Duquesne Coach Announces Retirement Leading Up To NCAA Matchup With BYU

SALT LAKE CITY – BYU basketball’s first-round NCAA Tournament opponent, Duquesne, will likely have extra motivation on Thursday when the two teams square off in Omaha.

That’s because Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot announced he is retiring at the end of the season.

Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot will retire after the 2024 NCAA Tournament

Dambrot announced his upcoming retirement on Monday at a press conference on the Duquesne campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He will be on the bench coaching against BYU on Thursday morning.

The Last Dance.

After 26 years as a head coach, Keith Dambrot will retire at the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/PE3AsJfDoP

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) March 18, 2024

Duquesne enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Dukes are on an eight-game winning streak after winning four games in five days to clinch the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship.

Dambrot has led Duquesne to its first NCAA Tournament since 1977.

The veteran coach is in his seventh season at Duquesne. Before being hired by the Dukes, he was the head coach of the Akron Zips for 13 seasons.

Dambrot coached LeBron James in high school

An Akron, Ohio native, Dambrot coached NBA superstar LeBron James in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s for two seasons.

After Duquesne won the Atlantic 10 Tournament, which qualified them for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, James congratulated his former coach on Sunday on X.

“YESSIRRR!! Punch that [ticket] to the Big Dance @DuqMBB!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Love you Coach Dambrot & @CoachDruJoyce,” wrote James.

THE BEST!!!!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 https://t.co/KFRubsuOfL

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 18, 2024

Dambrot has 26 years as a head coach on his resume. Thursday will be his fourth NCAA Tournament appearance as a D-1 head coach. He was 0-3 in his previous appearances when he was the headman at Akron.

BYU vs. Duquesne

2024 NCAA Tournament – First Round

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

Arena: CHI Health Center

Tip-Off: 10:40 a.m. (MT)/11:40 a.m. (CT)

TV: truTV

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM in Utah)

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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