Dave Paulsen

[patriotchild]

AJ practiced with the team for a year, you would think the coaches would have tried a lot of things in that time frame to figure out where he fits to prepare for this year.

This is more to the point and I think a valid criticism of the coaching staff. I’m sorry but I don’t think of redshirts as freshmen. They’ve been around a full year and should be ready to contribute more than a regular freshman.

AJ is way underprepared and it is a big problem if the staff hasn’t figured out how to use him. I’ll cut them a bit of break based on the transfer and maybe having to adjust their original plan. But, let’s also not forget that there were also many on here who had him starting at the 5 right away regardless. To make excuses for it now is silly. AJs lack of production and poise is hurting us more than any transfer at this point.

I’m also not against letting him play through it at this point. We don’t have better options and he’s got five fouls. Let him use them and see what happens. At least we’d have a better idea if DP missed on another big.

 

[dr. gunnie]

Haven’t checked out the boards since the Rhode Island game - love the discussion here.

Watching that last game the thing I kept looking at was our skill level vs RI. Are our players capable of playing at a higher level? Are we currently recruiting/signing A10 caliber players?

I don’t know, but when I watched that game the name that kept coming to mind is we have a bunch of Isiah Tate’s on this team. Tate was a good player for Mason, don’t get me wrong. He could play a few different positions, do some things pretty well, but you aren’t going to win games with a team full of Tate’s. You need some scorers, some guys willing and capable of putting the team on their backs... then you have a couple of Tate’s fill out the roster. Right now I feel like our team is a cheap crab cake... we have a lot of filler, but not a lot of crab.

I’ve seen some things from Mar that makes me think he can be more than a role player. I’ve falling in love with JDS and praying to the basketball gods that he can continue what he’s doing at Mt Vernon here at Mason. I feel like our other starters are just not A10 level guys yet - and they are being asked to be because we don’t have the older guys most teams have. Will they get there is the big question.. I guess we will find out in a year or two, but I don’t know if any of them have the ability to be anything more than a role player/Tate type player.

 

[gmujim92]

Haven’t checked out the boards since the Rhode Island game - love the discussion here.

Watching that last game the thing I kept looking at was our skill level vs RI. Are our players capable of playing at a higher level? Are we currently recruiting/signing A10 caliber players?

I don’t know, but when I watched that game the name that kept coming to mind is we have a bunch of Isiah Tate’s on this team. Tate was a good player for Mason, don’t get me wrong. He could play a few different positions, do some things pretty well, but you aren’t going to win games with a team full of Tate’s. You need some scorers, some guys willing and capable of putting the team on their backs... then you have a couple of Tate’s fill out the roster. Right now I feel like our team is a cheap crab cake... we have a lot of filler, but not a lot of crab.

I’ve seen some things from Mar that makes me think he can be more than a role player. I’ve falling in love with JDS and praying to the basketball gods that he can continue what he’s doing at Mt Vernon here at Mason. I feel like our other starters are just not A10 level guys yet - and they are being asked to be because we don’t have the older guys most teams have. Will they get there is the big question.. I guess we will find out in a year or two, but I don’t know if any of them have the ability to be anything more than a role player/Tate type player.

This is certainly a legit question to ask, but I wonder how much of what we saw Saturday was a combination of inexperience and opening on the road against the best, most veteran team in the league.

We clearly don’t have anyone (yet) who can play on the level of Matthews, Terrell and to a lesser extent Robinson.

That’s not surprising when you think about it, considering all 3 of those guys were top-100 recruits and they’re all seniors. Matthews and Robinson are fifth-year guys.

It was literally grown men against boys out there.

I also think we’ve seen Otis and Jaire bump up against their ceilings to some extent, which would be less of an issue if we didn’t need them to carry so much of the load with this limited roster.

Will it be better for us when we have a deeper, stronger and more experienced team? I certainly hope so because if not, we’ll be hitting the reset button again and I don’t think anybody wants that.

 

[Falco]

Can someone explain to me why Paulsen couldn't recruit high level players because of Hewitt. I don't understand that excuse.

We moved to the a10. In the eyes of a high school kid, the patriot center is amazing. Mason has history of success. Obviously not durning the Hewitt years but that's why he is gone. So I don't understand the Hewitt excuse. Please explain this to me.

 

[mason lawyer]

Can someone explain to me why Paulsen couldn't recruit high level players because of Hewitt. I don't understand that excuse.

We moved to the a10. In the eyes of a high school kid, the patriot center is amazing. Mason has history of success. Obviously not durning the Hewitt years but that's why he is gone. So I don't understand the Hewitt excuse. Please explain this to me.

DP is just not a good recruiter. You have to be able to be able to close and be a sales man. Players can see he does not have a winning vision for the program. Patriot league is a whole different animal than the A10. Maybe he can go back to that level and have success but doesn't have the killer instinct to make it here. Time to bring somebody in who can win and be successful almost immediately.

 

[gmubrian]

Can someone explain to me why Paulsen couldn't recruit high level players because of Hewitt. I don't understand that excuse.

We moved to the a10. In the eyes of a high school kid, the patriot center is amazing. Mason has history of success. Obviously not durning the Hewitt years but that's why he is gone. So I don't understand the Hewitt excuse. Please explain this to me.

I haven’t been around for a while, and may be the only person left that doesn’t have you on ignore based on what I have read ;-), so I’ll explain my take.

But, First, let me say I appreciate your point of view and have many of the same questions and concerns you have expressed. I think it is sad that these boards are running off most people with a dissenting opinion. While I haven’t given up hope on Paulsen yet, there are some possible red flags at this point. I also understand why some people have become fed up with you as I am sure it annoys them when you mention the same thing over and over, because it has some level of truth to it. At this point, this years roster is what it is. Accept that and focus on what is happening on the court. Focus your criticism on what is or isn’t happening in the games or player growth. We will see what the roster looks like again next season. That will be the next point to re-evaluate Paulsens roster management.

The reason previous person that was held the title of “coach” (however inaccurate that title was) gets some of the blame has multiple components:

We lost a huge part of our team after Hewitt was hired
We, presumably, lost the entire pipeline as well since the entire coaching staff was replaced
Recruiting is a multi year process
Paulsen’s pipeline at the time he was hired was likely filled with patriot league prospects, not A10 prospects.
Our team was a complete wasteland at the time Paulsen got the job, so there is that effect on recruits as well.
Our facilities (practice area, upkeep of the patriot center, etc) were crap compared to many A10 programs. Brad has addressed some of this the best we can expect at the moment, but fundraising is hurt by the above issues

All those add up to why Paulsen will be given a long leash for his brand of “rebuild it the right way with four year students” approach.

Now, I also see some possible contradictions in that. If we are doing it the right way why did we have the mass exodus this past offseason? Maybe it is that people were recruited over but that should be expected to some degree so it doesn’t fully explain it. I think another contradiction is the playing time and Paulsen’s comment about this season being a throw away. The lineup for much of the season brings some question to that. Finally, Reuter seems to contradict it as well.

Unfortunately, the program was in a very bad place, we brought on a coach that is not, supposedly, a quick fix kind of guy, so he is going to get a lot of runway before he feels anything even close to a hot seat.

 

[GMUgemini]

Can someone explain to me why Paulsen couldn't recruit high level players because of Hewitt. I don't understand that excuse.

We moved to the a10. In the eyes of a high school kid, the patriot center is amazing. Mason has history of success. Obviously not durning the Hewitt years but that's why he is gone. So I don't understand the Hewitt excuse. Please explain this to me.

Why don't you let the recruits actually develop (or not develop) before making these kinds of assessments? The first recruiting class you can call desperation, and even then we got Otis and Jaire out of it.

The second recruiting class included Ian Boyd, who could have played football at VA Tech, but chose us instead. I'd call that a recruiting win; and AJ Wilson, a three star recruit with offers from Penn State and Wake Forest, another recruiting win (everyone seems to be bagging on him lately for some unknown reason).

The third recruiting class included Goanar Mar, a three star recruit with offers from Iowa State and Nebraska, another recruiting win (you see how he's performed his freshman season), as well as Jarred Reuter, former 4 star recruit and UVA transfer.

The fourth recruiting class includes Jordan Miller, a 6'6 SF and returning VA player of the year who was just bumped up to a 3 star on Rivals, and Jason Douglas-Stanley, who is currently tearing it up in NYC, and had an offer from fellow A-10 school St. Bonaventure.

Now most of these guys are either freshmen or not even playing yet.

 

[mason lawyer]

Why don't you let the recruits actually develop (or not develop) before making these kinds of assessments? The first recruiting class you can call desperation, and even then we got Otis and Jaire out of it.

The second recruiting class included Ian Boyd, who could have played football at VA Tech, but chose us instead. I'd call that a recruiting win; and AJ Wilson, a three star recruit with offers from Penn State and Wake Forest, another recruiting win (everyone seems to be bagging on him lately for some unknown reason).

The third recruiting class included Goanar Mar, a three star recruit with offers from Iowa State and Nebraska, another recruiting win (you see how he's performed his freshman season), as well as Jarred Reuter, former 4 star recruit and UVA transfer.

The fourth recruiting class includes Jordan Miller, a 6'6 SF and returning VA player of the year who was just bumped up to a 3 star on Rivals, and Jason Douglas-Stanley, who is currently tearing it up in NYC, and had an offer from fellow A-10 school St. Bonaventure.

Now most of these guys are either freshmen or not even playing yet.

Are you really calling DP a successful recruiter? You are delusional.

 

[Falco]

I haven’t been around for a while, and may be the only person left that doesn’t have you on ignore based on what I have read ;-), so I’ll explain my take.

But, First, let me say I appreciate your point of view and have many of the same questions and concerns you have expressed. I think it is sad that these boards are running off most people with a dissenting opinion. While I haven’t given up hope on Paulsen yet, there are some possible red flags at this point. I also understand why some people have become fed up with you as I am sure it annoys them when you mention the same thing over and over, because it has some level of truth to it. At this point, this years roster is what it is. Accept that and focus on what is happening on the court. Focus your criticism on what is or isn’t happening in the games or player growth. We will see what the roster looks like again next season. That will be the next point to re-evaluate Paulsens roster management.

The reason previous person that was held the title of “coach” (however inaccurate that title was) gets some of the blame has multiple components:

We lost a huge part of our team after Hewitt was hired
We, presumably, lost the entire pipeline as well since the entire coaching staff was replaced
Recruiting is a multi year process
Paulsen’s pipeline at the time he was hired was likely filled with patriot league prospects, not A10 prospects.
Our team was a complete wasteland at the time Paulsen got the job, so there is that effect on recruits as well.
Our facilities (practice area, upkeep of the patriot center, etc) were crap compared to many A10 programs. Brad has addressed some of this the best we can expect at the moment, but fundraising is hurt by the above issues

All those add up to why Paulsen will be given a long leash for his brand of “rebuild it the right way with four year students” approach.

Now, I also see some possible contradictions in that. If we are doing it the right way why did we have the mass exodus this past offseason? Maybe it is that people were recruited over but that should be expected to some degree so it doesn’t fully explain it. I think another contradiction is the playing time and Paulsen’s comment about this season being a throw away. The lineup for much of the season brings some question to that. Finally, Reuter seems to contradict it as well.

Unfortunately, the program was in a very bad place, we brought on a coach that is not, supposedly, a quick fix kind of guy, so he is going to get a lot of runway before he feels anything even close to a hot seat.

I appreciate your response. You made some
valid points. Just the more I watch Paulsen the more he frustrates me.

I still think he could do a better job of recruiting. Our roster is full of heart warming stories where Mason was the player's only legit offer. This also happened at Bucknell. So to me this affirms my opinion that DP isnt willing to put in the work to land a high level recruit.

I'm also tired of coming out flat the first half
of every game. This is a bad pattern and to me this points to the fact that DP is being outcoached. Other coaches come in with a better game plan. DP Has shown his ability to adjust, but it's always too late.

I can't stand his post game interviews. He never takes responsibility and places the blame on players. He typical says things like they need to play harder. Blah blah.

 

[mason lawyer]

I appreciate your response. You made some
valid points. Just the more I watch Paulsen the more he frustrates me.

I still think he could do a better job of recruiting. Our roster is full of heart warming stories where Mason was the player's only legit offer. This also happened at Bucknell. So to me this affirms my opinion that DP isnt willing to put in the work to land a high level recruit.

I'm also tired of coming out flat the first half
of every game. This is a bad pattern and to me this points to the fact that DP is being outcoached. Other coaches come in with a better game plan. DP Has shown his ability to adjust, but it's always too late.

I can't stand his post game interviews. He never takes responsibility and places the blame on players. He typical says things like they need to play harder. Blah blah.

Definitey not the players fault. They would be successful players in the patriot league. Somebody needs to let DP know that the A10 is the big leagues and he needs elite players.

 

[GMUgemini]

By the way, going back to E.C. Matthew's first season with the Rams, the 2013-2014 season, they went 14-18 and 5-11 in the A-10. I wonder if URI fans trashed that recruiting class (which included Hassan Martin) as much as we trash ours?

I also want to make an addendum to my list and add that Greg Calixte had offers from DePaul, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, and Temple.

 

[Falco]

By the way, going back to E.C. Matthew's first season with the Rams, the 2013-2014 season, they went 14-18 and 5-11 in the A-10. I wonder if URI fans trashed that recruiting class (which included Hassan Martin) as much as we trash ours?

I also want to make an addendum to my list and add that Greg Calixte had offers from DePaul, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, and Temple.

lol... Your not helping your cause... That was Dan Hurleys second season. In Hurleys 3rd season he went 23-10 and 13-5 in the a10. went to the NIT.

 

[Walter]

http://verbalcommits.com/schools/george-mason

This is what is concerning me, we don't appear to be involved with any players over 2 stars.

 

[GMUgemini]

http://verbalcommits.com/schools/george-mason

This is what is concerning me, we don't appear to be involved with are players over 2 stars.

Most of the guys we actually landed weren't on verbalcommits radar until we signed them. I wouldn't necessarily trust that as the bible for our recruiting.

 

[GMUgemini]

lol... Your not helping your cause... That was Dan Hurleys second season. In Hurleys 3rd season he went 23-10 and 13-5 in the a10. went to the NIT.

Go look up Jim Baron's record at URI and tell me Dan Hurley was replacing a Paul Hewitt.

It took Brian Gregory 5 seasons to get Georgia Tech back into the NIT after Hewitt left. They are currently on their second coach and their RPI is even worse than ours this season.

 

[gmujim92]

Go look up Jim Baron's record at URI and tell me Dan Hurley was replacing a Paul Hewitt.

It took David Gregory 5 seasons to get Georgia Tech back into the NIT after Hewitt left. They are currently on their second coach and their RPI is even worse than ours this season.

It was Brian Gregory but otherwise your point is spot on.

 

[GMUgemini]

It was Brian Gregory but otherwise your point is spot on.

I always think it's David for some reason. I don't know why.

 

[gmujim92]

http://verbalcommits.com/schools/george-mason

This is what is concerning me, we don't appear to be involved with are players over 2 stars.

Jaylen Adams was a 2-star coming out of HS. Hardly anyone wanted him so he went to St. Bonaventure. He’s now one of the best guards in the country and extremely likely to be a two-time first-team all-A10 selection.

Recruiting isn’t an exact science. Neither is analyzing recruits based on what they do in HS and AAU.

 

[gmujim92]

I always think it's David for some reason. I don't know why.

He was on NBC News for a long time. Moderated “Meet the Press” until he got fired a couple years ago.

 

[GMUgemini]

Jaylen Adams was a 2-star coming out of HS. Hardly anyone wanted him so he went to St. Bonaventure. He’s now one of the best guards in the country and extremely likely to be a two-time first-team all-A10 selection.

Recruiting isn’t an exact science. Neither is analyzing recruits based on what they do in HS and AAU.

Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders for vcu were 2 star recruits and unranked coming out of high school...

Marquise Moore's only legit offer in his initial recruitment was Hofstra.

Luke Hancock's only legit offer was us. In fact, Coach L didn't even want him initially after going down to see him.