Villanova basketball created a new position that Baker Dunleavy will immediately fill.
The school announced Thursday morning that Dunleavy, who just resigned as Quinnipiac’s men’s basketball coach, will be the program’s General Manager of Basketball. As part of his role, he’ll oversee opportunities involving NIL, the transfer portal, and fundraising for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
“The dramatic changes in college basketball over the past several years have brought new challenges and forced us to collectively think differently,” Villanova Vice President and Director of Athletics Mark Jackson said. “I believe the creation of the GM role, particularly with Baker at the helm, positions Villanova well competitively for the future. It will allow Villanova to be even more forward-thinking and bring an innovative and seasoned perspective to the ever-evolving college basketball landscape.”
Villanova Athletics welcomes back Baker Dunleavy!
Mark Jackson names Dunleavy General Manager for Men’s and Women’s Basketball effective immediately.
@MJNovaAD @BakerDunleavy
Release: https://t.co/12tu8WVuFa #GoNova #NovaNation pic.twitter.com/hx7wTSWGLK
— Villanova Athletics (@NovaAthletics) April 13, 2023
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Dunleavy worked on Villanova’s men’s staff from 2010 to 2017, serving as the Associate Head Coach for the 2016 national champions. The former Wildcats player returns to his alma mater after leading Quinnipiac to a 20-12 record in his sixth season.
Men’s coach Kyle Neptune called Dunleavy’s hiring “an important addition to our program.” women’s coach Denise Dillon called the new position “a proactive move that will allow us to continue to greatly enhance the student-athlete experience at Villanova.”
It’ll be interesting to see if more universities follow Villanova’s lead and appoint a GM to address the evolution of college sports.