As this season has finally come to a conclusion. I don’t want to really hear any of the following excuses for this coaching staff next year.
-Covid
-Transfer Portal
All coaches had to deal with these two issues. Some coaches that had the same time to build their programs as Dambrot, have been released from their jobs, with better records in the conference than Dambrot. LaSalle even had the ability to buy out their coach.
-Only have seven to eight players, the players are tired and can’t play an entire season with that short of a bench.
Most teams in the tournament as well as during the season only go seven or eight deep. Two teams in our conference basically played six players. St Bonaventure and Richmond and they accomplished way more than our Dukes.
-Pittsburgh is not a fertile recruiting area.
This is a two fold topic. 1st, Most schools are not located in fertile recruiting areas. The kids go to schools for a variety of reasons. The two most important are the success of the program and the relationship they have with the coaching staff. 2ndly I hear there is not any division one talent in the Pittsburgh area. I know we would have taken Tre Mitchell, Ethan Morton, Puff Johnson, Nelly Cummings in a heart beat. Plus there are a few more that are playing division 1 ball around the country that would be a welcoming addition to our squad compared to some of the kids that transferred out.
-We don’t have the talent to compete.
That problem rest entirely on the coaching staffs ability to judge talent and the teams needs. Retention of good players at our level also rest on the coaching staffs ability to form relationships with the players.
-Practice and playing facilities.
Everything is now updated. Put a winning program  on the floor and sell out the coop and we move the bigger games to PPG like most Big East teams have been doing for years.
No more lame duck excuses for this coaching staff. I hope he produces next season. (Which highly doubt). I have been his harshest and earliest critic, but here is to hoping he can turn things around. Until next year. I never comment on perspective recruits, because if I don’t see them in game action, to judge their ability or their competition it is basically useless to watch highlight reels. All players look good in them.