Dru Joyce III promoted to head coach at Duquesne

Associate head coach Dru Joyce III has been elevated to head coach at Duquesne, the school announced on Thursday. The move had been expected ever since Keith Dambrot announced his retirement earlier this month.

“I’m very pleased to have Dru as our next head men’s basketball coach at Duquesne University,” AD Dave Harper said. “Knowing of Coach Dambrot’s potential retirement, a full vetting and search process was launched. 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. It’s now imperative that we support him, his staff and the program with all that is needed to continue to be successful.”

Joyce has been with the program since 2022 and should provide some stability for the Dukes as they come off their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977 (and first NCAA victory since 1969). Before his arrival, he spent three years on Dennis Gates‘ staff at Cleveland State. He previously played for Dambrot at both Akron and St. Vincent-St. Mary HS, where he was part of the “Fab Five” group with LeBron James that won three Ohio state championships over a four-year span. For their junior and senior years, the team was coached by Dru Joyce II, Dru’s father, who is still the head coach there.

“I’ve wanted to be an NCAA Division I head coach since I was 14 years old, so I’m overwhelmed with joy to be named the next head coach at Duquesne University,” Joyce III said. “I’d like to thank Duquesne University President Ken Gormley, Director of Athletics Dave Harper and the Board of Trustees for this unbelievable opportunity. I’m looking forward to expanding on the legacy that Keith Dambrot has built the last seven years, and 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.”

This is the first head coaching opportunity for Joyce, who started 101 games in four years with the Zips and then went on to enjoy a 12-year professional career overseas. The press conference for his formal introduction has been scheduled for Monday, 4/1.

credit to Duquesne Athletics for the image