MAAC Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jul 15, 2020

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 20: The Siena Saints celebrate a double overtime win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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WEST POINT, NY – NOVEMBER 06: John Dunne, Head Coach of the Marist Red Foxes (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) /

9. John Dunne – Saint Peter’s (2006-2018), Marist (2018-2020)

Dunne’s coaching career began as he bounced around assistant coaching jobs, mostly on the East Coast. He joined Louis Orr’s staff at Siena and spent five years under him at Seton Hall. From there, his head coaching career began at Saint Peter’s in 2006. He’d spend a dozen years with the Peacocks before taking the Marist job, giving him 14 years in the MAAC already on his resume.

We won’t pretend that Saint Peter’s was a world-beater during Dunne’s tenure, but he did lead them to the NCAA Tournament in 2011. He also led the Peacocks to the CIT title in 2017, a season in which they finished 2nd place in the MAAC. His first two years with Marist haven’t resulted in anything spectacular, but there’s plenty of optimism ahead.

Dunne’s 172 wins puts him up there in the MAAC record books, though he’ll need some breakthrough success with the Red Foxes to solidify his standing. He’s responsible for Saint Peter’s best success since the turn of the century and could have bright days ahead for a troubled Marist program.