A tireless worker with an immense passion for success, B.J. Dunne is entering his 5th season as the head men’s basketball coach at Vassar College. During the 2013-14 season, Dunne became the youngest head coach in the NCAA at all levels at the time, and in 2016, he was named to the Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team. Dunne has coached nine All-Liberty League selections during his tenure.
His first year at the helm in 2013-14 season will go down as arguably the greatest season in Vassar College men's basketball history. Coach Dunne and the Brewers punched their first ticket to the Liberty League Tournament since the 2007-08 season after earning a program-record 19 wins and finishing second within the Liberty League with a 10-6 mark. Vassar picked up its first-ever Liberty League Tournament victory with a 66-62 win over Skidmore College, and nearly captured the squad’s first-ever league title with a 75-74 double overtime loss to Hobart College.
Dunne and his staff were named as the Liberty League Co-Coaching Staff of the Year, and he also mentored three All-Liberty League performers including first-teamer Johnny Mrlik. Dunne and his team rattled off winning streaks of nine and six throughout the season, and also were 10-2 in the Athletics and Fitness Center. Additionally, Vassar posted the seventh-best field-goal percentage defense in Division III, and were sixth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game with 29.19. Offensively, the Brewers finished 15th in D-III in three-point field-goal percentage, making 40.3 percent of their shots from deep. In all, VC was first in seven statistical categories, while Dunne coached five individual stat leaders within the Liberty League. Mrlik earned All-East Region Second Team honors as well in 2013-14, and the team also received the CBOA Schoenfield Sportsmanship Award in his first year as head coach.
Dunne has also shown his ability to recruit some of the best talent in the Liberty League, putting a player on the Liberty League All-Rookie Team in both 2014-15 (Jesse Browne) and 2015-16 (Paul Grinde). During the 2015-16 season the Brewers advanced to the conference semi-finals for only the 4th time in program history and the 2nd time in three years.
Hailing from a great coaching pedigree, Dunne’s former bosses have provided him with a great vision and basketball philosophy to succeed at this level. Dunne has worked for a Division I National Coach of the Year, two conference Coaches of the Year, one NEBCA Division III Coach of the Year and one NABC Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Dunne also played for the Maine State Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
Dunne has even taken his talents overseas. In July and August of 2015, Dunne represented the United States as the Head Men's Basketball coach at the European Maccabi Games in Berlin, Germany. He put together a team of 12 of the best Jewish players in the country to compete against Israel, France, Germany and other nations in the Open Division. The team won a Silver Medal.
Before his time at Vassar, Dunne spent a year as the men’s basketball top assistant coach at Emerson College, under Jim O’Brien, the former head coach at Ohio State University and the National Co-Coach of the Year in 1999. During the 2011-12 season, Dunne was responsible for on-court coaching, recruiting, scouting, film exchange and game management. He helped Emerson qualify for the GNAC Tournament and coached two All-League players. As the program’s recruiting coordinator, Dunne was responsible for recruiting 10 student-athletes to Emerson College. During the 2012-13 season, Emerson doubled its wins, and finished fourth in the conference while starting three freshmen.
During the 2010-11 season, Dunne helped guide Babson College to a fourth place finish in the NEWMAC. Involved with every aspect of coaching, Dunne also headed Babson’s social media pages.
In addition to his work at the college level, Dunne was the Founder, Owner and Program Director of the Bay State Flash AAU Basketball Club. In just two seasons of running and coaching an AAU program, Dunne’s teams qualified for Nationals twice, won the 2012 U-17 Massachusetts State Championship, and were the 2012 Hall of Fame National Invitational Champions. His squads also advanced to the Elite 8 of the AAU Super Showcase. Additionally, Dunne has worked for the Boston Celtics NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, where he assisted the Basketball Operations department. Dunne is very active on the camp circuit. He has worked camps at Harvard University, Princeton University, Brown University and Columbia University.
Dunne graduated from Bates College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. He was a three-year letter winner and served as a student-assistant coach as a senior for the Bobcats. While at Bates, Dunne’s teams compiled a 62-39 record over four years including back-to-back 18-win seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08. He helped the Bobcats advance to the NESCAC Final Four in 2009-10. During the 2006-07 season, Dunne was a member of a team that was ranked #12 in the national polls. As a senior, Dunne was awarded with the “Love for the Game” award. Dunne received his Master of Science Degree in Administrative Studies from Boston College in 2012.
A 2006 graduate of The Rivers School, Dunne was a four-year varsity starter and as a senior served as team captain. He was an All-ISL Selection During the 2004-05 season, and also was the recipient of the F. Ervin Prince Award, which was awarded to the basketball player who had strived the hardest to improve both academically and athletically. Dunne also played for the highly regarded AAU basketball program, the Middlesex Magic.
Dunne resides in Poughkeepsie, NY with his wife.
By The Numbers
- Has won the most regular season and conference games in program history
- Appeared in 3 conference semifinals. (There are only 5 in program history); Appeared in 1 conference championship game
- 24 Liberty League All-Academic selections
- 12 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court selections
- 10 All-Liberty League selections
- 4 NABC Academic Excellence Team awards
- 2 Liberty League All-Rookie Team selections
- 3 1,000-point scorers
- 1 d3hoops.com All-East Region selection
- 1 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection
- 1 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year award
- 1 Schoenfeld Sportsmanship award
