Prior to his time on the Kentucky basketball staff under head coach John Calipari, new UK assistant Jai Lucas got his start in coaching with the help of current Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.
Barnes, who coached at Texas from 1998-2015, served as Lucas’ head coach when the former McDonald’s All-American guard was a Longhorn from 2009-11. And then following his playing career, Lucas joined Barnes’ staff in Austin as a special assistant from 2013-15 before being retained by new UT coach Shaka Smart when Barnes made the move to Tennessee.
Now coaching against him on the Kentucky bench, Lucas is excited for the opportunity to face off against his former head coach, one he feels is “one of the very best” in the game.