Former Metro State coach Dunlap named head coach of NBA's Charlotte Bobcats
Courtesy Andy Schlichting, Metro State sports information director
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Former Metro State head men's basketball coach Mike Dunlap was named head coach of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday. Dunlap spent nine years as the head coach of the Roadrunners, his longer tenure with any team.
"We are extremely thrilled to see Mike get an opportunity like this," Metro State director of athletics Joan McDermott said. "It was just a matter of time before someone gave him a chance as a head coach at the highest level. Mike has all of the tools to be successful at any level of basketball and will do a great job with the Bobcats."
After his time at Metro, Dunlap spent two years as an assistant for the Denver Nuggets where he helped them reach the NBA playoffs two years in a row and post a 95-69 (.579) mark. He also has been the associate head coach at the University of Arizona for one year, an assistant at the University of Oregon for one year, and the top assistant at St. John's University for the past two seasons under Steve Lavin.
While at Metro State, Dunlap finished his nine years as the most decorated coach in school history. The three-time National Coach of the Year led the Roadrunners to nine NCAA Tournaments, four regular season Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships, six RMAC tournament championships, and five NCAA regional championships. His 248-50 (.832) record is the best in school history.
With five previous years as head coach at Cal Lutheran before his time at Metro State, Dunlap ranks ninth in Division II history in winning percentage with a 328-105 mark (.758).
Dunlap also coached four All-America players at Metro State and in 2009, was named coach of the RMAC's all-time team. He was inducted into Metro State's Athletics Hall of Fame last summer and will be inducted into the RMAC's Hall of Fame in July.
In 1997-98, Dunlap took over a Metro State men's basketball team that went 13-13 the previous season, the second-worst record since 1985-86, which was the second year of the program. In his first season, his Roadrunners won the RMAC regular season title and made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament after a six-year absence, going 25-5 in 1997-98.
In his second season, Metro won the RMAC East Division title with a 28-6 mark, won the conference tournament, and advanced to the national championship game, where the Roadrunners fell 75-60 to Kentucky Wesleyan.
In 1999-2000, Dunlap led Metro State to its first-ever national championship, finishing 33-4 by winning the RMAC regular season championship and the RMAC Tournament. The Roadrunners avenged their loss from the year before, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan 97-79 in the championship game. Dunlap coached a pair of All-America players in seniors DeMarcos Anzures and Lee Barlow.
After graduating six seniors from the national championship team, 2000-01 was a reloading season. Dunlap's squad still finished 23-7 and won the RMAC Tournament to advance to its fourth postseason appearance in his fourth season.
After the reloading season, Metro State won its second national championship in three seasons in 2001-02, going 29-6. The team again defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 80-72 in the national final, upsetting the top-ranked team and defeating five consecutive nationally-ranked opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Patrick Mutombo was named All-America at the conclusion of the season.
The Roadrunners went 28-5 and won the RMAC Tournament in 2002-03, again reaching the NCAA Tournament. A double-overtime loss on the road at Nebraska-Kearney in the regional championship kept the team from another Elite Eight appearance.
Dunlap's 2003-04 squad has been recognized as many as the best team in school history, despite being upset in the NCAA Final Four. The Roadrunners went 32-3 overall, including a 19-0 record in the RMAC, winning the RMAC regular season title, the conference tournament and the North Central Region championship. The team led all of Division II with a +28.1 scoring margin per game and was third in scoring average and rebounding margin. A two-point loss on a last-second shot to No. 13 Southern Indiana ended the season after Metro had previously knocked off a pair of top-20 teams by a combined 74 points in the postseason. The 2003-04 team is one of just two teams in the RMAC's 40 years of men's basketball that has gone undefeated in conference play.
In 2004-05, Metro repeated as RMAC regular season, tournament and North Central Region champions, going 29-4 overall. Dunlap also coached the National Association of Basketball Coaches National Player of the Year, Mark Worthington, who became the fourth All-America player Dunlap coached at Metro. The Roadrunners were 21-10 in 2005-06 and advanced to their ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in Dunlap's final season at Metro State.
Dunlap was named National Coach of the Year in 2000, 2002 and 2004. He earned RMAC Coach of the Year honors in 1998, 2000 and 2004.