Exclusive Interview w/Dave Paulsen! (Excerpt)

[Herndon]

I’m sorry but if we’re just talking about the eye test.... we still dribble the ball off our feet constantly. We had way too many unforced turnovers, many of them by our 4th year starting PG and 3rd year starting G. Inbounding the ball, we still don’t run true set plays from baseline out-of- bounds. We’ve been trying to turn Mar into a big man, when he was always best suited as a 3 not relied upon to crash the glass full time. Sounds like the bottom part of your point was more a reflection on Corey as a player than the coach. Are we not still iso ball? We run the high ball screen like 80%+ of the time (eye test) and then take what the defense gives us. Yes we kick out to the 3 a lot but probably shouldn’t given our 3 point shooting.

Here’s the way I see it, if you want to praise DP for our team chemistry, for building a program and not just a team and for being well respected around the A10, I can dig it. Otherwise, I’m still struggling to identify our offense, defense, out of bounds plays and his set plays after timeouts.

DP is about as genuine of a guy as there is. I’ve talked to him 50+ times...it’s a love/hate thing. This season is all on him, I hope he shuts all of us up.

I don't agree with you on all of this, but none of it is absurd, and you might be completely right. Good post.

 

[By George.]

Never debated they had a small roster, disagreed with you guys basically saying they were losing because they lost Relvao

Man....you’ve mocked us for years because we cried we needed more size and athleticism. Shocker that DP echoed the same sentiment once we were bounced this year in the A10 tourney. You can play it off but our discussions were never Relvao based. Just admit that small ball bombed, that DP never intended to run small lineups and that you like to troll us.

Yes, DP didn't recruit depth for bigs. WE GET IT, and that's on him. So how is that the same thing as Hewitt trying to make Jenkins play the 3?

Hewitt tried to make Jenkins the 3 to fit him on the floor with a pretty solid front-court, yes out of position but having too much talent is better than forcing a guy to play out of position due to lack of talent. My point was simple, both coaches mismanaged their rosters leading to odd lineups.

 

[By George.]

Damn, there’s a lot to compact here.

Maybe if ByGeorge asked him some straight up questions he would feel somewhat more accountable instead of getting a repeated pass on recruiting whiffs? Or would he shut down access?

We have tried to hold DP accountable for years, often when no one else agreed with us. We spent 3 years asking tough questions in pressers. As we’ve matured, we realized he wasn’t going to answer them so we found it better to ask roster related questions in 1 on 1s, which should happen before the summer is over. After the heat of a game, the presser is not the place to ask questions unrelated to said game. Did we go easy on DP last year? Probably, but it was because we were deflated and sad to see the 2nd half of the 2 year season end close to how we imagined it. Behind the hype, we knew we were flawed and it sucked to cover it after that garbage 0-3 start and again on homecoming and again vs vcu and Richmond. Hopefully next year, I can put my emotions aside and get to the bottom of all of our questions. You’d be surprised how fast things move after the game and how much we’re able to accomplish in limited time (audio, video, presser, post game writeup)

From what I've heard those post game pressers are pretty controlled. A list of questions is given to the press to ask.

This isn’t true, at least of the last 4 years. I’ve never been handed questions and would suggest that other schools do more to run a presser than Mason does. Truthfully, there’s a lot of guys like us now covering the team so questions are scarce.

I'm surprised you didnt "bleh" the mascot or announcer guy. I get it, you're a bitter prick.

However, being that ByGeorge made the claim that DP gets "a pass" re his recruiting begs the obvious. And I wasnt attacking ByGeorge. They are my go to and love their work. But if ByGeorge, a media member, is gonna say DP gets a pass and he interviews him all the time, it's fair game to wonder why not just ask him about it. Maybe I mis read it. My apologies to the panty boy.

I think this pass comment must being taken out of context. We don’t give him a pass for anything.

I don't agree with you on all of this, but none of it is absurd, and you might be completely right. Good post.

Scary, right?

 

[Herndon]

Just admit that small ball bombed, that DP never intended to run small lineups and that you like to troll us.

So, there's a difference between saying
A) Small ball bombed
B) Mar is best suited as a wing
C) We did not have good enough bigs

I believe C, but not necessarily A and B.

To my mind, the issue isn't necessarily that we aren't big enough, it's that our bigs aren't good enough.

Reuter, whether because of injury, or lack of athleticism, or whatever didn't pan out, and Calixte has frying pans for hands.

A team that looks like Masons 1-4 (and I'm projecting Miller at the 3 an Mar at the 4 next year) with a good A10 big man is PLENTY big enough, IMO.

Paulsen's single major failing (just my opinion, obv) has been the failure to recruit a big man GOOD enough, not big enough.

 

[sleeperpick]

So, there's a difference between saying
A) Small ball bombed
B) Mar is best suited as a wing
C) We did not have good enough bigs

I believe C, but not necessarily A and B.

To my mind, the issue isn't necessarily that we aren't big enough, it's that our bigs aren't good enough.

Reuter, whether because of injury, or lack of athleticism, or whatever didn't pan out, and Calixte has frying pans for hands.

A team that looks like Masons 1-4 (and I'm projecting Miller at the 3 an Mar at the 4 next year) with a good A10 big man is PLENTY big enough, IMO.

Paulsen's single major failing (just my opinion, obv) has been the failure to recruit a big man GOOD enough, not big enough.

A)Do you know what small ball means?!?! doesn't necessarily mean we don't have any big men (size wise)... means that the game planning for the guards is shitty and doesn't work... all true statements by @bygeorge
B) I am not sure where Mar fits in but he for damn sure will get his 20 + mins no matter what
C) our bigs are not good but a good coach could make them look better than they currently do...

 

[masonjoe]

Just admit that small ball bombed, that DP never intended to run small lineups and that you like to troll us.

I will never understand why you thought DP was going to have 20 win seasons in his first 2 years after rebuilding almost an entire roster. If by bombed you mean he didn't recruit great and played the best players available he had? Sure ok but at least say he bombed at recruiting.

 

[By George.]

I will never understand why you thought DP was going to have 20 win seasons in his first 2 years after rebuilding almost an entire roster. If by bombed you mean he didn't recruit great and played the best players available he had? Sure ok but at least say he bombed at recruiting.

Well, because he did win 20 games in his 2nd year and Calixte could have started game 1 his freshman year, Mar clearly didn’t need to play the 5. Yeah, maybe Cali wasn’t ready but was Otis when he started, was Kier, was Mar? It’s a botch man, I’m sorry, and we continued to botch Cali last season as well. You seem like a loyal listener, new Hey10 is out today!

 

[Falco]

So, there's a difference between saying
A) Small ball bombed
B) Mar is best suited as a wing
C) We did not have good enough bigs

I believe C, but not necessarily A and B.

To my mind, the issue isn't necessarily that we aren't big enough, it's that our bigs aren't good enough.

Reuter, whether because of injury, or lack of athleticism, or whatever didn't pan out, and Calixte has frying pans for hands.

A team that looks like Masons 1-4 (and I'm projecting Miller at the 3 an Mar at the 4 next year) with a good A10 big man is PLENTY big enough, IMO.

Paulsen's single major failing (just my opinion, obv) has been the failure to recruit a big man GOOD enough, not big enough.

I think Calixte is “good enough” but he’s a different player than what DP wants. DP wants to run his offense through the Center.

I wouldn’t be surprised if miller plays the 5 at some point this season. He made some good passes last season

 

[GMUgemini]

A)Do you know what small ball means?!?! doesn't necessarily mean we don't have any big men (size wise)... means that the game planning for the guards is shitty and doesn't work... all true statements by @bygeorge
B) I am not sure where Mar fits in but he for damn sure will get his 20 + mins no matter what
C) our bigs are not good but a good coach could make them look better than they currently do...

Shouldn’t be trying to go small and also conservative at the same time (like playing disciplined, position-based defense and being smaller at the same isn’t a recipe for success), but it also doesn’t help when you can’t put 4 shooters on the floor to actually exploit a small ball type style, also also doesn’t help that a lot of our players make really bad decisions in transition...Ahem Kier and Greene throwing away perfectly good fast break opportunities. We don’t have to be a full-court pressing team, but we’ve got to do something next year to throw some complications at the opposing offense besides play good position, hope for a miss, and secure the rebound.

Miller and Greene and Kier have all shown a knack for jumping passing lanes. I also think selective trapping and doubling the post has worked when we disguised it or it doesn’t become a same place, every time practice.

 

[sleeperpick]

Shouldn’t be trying to go small and also conservative at the same time (like playing disciplined, position-based defense and being smaller at the same isn’t a recipe for success), but it also doesn’t help when you can’t put 4 shooters on the floor to actually exploit a small ball type style, also also doesn’t help that a lot of our players make really bad decisions in transition...Ahem Kier and Greene throwing away perfectly good fast break opportunities. We don’t have to be a full-court pressing team, but we’ve got to do something next year to throw some complications at the opposing offense besides play good position, hope for a miss, and secure the rebound.

Miller and Greene and Kier have all shown a knack for jumping passing lanes. I also think selective trapping and doubling the post has worked when we disguised it or it doesn’t become a same place, every time practice.

I echo everything you just said. How with this explanation can you be such a fan of a coach who refuses to do anything that seems plausible to fix our lineup and positional woes that you just laid out?

 

[GSII]

Since we are refelecting, I will just say that DP screwed up in the begining of last year by changing the defense. By switching to a pressure style man to man defesne from the pack line, he cost us 3 games we should of won. It was layup city. Brutal. To have a pack line transfer join your program and DP switches the defense was just mind boggling. He did switch back to a more pack line defense but man what a shit show that was. Maybe he was just experimenting.

 

[GSII]

the shit that causes me anger towards DP is below. a note from an elite donor to both academics and athletics.

vcu signs top 75 prospect. came down to uconn and vcu. nickname is 'bones'. kinda jealous. where you at Paulsen??

 

[Mason2005]

Paulsen busy trying to find Daddy.....

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[p8triotfan4life]

Paulsen busy trying to find Daddy.....

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

it's Dad-zeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[JimP]

So, there's a difference between saying
A) Small ball bombed
B) Mar is best suited as a wing
C) We did not have good enough bigs

I believe C, but not necessarily A and B.

To my mind, the issue isn't necessarily that we aren't big enough, it's that our bigs aren't good enough.

Reuter, whether because of injury, or lack of athleticism, or whatever didn't pan out, and Calixte has frying pans for hands.

A team that looks like Masons 1-4 (and I'm projecting Miller at the 3 an Mar at the 4 next year) with a good A10 big man is PLENTY big enough, IMO.

Paulsen's single major failing (just my opinion, obv) has been the failure to recruit a big man GOOD enough, not big enough.

Yes, where has a good solid big man been in the Paulsen era? I like Calixte, but he is not the scoring threat GMU has had in the past. I know it's tough to get a Mike Muscala or Will Thomas, but how about a Jai Lewis or Jesse Young type?

I give Paulsen credit for taking GMU from lousy to ok in the A-10, but it is hard to see that next step being taken. It's been mentioned before, but the first thing you notice when GMU is facing anyone near the top of the A-10 is the size disparity.

 

[GSII]

Like I said before, Mason is making money or at the least not losing money on Bball. With current situation I wouldnt set expectations high or even medium. DP is a great person. Honest, treats players good and doesnt take shit from parents. Tries to recruit good peoples first, great player 2nd. He knows the game and is respected, except on these boards. He admitted what he needs. Let's see if he get the horses he knows he needs.

 

[sleeperpick]

Like I said before, Mason is making money or at the least not losing money on Bball. With current situation I wouldnt set expectations high or even medium. DP is a great person. Honest, treats players good and doesnt take shit from parents. Tries to recruit good peoples first, great player 2nd. He knows the game and is respected, except on these boards. He admitted what he needs. Let's see if he get the horses he knows he needs.

are you by any chance bipolar?!?

 

[GSII]

are you by any chance bipolar?!?

Nope sorry. But I am extremely frustrated with the state of the program.

For past 21 years I also I try not to attack the good people on these boards. That's about to change it seems.

 

[sleeperpick]

Nope sorry. But I am extremely frustrated with the state of the program.

For past 21 years I also I try not to attack the good people on these boards. That's about to change it seems.

you shit on Paulsen more than I do and then make a post gushing about him and his strong ethics. I had to ask...

 

[GSII]

you shit on Paulsen more than I do and then make a post gushing about him and his strong ethics. I had to ask...

Dave and I have a love hate relationship. I think most of us want to like him.

Atleast you're the clear cut asshole who should disappear when and if DP turns things on the up and up. There is no questioning that. Sucks you dealing with insecurity issues.