PITTSBURGH — Duquesne didn't look far to replace retired head coach Keith Dambrot.
The Dukes promoted assistant Dru Joyce III on Thursday to take over for Dambrot, who stepped down last week after leading the school to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977.
“Dru exhibited a clear vision for our program going forward and understands the challenge of keeping our recent success a possibility in the years ahead,” Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper said in a statement. "It’s now imperative that we support him, his staff and the program with all that is needed to continue to be successful.”
Joyce spent the last two seasons sitting next to Dambrot on the Duquesne bench. The Dukes have a 45-25 record over that span, including a 25-12 record this season. Duquesne won the Atlantic 10 tournament and then beat sixth-seeded BYU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to third-seeded Illinois.
Joyce, a lifelong friend and former high school teammate of NBA star LeBron James, said in a statement he has wanted to be a Division I coach since he was a teenager.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue to make an impact with the student-athletes, coaches and staff to make our program one that Duquesne and the surrounding region can be proud of,” Joyce said.
James gave his good friend a shoutout in a post on X.
“So damn happy and proud of you my brother,” James wrote.
Duquesne president Ken Gormley called Joyce a “key figure” in the school's return to contention.
“Dru is already a respected, valued and admired member of the Duquesne family,” Gormely said. “For that reason, this was an easy decision.”
Joyce, 39, played with James at St. Vincent-St. Mary's in Akron in the early 2000s before spending four years playing for the University of Akron, the last three with Dambrot has head coach. The 2007 All-MAC selection went into coaching in 2019, serving as an assistant at Cleveland State before joining Dambrot at Duquesne.
Joyce's father, Dru II, has won seven Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships in 23 years as head coach at STVM. The first of those titles came during James and his son's senior year in 2003, when the Irish were also named national champions by multiple outlets.