Fire Dave Paulsen / Hire Tony Skinn

[TweederGMU]

When is this Jollay on Fire thing going to happen?

 

[mason lawyer]

Then write a $10M check and dictate what you want to happen. Hell, I bet $5M would probably do it. Otherwise, realize what lane you're in and that this is not Kentucky.

Judging by the admins performance and how they sabatoged us from becoming the Gonzaga of the east, nobody including me would write that check. We need to rebuild this operation from the ground. Everybody needs to be fired. Heads need to roll after we lose to Richmond.

 

[GMUgemini]

Eric Maynor had a lot to say about us becoming Gonzaga of the East (and then Larry Sanders after him).

It’s too bad TOC and Merten weren’t smart enough to include the practice facility as part of the original RAC rebuild. Maybe they wouldn’t have lost Barnes and Noble’s million dollar donation and maybe Coach L sticks around, but we have to remember Coach L stuck with us for 5 seasons post-Final Four and they were already writing post-mortems on our relevancy before he left.

 

[FreeGunston12]

Eric Maynor had a lot to say about us becoming Gonzaga of the East (and then Larry Sanders after him).

It’s too bad TOC and Merten weren’t smart enough to include the practice facility as part of the original RAC rebuild. Maybe they wouldn’t have lost Barnes and Noble’s million dollar donation and maybe Coach L sticks around, but we have to remember Coach L stuck with us for 5 seasons post-Final Four and they were already writing post-mortems on our relevancy before he left.

If that were the case, when we won a tournament game in his last year, where are we now?

 

[GMUgemini]

If that were the case, when we won a tournament game in his last year, where are we now?

About where we were in 2009 or 2010, but with better infrastructure and and worse coach?

 

[mason lawyer]

About where we were in 2009 or 2010, but with better infrastructure and and worse coach?

Not even close. Mason basketball is not respected by anyone. We do not even have a hoke court advantage. Any momentum we had from the final 4 is gone. Recruits are not coming to our program because we upgraded a few things that were out of date.

 

[FreeGunston12]

About where we were in 2009 or 2010, but with better infrastructure and and worse coach?

So more like about where we were in 2013?

In 2009-10 we actually played a #6 team (is that what Maryland was ranked this year?) early in the season and lost by 1. At least we kept games competitive. Except for the traditional losing to vcu in the conference tournament. We did beat them in the regular season that year though.

The biggest difference from 09-10 to now is that we played 4 home games with attendance that wouldn't even fit in the patriot center now without removing the advertising.

 

[Pablo]

Eric Maynor had a lot to say about us becoming Gonzaga of the East (and then Larry Sanders after him).

It’s too bad TOC and Merten weren’t smart enough to include the practice facility as part of the original RAC rebuild. Maybe they wouldn’t have lost Barnes and Noble’s million dollar donation and maybe Coach L sticks around, but we have to remember Coach L stuck with us for 5 seasons post-Final Four and they were already writing post-mortems on our relevancy before he left.

The original proposal called for a combined practice facility and academic center next to the Patriot Center - see https://giantkiller.co/2016/05/12/a-look-at-the-old-proposed-mason-basketball-practice-facility/.

 

[GMUgemini]

The original proposal called for a combined practice facility and academic center next to the Patriot Center - see https://giantkiller.co/2016/05/12/a-look-at-the-old-proposed-mason-basketball-practice-facility/.

Yes, I remember this. I also remember TOC saying Merten prevented him from setting up a dedicated fundraising campaign for it.

Seems like the RAC idea would have been a much easier sell.

As for losing to Villanova by 1, sure, but we also got blown out by Radford (remember the boards after that loss?), GW, Northeastern (who we lost to twice that year, also lost to W&M, Georgia State, and Charleston on homecoming. vcu was also 5th in the conference that year and played in the CBI, so not exactly a juggernaut that year.

Interestingly enough, vcu goes to the final four the next year and we get ranked for the first time in the regular season ever.

Of course Shaka Smart and Larranaga are both better coaches than Paulsen, but let’s not pretend going 18-15 in the old CAA and losing by 30 to Radford makes for a good season.

 

[mason lawyer]

Yes, I remember this. I also remember TOC saying Merten prevented him from setting up a dedicated fundraising campaign for it.

Seems like the RAC idea would have been a much easier sell.

As for losing to Villanova by 1, sure, but we also got blown out by Radford (remember the boards after that loss?), GW, Northeastern (who we lost to twice that year, also lost to W&M, Georgia State, and Charleston on homecoming. vcu was also 5th in the conference that year and played in the CBI, so not exactly a juggernaut that year.

Interestingly enough, vcu goes to the final four the next year and we get ranked for the first time in the regular season ever.

Of course Shaka Smart and Larranaga are both better coaches than Paulsen, but let’s not pretend going 18-15 in the old CAA and losing by 30 to Radford makes for a good season.

Our 18-15 team was dangerous that year if we got into the tournament. Potentially could have won games.

 

[GMUgemini]

Our 18-15 team was dangerous that year if we got into the tournament. Potentially could have won games.

Last 5 games of the season:

@ODU 60-76 (L)
W&M 60-63 (L)
CofC 83-85 (L)
@Delaware 61-59 (W)
Northeastern 48-52 (L)

Let's reiterate, that's 3 home losses in a row to end the season to William and Mary, College of Charleston, and Northeastern...let that sink in there for a second.

We scored 48 points on our home floor against Northeastern in the last regular season game. Then we lose by 15 to vcu in the first game of the CAA tournament (who, again, was a CBI team that year). Yeah, I'm sure any potential NCAA teams really didn't want to play us.

As for Paulsen's tenure and the A-10...had Otis not regressed his senior year, Grayer not been shut down, Mar not inexplicably forget how to play basketball, and Boyd not hurt his shooting wrist, we are probably having a different conversation about the state of the program. As for not finding out Miller was a badass player, I'd be fine with finding that out at the beginning of this season if it meant Otis and Grayer had the senior seasons they were supposed to have (note: I'd also give anything to get freshman Mar back).

(double note: We also can't forget that we infamously lost to Fairfield on our home floor in the CIT 101-96 in OT that year -- anyone who watched that game want to relive that experience?)

 

[mason lawyer]

Last 5 games of the season:

@ODU 60-76 (L)
W&M 60-63 (L)
CofC 83-85 (L)
@Delaware 61-59 (W)
Northeastern 48-52 (L)

Let's reiterate, that's 3 home losses in a row to end the season to William and Mary, College of Charleston, and Northeastern...let that sink in there for a second.

We scored 48 points on our home floor against Northeastern in the last regular season game. Then we lose by 15 to vcu in the first game of the CAA tournament (who, again, was a CBI team that year). Yeah, I'm sure any potential NCAA teams really didn't want to play us.

As for Paulsen's tenure and the A-10...had Otis not regressed his senior year, Grayer not been shut down, Mar not inexplicably forget how to play basketball, and Boyd not hurt his shooting wrist, we are probably having a different conversation about the state of the program. As for not finding out Miller was a badass player, I'd be fine with finding that out at the beginning of this season if it meant Otis and Grayer had the senior seasons they were supposed to have (note: I'd also give anything to get freshman Mar back).

(double note: We also can't forget that we infamously lost to Fairfield on our home floor in the CIT 101-96 in OT that year -- anyone who watched that game want to relive that experience?)

Final 4 experience. That team was going to win games in the tournament . We came within minutes of a birth and being a very dangerous team.

 

[GMUgemini]

Final 4 experience. That team was going to win games in the tournament . We came within minutes of a birth and being a very dangerous team.

Are you talking about 2007? That 2007 team, if it had beaten vcu, would have probably gotten a 15 seed most likely and been destroyed in the tournament (as evidenced by the fact that the 2008 team got destroyed by Notre Dame the very next year), but no one would have cared, because it would have been back to back to back appearances for us -- but that didn't happen.

We were talking about the 2009 and 2010 teams, you know, the point at which post-mortems had been written about our lost relevancy in college basketball.

 

[mason lawyer]

Are you talking about 2007? That 2007 team, if it had beaten vcu, would have probably gotten a 15 seed most likely and been destroyed in the tournament (as evidenced by the fact that the 2008 team got destroyed by Notre Dame the very next year), but no one would have cared, because it would have been back to back to back appearances for us -- but that didn't happen.

We were talking about the 2009 and 2010 teams, you know, the point at which post-mortems had been written about our lost relevancy in college basketball.

I was in San Juan for the tournament. We had Vilanova on the ropes. We were up by more than 10 at halftime. Team had potential even that year.

 

[FreeGunston12]

Final 4 experience. That team was going to win games in the tournament . We came within minutes of a birth and being a very dangerous team.

That team didn't have any final 4 experience, unless you're talking about the coaches.

Still, they would beat the pants off of our current team. And again, when's the last time we had multiple 8,000+ attendances in a year? State of the program was far better. And oh yeah, they won a tournament game the following year.

Anyone think we make the tournament next year?

 

[mason lawyer]

That team didn't have any final 4 experience, unless you're talking about the coaches.

Still, they would beat the pants off of our current team. And again, when's the last time we had multiple 8,000+ attendances in a year? State of the program was far better. And oh yeah, they won a tournament game the following year.

Anyone think we make the tournament next year?

Cambell and Will Thomas was not final four experience?

 

[GMUgemini]

Cambell and Will Thomas was not final four experience?

They both graduated in '08. We're talking about the 2009-2010 team...Luke Hancock was a freshman, Cam Long and Isaiah Tate were juniors, Pearson and Moe were sophomores. The lone senior was Louis Birdsong (who Larranaga tried to make a small forward that year).

 

[GMUgemini]

That team didn't have any final 4 experience, unless you're talking about the coaches.

Still, they would beat the pants off of our current team. And again, when's the last time we had multiple 8,000+ attendances in a year? State of the program was far better. And oh yeah, they won a tournament game the following year.

Anyone think we make the tournament next year?

We're probably only saying that because Kier and Boyd are both injured -- and we don't have a credible big to bang against Mike Moe. Pearson vs. AJ would be a really interesting matchup, though; as would Hancock vs. Miller, and Long vs. Kier (if he were healthy).

 

[mason lawyer]

They both graduated in '08. We're talking about the 2009-2010 team...Luke Hancock was a freshman, Cam Long and Isaiah Tate were juniors, Pearson and Moe were sophomores. The lone senior was Louis Birdsong (who Larranaga tried to make a small forward that year).

My bad! That year was a huge dissapointment. Team had potential just could not put things together.

 

[Pablo]

And again, when's the last time we had multiple 8,000+ attendances in a year? State of the program was far better.

Average home attendance peaked during the 2006-07 season (6,834), and has been below 5,000 for 8 consecutive seasons::

2006-07: 6,834
2007-08: 6,494
2008-09: 6,295
2009-10: 5,837
2010-11: 5,896
2011-12: 5,161
2012-13: 4,562
2013-14: 4,916
2014-15: 4,082
2015-16: 4,300
2016-17: 4,234
2017-18: 4,087
2018-19: 4,335
2019-20 (current): 3,881


TOP EAGLEBANK ARENA CROWDS
1. James Madison (2/2/08) - 9,840* MASON, 72-46
UNC Wilmington (2/16/08) - 9,840* UNCW, 75-73
Northeastern (2/14/09) - 9,840* MASON, 64-53
Towson (2/28/09) - 9,840* MASON, 71-59
Old Dominion (2/5/11) - 9,840* MASON, 62-45
James Madison (2/12/11) - 9,840* MASON, 82-68
Old Dominion (2/4/12) - 9,840* MASON, 54-50
Virginia (11/9/12) - 9,840* MASON, 63-59
7.Wichita State (11/18/06) - 9,804* Wichita St., 72-66
Old Dominion (2/3/07) - 9,804* ODU, (OT) 66-56
9. James Madison (2/17/01) - 9,702* MASON, 79-66
10. James Madison (2/26/00) - 9 ,676* MASON, 76-64
* - All permanent seats sold