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Duquesne Basketball: Dukes become Bryce James first D-I offer

By Tristan Freeman

DAYTON, OHIO - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Keith Dambrot of the Duquesne Dukes directs his team in the game against the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena on February 22, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Keith Dambrot of the Duquesne Dukes directs his team in the game against the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena on February 22, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Duquesne Basketball’s head coach has a history with NBA superstar Lebron James. Is there a chance that his son, Bryce James ends up with the Dukes?

There’s a lot of speculation going on with rising senior guard Bronny James, son of LeBron James and his quiet recruitment. With him going to college a year from now, it’s understandable that he’d get the attention. But the elder James has another talented son who plays basketball in Bryce James, who is in the 2025 recruiting class.

The rising sophomore forward also plays on Sierra Canyon High School’s team and is a 6’5 guard that is still growing. Bryce James is capable of driving to the basket with his strength and has a growing offensive game. It’ll be a while before his own recruitment heats up since we’re years away from him going to college. But now, James has his first official D-I scholarship offer.

https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1561562673892192256

It might seem random that Duquesne Basketball of all programs is the one to offer the young James but there’s a connection between the head coach (Keith Dambrot) and the player’s father (LeBron James). Dambrot was the high school head coach of James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his first two years, before moving on to Arkon, which happened to be the hometown of both men.

The relationship between Dambrot and James has always remained strong over the years, with the NBA superstar donating shoes to the Dukes’ program recently. So the symbolic nature of being the first to offer Bryce James has some emotional ties for all involved. As a top-50 prospect, Bronny is too big for Duquesne but there’s a chance that Bryce could be a fit for the A-10 program.

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Ultimately, it’s going to be a longshot. Bryce James is going to continue developing in the next couple of years to become a top-100 recruit himself. And who knows if Coach Dambrot will be around three years from now, coming off a season where the Dukes went 6-24 overall. But no matter what, it’s a good moment for the young prospect and for the everlasting relationship between the former high school coach and player turned soon-to-be Hall of Fame basketball player.

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