Duquesne University Athletics

Keith Dambrot was named head men’s basketball coach at Duquesne University March 28, 2017, and spent seven seasons on the sidelines guiding the Dukes.

The veteran coach wasted no time making an impact at Duquesne with 65 wins in his first four seasons, and in his final year in 2023-24 guided the Dukes to an overall record of 25-12 (.676), the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship and their first automatic bid to the NCAA Championship since 1977. In the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Duquesne defeated No. 6 seed BYU in the first round, 71-67, helping the Dukes claim their first win in the NCAA Championship since 1969. In seven years on the Bluff, Dambrot compiled an overall record of 116-96 (.547), ranking fourth in school history for coaching victories, and in 26 years as a head coach collected 529 wins and a .634 winning percentage.
 
Dambrot, joined by the 2023-24 men’s basketball team and guards Jimmy Clark III and Dae Dae Grant, was inducted into the Merle Gilliand Duquesne University Athletics Hall of Fame in April of 2024. The announcement came at the 2024 Duquesne Celebration of Basketball, held at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Dambrot reached a significant career milestone Feb. 8, 2023, when he posted his 500th career victory, a 75-73 win over George Mason at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. He concluded his career as one of 28 active Division I coaches with 500 or more wins. More impressively, he was one of nine of the 28 who never coached at a Power 5/Big East school, joining Mark Few (Gonzaga), Greg Kampe (Oakland), Lennie Acuff (Bellhaven, Berry, Alabama Huntsville, Lipscomb), Fran Dunphy (Penn, Temple, La Salle), Scott Nagy (South Dakota State, Wright State), Ron Cottrell (Houston Christian), Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s, Calif.) and Ron Hunter (IUPUI, Georgia State, Tulane).

In 2019-20, Dambrot tied all-time great Dudey Moore - the man who coached his late father, Sid - for most wins by a Duquesne coach in his first three seasons with 56. Only Moore, who coached six NIT and one NCAA Duquesne team from 1949-58 and Chick Davies, who led the Dukes to three NIT and one NCAA appearance (1925-43; 1947-48) reached the 50-win mark in fewer games.

Dambrot, who inherited a 10-22 team (3-15 in the A-10) in 2017-18, posted 16, 19 & 21 wins in his first three seasons prior to adding nine victories in the COVID-shortened 2021 season.

In 2023, Dambrot rebuilt a Duquesne team that was coming off a 6-24 season and turned it into a 20-game winner. In the process, he became the first DU coach since Red Manning (1959-74) to produce multiple 20-win teams on the Bluff. He added to his legacy in 2024 in his swan song as a head coach, helping the Dukes snap a drought of over 45 years with their first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 1977.

Dambrot, whose late father Sid played for Duquesne from 1952-54, posted a school record 305 wins at Akron. The three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year went 155-65 (.705) in regular-season conference play and 27-10 (.730) in 13 MAC Tournament appearances - highlighted by tournament championships and NCAA tournament bids in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
 
The Akron, Ohio, native, who led the Zips to 10 postseason appearances, was the 17th head coach in the 108-year history of Duquesne basketball.

DUQUESNE HIGHLIGHTS

In 2023-24

• Guided Duquesne to an overall record of 25-12 (.676), including a mark of 10-8 (.556) in the Atlantic 10. It marked the second time in Dambrot’s tenure he led the Dukes to back-to-back seasons of at least 10 wins in A-10 play.
• Helped the Dukes post back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1971 and 1972.
• Despite an 0-5 start in Atlantic 10 play, the Dukes won four games in five days at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., to earn their first Atlantic 10 Championship and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament since 1977.
• Announced he would be retiring at the end of the season at a press conference at the Power Center on DU’s campus March 18, 2024, after guiding Duquesne to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship.
• In the first round of the 2024 NCAA Championship, the Dukes, as an 11 seed, upended No. 6 seed BYU, 71-67, for their first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1969.
• Registered his 18th season of at least 20 wins in 26 years as a head coach.
• Duquesne’s appearance in the 2024 NCAA Championship marked its seventh postseason appearance in 43 years.
• Inducted into the Merle Gillian Duquesne University Athletic Hall of Fame in April of 2024 along with guards Jimmy Clark III and Dae Dae Grant as well as the entire 2023-24 team.
• Sent four players from 2023-24 squad to the professional ranks and overall in seven years leading the Dukes had 17 student-athletes sign a professional contract.

In 2022-23

• Produced the top turnaround in school history (+12.5), remaking a team that finished 6-24 - with a 17-game season-ending losing streak - and turning it into a 20-game winner (20-13). It took the Dukes eight games (7-1) to surpass its 2022 win total. The 2022-23 DU roster featured 10 newcomers.
• Became the first coach since Red Manning (1959-74) to record multiple 20-win seasons. It was his 17th 20-win season in 25 years as a head coach.
• It was DU’s third 20-win season in 42 years (Ron Everhart’s 2009 Dukes and Dambrot’s 2020 team are the others).
• DU, picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, ended up tied for sixth with a 10-8 record. It was the sixth time in 46 seasons that Duquesne finished with 10 or more A-10 wins. The Dukes were in contention for a Top 4 finish going into the regular-season finale.
• DU’s 16 home wins (16-4) tied the school record set in 1950 (16-0) and matched in 1972 (16-1).
• Led the Dukes to their sixth postseason appearance in 42 years (CBI).
• Recorded his 500th career win on Feb. 8 (a 75-52 victory over George Mason).
• Accomplished everything despite having his full roster rotation available for five of the 33 games played (six players missed multiple games for various reasons).

In 2021-22

• The Dukes, with a roster that included 10 first-year players, went 5-7 early before a 19-day COVID pause and a series of season-ending injuries in the frontcourt (R.J. Gunn, Austin Rotroff and Tre Williams) derailed the season. As a result, DU used 14 starting lineup combinations.
• DU, which was ranked 355th of 358 teams on KenPom’s list of “most experienced” college teams, faced the toughest conference schedule in the A-10 (also according to KenPom.com).
• The Dukes were recognized by the NABC for posting a 3.10 team GPA for the academic year.

In 2020-21

• Despite losing three starters in early January - one week after a one-month COVID pause - Dambrot guided the Dukes to a 9-9 record. It was the first time since 2008-12 (five in a row) that Duquesne finished .500 or better for four consecutive seasons. It was also the 17th straight season Dambrot finished .500 or better (including 13 seasons at Akron).
• Senior Marcus Weathers became the first DU player since 2011 to earn All-Atlantic 10 honors in two-straight seasons when he was named Second Team All-A-10 for a second time.
• The Dukes who went 694 days without an on-campus home game due to renovation work to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, made their debut in the new building with a 69-64 win over Dayton on Feb. 2. DU went on to defeat Rhode Island on Feb. 27 to go 2-0 in their lone games at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
• DU’s 18 games played were its fewest since 1939 (14-4).

In 2019-20

• Playing without a home court due to renovation work at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Dambrot guided the Dukes to 20 wins (21-9) for just the third time in the previous 48 seasons. It was the first time since 1971 (21-4) & 1972 (20-5) that DU had 19 or more wins in back-to-back seasons.
• The Dukes opened with 10 consecutive wins, marking the school’s best start since 1953-54 (22-0). DU, which eventually moved to 15-2, was one of the last four teams in the nation without a loss in 2019-20.
• Duquesne received votes in the AP Top 25 in four separate weeks in 2019-20. It was the first time since 2011 that a DU team received votes.
• Duquesne broke the school record - which was tied in 2018-19 - with 11 Atlantic 10 Conference wins (11-7). It marked the first time in school history that Duquesne posted double-digit wins in back-to-back A-10 seasons.
• Duquesne’s fifth-place Atlantic 10 finish was the program’s best since 2011 and tied the school’s second-best finish in a 14-team A-10.
• Posted the program’s first Atlantic 10 wins over Davidson and VCU, giving Dambrot wins over every A-10 opponent in his first three seasons.
• Put together Duquesne’s second five-game A-10 win streak in as many years. In the process DU set a new school record with six conference road wins.

In 2018-19

• Led a team with 11 newcomers to a tie for sixth in the Atlantic 10. Put together DU’s best record (19-13, 10-8/t6th) and best conference finish since 2011 (19-13, 10-6/t4th). Duquesne was picked to finish 11th in the A-10 preseason poll.
• DU’s ten Atlantic 10 wins (10-8) and four A-10 road wins (4-5) tied the most in school history. It was just the sixth time in 42 A-10 seasons that Duquesne finished with a winning conference record.
• Duquesne’s five-game A-10 win streak in January tied the second-longest in school history.
• Duquesne’s 14 home wins (14-5) broke the Palumbo Center record set in 2018, and were the most home victories since 1972 (16-1).
• Ninety-seven percent of DU’s scoring - including all but two points in conference play - came from freshmen and sophomores. DU was ranked 346th of 353 teams on KenPom’s list of “most experienced” college teams.

In 2017-18

• Guided a team picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll to 16 wins and a 10th place conference finish. The 16 wins were the most by a DU first-year coach since Dudey Moore went 17-5 in 1948-49.
• Engineered the seventh-best single-season improvement in school history in taking the Dukes from a 10-22 record in 2016-17 to 16-16 in 2017-18.
• Led the Dukes to a seven-game win streak from December 4 through December 22. It was the program’s longest win streak since 2010-11 (11 in a row). DU’s eight December wins (8-2) were the most in the month since the 1971-72 team went 8-0.
• Duquesne’s 13 home wins (13-6) were the most in 30 seasons of play at the Palumbo Center.

20-WIN SEASONS BY DUQUESNE HEAD COACHES

Head Coach	Seasons	20 Wins	Years
Dudey Moore	10	5	1950 (23-6), 1952 (23-4), 1953 (21-8), 1954 (26-3), 1955 (22-4)
Red Manning	16	4	1962 (22-7), 1969 (21-5), 1971 (21-4), 1972 (20-5)
KEITH DAMBROT	7	3	2020 (21-9), 2023 (20-13), 2023-24 (25-12)
Chick Davies	21	2	1940 (20-3), 1947 (20-2)
Mike Rice	4	1	1981 (20-10)
Ron Everhart	6	1	2009 (21-13)

AKRON HIGHLIGHTS

• In his 13 seasons at Akron, Dambrot’s Zips finished no worse than third 12 times in regular season play. His teams averaged 23.5 wins in annually contending for the MAC title.
• Took over at his alma mater prior to the 2004-05 season and immediately put his stamp on the program by leading the Zips to a 19-10 record. The 19 wins were the program’s most since 1989.
• In year two, UA posted 23 wins and in 2006-07 Dambrot began a stretch of seven-straight MAC Tournament championship game appearances.
• In 2015-16, Akron set the MAC record for the longest streak of consecutive semifinal appearances in MAC Tournament history at 11. The Zips made it 12 in a row in 2016-17, on the way to a program-best 27 wins (27-9).
• Dambrot, who was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2013, 2016 and 2017, coached a total of 18 players who earned first, second or third team all-conference honors.
• Coached the MAC’s all-time leading shot blocker, Pittsburgh native Zeke Marshall (368 blocks), Akron’s all-time assists leader Dru Joyce (503), UA’s all-time winningest player Chris McKnight (97 victories over a four-season span) and Akron’s all-time games played leaders in Steve McNees and Nikola Cvetinovic (141).
• Brought national attention to the Akron program with a Division I-best 19-game winning streak in 2012-13. The Zips earned the No. 24 ranking in the Feb. 25 USA Today Coaches Poll that season, marking the first national ranking in program history.
• In 2014-15, Akron posted a 2-2 record against Power Five conference opponents, marking the first time in program history that Akron had at least two wins over Power Five members (Southern California and South Carolina) in the same season.
• Led Akron to its first-ever victories over schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference (at Florida State in the 2008 NIT) and Southeastern Conference (vs. Mississippi State in 2005-06).
• Left Akron with a 413-209 (.664) overall record in 19 seasons as a head coach.

EARLY HISTORY

• Got his start in coaching at Akron, where he spent two years as a graduate assistant and one season as a full-time assistant before taking the head coaching job at Tiffin. In his second season (1985-86), he led the Dragons to the most single-season wins in school history (24).
• In 1986, he made his first venture into the MAC, starting a three-year run as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan where he worked under head coach Ben Braun. In 1988, the Hurons won their first-ever MAC championship and made their first NCAA tournament appearance.
• Returned to northeast Ohio in 1989 as head coach at Ashland where, in two years, he led the Eagles to a 48-13 overall mark, two final national rankings and the school’s first-ever conference and regional championships.
• In 1991, he returned to the MAC and took on his first Division I head coaching role at Central Michigan where he spent two seasons. His 1992 recruiting class was ranked 15th in the nation by Hoop Scoop Magazine.

COACHING TREE

• In his 24 years as a head coach, Dambrot has seen a number of his former assistants enjoy success at the Division I level, including South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris and Ohio U. head coach Jeff Boals.
• Shaka Smart, a Dambrot assistant from 2003-06, made stops at Clemson (2006-08) and Florida (2008-09) before taking his first head coach position at VCU in 2009. Smart, who went on to lead VCU to the 2011 Final Four, is currently the head coach at Marquette.
• Dru Joyce III, who played for Dambrot at St. Vincent-St. Mary and served on Dambrot’s staff as associate head coach with the Dukes during Dambrot’s final two seasons as a head coach, was named the 18th head coach in Duquesne basketball history March 28, 2024. Coincidentally, the pair were named the head coach at DU on the same day seven years apart.

DAMBROT AND LEBRON

• Prior to beginning his assistant coaching tenure at Akron in 2001, Dambrot compiled a 69-10 record in three seasons as head coach at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. In his final two seasons, the Irish - led by freshman then sophomore LeBron James - were state champions and earned national rankings from USA Today.
• Played a role in the development of James who, at the age of 13, participated in $1 clinics Dambrot conducted at the local Jewish Community Center.

PERSONAL

• Akron native graduated from UA with a degree in management in 1982, and added a master’s in business administration from his alma mater in 1984.
• A three-year starter, captain and team MVP as a third baseman for the Akron baseball team as an undergrad. Finished his career as the school record holder for hit by pitches (28).
• His late uncle, Irwin Dambrot, played for the 1950 City College of New York (CCNY) squad, which is the only school to win both the NCAA Tournament and NIT in the same season. Irwin was the MVP of the NCAA tournament that season and the No. 1 draft pick of the New York Knicks (selected seventh overall) that same year.
• His father, Sid, who passed away in October of 2021, was part of Duquesne teams that finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 in 1952 (No. 4), 1953 (No. 9) and 1954 (No. 5). The 1954 team, which went 26-3, made it to No. 1 in the AP poll for two weeks in February of 1954. The Dukes played in both the NCAA tournament and NIT in `52 and the NIT in both `53 and `54.
• Dambrot and his wife, Donna, have two children, daughter, Alysse, and son, Robby. Alysse earned her undergraduate degree as well as an MBA from Akron. Robby completed his soccer career at Pitt in the fall of 2018 and currently plays for the USL Loudoun United.
• Served as a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, where he was committee chairman from August 2015 through August 2017.
• Inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contributions at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and the University of Akron as both a student-athlete and head coach.
• Inducted to the Akron Varsity “A” Hall of Fame in October of 2019.

 

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DAMBROT YEAR-BY-YEAR

Season	Team	Overall	Conf.	Finish	Postseason
1984-85	Tiffin	16-14	6-8	5th
1985-86	Tiffin	24-9	10-4	2nd	NAIA District
Total	Tiffin (2 seasons)	40-23	16-12
1989-90	Ashland	22-8	13-5	T-2nd	NCAA Division II
1990-91	Ashland	26-5	14-4	T-1st	NCAA Division II
Total	Ashland (2 seasons)	48-13	27-9
1991-92	Central Michigan	12-16	6-10	7th
1992-93	Central Michigan	8-18	4-14	9th
Total	Central Michigan (2 seasons)	20-34	MAC: 10-24
2004-05	Akron	19-10	11-7	T-2nd
2005-06	Akron	23-10	14-4	T-2nd	NIT
2006-07	Akron	26-7	13-3	1st
2007-08	Akron	24-11	11-5	2nd	NIT
2008-09	Akron	23-13	10-6	T-3rd	MAC Champions, NCAA First Round
2009-10	Akron	24-11	12-4	2nd	CBI
2010-11	Akron	23-13	9-7	T-3rd	MAC Champions, NCAA First Round
2011-12	Akron	22-12	13-3	1st	NIT
2012-13	Akron	26-7	14-2	T-1st	MAC Champions, NCAA First Round
2013-14	Akron	21-13	12-6	2nd	CIT
2014-15	Akron	21-14	9-9	4th
2015-16	Akron	26-9	13-5	1st	NIT
2016-17	Akron	27-9	14-4	1st	NIT
Total	Akron (13 seasons)	305-139	MAC: 155-65
2017-18	Duquesne	16-16	7-11	T-10th
2018-19	Duquesne	19-13	10-8	T-6th
2019-20	Duquesne	21-9	11-7	T-5th
2020-21	Duquesne	9-9	7-7	9th
2021-22	Duquesne	6-24	1-16	14th
2022-23	Duquesne	20-13	10-8	T-6th	CBI
2023-24	Duquesne	25-12	10-8	5th	Atlantic 10 Champions, NCAA Second Round
Total	Duquesne (6 seasons)	116-96	56-65
Total	Career (26 seasons)	529-305	264-175

• Won a school record 24 games at Tiffin in 1985-86
• Won Ashland's first league and regional title in 1990-91
• Central Michigan's 1992 recruiting class ranked 15th nationally
• Akron's 19 wins in 2005 - Dambrot's first season - were the program's most since 1989
• Led the Zips to the MAC Tournament championship game nine times in his last 11 seasons
• Coached Akron to three MAC Tournament Championships (2009, 2011, 2013)
• Akron was one of four programs, along with Duke, Kansas and Gonzaga, to post 21 or more wins from 2005-06 through 2016-17 (12 consecutive seasons)
• Duquesne’s 40 wins in 2019 (19-13) & 2020 (21-9) were the program’s most in consecutive seasons since 1971 (21-4) & 1972 (20-5)
• Duquesne’s 45 wins in 2023 (20-13) & 2024 (25-12) are the program’s most in consecutive seasons since 1954 (26-3) & 1955 (22-4)