Coral Gables, FL – Jai Lucas has been busy adding and retaining staff members for the Miami Hurricanes Men’s Basketball team.
Below is a list of Lucas’ current staff additions for UM Men’s Basketball.
LJ Rose
Rose spent the previous four seasons as an international scout for the Houston Rockets organization. He’s also currently the General Manager of the Bahamas National Basketball Team, whom he has worked with since June 2022.
A new addition to Jai Lucas’ staff at Miami — LJ Rose pic.twitter.com/2lvKW9d9JZ
— CanesInSight (@CanesInSight) April 18, 2025
“LJ brings experience from all levels of basketball to Miami, from his time as a Division I player to most recently working on staff for the Houston Rockets and the Bahamian national team,” Lucas said. “The knowledge he learned as a scout and general manager will be invaluable as we build our program at Miami.”
Zack Zillner
Zillner has over 10 years of athletic performance experience, most recently serving as the Director of Athletic Performance for the University of Texas Women’s Basketball team. He also has prior experience at Kansas, Illinois, and Southern Miss.
Welcome to The U, @Zack_Zillner 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DwTvZ3AdXc
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) April 18, 2025
“Zack is someone who knows what it takes to win in the area of sports performance as he has been a part of very successful women’s and men’s basketball teams over the past 10 years,” Lucas said. “His relentless pursuit of excellence and dedication to the athletic performance of our student-athletes will help build the kind of culture we want at Miami.”
Riley Welch
Welch was previously a staff member for the Grand Rapids Gold as a video coordinator in 2023-24 and as an assistant coach in 2024-25. He also served as a graduate assistant coach from 2021-2023 at the University of Kentucky.
Riley Welch, former Kentucky player, is joining Jai Lucas’ staff at Miami pic.twitter.com/Rpkn27Epwq
— The Kentucky Network (@KentuckyNet) April 18, 2025
“Riley is someone who lives and breathes basketball, having grown up around the sport from a young age,” Lucas said. “We had the opportunity to cross paths at Kentucky when he was a player and graduate assistant coach, and I knew he’d be the perfect addition to our staff because of his basketball knowledge and positive attitude.”
Jeff Dyer
Dyer, who has been the team’s director of basketball operations since 2021, will remain in the same role. He was a graduate assistant at Miami from 2014-2016 and then came back in 2017 as an associate director of basketball operations.
Thankful beyond words to Coach Lucas for keeping me in Coral Gables! Big things ahead https://t.co/31yThigbmw
— Jeff Dyer (@JeffDyer_) April 18, 2025
“Jeff’s familiarity with the University of Miami, the city and the basketball landscape has made our transition as a staff seamless,” Lucas said. “He has been and will continue to be an integral part of the basketball operations at Miami.”
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