June 20, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats new head coach Mike Dunlap addresses the media during his introduction press conference at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

Mike Dunlap is not a household name, at least not at the NBA level.

However, Dunlap has had success wherever he coaches – especially in the college ranks.

He won a pair of NCAA titles while coaching at Metro State (2000 and 2002) and led the Roadrunners to nine NCAA tournaments.

Of course that was at the Division II level, which is much different than the NBA.

His lone experience at the professional level was two seasons (2006-08) as an assistant coach to George Karl and the Nuggets.  He went back to the college ranks after the 2008 season where he was an assistant with Arizona, Oregon and St. John’s University. Last season, he ended up stepping in as St. John’s interim head coach while Steve Lavin dealt with health issues. Dunlap coached a team full of freshman to a 13-18 record.

Any coach that has worked with Dunlap will attest to how hard of a worker he is and his basketball IQ. Just ask Karl, who tweeted Tuesday about Dunlap’s hiring,

Great hire by Bobcats! Mike Dunlap is one of the most creative defensive minds I’ve ever worked with. Welcome back to the NBA!

Elated about Mike Dunlap going to Charlotte! To hire a guy of knowledge and character more than spin and perception makes me feel great.

There was a preception among many in college ranks that Dunlap’s biggest goal was going back to the NBA, which kept him from getting a full-time college coaching job – even though he was considered for a number. Most recently were head-coaching jobs at Wyoming and CSU.

Of course the biggest challenge of coaching in the NBA is managing egos and getting talented athletes to listen to you. That was the challenge for former Nuggets’ coach Jeff Bzdelik, who spent two-in-half seasons on the sidelines in Denver. He showed he had the knowledge of Xs and Os, but struggled to get superstars like Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony to respect him.

Dunlap may run into the same problem down the road, but not likely with this young Charlotte Bobcats squad which features a core group of Gerald Henderson (24 years old), Kemba Walker (22) and Bismack Biyombo (19) that is younger than 24 years old.

The next move that may be of interest to the Bobcats is trading their second pick for a package of picks later in the draft. Rebuilding a Bobcats franchise will be tough, but Dunlap is the right under the radar coach for the job.

Jun 17, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks during the post game press conference in game three against the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Thunder 91-85. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Like most teams in the NBA the Denver Nuggets have a few former colleagues in the NBA Finals.

SCOTT BROOKS: Brooks is probably the biggest connection with the Nuggets in the finals. He is in his fourth season as the Thunder coach, after replacing PJ Carlesimo – who was fired in 2008. Brooks actually got his start at coaching as an assistant with the Nuggets. He was first an assistant with Jeff Bzdelik and then George Karl. He even coached four games to for the Nuggets in the 2005 season when Karl was suspended. He was an assistant with the Nuggets until 2007 when he moved over to be an assistant with the Sacramento Kings and then the Thunder. Brooks even played for six teams during his 10 seasons in the NBA, but never played for the Nuggets.

JUWAN HOWARD: At the age of 39, Howard is riding the pine with the Miami Heat to win his first NBA title. During his prime, Howard played a season-in-half with the Nuggets before leaving as a free agent in 2003. He averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds with the Nuggets in 2003 and provided leadership for Denver’s young players.  Denver traded for Howard to free up salary cap, the Nuggets had to trade Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad for Howard. Howard came back and played three games for the Nuggets in 2008 but Denver waived him early in the season.

MARK BRYANT: Bryant is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Thunder. He spent 15 years playing in the NBA, and even played three games (14 minutes) with the Nuggets in 2003. He was dealt to the Nuggets in a three-way trade that sent James Posey to Houston, Kenny Thomas to Philadelphia and a first-round pick and Bryant to Denver. Two months later the Nuggets traded Bryant and Mark Blount for Shammond Williams and a second-round pick.

REGGIE JACKSON: The Thunders’ first round pick is from Colorado Springs. He played 45 games and averaged 3.1 points.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK: The most hated player on Oklahoma City played at UCLA with Arron Afflalo of the Nuggets.

DEXTER PITTMAN: The little-used big man for the Heat played one season with Denver’ Jordan Hamilton at Texas.