Exclusive conversation with Jai Lucas!

[JasonEvans]

I think you all will want to listen to this episode of the Duke Basketball Roundup... we landed a pretty good insider.

Coach Jai Lucas talks about what makes K2 so good, why Cooper is a different breed from other top recruits, how the transfer portal has changed the timeline of high school recruiting, and which teams he is looking out for in the ACC.

Oh, and he tells us a funny story about Jon Scheyer's competitive streak.

Have a listen and then post your comments in this thread!

#642 - Exclusive Conversation with Coach Jai Lu... by Duke Basketball Roundup

Listen in as he breaks down the team's prospects for the upcoming season

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[Billy Dat]

Great pod, Coach Lucas seems like a very good guy.

For those who watched "Succession", I think we can co-opt "KonHeads" for those on Triple Kneuppel Island. Needless to say, the KonHeads will be pleased at Coach Lucas' comments.

 

[brevity]

One correction.

When discussing the shift/delay in high school recruiting, Jason mentions Liam McNeeley as a player who waited until the summer to make a college commitment, and that maybe others will follow his example. That's not how it happened.

1. McNeeley actually committed to Indiana in October 2023, and signed his National Letter of Intent during the early signing period in November.

2. He requested a release from his NLI and decommitted from Indiana in March 2024, and chose Connecticut in late April.

The difference is significant because the precedent it sets is potentially scarier: no early commitment is safe. It was speculated that McNeeley's decision to leave Indiana was tied to coach Mike Woodson's retention -- an internal factor, much like MacKenzie Mgbako decommitting from Duke the previous year -- but in a land of rampant portal tampering, you could see external factors trying to change the mind of a committed recruit during his senior year.

Seven of the top 50 high school seniors in the On3 rankings have now committed to a school, with an eighth deciding on Friday. Will all of them keep their commitments over the next several months? Or, stated another way, will everyone else respect the commitments and leave those seniors alone? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[JasonEvans]

One correction.

When discussing the shift/delay in high school recruiting, Jason mentions Liam McNeeley as a player who waited until the summer to make a college commitment, and that maybe others will follow his example. That's not how it happened.

1. McNeeley actually committed to Indiana in October 2023, and signed his National Letter of Intent during the early signing period in November.

2. He requested a release from his NLI and decommitted from Indiana in March 2024, and chose Connecticut in late April.

The difference is significant because the precedent it sets is potentially scarier: no early commitment is safe. It was speculated that McNeeley's decision to leave Indiana was tied to coach Mike Woodson's retention -- an internal factor, much like MacKenzie Mgbako decommitting from Duke the previous year -- but in a land of rampant portal tampering, you could see external factors trying to change the mind of a committed recruit during his senior year.

Seven of the top 50 high school seniors in the On3 rankings have now committed to a school, with an eighth deciding on Friday. Will all of them keep their commitments over the next several months? Or, stated another way, will everyone else respect the commitments and leave those seniors alone? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Yup, I was aware of the way McNeeley's saga went down. My larger point was the notion of a top tier 5-star high school recruit making his final choice in April or May. I suspect this somewhat unusual situation may become more and more normal and -- based on what he said in the interview -- I think Coach Lucas would agree.

You are wise though to point out that nothing is final in recruiting. Early commitments that used to seem binding are not. The same way a coach has to re-recruit his players to get them to come back at the end of a season, I think coaches are going to have to re-recruit already committed high schoolers to ensure they stay on board through the spring and into summer.

Roster building is a real mess at this point... I do not envy Scheyer and his staff.

 

[Phredd3]

It might have been unique to me, but 90% of the time, I'm listening to podcasts either while driving or while walking. In this case, I was driving, and it was really hard to hear Coach Lucas over road noise. He almost sounded under water at times. I know it was a phone call and the podcast wasn't able to control his mic, but just for folks wanting to listen casually - listen somewhere other than in your car, if you have the opportunity.

ETA: It is definitely worth your time to take a listen somewhere, some way!

 

[tommy]

One correction.

When discussing the shift/delay in high school recruiting, Jason mentions Liam McNeeley as a player who waited until the summer to make a college commitment, and that maybe others will follow his example. That's not how it happened.

1. McNeeley actually committed to Indiana in October 2023, and signed his National Letter of Intent during the early signing period in November.

2. He requested a release from his NLI and decommitted from Indiana in March 2024, and chose Connecticut in late April.

The difference is significant because the precedent it sets is potentially scarier: no early commitment is safe. It was speculated that McNeeley's decision to leave Indiana was tied to coach Mike Woodson's retention -- an internal factor, much like MacKenzie Mgbako decommitting from Duke the previous year -- but in a land of rampant portal tampering, you could see external factors trying to change the mind of a committed recruit during his senior year.

Seven of the top 50 high school seniors in the On3 rankings have now committed to a school, with an eighth deciding on Friday. Will all of them keep their commitments over the next several months? Or, stated another way, will everyone else respect the commitments and leave those seniors alone? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it.

They certainly don't in football.

 

[JasonEvans]

It might have been unique to me, but 90% of the time, I'm listening to podcasts either while driving or while walking. In this case, I was driving, and it was really hard to hear Coach Lucas over road noise. He almost sounded under water at times. I know it was a phone call and the podcast wasn't able to control his mic, but just for folks wanting to listen casually - listen somewhere other than in your car, if you have the opportunity.

ETA: It is definitely worth your time to take a listen somewhere, some way!

Yeah, sorry about that. I wish he had used a computer and a mic but I was not able to control the method of him calling into the interview. I noticed that the audio is a bit murky at times. There is really nothing I could do to clean it up.