NCAA Dooms Duke as Ex-National Coach Exposes Major Emotional Crisis Suffered by Cooper Flagg and Co. in March Madness

“It’s absurd to have the transfer portal open during the heart of March Madness. It’s crazy, ludicrous!” And it’s no exaggeration from Dick Vitale. The transfer portal opening on March 24 has turned college basketball into a high-stakes auction.  For Duke, the timing couldn’t have been worse. With a national championship still within reach, the Blue Devils are suffering an unforeseen loss at the top of their recruiting ranks. The man most responsible for their successful roster construction — the one who brought generational talents like Cooper Flagg to Durham —is being pulled away just as Duke’s title chase heats up.

While Jon Scheyer’s team thrives on the court, his top assistant, Jai Lucas, finds himself rushing to Miami. His mission? Rebuilding the Hurricanes’ roster before the transfer portal’s feeding frenzy leaves them high and dry.

It’s a situation that speaks to the unpredictable nature of modern college basketball. Even the program’s elite are not immune to the collateral damage the portal causes. Former coach and basketball analyst Matt McCall weighed in on the situation, emphasizing the heavy toll Lucas’s departure takes.

“Jai Lucas is the top assistant at Duke. Jai Lucas does not get to go on this magical ride that Duke is having and be a part of it because everyone is so consumed with the portal,” McCall said. “He has to get to Miami to start working on the portal and coaching his team. Because if he doesn’t get down there soon enough, then he’s going to be the eightball.” Duke’s success story cannot be told without Jai Lucas. An associate head coach on Jon Scheyer’s staff since 2022, Lucas played an important role in luring top-ranked recruits to play for Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

Most notably, 2024 five-star forward Cooper Flagg and 2025 five-star twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer. Lucas also helped boost Duke’s defense into a top-10 unit, further solidifying value to the Blue Devils.

For Cooper Flagg, a freshman phenom already shouldering the weight of being the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Lucas’s exit is more than a logistical hiccup—it’s a personal blow. Sources close to the team reveal that Flagg had developed a tight bond with Lucas, who was instrumental in his decision to join Duke over other blue-blood programs.

However, the timing of Lucas’s exit was unfortunate, but it was also unavoidable. The Miami administration recognized their need to nail down Lucas before the chaos of the transfer portal reached full tilt. Miami, according to ESPN, wanted its next coach to be in place by March 24. Any later, and its pace in pursuing key transfers would be at a disadvantage. Lucas confirmed that pressure, stating, “It was crucial for me to come here as quickly as possible to ensure we begin on the right path”. So, how will the Blue Devils cope with this change?

Unforgiving timeline for Cooper Flagg and Blue Devils

Despite the circumstance, head coach Jon Scheyer has remained supportive of Lucas’ decision. He conceded that Lucas and Duke were put in a tough spot, adding, “Jai wanted to stay; this wasn’t a decision that Jai made. This is me and him working together.” Still, Scheyer felt the timing was “not ideal” for a team that’s striving for a national title, but he realized the opportunity Lucas has in his new post in Miami.

On the court, Duke has shown no signs of faltering—yet. Their 89-66 dismantling of Baylor on March 23 showcased Flagg’s versatility (18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) and Tyrese Proctor’s sharpshooting (25 points, 7-of-8 from three). But off the court, the Blue Devils are reeling. Scheyer has leaned on remaining assistants like Chris Carrawell to fill Lucas’s void, though Carrawell lacks Lucas’s recruiting prowess. With Arizona looming on March 27, the question lingers: can Duke’s talent outshine their turmoil, or will the NCAA’s portal timing prove their undoing?

Yet even with the loss of a figure like Lucas, Duke’s goals are still in play. ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock highlighted that Cooper Flagg could have a chance to take great care of this adversity. “Cooper’s got an opportunity here to do some real hero stuff,” Hancock said. “If Cooper Flagg wins the national championship, it’s going to be, ‘Look what he did coming out of the wheelchair in the ACC Tournament,’ just kind of adding to the story.”

The convergence of March Madness and the transfer portal’s hectic 30-day window has created a dilemma for teams and coaches. It has transformed what should be a happy tournament run for each program into a dual-stage audition. Players are auditioning for both pro scouts and transfer portal suitors. For Miami, waiting any longer to bring in Lucas until after Duke’s run ended could’ve left them behind in the competition for elite transfers. With NIL budgets now creeping over $7 million for some of the best programs in the country. The pressure is as high as ever to act fast in the portal.