Bobcats hire St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap as head coach

The Charlotte Bobcats have hired St. John's assistant coach Mike Dunlap to be their new head coach according to the The Charlotte Observer.

Dunlap, 54, is the former Denver Nuggets assistant who was acting head coach at St. John's last season while Steve Lavin recovered from prostate surgery.

Sources told the newspaper that Dunlap was offered the job, after interviewing in Charlotte with owner Michael Jordan, vice-chairman Curtis Polk, president of basketball operations Rod Higgins and general manager Rich Cho.  Dunlap accepted the offer.

The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity Monday because Dunlap's hire isn't official — yet.  The choice comes as a bit of a surprise because  Dunlap was not one of the team's three finalists and rejoined  the picture late.  The team had trimmed the list down to former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Quin Snyder.

Dunlap was one of 10 candidates interviewed since the Bobcats began their search May 8.  He will replace Paul Silas, who was not given a new contract following last season's dismal 7-59 record.

Dunlap— who has spent most of his career at the college level— worked for Lute Olsen in Arizona and essentially ran the St. John's program last season while Steve Lavin observed from off the court.  Early in his career he was an assistant at USC and Iowa.

His only NBA experience was two seasons in the NBA with the Nuggets working under head coach George Karl in 2007-08.  The Nuggets compiled a 95-69 record during his tenure and made two playoff appearances.

Karl had nothing but praise for his former assistant earlier this year on the St. John's athletic department website.

"Mike Dunlap absolutely elevates every player and team he comes in contact with," said Karl.  "He takes you from a good to great.  Name every top-level, elite coach in the game— the only difference between Mike and them is their addresses. . . There is absolutely no one better."

Word is that Dunlap impressed the Bobcats front office with his high energy and collaborative approach.  Also, he wants to run an up-tempo offense and attacking defense that figures to fit in with the young team's personality.

Dunlap will be the Bobcats fifth coach in its nine-year history.

Lavin Watches St. John's Outlast Fordham, 56-50, From Florida Gym

St. John's used only five players in the first half and added another for the second as the short-handed Red Storm defeated Fordham, 56-50,  at the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon.

Steve Lavin missed his fifth game in a row while he recovers from prostate cancer surgery.  The St. John's head coach was at a high school tournament in Florida where he is recruiting and texted to Associated Press after the win.

"Big W!  For a number of reasons!" Lavin texted.  "Our first Garden victory... payoff of the work put in in the past week...puts wind in the sails and bounce in the kid's steps... chance to go into Christmas on an uptick."

Speaking of wind, the St. John's (5-5) squad is lucky they didn't run out of it.  It was the team's first game since Nurideen Lindsay transferred.  Three academically-ineligible players leaves them with a six-man rotation.  Malik Stith sat out the first half for an academics violation, but played the second half and contributed a key steal.

Freshman forward Moe Harkless had 13 points and 16 rebounds.  It was his third straight double-double and it helped the Red Storm snap a three-game losing streak but not before the team huffed-and-puffed their way to victory.

"Once you get that second wind, I could keep playing for another 40 minutes, probably" joked Harkless.

Harkless was one of four Red Storm starters who did play the full 40 minutes.

Fordham (4-6) came back in the second half after St. John's appeared to take control by running off an 18-0 spurt that started in the first half and carried over to the second.  The flurry of points gave them a comfortable 42-26 lead with 16:53 to play.

The Rams almost took a page from last year's comeback from a 21-point deficit to beat the Johnnies 84-81.

Fordham got to within three points, 53-50, with 1:56 to play and had a chance to tie the game after the Storm's D'Angelo Harrison blew a jumper.  An 3-point air ball by the Rams' Bryan Smith  sealed their fate after St. John's made 3-of-4 free-throws in the final 26 seconds.

St. John's assistant coach Mike Dunlap— who is filling in for the recuperating Lavin— knows his young team is going to need all the stamina it can muster until the rigorous Big East schedule starts and the three ineligible players can return to the roster.

"They had the momentum and they were making shots," said Dunlap.  "In the first half we were fresher and able to transition and to get to their zone before they set it up, especially the last 2:30 of the first half."