Jai Lucas acknowledges his coaching pedigree lacks the vital role of running a team but believes that experience gained through assistant stops at “Blue Blood” programs has prepared him for the massive undertaking that awaits him.

The man who built the Miami program into a Final Four contender was on hand for his successor’s press conference today. And Jim Larranaga was all smiles as new coach Jai Lucas spoke about his vision for the program

Jai Lucas and Miami have finalized the contract that makes him the school’s new men’s basketball coach, nearly two weeks after they struck preliminary agreement on a deal, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday.