Lucas, Terry Selected as Gaines Award Winners

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (April 6, 2026) — Jai Lucas, the men's basketball coach at the University of Miami, and Tierra Terry, the women's basketball coach at Winston-Salem State University, have been named the Clarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coaches of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. The Gaines Awards will be presented during the NSMA's 66th awards banquet on June 29, 2026, at Grandover Resort & Spa — a Wyndham Grand Hotel — in Greensboro, N.C.

Lucas, the winner of the Division I Gaines Award, led Miami to a remarkable turnaround in his first season as a head coach. After a 7-24 record the prior season, the Hurricanes finished 26-9 overall, placed third in the ACC, and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in 2025-26. Lucas was named head coach at Miami on March 6, 2025, after spending 12 years on coaching staffs at Duke, Kentucky, and Texas, where he helped those programs to a combined seven NCAA Tournament appearances. While at Duke, Lucas served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, playing a key role in recruiting and helping the Blue Devils secure the nation's top-ranked recruiting classes in 2024 and 2025.

Terry was announced as the 12th coach in Winston-Salem State women's basketball history in April 2025. In her first season, she led the Rams to one of their best campaigns ever, finishing 28-4, winning the 2026 CIAA Women's Basketball championship and advancing to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament. Terry was named CIAA Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year award.

A native of Houston, Lucas was a McDonald's All-American and ranked 20th in ESPN's high school recruiting class of 2007. He enrolled at Florida before transferring to Texas, where he played two seasons. After graduating from Texas in 2011, he began his coaching career as a special assistant under Rick Barnes, and was promoted to assistant coach in 2016, helping the Longhorns to a 20-win season and an NCAA Tournament berth. Lucas and his wife, Kori, have two sons, Jaxon and Kalib. His father is a former head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, and played 14 seasons in the NBA.

Terry, a native of Lyon, France, graduated from WSSU in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology after playing four years on the women's basketball team. She earned a master's degree in psychology with a specialization in counseling from the University of West Florida in 2011. Terry began her coaching career at her alma mater before serving as a recruiting coordinator at Western Carolina University, then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the College of William & Mary. She then served five seasons as head coach at CIAA member Virginia Union before returning to WSSU in 2025.

The 66th NSMA Awards Banquet and national convention are scheduled for June 28-29, 2026, at Grandover Resort — a Wyndham Grand Hotel — in Greensboro, N.C. For more information and tickets, visit https://bit.ly/4q7pEln.

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ABOUT THE CLARENCE “BIG HOUSE” GAINES AWARDS

The Clarence “Big House” Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Awards are presented to the head coach in NCAA Divisions 1 and 2, who may not earn recognition from mainstream outlets. An NSMA committee votes on the awards at the conclusion of the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments.

Gaines was the head basketball coach at Winston-Salem (NC) State University for 47 seasons. His Rams won 828 games, including the 1967 NCAA Division II National Championship. That team was led by Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, who went on to an NBA Hall of Fame career. Among other notable players Gaines coached were Cleo Hill, the first NBA first-round draft choice from a historically Black college or university, and sports media personality Stephen A. Smith. A former president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Gaines was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. He died in 2005.

ALL-TIME GAINES AWARD WINNERS