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The Duquesne Dukes were able to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament as they were able to win their first tourney game in 55 years. Dukes' coach Keith Dambrot announced his retirement prior to the season and wanted to elevate Dru Joyce III as the next coach. Now Dambrot gets his wish.
Dru Joyce III taking over as the head coach of the program was first reported by CBS Sports' John Rothstein, but Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took to social media to confirm the news. Below are some of the top responses to James' post, calling him different reporters who are known for breaking news.
LeBron James and Dru Joyce III have been friends for a long time, as they played together on the high school basketball team at St. Vincent-St. Mary. This has been something in the works for Duquesne, as coach Keith Dambrot has signified prior to his retirement.
"We've kind of been grooming Coach Dru to take over for me. Hopefully, he gets the job. Obviously, I'm biased, but the program wouldn't miss a beat if he gets the job. There'll be very little turnover, which we got some good young kids in that room the way things are now." h/t CBS Sports
What experience does Dru Joyce III have entering as the new Duquesne Dukes new coach?
After playing with LeBron James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Joyce went on to play college basketball with the Akron Zips from 2003-07. After a lengthy playing career all around the globe, he became a coach immediately after retiring in 2019.
His first coaching job was as an assistant coach of the Cleveland State Vikings. Dru Joyce III would stay there for three years as he was part of the program until 2022. He would leave the team and join the Duquesne Dukes under Dambrot's staff for the 2022 college basketball season. However, he would get a bit of a promotion as Joyce would be named associate head coach before officially becomng the Duquesne Dukes head coach on Thursday.
