Like many basketball fans, LeBron James will be tuning in for March Madness.
And although the Lakers star went from college directly to the NBA, he has a strong interest. Two of his friends are in southwestern Pennsylvania and hope to lead their team to postseason glory.
Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot and associate head coach Dru Joyce III were part of James’ high school team while he was at St. Vincent–St. Mary: Dambrot as head coach of the Irish, Joyce as point guard.
Dambrot and Joyce are leading the No. 11 seed Dukes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977. And when they take the floor against No. 6 seed BYU, they will do so with one of the names most important in the sport offering their support.
Here’s what you need to know about the intertwined stories of James, Dambrot and Joyce.
THE BEST!!!!!! ?????? https://t.co/KFRubsuOfL
– LeBron James (@KingJames) March 18, 2024
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LeBron James’ relationship with Duquesne coaches, explained
James, Dambrot and Joyce are tied to Akron, Ohio, even if they occupy opposite time zones in the present.
James’ affiliation with the city is well established, as he brought it into the global consciousness throughout his brilliant playing career.
James and Joyce, AAU teammates and friends since childhood, played at the same Akron high school. And Dambrot not only coached at St. Vincent–St. Mary, he also grew up in the area before playing for the University of Akron baseball team.
Dambrot began his career as an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater. He joined the Division I head coaching ranks at Central Michigan in 1991, but in his second season, He was fired for using a racial slur. in front of his team. (He asked the players on his team for permission to use the term, but then admitted, “I want everyone to understand that I was wrong.”)
After five years without a head coaching position, he took over at St. Vincent–St. Maria. James and Joyce joined the team in their second season and he coached the duo from 1999 to 2001.
The trio ran St. Vincent-St. Mary to consecutive state titles. Irish home games were held at Rhodes Arena, home of the University of Akron basketball team. The reason? There was great demand to see James, Joyce and St. Vincent-St. Mary honors the word.
Dambrot left the program after the 2000-01 season to join Akron’s coaching staff as an assistant. He was promoted to the position of head coach in 2004.
By this time, Joyce, a diminutive but intrepid floor general, had also enrolled in Akron. He starred on Team Dambrot before embarking on his own 12-year professional odyssey.
Very soon, the paths of Dambrot and Joyce would converge again.
Joyce became a coach in his own right shortly after the end of his playing career. First, he worked as an assistant at Cleveland State. After a three-year stint with the Vikings, Joyce looked elsewhere. Your favorite location of his? Duquesne, the program led by his former coach Dambrot since 2017.
James, meanwhile, became one of the greatest basketball players in history.
HISTORY OF SEED DISCOMFORT:
16 against 1 | 15 against 2 | 14 against 3 | 13 against 4 | 12 against 5
Despite the very different journeys of James, Joyce and Dambrot, the three are inextricably linked due to their stories. So it’s no surprise that the Dukes’ postseason success draws loud applause from James. He even gave away pairs of his signature shoes to Duquesne players before the first-round game.
Yes sir!! ?????? Good luck guys!! https://t.co/ngxGghmCd7
– LeBron James (@KingJames) March 21, 2024
Dambrot will retire after the conclusion of the Dukes’ season. the program announced before the tournament. Many, including Dambrot himself, believe Joyce deserves the head coaching reins.
“We’ve been preparing Coach Dru to take over for me,” Dambrot said, according to Spencer Thomas of the Duke of Duquesne. “I’m obviously biased, but I think the show won’t miss a beat if he gets the job.”
Joyce is more than willing to take on the responsibility if the opportunity presents itself. She has received a great education from one of the best in the game, she says.
“Even since I was 12 and 13 years old, [Dambrot] He’s been preparing me to have the opportunity to be a head coach,” Joyce said. “He always understood that it was a dream for me to do it, so I think he made the most of knowing what I wanted to do.”
If Joyce were to win that position, it’s hard to imagine James’s support would wane. In fact, given the nature of his relationship with Joyce, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched to believe the King would take a seat at some Dukes games in the future.
