hewitt was gone at like 9am on Monday morning so I would expect the same.
Fire Dave Paulsen / Hire Tony Skinn
- Thread starter tblack33
- Start date
hewitt was gone at like 9am on Monday morning so I would expect the same.
Shocked and dismayed to read posts calling for DP's removal. His dynamic offense and defensive strategies are just too complex for the average fan, or D1 coach, to understand. A dynamic recruiter and supreme strategist, DP remains the man! I can only hope that EBA is named after him and that he is given a lifetime extension. Charismatic, dynamic, articulate, intelligent, and composed are just a few adjectives that immediately come to mind when describing the sheer GENIUS that is DP. Ashamed I say, you should all be ashamed for doubting the Great One!
And what did they put in your drink at brions tonight?
Not nearly enough to mask the a** kicking that occurred tonight.
CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY
Hall of Famer
This is going to be hilarious to see what all these people "being done" actually means...
OP
- Thread Starter
- #2,067
Same, many are in this same boat. If folks think fan support sucks now, it’s only going to be worse next season as folks bail after this year if we don’t move on from him.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #2,068
For me it’s not renewing season tickets or donating to the program. I can bitch, or maybe just laugh at how bad we are, just fine from my couch with better drinks than the Patriot center slings.
I don’t have much of a life, but I do have better things I can do with my time than watch poo poo basketball
I can watch us suck from the comfort of my home without donating thousands of dollars each year. Thank you Covid for one thing.
This is what I sent:
Dear Mr. Edwards,
I first wanted to express my gratitude and admiration for all of the student athletes who have had to endure the 2020-2021 season. They have represented the university with nothing but class and effort in the most trying time to be a student and an athlete in all of our lifetimes. My concerns have nothing to do with them.
I am not one to send off emotional emails. The last time I emailed the athletic department expressing my doubts about the program was after the 2014 season, when your predecessor Tom O'Connor was athletic director and Paul Hewitt was coach of the men's basketball team. I am writing today, because I believe the players aren't being served well by the current coaching staff.
Let me first say I have been a fan of George Mason basketball since 2001. Granted, I know I was spoiled by the Jim Larranaga era. During that time, there was not a single recruiting class that left George Mason without playing in some kind of meaningful tournament, I am defining meaningful here as the NCAA Championship and the NIT; however, that ended with the class that included Bryon Allen and Jonathan Arledge. That was 10 years ago.
Since then, a lot has changed. A legendary coach left. A legendary college president retired. A long-time athletic director retired. Mason moved to a better conference in the Atlantic 10. The crowds of the mid-2000s and early-2010s disappeared, and the basketball team has slid into obscurity, the enthusiasm of a significant portion of a long-time Mason fanbase that was built up over a decade of blood, sweat, and tears.
I was excited when you announced the hiring of Dave Paulen. His record at Bucknell was impressive. I watched practice tape of Bucknell breaking the press and thought finally a coach who will have a plan against vcu's Havoc. After the 2016-2017 season when the team won 20 games, dismantling a young, but athletic Penn State team by 20 points on their home court, I thought we were building toward the future, but none of that has materialized. That 20 win season is still our high point, a season where Mason still went 9-9 in conference play and lost in the quarterfinals to vcu by double digits.
We have not ever cracked the top 100 in any metric (RPI, Kenpom, NET) since Paulsen has been our coach. Not once have any of his teams been a threat to win a conference championship or to make the NCAA tournament as an at-large, nor have they been put into a position to receive an NIT bid. We have not come close once, never made a conference semifinals, never had a strong enough out of conference schedule or record to be in consideration.
This is causing apathy for a large portion of the fanbase. I believe if Paulsen is retained you will see that felt at the box office, our attendance maybe dipping below 3,000 for the first time since 2000. This may seem like hyperbole, but I believe it is a very real possibility.
This is not about the 30 point loss to Davidson that Mason just suffered, this is about the last four seasons. I thank Dave Paulsen for bringing Mason basketball out of the abyss it was in during the last two seasons under Hewitt. But I want more for this team, for this program, for these players than a middling finish. I want a chance to compete for championships, a chance to compete in meaningful post-season tournaments. I want the excitement back. I want teams to fear playing Mason inside EBA again. I want the Green Machine to have a crowd worthy of their music and energy again.
I know I am not a big-time donor (I am in academia and donate what I can when I can) or a season ticket holder (I live in Arizona), but I am a long-time supporter of the team who used to fly to homecoming every year, but have grown weary of watching a brand of basketball that I do not think signifies the quality and passion for the game that I know our players have, and that I know you have.
You will make whatever decision you are going to make about whether or not Dave Paulsen is retained. I am confident you will make the right choice. Thank you for taking the time to read my email.
Dear Mr. Edwards,
I first wanted to express my gratitude and admiration for all of the student athletes who have had to endure the 2020-2021 season. They have represented the university with nothing but class and effort in the most trying time to be a student and an athlete in all of our lifetimes. My concerns have nothing to do with them.
I am not one to send off emotional emails. The last time I emailed the athletic department expressing my doubts about the program was after the 2014 season, when your predecessor Tom O'Connor was athletic director and Paul Hewitt was coach of the men's basketball team. I am writing today, because I believe the players aren't being served well by the current coaching staff.
Let me first say I have been a fan of George Mason basketball since 2001. Granted, I know I was spoiled by the Jim Larranaga era. During that time, there was not a single recruiting class that left George Mason without playing in some kind of meaningful tournament, I am defining meaningful here as the NCAA Championship and the NIT; however, that ended with the class that included Bryon Allen and Jonathan Arledge. That was 10 years ago.
Since then, a lot has changed. A legendary coach left. A legendary college president retired. A long-time athletic director retired. Mason moved to a better conference in the Atlantic 10. The crowds of the mid-2000s and early-2010s disappeared, and the basketball team has slid into obscurity, the enthusiasm of a significant portion of a long-time Mason fanbase that was built up over a decade of blood, sweat, and tears.
I was excited when you announced the hiring of Dave Paulen. His record at Bucknell was impressive. I watched practice tape of Bucknell breaking the press and thought finally a coach who will have a plan against vcu's Havoc. After the 2016-2017 season when the team won 20 games, dismantling a young, but athletic Penn State team by 20 points on their home court, I thought we were building toward the future, but none of that has materialized. That 20 win season is still our high point, a season where Mason still went 9-9 in conference play and lost in the quarterfinals to vcu by double digits.
We have not ever cracked the top 100 in any metric (RPI, Kenpom, NET) since Paulsen has been our coach. Not once have any of his teams been a threat to win a conference championship or to make the NCAA tournament as an at-large, nor have they been put into a position to receive an NIT bid. We have not come close once, never made a conference semifinals, never had a strong enough out of conference schedule or record to be in consideration.
This is causing apathy for a large portion of the fanbase. I believe if Paulsen is retained you will see that felt at the box office, our attendance maybe dipping below 3,000 for the first time since 2000. This may seem like hyperbole, but I believe it is a very real possibility.
This is not about the 30 point loss to Davidson that Mason just suffered, this is about the last four seasons. I thank Dave Paulsen for bringing Mason basketball out of the abyss it was in during the last two seasons under Hewitt. But I want more for this team, for this program, for these players than a middling finish. I want a chance to compete for championships, a chance to compete in meaningful post-season tournaments. I want the excitement back. I want teams to fear playing Mason inside EBA again. I want the Green Machine to have a crowd worthy of their music and energy again.
I know I am not a big-time donor (I am in academia and donate what I can when I can) or a season ticket holder (I live in Arizona), but I am a long-time supporter of the team who used to fly to homecoming every year, but have grown weary of watching a brand of basketball that I do not think signifies the quality and passion for the game that I know our players have, and that I know you have.
You will make whatever decision you are going to make about whether or not Dave Paulsen is retained. I am confident you will make the right choice. Thank you for taking the time to read my email.
I’ll probably donate and hang around here but the level of “mason plays today I need to be available” will really go down if Dave is around still. Especially for those tough out of conference games he schedules. Hope we get a rescheduled date with Maine so @sleeperpick head explodes.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #2,073
Honest question, why continue to donate if Paulsen remains?
Answered on text haha
When my bitcoins hit a million a piece, I’m going to make sure we never have anything like a Hewitt or a Paulsen ever again at Mason.
Oh and Darrell Green, Dawn Hicks and Brad Edwards better spruce up their resumes as well.
The Chank Center will be rockin’ and hanging banners without these leeches on the payroll.
Oh and Darrell Green, Dawn Hicks and Brad Edwards better spruce up their resumes as well.
The Chank Center will be rockin’ and hanging banners without these leeches on the payroll.
Pablo
Hall of Famer
Daniel Frank
@n1a2v3y4
·
3h
George Mason's average margin of defeat in four total A-10 Quarterfinal appearances is 18.25 points. Yikes. #A10MBB
I'll probably still donate to Doc Nix. At least we have a band that is first class.
This is what I sent Brad a few months back
Brad,
I saw my first GMU men’s basketball game when I was a freshman in high school in 1974. At that time I was just happy to attend games, be on a college campus, and support the program. In my early days as a fan we didn’t win much but I understood that growth takes time. The losing did not stop me from cheering like mad for Mason. I have been a season ticket holder, with others or under my own account, for as long as I can remember. I have experienced all of the highs and lows at Mason for 46 years.
In 1986 we advanced to the NIT Tournament which was our first postseason appearance of note. In 1989 I was thrilled to see my beloved Patriots make their first NCAA tournament. I patiently waited another 10 years before enjoying that thrill once again. In 2001 we made our third NCAA appearance. I was beaming with pride as I watched George Evans lead the team to a near upset of Maryland. As a result of that performance, I began to gain confidence that we would begin to appear in NIT or NCAA tournaments on a fairly regular basis. 2002 and 2004 brought additional NIT appearances. Lightning struck in 2006 with our magical ride to the NCAA Final 4. I may have been spoiled by that ride but I expected the university to build on that success and build a program to be respected on a national level. An NCAA appearance in 2008, an NIT appearance in 2009, and another NCAA appearance in 2011 added to the glory of the program and my pride in it.
From 2011 - 2015 I watched the program fade back into obscurity. The competitive side of me found it very hard to swallow after enjoying the successes I mentioned above. Despite the setback I was still there every night rooting for GMU. When Dave Paulsen was hired I was hopeful that he would be able to resurrect the program and return it to prominence. At his introductory press conference Coach Paulsen made several key promises. He promised to develop a “winning culture.” Six years into his tenure I have to say that he has failed in this regard. Players leaving the program and multiple player suspensions the past two years have shown me that there is no winning culture. He promised that fans would be “proud” of our team. I am sorry but an overall record of 87 - 87 and an A10 record of 40 - 54 are nothing to be proud of. Our record at home during his tenure is just 50 - 38. He promised to “hang banners” in EBA. We have zero NIT or NCAA appearances under Coach Paulsen. In my eyes he has failed to meet any of the goals he set for himself and promised the fan base.
I take NO pleasure in saying this, but it is time for the university to sever ties with Dave Paulsen. I do not make this request lightly. I take no joy in asking for this change and understand that a man’s livelihood is at stake. I understand that he is under contract for next season and the university would take a hit financially.
I am acutely aware that hiring a new coach will not guarantee future success but it will give me confidence that the university is striving to achieve athletic excellence in addition to the academic excellence it already enjoys.
As things stand now I have no confidence in Coach Paulsen’s ability to deliver a nationally competitive program. If the decision is made to retain Coach Paulsen then I have some serious thinking to do.
Brad,
I saw my first GMU men’s basketball game when I was a freshman in high school in 1974. At that time I was just happy to attend games, be on a college campus, and support the program. In my early days as a fan we didn’t win much but I understood that growth takes time. The losing did not stop me from cheering like mad for Mason. I have been a season ticket holder, with others or under my own account, for as long as I can remember. I have experienced all of the highs and lows at Mason for 46 years.
In 1986 we advanced to the NIT Tournament which was our first postseason appearance of note. In 1989 I was thrilled to see my beloved Patriots make their first NCAA tournament. I patiently waited another 10 years before enjoying that thrill once again. In 2001 we made our third NCAA appearance. I was beaming with pride as I watched George Evans lead the team to a near upset of Maryland. As a result of that performance, I began to gain confidence that we would begin to appear in NIT or NCAA tournaments on a fairly regular basis. 2002 and 2004 brought additional NIT appearances. Lightning struck in 2006 with our magical ride to the NCAA Final 4. I may have been spoiled by that ride but I expected the university to build on that success and build a program to be respected on a national level. An NCAA appearance in 2008, an NIT appearance in 2009, and another NCAA appearance in 2011 added to the glory of the program and my pride in it.
From 2011 - 2015 I watched the program fade back into obscurity. The competitive side of me found it very hard to swallow after enjoying the successes I mentioned above. Despite the setback I was still there every night rooting for GMU. When Dave Paulsen was hired I was hopeful that he would be able to resurrect the program and return it to prominence. At his introductory press conference Coach Paulsen made several key promises. He promised to develop a “winning culture.” Six years into his tenure I have to say that he has failed in this regard. Players leaving the program and multiple player suspensions the past two years have shown me that there is no winning culture. He promised that fans would be “proud” of our team. I am sorry but an overall record of 87 - 87 and an A10 record of 40 - 54 are nothing to be proud of. Our record at home during his tenure is just 50 - 38. He promised to “hang banners” in EBA. We have zero NIT or NCAA appearances under Coach Paulsen. In my eyes he has failed to meet any of the goals he set for himself and promised the fan base.
I take NO pleasure in saying this, but it is time for the university to sever ties with Dave Paulsen. I do not make this request lightly. I take no joy in asking for this change and understand that a man’s livelihood is at stake. I understand that he is under contract for next season and the university would take a hit financially.
I am acutely aware that hiring a new coach will not guarantee future success but it will give me confidence that the university is striving to achieve athletic excellence in addition to the academic excellence it already enjoys.
As things stand now I have no confidence in Coach Paulsen’s ability to deliver a nationally competitive program. If the decision is made to retain Coach Paulsen then I have some serious thinking to do.
Has there ever been a more empty, utterly fraudulent “winning” season than the one Mason just finished?
Here are the teams we beat:
Queens (D-2) by 1
Howard (minus its 2 best players)
VMI by 2
Towson by 5
UMass by 1 in 2OTs
LaSalle twice
St Joe’s (minus Daly) twice
GW twice
Fordham
And ... vcu, which balances out the loss to Norfolk State to some degree
We went 1-8 against decent to good teams and got pantsed by the best of them:
L by 10 to Belmont (after leading by 14)
L by 20 to Richmond
L by 20 to Rhode Island
L by 17 to Bona
L by 32 to Davidson
If this is good enough in Year 6 to warrant keeping Dave, pandemic or not, then we may as well shut down the effing program.
Here are the teams we beat:
Queens (D-2) by 1
Howard (minus its 2 best players)
VMI by 2
Towson by 5
UMass by 1 in 2OTs
LaSalle twice
St Joe’s (minus Daly) twice
GW twice
Fordham
And ... vcu, which balances out the loss to Norfolk State to some degree
We went 1-8 against decent to good teams and got pantsed by the best of them:
L by 10 to Belmont (after leading by 14)
L by 20 to Richmond
L by 20 to Rhode Island
L by 17 to Bona
L by 32 to Davidson
If this is good enough in Year 6 to warrant keeping Dave, pandemic or not, then we may as well shut down the effing program.
FreeGunston12
All-American
You know it's getting real when Jim goes IN on em.
Top Donors
-
Patriotsince81$250.00 -
GSII$100.00 -
Old Man$100.00 -
hoopsjunkie75$50.00
-
GMU1983$50.00
Forum statistics
#MasonNation Network
Check out these great sites:
GiantKiller.co
ByGeorge
Expat Hoops
Fourth Estate
Doc Nix and the Green Machine
Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter
GiantKiller.co
ByGeorge
Expat Hoops
Fourth Estate
Doc Nix and the Green Machine
Bill Bride - DMV Sports Shots
Patriot Brew Blog/Newsletter