After entering the transfer portal and NBA draft process a few weeks ago, things were relatively quiet regarding Bronny James‘ status. That was until Duquesne head coach Dru Joyce sent out a suspicious tweet. He posted a GIF of himself throwing baby powder in the air, a nod to Lebron James‘ pre-game ritual. James has been linked to Duquesne for a bit, so the timing of this tweet is interesting.
@DuqMBB 🚨🚨🚨👀 pic.twitter.com/QGSBCTlYnw
— Dru Joyce (@DruOnDemand) April 24, 2024
Bronny James Linked to Unlikely School
At first glance, it seems unfathomable that James would transfer to such a small school. He was at USC last season and was linked to Duke, Ohio State, and Oregon in high school. But, if you look into his father’s ties to the Duquesne program, things start to make more sense. Duquesne’s former coach, Keith Dambrot, coached Lebron James in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Akron. He retired after bringing the Dukes back to the NCAA tournament this year. This then caused Duquesne to hire assistant coach Dru Joyce, who is also an alum of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s. After looking at these connections, the picture becomes much clearer as to why Bronny might transfer to Duquesne.
Bronny’s Fit
Despite his pedigree, Bronny struggled at USC. He averaged under 5 points per game and shot terrible percentages. He also did not do much in the way of rebounds or assists. But, he was coming off the bench and dealt with a heart problem to start the season. However, James was strong on the defensive side of the ball. Despite limited playing time, he averaged nearly a steal per game and made some incredible blocks throughout the season. This is likely due to his elite athleticism and length.
While his game did not transfer to the PAC-12 he will likely shine if he drops down a level to the Atlantic 10. At a slightly lower level of competition, he should be able to better leverage his athletic abilities and overpower competition. He will not have to rely on his shooting like he did at USC.
Will This Actually Happen?
In short, we don’t know. Bronny still has his name in the draft process and he is still scheduled to attend the NBA Draft Combine this summer. But, he could remove his name and focus on returning to college. If he does decide to return to college, there will still be other schools that want to pursue him. The most notable would be Oregon. The Ducks’ deep ties to Nike would make it hard for James to end up somewhere else. There is also Ohio State, which is the home school for his father and finished highly in his high school recruitment. Of course, there could be other schools that end up in the mix. As things stand, Duquesne seems in a good position to land Bronny. Unlike other recruits, NIL is not as big of a factor for James. His brand is big enough that he will receive national deals no matter which school he attends. The level of competition, while slightly lower, is still competitive in the A10. While it is not a done deal, don’t be too surprised if Bronny ends up in Pittsburgh next season.
