Entering this season, Duquesne men's basketball head coach Keith Dambrot knew he and his team would be in for a challenge. What he didn't know was that three of his top players wouldn't be there alongside him throughout the journey.
In a span of five days, the Dukes lost three of the five members of their starting lineup. Two of them - Sincere Carry and Lamar Norman Jr. - are gone for good and have entered their names in the transfer portal, while Maceo Austin, who is stepping away from the program for personal reasons, is expected to return.
Just hours before he, his staff and the remaining players on his team boarded a bus to Dayton, Ohio, Dambrot spoke to reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Normally, a media availability the day before a game consists of questions and discussion primarily focused on the upcoming match up.
This was not a normal media availability.
For nearly 30 minutes, Dambrot did his best to answer every question about Carry, Norman Jr. and Austin that was thrown his way. He started by breaking down each players individual situation.
As mentioned above, Austin is expected return to the program. The sophomore guard started 29 games for the Dukes last season, missing just one contest due to illness. Dambrot explained that his reasons to step away were private and that Austin has his complete and total understanding and support.
"He's got a lot on a plate for a young person," Dambrot said. "I feel for him. That's really more important than anything we're doing. It's our obligation to help him through his difficult times. We've got some guys in our program that have gone through some things that no one should have to go through."
While the situation is entirely different, Dambrot said he also understands why Norman Jr. decided to leave. Despite playing in all but five games during his time with Duquesne, the junior guard was looking for more.
"[Norman Jr.] just wanted a bigger role," Dambrot said. He wanted to handle the ball more and felt like he couldn’t really get what he wanted here."
Following those two quick but seemingly genuine explanations came a long, passionate dialogue on Carry.
Those who have followed the Dukes over the past few years know firsthand how important a role Carry has had on the floor. The three-year starting point guard has been the key to the Duquesne offense and was arguably the player Dambrot trusted the most when push came to shove.
The tone in Dambrot's voice, along with the expression on his face made a noticeable change when it came time to address Carry. Simply put, Dambrot said his decision to enter the transfer portal came down to one thing: Happiness.
"We all choose to be happy or unhappy," Dambrot said. "Ultimately, when you’re on the 50 yard line, you can go to work and be happy or you can go to work and be unhappy. But we all control our own happiness to some extent, right? I know I’m on that crossroad a bunch. He just wasn’t very happy for a long period of time. If you’re that unhappy then you have to make a change or you’ve got to fight through it.”
Carry chose to make a change. A change that took his former head coach by surprise.
“He didn’t express it," Dambrot said when asked about Carry's unhappiness. "Ultimately it can’t be playing time and it can’t be a role for him. He basically had the keys to the car and could do anything he wanted for the most part. It must be unhappiness with me, or the team or the circumstances.”
Dambrot said Carry is "capable of playing at most levels" but expects him to be on a team in the Mid-American conference next season.
The conversation then turned to the subject of transferring. College athletes having the ability to bounce from school to school has been a highly debated topic for years.
Recently, the NCAA has made transfer rules far less stringent, giving more freedom for players to transfer and play the following season. The Dukes head coach has mixed feelings, seeing both the good and bad that can come with how things currently are in college basketball.
"My first thought is if other athletes are allowed to transfer and be immediately eligible, like my son who was a soccer player, if he is allowed to be immediately eligible, then our guys should be allowed to be immediately eligible," Dambrot said. “With that being said, I’m going to sound old here, I don’t believe in giving up on situations so quickly as the young people of today do. I don’t believe that not going as far as you can go before you have to leave is good for people.
"Now we have a fifty percent divorce rate in this country for the very same reason. We quit early, we give up, we don’t fight, so I don’t necessarily think the rule is good for people but I think it should be there. Because coaches can leave, right? I think there’s no choice, really but I don’t know if it’s good. I don’t know if it’s good but you have to do it.”
Dambrot wrapped up the media session saying that although he isn't happy with the Dukes' current spot in the standings, he and his team have no plans of giving up.
“We’re going to keep fighting though, I’ll tell you that right now," Dambrot said. "I’ll be very surprised if we don’t keep fighting. I still think we can have a good season, we just have to battle.”