Keith Dambrot announced Monday he’ll be retiring at the completion of the 2023-24 season. This news comes just one day after the Duquesne men’s basketball team won the Atlantic 10 tournament and earned a bid in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1977.
Dambrot, 65, caps off an impressive 22-year career with the best finish in recent history. After starting the conference season 0-5, he led his team to a 10-3 finish to go 10-8 in the A-10 and 20-11 overall. The Dukes’ efforts earned them a No. 6 seed in the league’s tournament. They went to Brooklyn on a four-game winning streak and won four straight — including a game against No. 24 Dayton — to win the A-10 tournament title for the first time in 47 years.
He said last summer he was 80% sure he was going to retire at the completion of the 2023-24 season. Dambrot, 65, said he’s too “high strung” to go for too long without impacting his health. When his wife got diagnosed with breast cancer, that ultimately made his decision. He was just fortunate that the Dukes had the season they did.
“I just felt it was the right time,” Dambrot said. “I didn't want to leave when I didn't love it. I still love it. So might as well leave while you still love it rather than when you're just dreading going to work.”
He helped develop Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III, who were not only All-Atlantic 10 second team, but also All-tournament picks. Grant won tournament MVP after averaging 16.3 points during the four games, while Clark led an impressive defensive effort.
This is the second consecutive 20-win season for Dambrot, and it comes right after a 6-24 season in 2021-22.
“I thought about quitting, but I couldn't,” Dambrot said of the six-win season. “But I hated everything about it. Not just the wins and losses, but just the interactions.”
He was hired in 2017 and made an immediate difference with 65 wins in his first four seasons. He has an overall record of 115-95 during his seven years with the Dukes.
"There is a new glory days of Duquesne men's basketball and it is the Dambrot era,” Duquesne president Ken Gormley said. “There will be a new and exciting era after that, I promise you, because Keith has been building this like a meticulous architect.”
Before coming to Duquesne, Dambrot coached at Akron for 13 years. The Zips finished no worse than third 12 times in regular season play while under Dambrot. His teams averaged 23.5 wins and annually contended for the MAC title. He left Akron boasting a 305-139 record.
His total record between his time at Central Michigan, Akron and Duquesne is 440-268.
He had a hand in the careers of current coaches Shaka Smart (Marquette) and Lamont Paris (South Carolina), who are also playing in the NCAA tournament this season.
Dambrot’s most notable former player is LeBron James, whom he coached at St. Vincent-St. Mary. Dambrot compiled a 69-10 record in three seasons as head coach there. In his final two seasons, the Irish and James were state champions and earned national rankings from USA Today.
Dambrot didn’t tell James he was retiring before the press conference.
“I talked to him [Sunday], which is a tribute to him,” Dambrot said. “It just shows how much he cares about us. When a superstar like that calls you after a game, it means something. I'm sure he probably knows. He knows me well enough to kind of have an inkling that this was gonna be hard for me.”
THE BEST!!!!!! ???????????????????????? https://t.co/KFRubsuOfL
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 18, 2024
Among rumors of Dambrot retiring, there’s been speculation that associate head coach Dru Joyce III will take over as head coach. Joyce played under Dambrot both at St. Vincent-St. Mary and Akron. He came to Duquesne after spending three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on Dennis Gates’ staff at Cleveland State.
Dambrot was asked after the win against VCU if he thought Joyce was ready to take over as head coach when Dambrot decided to move on.
“I wouldn't be sitting here right now if he didn't decide to go to (St. Vincent),” Dambrot said. “He's a tough, hard-nosed guy with a big brain. ... Dru is going to be a top-level coach. Dru has had a really good effect on our program. And when I made the move, it was a difficult decision because guys had been with me a long, long time. And I brought them here because I thought he could really help us. And evidently he has, right?
“We've won 44 games in two years. So Dru is a winner. He's been a winner his whole life. He's an overachiever. He's just a little guy. When I first met him, I called him Little Dru. He gets mad at me. He's almost 40 years old now. So to answer your question, when and if I ever go, I think he would be a great head coach at Duquesne. And I think Duquesne wouldn't miss a beat. Maybe would probably be better.”
When Dambrot mentioned that he wanted to leave the program in a better place for the next coach at Monday’s news conference he paused and looked in Joyce’s direction. He was asked if he would have a say and deferred to athletic director Dave Harper.
Harper said the day and this upcoming week was all about celebrating Dambrot and the team’s recent success. Dambrot joked that while he doesn’t make the decisions, he is “strong willed.”
“We've been kind of grooming Coach Dru to take over for me,” Dambrot said. “Hopefully he gets the job. Obviously I'm biased, but the program wouldn’t miss a beat if he gets a job. There'll be very little turnover, which we've got some good young kids in that room the way things are now.”
Abby Schnable: aschnable@post-gazette.com and @AbbySchnable on X
First Published: March 18, 2024, 4:13 p.m.
Updated: March 19, 2024, 2:07 a.m.