For the record, Mike Dunlap has no record as a St. John’s head coach. He’s sat in the first chair, as they say, for 25 of the Red Storm’s 29 games this season, but officially the 11 wins and 14 losses that have come under his watch go on Steve Lavin’s record.
Lavin, of course, is the Red Storm head coach who has not been on the bench since Nov. 18 as he continues to recover from successful prostate cancer surgery.
Lavin still has a huge impact on the day-to-day operation of the program. He helps put together game plans, decides on starting lineups and is present at practices.
But when it comes to calling timeouts, or making subs or deciding which late-game play to run — all those in game decisions — are Dunlap’s.
For a guy who didn’t expect to be in this position, for a guy who has a scholarship roster of five freshmen, one JUCO and one senior who rarely plays, for a guy who prefers to remain faceless yet on game days is the face of the program, Dunlap has done a heckuva job.
“I can’t even relate to what they’re doing,’’ veteran Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said after a 61-58 loss to the Johnnies on Saturday. “Because I’ve always had some seniors to lean on.’’
Lavin and the entire St. John’s program have had to lean on Dunlap and he has done more than merely stand up. He has coached an undermanned, inexperienced team to six wins in the toughest league in America.
For the record, there is nothing that precludes the other 15 Big East coaches from voting Dunlap as the league coach of the year. An assistant, of course, never has won the award because no assistant ever has been asked to do what Dunlap has.
Big East coaches have missed stretches — UConn’s Jim Calhoun is out with a painful bad back — but his top assistant, George Blaney, was a former head coach at Seton Hall. And the Huskies’ roster isn’t comprised of bright-eyed, first-year players.
When the notion was suggested that Dunlap at least get some consideration for Big East Coach of the Year, it smacked of homer-ism. But the job Dunlap has done clearly has impressed his colleagues. They know how hard it is to win in this league without upperclassmen.
“That’s even harder, man, that’s really hard,’’ said Brey. “And that’s why I think he’s done a fabulous job. He’s handling a lot of stuff, and again, I just think he’s done as good a job as any that’s been done in this league.’’
The smart money says Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, whose veteran, talented team (29-1) just clinched the Big East regular-season title with its 71-69 win at UConn, has the edge over Brey to win his fifth league coach of the year honors.
Brey, Marquette’s Buzz Williams and South Florida’s Stan Heath all deserve consideration. Dunlap, who enjoys being in the spotlight as much as a quarterback likes a porous offensive line, tried to deflect the notion he deserves consideration.
“I can’t get coach of the year in my own home, let alone the Big East,’’ he said.
It was good for a laugh, but the job he has done is no joke. Not at all.