The Duquesne Dukes punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977 with their victory over VCU in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship game. This was a win for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who has deep ties to Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot and associate head coach Dru Joyce II.
James of course played his high school basketball at St. Vincent St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, where he went on to win three state championships and one national championship.
He was coached by Dambrot for the first two years of his high school career before Dambrot moved on to take a head coaching job for the Akron Zips. James was then coached by Dru Joyce II for the final two years of his high school career, which is when he truly rose to fame on a national scale.
Naturally, James was quick to congratulate both Dambrot and Joyce II for their huge accomplishment on Sunday, taking to social media to express his love for the two.
“YESSIRRR!! Punch that to the Big Dance,” tweeted James. “CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Love you Coach Dambrot & @CoachDruJoyce.”
YESSIRRR!! Punch that 🎟️ to the Big Dance @DuqMBB!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Love you Coach Dambrot & @CoachDruJoyce 🤎🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 17, 2024