Duquesne basketball got their first bid to the NCAA tournament on Sunday since 1977, after winning the Atlantic 10 Championship game. A famous NBA player applauded the effort, for a very interesting reason. LeBron James sent his congratulations to Duquesne, because the team's head coach was once LeBron's coach in high school.
“Punch that ticket to the Big Dance Duquesne men's basketball!” James roared on social media.
Duquesne basketball coach Keith Dambrot once coached LeBron at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. While there, Dambrot and James worked together to earn the school two state high school championships. Dambrot then left the school in 2001 to work at the University of Akron, where he went on to become the school's head coach.
Dambrot took Akron to the NCAA tournament three times, bowing in the first round in each appearance. He now has taken Duquesne basketball to the Big Dance, where the school hasn't been since Jimmy Carter was President. Duquesne basketball defeated VCU 57-51 in the Atlantic 10 championship on Sunday, in a game that saw confetti flying on the floor with nearly 18 minutes of action still left in the second half.
Duquesne basketball has now had back-to-back 20 win seasons under Dambrot. He is in his seventh year with the program. Only two years ago, the Dukes won only 6 games and went 1-16 in the Atlantic 10. The turnaround has been quite remarkable for the program in such a short period. The victory Sunday for the Dukes is also yet another chapter of upset bids in conference tournaments this postseason.
Duquesne basketball now waits to see its first round matchup in this year's March Madness. The Selection Show is on Sunday evening.
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