Jai Lucas knows recruiting at Duke will be different

Jai Lucas (Photo by Duke Athletics)

One of the first questions former Kentucky assistant coach Jai Lucas was asked at his first press conference as a Duke assistant coach was how he successfully formed relationships with players.

“It really starts with the relationship. That’s how you build it – time spent. You have to spend time with them. Of course, you’re going to spend time on the court going through all your basketball stuff, but the biggest time is off the court. You can connect on a different level,” Lucas, age 33, said.

“They see you differently, bringing them over to the house, having them around your family. Things like that build on the relationship, then you have to go from there.”

“A big part of it is you have to be reliable and you have to be there for them. Not just when it’s going good, but also when things are going bad because everybody’s going to have some type of scenario, situation, or something happen in the season where it doesn’t go great. They have to know you’re in their corner with them no matter what. Through all those experiences and that relationship builds that connection.”

Will his recruiting style change at Duke?

“I think everyone has their own style and their own template, but you have to adjust to where you are. Recruiting at Texas is not the same as recruiting at Kentucky and I’m sure it’s not going to be the same as recruiting at Duke,” Lucas said.

“The biggest thing is people who fit Coach Scheyer. That’s the most important thing, people he’s going to want to coach, people he’s going to want to be around who I think will be successful under him and who we can help as a staff. Then, that kind of determines who you recruit.”