After overtures from TCU, former Texas Longhorns basketball player Jai Lucas will remain in Austin as a member of Shaka Smart’s staff, a source close to the program tells Horns247.

Lucas, who served as Smart’s Director of Basketball Operations last season, will shift into an assistant’s role as a part of his deal to stay with Texas. He will replace Mike Morrell, the Longhorns’ coach for wings and special situations, as one of Smart’s Top 3 assistants. This will be Lucas' first role as an assistant coach on the college level. ESPN's Jeff Goodman was the first to report the news of the assistant switch.

“We are reorganizing our staff to help continue move the program forward," a source close to the program said. "We will always continue to access on a year-to-year basis on what’s best on our program, we will evaluate what we are doing as it relates to our staff and do what is right for that current season"

The move to an assistant role will allow the 27-year-old Lucas to have more of an impact on recruiting, as he’ll allowed to recruit on the road, something only a head coach and his three top assistants can do.

Lucas is the son of famed Houston-area basketball coach John Lucas II, who was the head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Lucas II currently is in charge of “John Lucas Enterprises” and is one of the most influential basketball trainers in the country.

Adding Jai Lucas to the team’s recruiting travel staff will likely be a boon to recruiting in the Houston area, where John Lucas frequently works with the city’s top talent, including five-star forward Jarrett Allen, who is Texas’ priority target in the 2016 class.

Shaka Smart (right) and assistant coach Mike Morrell (left) shout instructions during a game last season.

Morrell came to Texas from VCU along with Smart, and he just finished his third season as an assistant coach. The 33-year-old served as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Rams for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 season and is considered on of Smart's closest confidants. Morrell was the main recruiter for Tevin Mack, Smart’s first land at Texas, and served a key role in helping to secure the majority of the team’s current recruiting class.

A source tells Horns247 Morrell continues to have the trust of Smart "as much as anyone," and he will continue at Texas in a currently undefined role. The source also said Morrell will continue to be "heavily involved" in recruiting.

Jai Lucas played at Texas for two seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11) and played in 58 career games. He spent two seasons of his post-college career playing in the National Basketball Development League and an additional season playing professionally in Latvia.

Prior to his time as Director of Basketball Operations at Texas, Lucas was a Special Assistant under former head coach Rick Barnes.