from Villanova) and Marcus Allen (Missouri)—to “come home” to Coral Gables, according to team announcements and multiple sources.
To support his Florida-first roster, Lucas has revamped his staff, adding local figures and high-caliber experience. He reunited former Missouri assistant Charlton “C.Y.” Young, Miami native Erik Pastrana from Georgia’s staff, and Andrew Moran, ex-Columbus High coach, to anchor his rebuild. On May 22, he further bolstered the bench by hiring Russell Springmann, who brings more than 20 years of coaching experience—including head-coach duties at Oral Roberts and assistant roles under Rick Barnes at Texas—and has developed 15 NBA draft picks such as Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Lucas’s youth and his background as a top recruiter at Kentucky, Duke, and Texas fuel his aggressive approach. Within weeks of taking the helm, he personally visited North Tampa Christian Academy to court five-star 2026 power forward Toni Bryant, a 6-foot-10, 200-pound standout who led the nation in blocked shots as a sophomore and ranks among the top 15 recruits nationally. Miami now joins Ole Miss, Texas, and Florida among Bryant’s suitors, underscoring Lucas’s commitment to mining Florida’s talent pipeline.
Only two players on Miami’s current roster lack Sunshine State ties: New Mexico transfer Tru Washington, who played under Lucas’s uncle at Kentucky, and five-star forward Shelton Henderson of Houston. Henderson initially committed to Duke—where Lucas was associate head coach—before flipping to Miami.
Embracing the modern transfer era, Lucas rejects the notion that top talent must leave home for blue-blood programs. Among the youngest coaches in Division I at 36, Lucas’s youth aligns with a rapidly evolving college landscape.
With a roster steeped in Florida heritage, a coaching staff blending local roots and deep experience, and an immediate push for elite Sunshine State recruits, Lucas aims to reignite Hurricanes basketball—from high-school gyms across the state back to the national stage.
