Game 9: College of William and Mary, Wednesday, December 6th, 7 PM, Atlantic10.com

[Washingtonian]

First off I could care less if I'm pissing you off. 2nd you made my point. Coach L turned the program around in 2 years. Paulsen is in his third year and the team is still struggling. So I am tired of everyone acting like he is our savior. The fact is, we have no idea of how good he is yet. I hope I'm wrong, but I think he is just another average coach. He had two really really good seniors last year and we finished in the middle of the pack. Pretty average. We are sub .500 right now, so we are below average..

Generally schools give their coaches 3 to 4 years to evaluate their coach. He has done many good things, but he has also shown many flaws. I will admit I was to emotional after the loss last night, and too dramatic. But I am losing my patients with Paulsen. I'm tired of the excuses. we are in our third year. All our issues now are Paulsen's fault. We can no longer blame Hewitt for this.

Its actually just laughable that you want to compare who is the bigger fan. You win! congrats. lets get you a trophy!

But if you want a list of road games I attended.
CAA tournament twice
UNCW just to watch them lose.
multiple JMU games

Last year was a busy year, sorry I didn't go to many games. I'm going this weekend. and the Penn State game. I'm sure Ill go to homecoming as well. But, who the heck cares...

You went to Wilmington, which is about 6 hours away (I have made that trip as well, but someone else drove). Those were some of the nicest fans I have ever met. JMU and Richmond are 2 hours (on a good day) at most, but at least you have gone to road games, so that counts for something.

Also, Larranaga didn't deal with transfers or having to get a lot of players in a one year span. Paulsen has. Paulsen has continued to get 1 year extensions, which from a recruiting perspective, is a good thing. The biggest reason the 2005-06 team did that well is because the starters played 50 games (at least) consecutively. When you have a consistent lineup and continue to get better, it shows.

 

[Falco]

DP had Shevon, Jenkins, Marko, Moore.

But he didn't have a PG with experience. and in the game of college basketball that is the most important position. To be honest, I expected that team to do really well that year once their was a coach who knew his Xs and Os

 

[gmutom]

Yet your dumb a** posted a huge reply. That means, yes, you do care.

As does his incorrect use of "could care less," which means he actually could care. #grammarpolice

 

[GMU_DCU]

Mar had 4 fouls with 2 minutes left. It was obvious that Mar was scared of fouling out and was basically invisible. Substitute him out for AJ.

It wasn't a problem today, but why is our shortest guy impounding the ball?

Getting out roastered at the college level is getting our coached. Why did the team all decide to play isolation basketball instead of look for the open man.

Just a total collapse.

Maybe Shaver is a better cook than Paulsen....can't blame him for getting out roastered.

 

[DJ5 SIZE]

DP had Shevon, Jenkins, Marko, Moore.

But he didn't have a PG with experience. and in the game of college basketball that is the most important position. To be honest, I expected that team to do really well that year once their was a coach who knew his Xs and Os

Did you email Bard for me yet? It’s not about a point guard it’s about SIZE and STARS

 

[Falco]

Did you email Bard for me yet? It’s not about a point guard it’s about SIZE and STARS

I know your mocking me, but your absolutely right. We wouldn't lose with a roster full of 4-5 star recruits with size!

 

[GMU_DCU]

If you told me before the game that we would shoot 50% and outrebound and have less turnovers than W&M I would have said we win by at least 10....oh well.

 

[DJ5 SIZE]

I know your mocking me, but your absolutely right. We wouldn't lose with a roster full of 4-5 star recruits with size!

That’s true! By the way, I love your grammar and spelling. Have you heard from bard regarding the Abraham transfer yet or big recruits?

 

[gmutom]

I will say that it is easy to dismiss the incessantly negative comments from GS and DJ3, but this should also be a venue for people to share their frustrations. I've been all in on the Paulsen hiring from Day One, but I admittedly have some concerns about the direction of the program.

We all admittedly saw this as a rebuilding year with no seniors, but I'm not convinced next year will be significantly better. Sure, Reuter will help in the post, the current players will be a little better, and the incoming freshmen will offer depth; but what will that ultimately net us other than a couple more wins. Then we start over again without Otis and Grayer.

It's easy to tune GS out, but is he really that far off in terms of Dave's roster management? Surely, Porter, Jackson or Lockett could have helped make the transition easier, but not one chose to stay. (FWIW, Porter had 12 points last night.) Dave had every right to change the Club Med mentality he inherited, but he hardly inherited a bare cupboard as some here suggest.

Again, I keep telling myself to trust Dave and the process. It just gets harder to do that when we can't even hold serve at home against a CAA team picked to finish middle of the pack or worse. We were told next year was when we'd see the light at the end of the tunnel, but something tells me that tunnel is longer than many people here might want to admit.

Anyway, onward and upward.

 

[GSII]

Respect to Tom.

 

[mkaufman1]

I will say that it is easy to dismiss the incessantly negative comments from GS and DJ3, but this should also be a venue for people to share their frustrations. I've been all in on the Paulsen hiring from Day One, but I admittedly have some concerns about the direction of the program.

We all admittedly saw this as a rebuilding year with no seniors, but I'm not convinced next year will be significantly better. Sure, Reuter will help in the post, the current players will be a little better, and the incoming freshmen will offer depth; but what will that ultimately net us other than a couple more wins. Then we start over again without Otis and Grayer.

It's easy to tune GS out, but is he really that far off in terms of Dave's roster management? Surely, Porter, Jackson or Lockett could have helped make the transition easier, but not one chose to stay. (FWIW, Porter had 12 points last night). Dave had every right to change the Club Med mentality he inherited, but he hardly inherited a bare cupboard as some here suggest.

Again, I keep telling myself to trust Dave and the process. It just gets harder to do that when we can't even hold serve at home against a CAA team picked to finish middle of the pack or worse. We were told next year was when we'd see the light at the end of the tunnel, but something tells me that tunnel is longer than many people here might want to admit.

Anyway, onward and upward.

I agree and get where you’re coming from. I hinted in another post that for year 4 to be a big jump they’d have to have everything really go right. Not saying it won’t, but it’s assuming a transfer is great and everyone else improves, and nobody else leaves the program. It’s a lot to ask considering recent years.

If kids don’t want to be part of the program Dave is trying to build, they’d probably end up being more detrimental than helpful. While yes maybe retention of someone would have helped who knows what it could have done off the court. I think many can agree that we’d much rather want kids who want to be part of the program and do things correctly. I think we all expected the program to be further along at this point, but I still hold some hope we see potential and better basketball later in the year.

With all this said, we’ve also seen investments in the program so that once the corner turns (assuming it will), they have the tools to continuously compete. But what was a year 4 is the big year, may turn into year 5 unless things improve this year. Just have to sit back and see.

 

[GSII]

Could AJ not at the least, bother their big last night? Or Greg?

 

[dr. gunnie]

I will say that it is easy to dismiss the incessantly negative comments from GS and DJ3, but this should also be a venue for people to share their frustrations. I've been all in on the Paulsen hiring from Day One, but I admittedly have some concerns about the direction of the program.

We all admittedly saw this as a rebuilding year with no seniors, but I'm not convinced next year will be significantly better. Sure, Reuter will help in the post, the current players will be a little better, and the incoming freshmen will offer depth; but what will that ultimately net us other than a couple more wins. Then we start over again without Otis and Grayer.

It's easy to tune GS out, but is he really that far off in terms of Dave's roster management? Surely, Porter, Jackson or Lockett could have helped make the transition easier, but not one chose to stay. (FWIW, Porter had 12 points last night). Dave had every right to change the Club Med mentality he inherited, but he hardly inherited a bare cupboard as some here suggest.

Again, I keep telling myself to trust Dave and the process. It just gets harder to do that when we can't even hold serve at home against a CAA team picked to finish middle of the pack or worse. We were told next year was when we'd see the light at the end of the tunnel, but something tells me that tunnel is longer than many people here might want to admit.

Anyway, onward and upward.

I know I got bashed on here as a hater because I posted some questions I had with Paulsen and his mismanagement of the roster, so be prepared Tom.

I like Paulsen and I think he's doing a good job - but there is no reason to only have 8 scholarship players. You have free money to spend, and we ain't spending it. No reason not to use all the tools given to you - don't make this team play with one hand tied behind their back!!! This would have been the perfect year to go after a grad transfer.

I, like you am also worried about next year. We will be better, no doubt, I just don't know if it will be NCAA tournament better... or even NIT better. I'm not seeing it... and this isn't just because of last night, this is after the whole resume thus far.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Tom with some of teh truth medicine sauce.

I look at it not as the third year, but the first year of the second two-year window. My measuring stick will be A-10 record, comparing the second window to the first after four years.

But the tom is right. Everybody should be encouraged, but no guarantee we even get top 4,5, or 6 in what will be a better A-10 next year, even.

 

[GMU_DCU]

Could AJ not at the least, bother their big last night? Or Greg?

Greg did a very nice job guarding him while he was in the game. He scored most of his points off switches or slip screens.

 

[dr. gunnie]

I want to get excited about Reuter and I've heard some good things about him, but last year at this time I heard good things about AJ and heard how he was going to be a big difference maker, so I'm really trying to learn my lesson and not expect too much.

As The Who sang, "I won't get fooled again"

 

[Falco]

That’s true! By the way, I love your grammar and spelling. Have you heard from bard regarding the Abraham transfer yet or big recruits?

language is just a medium of communication. If you understand what I mean to say, my purpose is fulfilled.

 

[gmutom]

I know I got bashed on here as a hater because I posted some questions I had with Paulsen and his mismanagement of the roster, so be prepared Tom.

Yeah, I was prepared for that. I hope people take time to read my comments in the spirit they were intended, because I want it to be very clear I am a huge Dave Paulsen fan. He was the perfect coach to rebuild the program and take it to the next level. I just think games like last night are a reality check that we are much further off than that we might have thought.

As my avatar says, and I constantly have to remind myself, "Keep Call and Put Some Dave On!"

 

[PoorManProfit]

How long is the contract of Paulsen? 5 years? He better show something next year or he won't get extended and he'll be out. I know that PH (thanks O'Connor) set the program back, but G Mas loses to CAA teams more now, being in the A10, then they did when the were IN the CAA. It's a bad look.

 

[PDGL Hoops]

We MUST win games at home that we "should" win against proposed lesser talented teams/conferences. No excuses.