Duquesne Basketball

Duquesne head men's basketball coach Dru Joyce added some fuel to the fire Wednesday regarding rumors and speculation of Bronny James transferring from USC to Duquesne.

Joyce took to X to post a GIF of himself tossing powder into the air, which is the famous pregame ritual of legendary NBA star LeBron James:

LeBron is Bronny's father, so Joyce's post got people talking about the possibility of Bronny playing for the Dukes.

Earlier this month, Bronny announced that he was entering both the 2024 NBA draft and the transfer portal. He has the right to withdraw from the draft and play collegiately next season.

Due in part to both his family tree and his skill set, Bronny was set to enter the 2023-24 season as one of the most hyped recruits in recent memory. However, he went into cardiac arrest while working out during the summer and had to undergo a heart procedure.

Bronny missed the first eight games of the season as a result, and he was on a minutes restriction for much of the campaign. He averaged only 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman.

Andy Enfield left USC to become the head coach at SMU at the end of the 2023-24 season, perhaps making the decision for Bronny to enter the transfer portal even easier.

Duquesne pales in comparison to USC in terms of its size and scope, but the Dukes reached the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since 1977, and they upset sixth-seeded BYU in the first round. After Duquesne was eliminated from the tourney, the school elevated Joyce from associated head coach to head coach following the retirement of Keith Dambrot.

Like LeBron, Joyce is from Akron, Ohio, and they were high school teammates at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School.

That suggests the James family would trust Joyce to put Bronny in a position to succeed. It could make Duquesne the best option for him if he determines that staying in this year's NBA draft won't yield the results he wants.

USC guard Bronny James announced Friday that he's simultaneously entering the NBA draft (while maintaining his college eligibility) and putting his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

If he stays in college, then Duquesne is "expected to be among his prominent considerations," per Adrian Wojnarowski, who noted the connection between the school and James' father, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

"Duquesne's new coach, Dru Joyce, was a high school teammate of LeBron's and is a longtime James family friend. Joyce was promoted to head coach after Keith Dambrot retired following an Atlantic 10 championship and a run to the NCAA tournament. Dambrot was the high school coach of James and Joyce at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio."

James just completed his first collegiate season at USC, which has since seen a coaching change after Arkansas' Eric Musselman came aboard to replace Andy Enfield, who left for SMU.

James suffered cardiac arrest during a July 24 USC practice and underwent a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect. He was cleared to play in late November and made his season debut on Dec. 10.

James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes a game.

He understandably had some struggles after going through a terrible ordeal that also wiped out much of his offseason, but the former 4-star prospect did showcase his potential at times, notably posting 11 points, six assists and five rebounds against an Arizona team that eventually earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

James' pursuit of the NBA route would involve him being approved by the league's fitness-to-play panel, per Wojnarowski. He can't participate in team workouts or May's draft combine in Chicago until if/when that occurs.

May 31 marks the deadline date for James to either stay in the draft or withdraw his name from consideration and stay in school.

So we'll see what James decides soon enough, but Duquesne would make plenty of sense if he stays in school given the connection to Joyce.

The reigning Atlantic 10 champions just made an NCAA tournament appearance as well, notably beating BYU in the first round.

Duquesne associate head coach Dru Joyce III, who was LeBron James' teammate at St. Vincent-St. Mary, is getting his first opportunity as a head coach at the college level.

Per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, Joyce is being promoted to the role after Keith Dambrot retired following the team's loss to Illinois in the NCAA tournament.

James confirmed the news via X:

Dambrot was a head coach for 22 seasons with three different programs. He spent seven seasons with the Dukes after being hired in March 2017. The 65-year-old was the coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary for the first two seasons Joyce and James were on the team.

After the 2000-01 high school season, Dambrot took an assistant head-coaching job at his alma mater, the University of Akron. He was promoted to head coach starting with the 2004-05 season.

Joyce played for the Zips from 2003 to '07. He had a 13-year career playing professional basketball in various leagues overseas, including Basketball Bundesliga, the Polish Basketball League and ProA.

After his playing career ended, Joyce returned to his home state after accepting a job as an assistant on Dennis Gates' staff at Cleveland State in August 2019.

Dambrot announced before the start of the NCAA tournament he was going to retire at the end of the season.

"I didn't want to cheat [the job]," Dambrot said. "And I just felt like I could see myself losing that edge at some point. And that's why I said, 'I don't want to end like that.' I'm not built that way."

The Dukes defeated BYU in the first round for the program's first tournament victory since the 1968-69 season when there were only 25 teams in the field. They lost in the second round to Illinois on March 23.

Joyce just wrapped up his second season as the associate head coach on Dambrot's staff. He is taking over a program that has won at least 20 games in consecutive years for the first time since 1970-71 and 1971-1972.

Duquesne's NCAA Tournament run has come to an end.

The No. 11-seeded Dukes fell to the No. 3-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini 89-63 on Saturday night in the second round, ending their Cinderella run.

Illinois was dominant from start to finish to secure a berth in the Sweet 16, heading into halftime up 50-26 thanks to strong play from Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Coleman Hawkins.

Shannon led the Illini with 28 points, four rebounds and four assists. Domask also notched 22 points, three rebounds and seven assists.

Duquesne, coached by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' high school head coach Keith Dambrot, was paced by Jimmy Clark III, who finished with 14 points, one rebound and four assists.

With Duquesne's run coming to an end and Dambrot now entering retirement, college basketball fans shared their disappoint in how the Dukes' run ended:

Duquesne beat No. 6-seeded BYU in the first round to clinch a berth against Illinois. The Dukes even securing an NCAA Tournament berth was an accomplishment, but getting past the first round was impressive.

The program will now aim to reach the tournament again in 2024-25. It has never accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons, and it will be difficult to do so under a new head coach.

Illinois, meanwhile, will take on No. 2-seeded Iowa State in the Sweet 16.

Duquesne has pulled off the first upset of March Madness.

The No. 11-seeded Dukes took down sixth-seeded BYU 71-67 in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday behind 19 points from senior guard Dae Dae Grant. Duquesne will now face the winner of No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead State.

The victory gave the Dukes their first tournament win since 1969 when they reached the Sweet 16. The game drew plenty of reactions from college basketball fans, including LeBron James, who played under Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School in Akron, Ohio. James also played alongside Duquesne associate head coach Dru Joyce III in high school.

Riding the high of a big upset in the first round, Duquesne will be looking to keep its Cinderella run going in the round of 32.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was impressed with Duquesne's 71-67 upset victory over BYU in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer congratulated the team as well as head coach Keith Dambrot for the historic win in a post on X.

Dambrot was previously James' head coach during his days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, while Duquesne associate head coach Dru Joyce III was James' high school teammate as well.

James has been a vocal supporter of his former coach's team, congratulating the Dukes on X when they punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament on Sunday. He also sent the team pairs of his Nike LeBron 21 shoes ahead of their matchup with BYU.

Duquesne earned its first March Madness appearance since 1977 by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament, while Thursday's win represented the school's first NCAA tournament victory since 1969. It's surely a special moment for Dambrot, who previously announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

His career isn't over just yet thanks to the heroics of his team against BYU. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant led the way with 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists while shooting 3-8 from behind the arc. Freshman forward Jakub Necas also performed admirably in his tournament debut, scoring 12 points and blocking three shots in 30 minutes off the bench.

The Dukes racked up seven total blocks as a team, holding the Cougars to a field goal percentage of just 39 percent. On the other hand, Duquesne shot 39 percent from three while taking 18 total attempts from behind the arc.

Dambrot's team is now headed to the second round, where they'll face the winner of Thursday's matchup between Morehead State and Illinois.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is ready to cheer on Duquesne in the NCAA tournament, and the Dukes are geared up for March Madness courtesy of the four-time NBA champion himself.

James gifted the Duquesne men's basketball team with new sneakers—his signature Nike LeBron 21s, per TMZ Sports—ahead of their tournament opener against BYU on Thursday:

The news comes as little surprise, as Duquesne's head coach Keith Dambrot was James' head coach for two years at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School. Dambrot is retiring from coaching after the NCAA tournament.

The sneakers, which are modeled after the oyster cultivation process, are white and light blue, have Air Zoom cushioning and a glow-in-the-dark outsole.

They are also a tribute to James' daughter Zhuri "and how the proud dad protects his daughter just as a shell shelters a pearl," according to TMZ Sports.

Duquesne, a No. 11 seed, won the Atlantic 10 tournament last Sunday to secure a berth in March Madness. It's the Dukes' first tournament appearance since 1977.

Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot's coaching career will come to an end after the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Dambrot, who was notably LeBron James' head coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, OH, announced Monday that he would be retiring following the Dukes' run in the tournament.

He has been the Dukes' head coach since 2017-18 and led the team to three seasons with more than 20 wins.

Dambrot 40-year coaching career included 22 years coaching at the Division I level, as he had stops at Central Michigan and Akron before becoming the Dukes' head coach. He compiled an overall record of 440-268 and has led four teams into the NCAA Tournament.

The 2023-24 Dukes team is his most recent entry and his only team to reach March Madness during his time with the program. Prior to this season, Duquesne had not reached the tournament since 1977.

Duquesne earned an 11-seed and will face BYU in the first round. The program has not won a tournament game since 1969

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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took some time to congratulate the Duquesne men's basketball team for earning a 57-51 victory over VCU to win the Atlantic 10 tournament on Sunday.

Although he skipped college to declare for the NBA draft back in 2003, James shares a special connection with Dukes head coach Keith Dambrot. Dambrot coached the four-time MVP during his teenage days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Duquesne associate head coach Dru Joyce III was also James' high school teammate.

Dambrot previously served as the head coach of Akron, leading the program to a record of 305-139 before he joined the Dukes ahead of the 2017-18 season. After bouncing back from a rough 6-24 record in 2022, Duquesne has surpassed 20 wins in each of the past two seasons.

James has given shoutouts to his former coach in the past, congratulating Dambrot when he reached 500 career wins in Feb. 2023.

"Coach D, my guy, oh my goodness," said James (h/t Adam Bittner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). "Five hundred? Five hundred wins is ridiculous. Man oh man. Never cease to amaze me. I want to congratulate you on an incredible feat and many more wins coming in the near future. Enjoy this moment, you deserve it, love you, and you're the best."

Now, the Dukes will be headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977.

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