Keith Dambrot says Dukes 'raised our standards' in almost total roster makeover

Well before Duquesne’s 16-point loss to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Tournament — a performance he called “pitiful” and “predictable” — Keith Dambrot had made up his mind.

“I decided we needed to reboot, reorganize, regroup,” he said. “I have a saying: ‘You can’t lower your standards. You have to raise your standards.’ We decided to raise our standards, and because of that, some people decided to leave.”

The result is an almost complete makeover of the Duquesne team that started the 2020-2021 season. Only six players remain, and seven of the top eight scorers are gone.

Some he was not shy about showing the door to the NCAA transfer portal.

“They didn’t want to do the things that we asked, or we didn’t think they could do the things we asked,” he said.

After winning 305 games in 13 seasons at Akron, Dambrot decided he wanted the 2021-22 Duquesne team to look dramatically different than the previous four he has coached. Sure, Duquesne had three consecutive non-losing seasons in the Atlantic 10 for the first time, but that wasn’t his goal.

“We didn’t feel like we could win a championship,” he said. “We thought we could win 11 games in the league, or 12 games in the league, or 10 games in the league, or nine games in the league. That’s not really what I came to Duquesne for.

“If you’re going to win championships, sometimes you have to look yourself in the mirror and fix what you think is wrong. I just felt like we didn’t have enough winning mentality. Our expectation level both on and off the court wasn’t high enough. That’s classroom. That’s off-the-court habits. That’s eating right.

“Those aren’t the players’ problems. Those are my problems. I didn’t hold them to do that, so I decided I was going to fix it like I always have.”

While losing 10 players — five have found new schools, and Michael Hughes is turning pro — he leaned on past relationships with coaches around the country, watched hours of game video and signed seven players, including four transfers.

Perhaps he was most disappointed to lose guard Tavian Dunn-Martin, who had been with him for five seasons at Akron and Duquesne. Initially, Dunn-Martin said he planned to return for his final season of eligibility before changing his mind and transferring to Florida Gulf Coast.

“He played 30 minutes per game, (took) the second-most shots,” Dambrot said. “We welcomed him back, and he went to Florida Gulf Coast, who’s been 34-48 over the past three years.

“That’s his prerogative. I can’t take that personally. He did what he thought was in his best interest. I don’t have to agree with it, and I don’t. But that’s fine.”

After showing promise as a freshman, guard Chad Baker transferred to San Diego State.

“I like Chad Baker, but it’s probably best that he left,” Dambrot said, without elaboration. “When the kids fail, it’s on me.”

Without speaking specifically about anyone, Dambrot said, “It’s not like it used to be. Kids are used to moving around in AAU. They’re used to flexible situations. They’re used to getting their own way. They’re used to being a little bit entitled. That’s just the modern athlete.”

Coaches are always optimistic when they’re 0-0, but Dambrot took his offseason optimism one step further.

“I think it’s the best team we’ve had here,” he said.

He admits that “it’s a little early to tell because we haven’t had them in the gym yet.” (They report June 14 for summer school and conditioning.)

“But we were fortunate that our reorganization came at a time where there were 1,635 guys in the portal. We were able to land not only high-quality players but high-quality people. It was the perfect time for us to change our dynamics.”

The four transfers — Kevin Easley Jr. (TCU), Leon Ayers III (Mercer), Rodney Gunn Jr. (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Tre Williams (55 starts at Indiana State) — have played a lot of games in their careers.

“We’re still a pretty old team,” Dambrot said. “I think we’re going to have better skill. I think we’ll be able to score the ball inside.”

He also plans to lean heavily on freshman guards Jackie Johnson and Primo Spears, who came from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy and Mt. Zion (Md.) Prep, respectively.

“I’d say they’re going to be the key to our team, how well they can come in and play college basketball right away. But they are really talented guys.”

Also, returning guards Tyson Acuff, Toby Okani, Maceo Austin and Mike Bekelja have played significant minutes and remain important parts of the plan.

Dambrot is optimistic, but there are still six months before the first game. No one knows anything for sure.

“It’s an inexact science,” he said. “You try to find out as much as you can, but you’re not always right.”