Dr. G. Anthony Grant, Director of Athletics and DAPER Department Head, has officially announced the hiring of B.J. Dunne as the David H. Koch '62 Head Coach of Men's Basketball/Physical Education and Wellness Instructor at MIT.
"I am very excited to welcome B.J. and his family to MIT," said Dr. Grant. "As a former Division III student-athlete and current head coach, B.J. brings a proven track record of success to the Institute. His teams have set program records while regularly finishing at the top of the standings, demonstrating his ability, both to lead and achieve excellence at high academic institutions. He has demonstrated, at more than one institution, that he is a culture builder and someone that is deeply committed to enhancing the student-athlete experience. I'm confident he will position our men's basketball program for sustained success into the future."
Dunne, a native of Medfield, Mass. joins MIT after a successful seven-year tenure at Gettysburg College, where he put together an 89-68 overall record (.567) and saw his teams advance to four straight Centennial Conference semifinals over the past four seasons. In 2024-25, he helped guide Gettysburg to the program's first 20-win season since 2007-08 and its highest national ranking in program history at No. 8, as the Bullets earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round before falling to top-seeded Wesleyan (Conn.) in the second round. Gettysburg's successful 2024-25 season followed a 2023-24 season where the Bullets won 19 games and claimed the Centennial Conference Regular-Season Championship for the first time in program history.
"I want to thank Dr. Grant and the search committee for their trust and belief in me throughout this process," said Dunne. "From the start, it was clear how deeply the department values community, collaboration, and the student-athlete experience, and that commitment left a lasting impression on me. The chance to lead the men's basketball program at the No. 1 school in the world—while also returning to a place I call home—is an opportunity my family and I could not pass up."
Gettysburg did nothing but improve under Dunne's guidance. The program had just 16 total wins across the two years prior to Dunne's tenure and had endured five losing seasons in the previous seven years. Under his leadership, the Bullets experienced a dramatic turnaround, winning 71 games from 2021–2025—the most in any four-year stretch in program history. He increased his win total in every season at the helm on the men's basketball program, doubling his total from year one to year two to finish with a 12-13 record before recording four straight winning seasons from 2019-20 through 2024-25. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, Dunne has seen his student-athletes claim 20 All-League selections and one D3hoops.com All-Region selection, one Rookie of the Year and two All-Rookie selections, as well as one Player of the Year selection, one Defensive Player of the Year selection.
"I also want to honor Coach Larry Anderson, whose three decades of leadership set an extraordinary standard of excellence at MIT," added Dunne. "I have the deepest respect for Larry and the remarkable success he achieved, and I am humbled to follow in his footsteps. His impact on this program and on generations of student-athletes is immeasurable."
Off the court, Dunne was involved in numerous organizations, both on campus and nationally, including the Director of Gettysburg Athletics Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI), Student-Athlete Well-Being Coordinator, Gettysburg Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Designee, NABC Committee for Racial Reconciliation and the Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Chair.
Prior to Gettysburg, Dunne was the head coach at Vassar College for five seasons, from 2013-2018. In his first season as head coach, Dunne was the youngest head coach in the NCAA at all levels at the time, and by 2016, he was one of two Division III Coaches named to the Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team. Dunne inherited a program that had only advanced to the conference tournament twice in 42 years and had won 31 games in the previous five seasons. However, in five seasons Dunne's teams advanced to the conference tournament three times and the Liberty League Championship Game once. Dunne and his staff were named as the 2013-2014 Liberty League Co-Coaching Staff of the Year, after leading the Brewers to a program-record 19 wins and a trip to the Liberty League Conference Tournament Championship Game. In all, he coached 10 All-Liberty League selections and one D3hoops.com All-East Region selection, during his tenure in Poughkeepsie.
"MIT thrives on collaboration, problem-solving, and pushing boundaries—and our basketball program will reflect that same spirit," said Dunne. "Guided by Mens et Manus—'Mind and Hand'—we'll prepare with film, scouting, and strategy, and compete with toughness, communication, and execution. The harder way is the MIT way—it will demand grit, discipline, and purpose. At MIT, you don't blend in—you stand out. What we do here is hard, but that's what makes it special. Like MIT's academic rigor, our culture will stretch you, challenge you, and ultimately elevate you—to be elite on the court and exceptional in life."
No stranger to the NEWMAC, Dunne spent a year as the top assistant coach at Emerson College in 2011-12 under Jim O'Brien, the former head coach at Ohio State University and the National Co-Coach of the Year in 1999. He was also an assistant coach at Babson College during 2010-11, working with longtime Babson head coach Stephen Brennan.
In addition to his work at the collegiate level, Dunne was the founder, owner and program director of the Bay State Flash AAU Basketball Club. Dunne's teams qualified for nationals twice in two seasons, winning the 2012 U-17 Massachusetts State Championship and the 2012 Hall of Fame National Invitational Championships. In 2015, he represented the United States as the head men's basketball coach at the European Maccabi Games in Berlin, Germany, leading a team of 12 of the best Jewish players in the country to compete against Israel, France, Germany and other nations in the Open Division. The team placed second, winning the Silver Medal. Additionally, Dunne has worked for the Boston Celtics NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, where he assisted the Basketball Operations department. He has also spent three seasons as a coach in The Basketball Tournament, including as an assistant for the Friday Beers team that advanced to the tournament's semifinals in 2023.
A 2010 graduate of Bates College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, Dunne was a three-year letter winner before serving as a student-assistant coach as a senior for the Bobcats. While at Bates, the team compiled a 62-39 record over four years including back-to-back 18-win seasons. During the 2006-07 season, Dunne was a member of a team that was ranked 12th in the national polls. As a senior, Dunne was awarded the "Love for the Game" award. Following his time at Bates, he earned a Master of Science Degree in Administrative Studies from Boston College in 2012.
His wife Megan was a standout women's lacrosse player who helped lead Gettysburg to Centennial Conference titles in 2005 and 2006 and was named All-America Second Team in 2008. They have two children, Ford and Miles.
"MIT represents everything I value as a coach, educator, and leader: it is a hub of innovation, excellence, and community. I am honored to lead a storied program with aspirations of competing for national championships, building a culture that reflects MIT's core values, and helping our student-athletes channel their drive to push limits and be part of something bigger than themselves into a championship-level basketball program."
