Strength of bond between Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, LeBron James on display from Ohio to Oregon

Whenever Keith Dambrot is on the subject of basketball, he’s bound to throw out an occasional LeBron James reference. In the days leading up to this weekend, Dambrot was uttering the NBA superstar’s name a bit more often as he prepared his Duquesne Dukes to face UC Irvine on Sunday afternoon at LeBron James Arena on the campus of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

Dambrot for two seasons coached James at St. M-V, as the school is known locally, before moving on to a successful run nearby as coach at the University of Akron.

Akron happens to be the birthplace of both men. Dambrot still maintains a lakefront home in the area.

As for James, the Los Angeles Lakers’ leader this season? Well, his LeBron James Family Foundation is behind the I Promise School for at-risk children, an Akron Public Schools facility that was opened in 2018 with the hope of being fully operational in grades 1-8 by 2022.

Dambrot, who is in his fifth season at Duquesne after compiling a .687 winning percentage in 13 years at Akron, is taking the Dukes to his hometown for the third time in the past four years.

It will be their second trip to St. Vincent-St. Mary, where Dambrot and James won state titles during LeBron’s freshman and sophomore seasons from 1999-2001.

“That’s not really why I do it,” Dambrot said. “I just really appreciate what the guy has done for people, in general. And also, for what he’s done for me. He pretty much resurrected my career, has backed me 100% with equipment and shoe contracts, just being behind my programs.

“And then, all the things he’s done for kids and the city of Akron, I just felt like it was a good game to show that somebody did something for his school, really. It’s a little thing. The game is a little thing, but it still brings some light to the school, which I think is important.”

Covid-19 challenges, as well as a Sunday game, will prevent a visit to the I Promise School, something Dambrot’s teams have done on their past journeys to Akron.

“I wish we could go to the school,” he said. “I hate not going. It’s cutting edge what they do. They’ve got the money. They’re feeding kids’ families, and the parents are getting GEDs. They’ve got after-school programs and they’re all high-risk kids. It’s remarkable, really.

“That’s the only reason I go. I don’t go because it’s Akron. Some people might think I’m coming back to put my footprint in Akron, which is (not the case). I go because he did a lot for me. I’m doing nothing for him, really. Usually, we go to the school and spend time with the kids.”

‘Luv u my guy!’

In Beaverton, Ore., at the world headquarters of Nike Inc., the LeBron James Building is home to Nike’s Advanced Innovation Sport Research Lab.

It has become the sixth new building since 2015 on Nike’s main campus. At the entrance to the wing, a monument in the shape of a crown, representing the “King James” moniker, contains six names, including Dambrot’s.

But Dambrot was only made aware of it recently when an acquaintance texted him several photos.

“LeBron is one of those guys who understands commitment better than almost anybody I know,” he said. “His commitment to me is like … hold on.”

As he reached for his phone, Dambrot said, “Let me show you something. It’s unbelievable. I didn’t even know about this. Somebody sent it.”

Pulling up snapshots of the LeBron James Building, Dambrot pointed out the crown fixture at the entrance to a walkway. The names were visible inside the left portion of the structure.

“So, these are all the people, this is a big statue of all the people that influenced him,” Dambrot said. “Frank Walker, Dru Joyce, ‘Little’ Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, Keith Dambrot, Savannah (Brinson), his wife. I had no idea about this. He put my name … crazy. I didn’t even know about it till somebody told me. So, I texted him and I said, ‘Hey, ‘Bron, hope you’re starting to feel better.’ That was after he had that injury.”

James sprained an ankle Wednesday in the Lakers’ 107-104 overtime victory against the Dallas Mavericks but was able to return Friday to the court, where he had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 110-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He missed time earlier this year with an abdominal sprain.

Dambrot resumed reciting his text message to James: “‘I heard you included my name in your new exhibit. Absolutely honored to be a part of your legacy. You’re the best.’”

James’ reply, as relayed by Dambrot, followed.

“He said, ‘Hey, coach D, thank you. I’m getting there. Yes, of course, I did. You’re a huge part of my story and journey. Luv u my guy!’”

Dambrot is well aware of the ongoing criticism of James for his ties to Nike, but his loyalty to James remains deep-rooted. Last month, Boston Celtics center Enes Freedom called out James on social media as part of Freedom’s ongoing pitch to raise awareness about human rights abuses in China.

Freedom’s verified twitter account included one Nov. 18 entry that addressed James with, “Money over Morals for the “King” with a crown emoji.” It continued, “Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice. They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss (credit card emoji) says so. Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?”

To the owner of @Nike, Phil Knight

How about I book plane tickets for us
and let's fly to China together.

We can try to visit these SLAVE labor
camps and you can see it with your
own eyes.@KingJames @Jumpman23
you guys are welcome to come too.#EndUyghurForcedLabor pic.twitter.com/241bg887JO

— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) October 26, 2021

Money over Morals for the “King” ????

Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice

They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss ???????? says so

Did you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research? pic.twitter.com/YUA8rGYeoZ

— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) November 18, 2021

Following a Celtics victory over the Lakers on Nov. 19, James was dismissive of the Swiss-born Turkish-American center’s comments.

“I don’t give too many people my energy,” James told reporters in Boston. “He’s definitely not someone I would give my energy to. He’s trying to use my name to create an opportunity for himself. I definitely won’t comment too much on that. … He’s always had a word or two to say in my direction, and as a man, if you’ve got an issue with somebody, you really come up to him. He had his opportunity tonight. I saw him in the hallway, and he walked right by me.”

About those influences

Dambrot’s name is mixed with high company tied to James’ background. The six names James selected to be part of his legacy cover a wide-ranging circle tied to his life.

Even though there have been others to influence James’ career path, he chose to recognize these six:

— Frank Walker: The Walkers were a well-known, highly respected family from the Akron area. The patriarch, Frank Walker, was employed by the Akron Housing Authority and Akron Urban League. The Walkers helped instill a uniform work ethic into LeBron at an early age. Walker coached a youth football team on which James played.

— Dru Joyce II: The East Liverpool, Ohio, native, who worked for a time at the former Hunt-Wesson Foods plant in Pittsburgh, became an assistant coach at St. Mary-St. Vincent under Dambrot, when James and Joyce’s son, Dru Joyce III were teammates. He took over as coach at St. M-V during James’ final two years.

— Dru Joyce III, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee: James, along with “Little” Dru Joyce (the son of Dru Joyce II), Cotton and McGee formed the nucleus of St. Mary-St. Vincent teams coached by Dambrot and Joyce II that combined for a two-year 53-1 record before Joyce II succeeded Dambrot upon the latter’s return to the college ranks. Under Joyce II, the team went 50-4 during James’ final two seasons. James’ high school career scoring average in 106 games was 25.1 points. Cotton eventually became a rap artist and once collaborated with James on a song. McGee became a high school coach and for a time served as athletics director at St. V-M.

— Dambrot: Following his first stint as a coach at three coaches from 1984-93 — NAIA Tiffin, Division II Ashland and Central Michigan — Dambrot’s ties to James began when he coached the high school phenom for two seasons at St. Mary-St. Vincent, winning two Ohio Division II state championships. Dambrot was fired after two seasons at Central Michigan before taking the high school job. While James gives Dambrot a nod for his input, Dambrot returns the favor, crediting James and others at St. M-V for resurrecting his college coaching career. His five-year record at Duquesne is 69-54.

— Savannah (Brinson) James: LeBron James’ wife is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who wed James in 2013. The couple has three children.

Returning home

In 2019, LeBron James Arena was unavailable for an open date on Duquesne’s schedule, so the Dukes faced Radford at Ellet, another Akron school. The two teams also met in 2018 at St. Vincent-St. Mary. Duquesne prevailed in both meetings.

Dambrot is looking forward to returning to the school where he and James cultivated a friendship.

“So, like, why wouldn’t I do anything for him?” Dambrot said, hearkening back to the text message exchange between the two men. “He’d do anything for me. I never ask him for anything, but he’s already done so much for me. I’m going to do the best I can and care about going back to Akron and play a game in his honor. He’s a good human being and he does a lot for people. Any chance I get to try to help his school or his legacy in Akron, I’m going to do it. Mostly, because he’s family. It’s just like my staff. They’re family. We’ve been together for a long time. That’s what family does.”

The I Promise School is closed on weekends, which will deny Dambrot’s Dukes a chance to visit the school, as past teams have done.

“It would be great to see that,” said sophomore forward Kevin Easley Jr., Duquesne’s leading scorer and rebounder. Easley Jr., who began his college career as the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year at Chattanooga in 2019, is in his first season with the Dukes after transferring from TCU.

“It’s still pretty cool that we’re making this trip,” he said. “I’ve never been to (LeBron James Arena) and I’m excited for it. We’re playing a really good team, which makes it more fun. I’m ready for the challenge. We’re going to turn this thing around.”

The game

Duquesne (4-7), playing its first game in eight days, enters Sunday’s nonconference matchup with UC Irvine after ending a three-game losing streak Dec. 11 with a 64-62 victory over New Hampshire at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

The Dukes will have one nonconference game remaining Wednesday against Wofford at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

UC Irvine (5-3) failed to protect a 10-point, first-half lead Wednesday at No. 10 Southern California and lost, 66-61 to the Trojans, who became the first team this season to score more than 64 points against the Anteaters, predicted to finish second in the Big West Conference.

UC Irvine, which has lost two straight and is in the midst of a 27-day stretch away from its home, ranks 15th in Division I in 3-point field-goal defense (26%) and 16th in 2-point defense. The Anteaters, whose roster includes seven players 6-foot-9 or taller, wield a decided height advantage against the Dukes.

“Their guards are super aggressive, too,” Dambrot said. “You’re talking about a team that shoots as poorly as we do (32.3% from 3-point range) and they’re one of the best defensive teams in the country. It might be a 40-38 game.”

UC Irvine is expected to be without sophomore guard Dawson Baker, the team’s second-leading scorer, who has missed the past three games with a hand injury.