Miami’s first preseason practice brought a clear message from Jai Lucas: this is not last year’s team, and he’s not pretending otherwise.
The Hurricanes’ head coach said the roster is essentially brand new, with only Dante Allen and Shelton Henderson back from last season. Everybody else is starting from scratch, and Lucas made it plain that the program has treated this offseason like “year one all over again.” That meant changing how Miami handled the summer and fall to help a group of 12 new players come together.
That reset has shaped everything, from how the staff built the roster to how Lucas is evaluating the team now. He said Miami still wants the same core traits to define the program - size, physicality, rebounding and the ability to get to the free throw line - but the new group also needed more shooting. That led to additions like Brent Bland, Nick Dorn and DeShawn Goode, while preserving the kind of bodies that can absorb contact and battle inside.
Lucas also pointed to the players who are supposed to help glue it all together. Allen’s next step, he said, is expanding into more of a point guard and combo guard role. That fits the way Miami structured the roster around Acaden, who is more of a traditional point guard, with Allen and Henderson serving as secondary ball handlers who can handle the position when needed.
Henderson’s perimeter game was another point of emphasis. Lucas said the improvement starts with comfort and confidence, noting that the sophomore has spent the summer and fall making more shots and getting more comfortable taking them. He framed it as part of Henderson growing up and developing over the past year.
There was also praise for Caleb Gaskins, who Lucas said has had a really good summer and fall and should be ready to go. Still, Lucas stressed that Gaskins is a freshman - a young one, since he just turned 18 - and that a learning curve is coming. Even so, Lucas said the freshman’s mindset has been his best trait.
Off the court, Lucas likes what he’s seen from this group too. He said the players spend a lot of time together away from the gym, and that kind of natural bonding matters. In his view, team chemistry can’t just be manufactured in practice, weights and workouts; the real connection often happens when players are on their own time.
Several transfers have also stood out. Lucas said Brent and Nick have impressed him most with their shot-making and overall ability, while the bigs - Rob Miller and Somto Cyril - have stood out for how much better they can become. In his words, they are not close to their ceiling yet.
Miami’s first real measuring stick comes early. The Hurricanes open against Florida on November 2nd, and Lucas said that kind of test is exactly what he wants right away.
He described it as a chance to see where the team stands, without turning one game into something bigger than it is. “If we win, it's not a championship.
If we lose, it's not the end of the world.”
The non-conference slate was built with the bigger picture in mind, too. Lucas said the expanded tournament field and the way seeding will lean on strength of schedule made it important to load up on high-profile games. He also pointed to Miami’s conference schedule, which includes several tough road games, as another reason the early schedule should help the team gather information and experience.
Lucas also addressed his extension, saying the job has been everything he wanted. As a first-time head coach, he said the support and trust from the school meant a lot, and he was eager to keep building in a place with a strong fan base and momentum across athletics.
That momentum matters in recruiting, too. Lucas said success in football helps the basketball program because “Football is the flagship of athletics here, and so when they're good, we're good.” He added that the visibility of the football team on TV helps Miami’s brand and makes it easier for him to sell the program.
As for the Malik Reneau situation, Lucas did not address it in the material provided.
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