Before the Dukes’ first NCAA Tournament game since 1977 on Thursday, LeBron James gave each member of the men’s basketball team at Duquesne a pair of shoes.

In order to qualify for March Madness, Duquesne had to win the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament, which they accomplished by defeating Dayton, the conference’s regular-season champions, in four straight games.

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James gave Duquesne the present for more reasons than simple gratitude. Keith Dambrot, his first high school coach at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, is leading the Dukes.

In order to care for his wife, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, Dambrot will be retiring from coaching at the end of this season.

James gave each player a pair of his Nike LeBron XXI shoes for the Dukes’ most important game in nearly 50 years.

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Duquesne’s colors are red and navy, while the shoes are blue and grey. Each player who received the sneakers seemed thrilled, even though the Dukes might not wear them during March Madness.

With its season on the line, Duquesne, which was seeded No. 11 in the NCAA Tournament, will take against BYU on Thursday.

Since 1969, when the program last reached the Sweet 16, the Dukes have not progressed past the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Dukes hold the highest seed of any team Dambrot has coached in March Madness, yet he has never guided a club to victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The Zips made it to three NCAA Tournaments while he was at Akron.