Duquesne Honors 2023-24 Men’s Basketball with Addition to Hall of Fame

The original class was already announced on Dec. 14, 2023, but after the memorable season, the university made an unprecedented decision to celebrate the team’s success by adding them on short notice to the hall of fame.

After making a run to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, the Dukes completed a 25-12 season, which marked the most wins since 1953-54.

Overcoming a slow start in conference play, the Dukes entered the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the No. 6 seed and rolled all the way through the championship, beating VCU in the final for the team’s first-ever A-10 title.

The Dukes automatically qualified for March Madness, earning them their first appearance to the Big Dance since 1977.

As an 11-seed, the Dukes then upset No. 6 BYU, 71-67, giving the Dukes their first tournament win since 1969 and earning Dambrot his first-career victory in the tournament.

For Dambrot, it was the crown jewel of his final season of coaching after announcing his retirement ahead of the team’s trip to Omaha, Neb. for the NCAA Tournament.

In his seventh season with the Dukes, Dambrot recorded his 500th career win at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse with a victory over George Mason. Across his 26 years as a head coach, Dambrot recorded a record of 529-305.

Dambrot, who wanted to return the Dukes to national prominence like his father’s teams in the 1950s, did just that. In seven seasons, Dambrot guided Duquesne to three 20-plus win seasons, an A-10 title, a NCAA Tournament appearance and a College Basketball Invitational appearance in 2023.

While Dambrot led from the sidelines, this season’s, without a doubt, never happens without Clark III and Grant.

Clark III averaged 15 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game this season on his way to earning an All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team nod and All-Atlantic 10 Second Team honors. Starting all 37 games, Clark III converted 41.5 percent of his shots from the field and led the A-10 in steals per game, totaling 87 on the year.

In two seasons at Duquesne, the Covington, Ga. native recorded 959 points, 225 assists and 163 steals. The guard ranks ninth in Duquesne history for steals across his four-year collegiate career. He surpassed 1,000 career points on Senior Day this year in a win over George Washington.

Joining Clark III as a player inductee into the Duquesne Hall of Fame is Grant, who spent the last two seasons at Duquesne. This past year, Grant paced the Dukes with 16.4 points per game while also grabbing 3.4 rebounds and dishing out 2.4 assists per contest.

Grant was nearly automatic from the free-throw line where he sank 94.2 percent of his attempts, setting a new single-season school record for free-throw percentage. He also set a new record with consecutive free throws made with 43 in a row early in the season. He would then break that mark later in the season with 46 consecutive makes.

With the outstanding season, Grant was named alongside Clark III to the 2024 All-Atlantic Second Team.

In a five-year collegiate career, including three years with Miami (OH), Grant amassed 2,241 points, 585 rebounds, 412 assists and 137 steals. He eclipsed 2,000 career points with a 31-point performance in a win over Rhode Island in February.

After the A-10 title run, Grant was named the Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player thanks to 16.3 points per game over the four-game span, where he shot 42.6 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from three. He also earned a 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Tournament team nod along with Clark III.