Dave Paulsen

[GMUgemini]

Imagine If all Hewitt's recruits stayed, we would have been a really good team with Paulsen coaching. I think Paulsen should have really tried harder to keep some of those guys. The bigs he brought in are light years away from competing in the A10. We are in desperate need of bigs!!!

Did any bigs leave? I'm pretty sure it was all guards/small forwards (well, they were all small forwards, right?) Abrams (6'7 wing), Jackson (6'6 wing), Lockett (6'5 wing)...oh, we did lose Trey Porter (6'10 PF/C) -- he would have been a junior this season.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Who knows. Might have helped, or might have had trouble buying in and slowed the rebuild in the long term.

Either way, I'm pretty happy with the progress I'm seeing. Let's hope it continues after Moore and Jenkins leave.

 

[MasonGrad01]

The bigs he brought in are light years away from competing in the A10. We are in desperate need of bigs!!!

We had Shevon Thompson for two seasons and won a total of 9 A-10 games. We are much better with this roster. Most teams in our conference and around the country play four guards.

 

[GSII]

Abrahms is Paulsen recruit. Dont forget, DP had to change the culture. Holloway seemed to struggle with that.

 

[Herndon]

I'm not going to flip the big man panic switch for next year just yet. Yes, it's absolutely true that Temara and Relvao are not ready to be regular contributors at the A10 level right now, and if Jenkins were to go down with an injury, we'd be in big trouble.

That said, bigs are funny. They suck right up until they don't. Bigs often don't develop the same way as guards do, where you can see them getting better and better. Bigs sometimes improve under the radar, right up until the point where they reach a critical mass of improvement where they tip from "not effective" to "effective".

I remember it most clearly with Hibbert in college. He sucked, and while he was making progress, it didn't change the fact that he sucked, he was equally ineffective. Then, he improved his hands just a little bit, and all the stuff he had been improving suddenly became important, because he could utilize it. His lower body strength, and improved footwork, and improved conditioning hadn't mattered, because you can't use any of that if you can't catch the ball. When his hands improved just a little, his production skyrocketed.

My point is, Temara and Relvao are freshmen, and while they both may suck at the moment, there are things there that, with just a little tweak, you might have a player. If relvao just picks up an 8 foot jumper, suddenly that sweepikng hook of his becomes a weapon.

If Temara gains a little bit of upper body strength, his spectacular lower body strength and athleticism suddenly make him a viable rim protector and rim diver on offense.

Give them an offseason. I think they may be more ready to go next year than people are thinking.

 

[Falco]

I'm not going to flip the big man panic switch for next year just yet. Yes, it's absolutely true that Temara and Relvao are not ready to be regular contributors at the A10 level right now, and if Jenkins were to go down with an injury, we'd be in big trouble.

That said, bigs are funny. They suck right up until they don't. Bigs often don't develop the same way as guards do, where you can see them getting better and better. Bigs sometimes improve under the radar, right up until the point where they reach a critical mass of improvement where they tip from "not effective" to "effective".

I remember it most clearly with Hibbert in college. He sucked, and while he was making progress, it didn't change the fact that he sucked, he was equally ineffective. Then, he improved his hands just a little bit, and all the stuff he had been improving suddenly became important, because he could utilize it. His lower body strength, and improved footwork, and improved conditioning hadn't mattered, because you can't use any of that if you can't catch the ball. When his hands improved just a little, his production skyrocketed.

My point is, Temara and Relvao are freshmen, and while they both may suck at the moment, there are things there that, with just a little tweak, you might have a player. If relvao just picks up an 8 foot jumper, suddenly that sweepikng hook of his becomes a weapon.

If Temara gains a little bit of upper body strength, his spectacular lower body strength and athleticism suddenly make him a viable rim protector and rim diver on offense.

Give them an offseason. I think they may be more ready to go next year than people are thinking.

I like the optimism. And I agree playing as a big is the hardest adjustment in college basketball.

Guards are used to being about the same siZe as their Compitition in high school. But have to adjust to speed at the next level.

But bigs don't get matched up every night against someone as big as them. So when hey get to college they have to get accumented to the speed of the game, strength and size of other players. Revao just has to work on his hands and I think he could be Ok.

I haven't seen enough of Tamera yet.

 

[Jack Strop]

I agree. Big men dominate in high school so much so that they often don't need skill to complement their size and athleticism. Their skill-building starts when they realize they are at a huge disadvantage as NCAA freshmen and need vast improvement. The learning process looks awkward at first and then it just suddenly clicks. But it takes a couple of seasons to put it all together.

Other than George Evans, I can't think of a big man for Mason that made large and consistent contributons until they became juniors. The only other big aside from Evans who had strong production as an underclassman was a post-season sophomore like Will Thomas.

Relvao and Temara will get heavy work loads next season and it will be sink or swim for them and the team. I'm confident that Coach Paulsen will work them up physically and mentally.

 

[GMUgemini]

Abrahms is Paulsen recruit. Dont forget, DP had to change the culture. Holloway seemed to struggle with that.

Sorry, meant Ahmad Gilbert (got Ahmad and Abrams mixed up in my head).

 

[GMUgemini]

I agree. Big men dominate in high school so much so that they often don't need skill to complement their size and athleticism. Their skill-building starts when they realize they are at a huge disadvantage as NCAA freshmen and need vast improvement. The learning process looks awkward at first and then it just suddenly clicks. But it takes a couple of seasons to put it all together.

Other than George Evans, I can't think of a big man for Mason that made large and consistent contributons until they became juniors. The only other big aside from Evans who had strong production as an underclassman was a post-season sophomore like Will Thomas.

Relvao and Temara will get heavy work loads next season and it will be sink or swim for them and the team. I'm confident that Coach Paulsen will work them up physically and mentally.

Ryan Pearson was pretty much a finished product when he came in. He improved each season, but not in the same way as we are talking about. I mean, he was averaging 17 mins and 7 ppg his freshman season.

Jon Larranaga also made some pretty huge strides by his sophomore season, but he was probably at an advantage there being coached by his dad.

 

[Pablo]

Jon Larranaga also made some pretty huge strides by his sophomore season, but he was probably at an advantage there being coached by his dad.

He also redshirted his freshman academic year.

 

[Pablo]

1. Mason Basketball ‏@MasonMBB 47m47 minutes ago
   "Our freshmen are starting to find their legs and their rhythm - that gives us a big boost offensively." - Coach Paulsen on A-10 call
   
   
2. Mason Basketball ‏@MasonMBB 51m51 minutes ago
   "Marquise is so professional in his approach. He attacks every rep in practice and wants to win every competition." - Coach Paulsen
   
   
3. Mason Basketball ‏@MasonMBB 52m52 minutes ago
   "We focused this past week on a back to basics approach, working on defensive intensity and offensive execution." - Paulsen on A-10 call
   

 

[Patriot8]

I agree with whoever said next year's team could be one piece away from being really good.

What we need for next season is to find a big like Isaiah Armwood, who transferred from Villanova to GW and provided immediate impact with rebounding and shot-blocking, except we need a grad transfer who can play right away.

We are still going to be a perimeter-oriented team, but finding a veteran big to replace Jalen would allow Troy and Daniel to continue their development without having the pressure of playing starter minutes.

As far as scholarships go, I will be shocked if we don't have at least 2 transfers out after this season. Kids today don't hang around once it's clear there is no path to meaningful playing time. Not sure why our players would be any different.

What do you think of the chances are of Mar and Wilson starting together next year?

We really wouldn't be giving up any height at the 5. Mar seems to have a very polished offensive game to go along with his defensive reputation, and Wilson has been billed as a rim protector who I have no doubt is making big strides during his redshirt year, both on the court and in the weight room. If anything we would be extremely athletic upfront.

Obviously I'd like to see our current bigs make a leap, and I'd also love to see Paulsen bring in a grad transfer to help out, but wanted to get some thoughts on this scenario.

 

[GMUgemini]

What do you think of the chances are of Mar and Wilson starting together next year?

We really wouldn't be giving up any height at the 5. Mar seems to have a very polished offensive game to go along with his defensive reputation, and Wilson has been billed as a rim protector who I have no doubt is making big strides during his redshirt year, both on the court and in the weight room. If anything we would be extremely athletic upfront.

Obviously I'd like to see our current bigs make a leap, and I'd also love to see Paulsen bring in a grad transfer to help out, but wanted to get some thoughts on this scenario.

He's listed at 180 pounds right now. To not get utterly pushed around in the low post, he'd have to gain about 30 pounds at a minimum in the offseason, which would totally alter his game (and probably kill his heart). Troy Temara, for instance, is listed at 231 and still needs to work on his upper body strength. Jalen is 246.

A grad transfer would be nice, but we have to assume we're rolling with what we've got next season.

 

[mkaufman1]

What do you think of the chances are of Mar and Wilson starting together next year?

We really wouldn't be giving up any height at the 5. Mar seems to have a very polished offensive game to go along with his defensive reputation, and Wilson has been billed as a rim protector who I have no doubt is making big strides during his redshirt year, both on the court and in the weight room. If anything we would be extremely athletic upfront.

Obviously I'd like to see our current bigs make a leap, and I'd also love to see Paulsen bring in a grad transfer to help out, but wanted to get some thoughts on this scenario.

I can't see them starting together or playing very much together at the 5. While both are highly thought of recruits, they still will have a learning curve as freshmen.

I do think that both of them sharing time at the 4 will help whoever plays the 5 (Temara, Relvao) out a lot against athletic 4s and 5s who can also shoot (Cline for example) .

I also thought Abram would make the biggest leap this year, so I could be totally wrong.

 

[GMUSig03]

I really hope we get a Juco or Grad Transfer big man to play the 5 next year. Otis and Jaire will be Juniors, Boyd/Kier/Newman will all be improved, Temara and Relvao will be more reliable, conference tournament will be in DC! Will just be missing that one piece. Let's steal an under utilized player from a power conference who can step right in and contribute 7 and 7 along with playing solid defense.

This is assuming we have at least one transfer.

 

[Falco]

I really hope we get a Juco or Grad Transfer big man to play the 5 next year. Otis and Jaire will be Juniors, Boyd/Kier/Newman will all be improved, Temara and Relvao will be more reliable, conference tournament will be in DC! Will just be missing that one piece. Let's steal an under utilized player from a power conference who can step right in and contribute 7 and 7 along with playing solid defense.

This is assuming we have at least one transfer.

Do what ever we need, give him a track scholarship and have him walk onto the team.

This is partly a joke. I know this would never fly at Mason. So please don't call me stupid for this post at least haha

 

[MasonFanatic]

Imagine If all Hewitt's recruits stayed, we would have been a really good team with Paulsen coaching. I think Paulsen should have really tried harder to keep some of those guys. The bigs he brought in are light years away from competing in the A10. We are in desperate need of bigs!!!

Those guys left because they didn't want to do things Paulsen's way. We're better off without them, and they're better off having left for schools/coaches where they are better fits.

 

[stimes]

Paulsen decision to go zone at the end of the game was the difference! It slowed the tempo of the game and took Richmond out there rhythm. Great call coach.

 

[Mason2005]

Going to have to bring this up again. Can Paulsen recruit A10 quality big men? Temera looks like he's never played basketball before and Relvao has the speed of a turtle. Wilson looks to be 160lbs still and we have another 6'7 kid coming in. Our program has been spoiled through the years with big men, Paulsen please recruit harder for our next one. Drop everything and go search right now.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

[Vurbel]

A grad transfer for one year to help take some of the load of Relvao/Tamara is ideal, I agree. Any other transfer is going to sit a year anyway. A JUCO is going to take minutes for two years from these guys who need to play and develop. We're going to agree to disagree on that one.

And yes, part of the problem is there is a big difference to A10 basketball than where these guys came from, but the only way to help see what they can do is to play them at least for now. And of course theres supply and demand with what we're talking about, and I'm not sure its so plentiful. We'll find out.

I think they're talking about a 5th year senior, who is immediately eligible to play (ala Terrance Shannon going from Florida State to vcu for half a year, before getting kicked off/quitting the team).