Long Beach State coach Dan Monson won’t be the only lame-duck coach in the NCAA Tournament this week.
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot retired on Monday, joining the ranks of coaches who will not return regardless of how the tournament goes.
He will coach Thursday’s tournament game against BYU.
The Cougars are headed to play Duquesne in Omaha, Neb., for the first round. Tipoff will be 10:40 a.m. MT on truTV.
Dambrot has been in Pittsburgh for seven seasons. This is his first tournament appearance with the Dukes. Before Duquesne, he was the longtime head coach at Akron.
Dambrot became well known for coaching LeBron James in high school. James congratulated his old coach when Duquesne earned the 11-seed to play BYU.
How to watch BYU vs. Duquesne
Tipoff: Thursday, 10:44 a.m.
Location: Omaha
TV: TruTV
Mark Pope on the Duquesne Dukes
BYU coach Mark Pope showed his respect for the Dukes when the bracket was announced Sunday.
“They’re the A-10 champs and that’s no easy feat,” Pope said. “This is a great team. Elite level defensive team — cause all kinds of mayhem. Really explosive explosive backcourt scoring and guarding. It’s a great team. They’re e in the middle of a special season and it’s going to be a great battle.”
Follow @kevinreynolds30