Villanova names Baker Dunleavy its new general manager of basketball
Dunleavy, 40, played and coached at Villanova and spent the last six seasons as the head coach at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
On Thursday, Villanova basketball announced the creation of a new position and welcomed back a familiar face to fill the role.
Former Villanova associate head coach Baker Dunleavy will be Villanova’s first-ever general manager of basketball, per a release. Dunleavy, who left Villanova in 2017 to become the head coach at Quinnipiac, resigned as the Bobcats’ coach to take the position.
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The general manager will support Villanova’s men’s and women’s basketball programs. In the position, Dunleavy will focus on “opportunities and education around Name, Image, and Likeness; the transfer portal; student-athlete brand-building and marketing; and advancing institutional fundraising in partnership with University Advancement.”
”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 in the release.
“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.”
Dunleavy returns to Villanova after six years at Quinnipiac. Dunleavy went 86-93 in his tenure, including 20-12 in 2022-23. He became a Villanova assistant in 2010 and served as associate head coach on Villanova’s 2016 national championship-winning team under Jay Wright. Dunleavy graduated from Villanova’s School of Business in 2006 and played on the basketball team from 2003-06. Upon graduating with a degree in finance, Dunleavy worked for Bank of America and Merrill Lynch before turning to coaching. Dunleavy was the only candidate considered for the role and will report directly to Jackson.
The increasing demands of college basketball directly influenced the new position.
“The role of the head coach isn’t the same as it was two and a half, three years ago,” Jackson said. “The demands on that position we think warranted getting some more support for both the men’s and women’s head coaches.”
Dunleavy believes he can advise Neptune and the other coaches but also assist with NIL, branding, fundraising, and more.
“I think [the title is] a little bit fluid in terms of the role and responsibility,” Dunleavy said. “... I look at it as being somebody with the experience of a coach, but also somebody that understands Villanova’s culture and people [so] that I can take on numerous roles [and] help our coaches and administrators do their jobs more easily.”
Several top programs have recently created similar positions. In June, Duke hired former Nike executive Rachel Baker, who played lacrosse at La Salle, as its men’s basketball general manager.
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Jackson said that he was not inspired by other schools in establishing the position, but he learned from other schools as Villanova decided to create the role. He stressed that the position would be focused on Villanova-specific needs.
However, Jackson, speaking from meetings in Los Angeles focused on a new Fox-Big East television deal, didn’t shy away from the branding aspect.
“I hope it’s an indication that we’re trying to be forward thinking and innovative and trying to get ahead of the curve a little bit as it relates to the landscape and the business of college basketball,” Jackson said.
Both head coaches were quoted in the release. Men’s coach Kyle Neptune said Dunleavy “will be an invaluable resource,” while women’s coach Denise Dillon described it as “a huge plus” and “a proactive move.”
The move was one of two with the coaching staff and NIL field. Former Villanova assistant and La Salle head coach Ashley Howard will move back into his assistant coaching role after a year as co-executive director of Friends of Nova, Villanova’s NIL collective. Having both back as Villanova employees shows the program’s dedication to capitalizing on Name, Image, and Likeness, and maintaining its competitiveness in a new era of college basketball.