Bellaire Examiner - Sports
Jai Lucas will become a Longhorn
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| Jai Lucas as a Bellaire Cardinal. |
Jai Lucas announced Sunday night he’s transfering to Texas to play basketball for the Longhorns at the first opportunity, according to news reports.
Lucas made the announcement on a sports webcast in Houston, the reports said.
The NCAA mandates that transfers must sit out a season before being eligible to play again, but Lucas can enroll in Austin for the semester beginning Jan. 20. Lucas said it wasn't clear whether he could don the burnt orange in November 2009 or the spring of 2010.
The Bellaire Cardinals standout at point guard was considered one of the top 50 recruits two years ago. He opted for Florida over a slew of other basketball powerhouses and was voted All-Southeastern Conference during his freshman year.
But after only one preseason game this year, he announced he was homesick and wanted to transfer to a school closer to his family in Texas.
Rice and Baylor were said to be in pursuit, but in the end he opted for the Longhorns, which he told Fox 26 News, had always been his “dream school.”
“I look at (Texas’) player development and success with point guards,” Lucas was quoted as saying by Austin American-Statesman sportswriter Mark Rosner.
Lucas is the son of John Lucas, former NBA player and coach and brother of John Lucas III, who played college and pro ball after attending Bellaire.
Lucas made the announcement on a sports webcast in Houston, the reports said.
The NCAA mandates that transfers must sit out a season before being eligible to play again, but Lucas can enroll in Austin for the semester beginning Jan. 20. Lucas said it wasn't clear whether he could don the burnt orange in November 2009 or the spring of 2010.
The Bellaire Cardinals standout at point guard was considered one of the top 50 recruits two years ago. He opted for Florida over a slew of other basketball powerhouses and was voted All-Southeastern Conference during his freshman year.
But after only one preseason game this year, he announced he was homesick and wanted to transfer to a school closer to his family in Texas.
Rice and Baylor were said to be in pursuit, but in the end he opted for the Longhorns, which he told Fox 26 News, had always been his “dream school.”
“I look at (Texas’) player development and success with point guards,” Lucas was quoted as saying by Austin American-Statesman sportswriter Mark Rosner.
Lucas is the son of John Lucas, former NBA player and coach and brother of John Lucas III, who played college and pro ball after attending Bellaire.
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