John Dunne (born June 11, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Marist College. He previously served as head coach at Saint Peter's University from 2006 to 2018.
Early Life and Education
Dunne was born in Queens, New York, and attended Archbishop Molloy High School, where he played basketball under legendary head coach Jack Curran. He played collegiately at Ithaca College, where he was a four-year letterwinner. At the time of his graduation, he ranked as the program's all-time leader in steals and third in assists. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Ithaca College in 1992 and a Master's degree in Sports Management from East Stroudsburg University in 1996.
Coaching Career
Assistant Coach (1992–2006)
Dunne began his coaching career at Wilkes University (1992–1994), followed by a season at Western Michigan University (1994–1995). He returned to Wilkes for the 1995–96 season, which culminated in a 28–2 record and a trip to the Division III Elite Eight. He then served as an assistant at Adelphi University (1996–1998) under Steve Clifford, where the team posted a 43–17 record. Dunne spent one season at Manhattan College (1998–1999), two seasons at Siena College (1999–2001), and five seasons at Seton Hall University (2001–2006) under Louis Orr, helping the Pirates reach the NCAA Tournament twice and the NIT once.
Saint Peter's University (2006–2018)
Dunne was hired as head coach at Saint Peter's University in 2006. He increased the program's win total in each of his first five seasons. In 2010–11, he led the Peacocks to their first 20-win season in 20 years and won the MAAC tournament as a No. 4 seed, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1995. In 2016–17, Saint Peter's won the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) championship, finishing with 23 wins—the second-highest total in school history. The team set a program record with 14 MAAC wins and finished second in the conference. In 2017–18, Dunne became the first No. 9 seed in MAAC history to reach the tournament semifinals.
During his tenure, Saint Peter's ranked second nationally in defensive field goal percentage in both 2009–10 (.377) and 2010–11 (.376), and finished 18th nationally in defensive efficiency in 2016–17. Dunne graduated 100 percent of his recruits who completed their eligibility at Saint Peter's.
Marist College (2018–present)
On April 3, 2018, Dunne was hired as the 12th head coach in Marist men's basketball program history. In the 2024–25 season, Marist achieved its fifth 20-win season in program history—the highest total in 18 years—and posted a nine-game winning streak, the program's longest in 18 years. The Red Foxes started MAAC play 6–0 for the first time in their 28 years in the conference. In 2023, Marist made the MAAC championship game for the first time in program history.
Dunne has been named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award multiple times (2011, 2021, 2024, 2025) and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award in 2025. He served as chair of the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee (2012–13) and on the NCAA Division I Regional Advisory Committee (2013–16).
Head Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Saint Peter's | 5–25 | 3–15 | — |
| 2007–08 | Saint Peter's | 6–24 | 3–15 | — |
| 2008–09 | Saint Peter's | 11–19 | 8–10 | — |
| 2009–10 | Saint Peter's | 16–14 | 11–7 | — |
| 2010–11 | Saint Peter's | 20–14 | 11–7 | NCAA Round of 64 |
| 2011–12 | Saint Peter's | 5–26 | 4–14 | — |
| 2012–13 | Saint Peter's | 9–21 | 3–15 | — |
| 2013–14 | Saint Peter's | 14–17 | 9–11 | — |
| 2014–15 | Saint Peter's | 16–18 | 8–12 | — |
| 2015–16 | Saint Peter's | 14–16 | 12–8 | — |
| 2016–17 | Saint Peter's | 23–13 | 14–6 | CIT Champion |
| 2017–18 | Saint Peter's | 14–18 | 6–12 | — |
| Saint Peter's Total | 153–225 (.405) | 92–132 (.411) | ||
| 2018–19 | Marist | 12–19 | 7–11 | — |
| 2019–20 | Marist | 7–23 | 6–14 | — |
| 2020–21 | Marist | 12–9 | 10–8 | — |
| 2021–22 | Marist | 14–16 | 9–11 | — |
| 2022–23 | Marist | 13–20 | 6–14 | — |
| 2023–24 | Marist | 18–13 | 12–8 | — |
| 2024–25 | Marist | 20–10 | — | — |
| Marist Total | 76–100 (.432) | 50–65 (.435) | ||
| Career Total | 229–325 (.413) |
Championships and Honors
- MAAC Tournament Champion (2011) — Saint Peter's
- CIT Champion (2017) — Saint Peter's
- Multiple-time finalist for the Skip Prosser Award
- 2025 finalist for the Hugh Durham Award
Personal Life
Dunne is married to Dr. Marlene Dunne, and they have two children, Chloe and Brady.
