The Official Dave Paulsen and Brad Edwards Speculation Thread

[sleeperpick]

I'm very proud of Mason making it to the final 4. It is one of the reasons why I choose Mason over vcu and ODU (only VA schools who accepted me, shocker!! ha-ha).

That said, I think it’s time to move on from that achievement. Continuing to gloat over a decade-old achievement is like a thirty-year-old still wearing his high school varsity jacket.

Edit**- You make a good point about recruiting though.

I get it. But tell that to any Georgia football fan who still talks about 1980 or any Yankees fan who still acts like we are living in the 1990s and they are a dynasty. That’s sports man. Can dwell on past but at least need to be trying to get back there. Yankees and Georgia are Mason doesn’t seem to give a shit. That’s the problem

 

[Falco]

I get it. But tell that to any Georgia football fan who still talks about 1980 or any Yankees fan who still acts like we are living in the 1990s and they are a dynasty. That’s sports man. Can dwell on past but at least need to be trying to get back there. Yankees and Georgia are Mason doesn’t seem to give a shit. That’s the problem

Good point, perhaps brining back a final 4 player could raise the expectations of the program.

 

[tblack33]

Good point, perhaps brining back a final 4 player could raise the expectations of the program.

I think it gives us two things we need:

Recruiting; already discussed, you get what it does in that arena.

Fan support; this gives us an injection of nostalgia that this fan base desperately needs. Skinn puts some of the butts back in the seats that left during Hewitt/Paulsen. Post Paulson idk if we see the injection of season ticket holders we picked up after Hewitt got canned. Apathy is setting in and running deep, bringing in a name those folks would know might go a long way to bringing some back to the Pat Dome.

 

[gmujim92]

I get it. But tell that to any Georgia football fan who still talks about 1980 or any Yankees fan who still acts like we are living in the 1990s and they are a dynasty. That’s sports man. Can dwell on past but at least need to be trying to get back there. Yankees and Georgia are Mason doesn’t seem to give a shit. That’s the problem

Mason has never cared about athletics. It’s just not in the university’s DNA. But that F4 banner is one of the few things our basketball program has to brag about and I can’t see any advantage we would gain from downplaying it.

 

[GMUgemini]

I'm very proud of Mason making it to the final 4. It is one of the reasons why I choose Mason over vcu and ODU (only VA schools who accepted me, shocker!! ha-ha).

That said, I think it’s time to move on from that achievement. Continuing to gloat over a decade-old achievement is like a thirty-year-old still wearing his high school varsity jacket.

Edit**- You make a good point about recruiting though.

Think of all the schools who have or had former players as coaches:

An incomplete list:

Roy Williams (UNC)
Patrick Ewing (Georgetown)
Penny Hardaway (Memphis)
Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State)
JaVall Jordan (Butler)
Juwon Howard (Michigan)
Chris Mullin (St. Johns)
Bobby Huggins (West Virginia)
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)
Louis Rowe (JMU)

Sure, a mixed bag of success, but you can't deny some of these guys as legends at their schools.

Through continued connections with their alumni, colleges create traditions. Continually trying to rebrand and cut ties with the past is the opposite of what should be happening at a young school like Mason. I think hiring Tony Skinn, even though he played for Coach Larranaga, is different than hiring a former Larranaga assistant, who was here for a job. I would be more skeptical of a Konkol hire (although I think he could do well here -- and CUSA to A-10 is not nearly the jump as Patriot to A-10 would be) than I would a Skinn hire.

 

[Falco]

Think of all the schools who have or had former players as coaches:

An incomplete list:

Roy Williams (UNC)
Patrick Ewing (Georgetown)
Penny Hardaway (Memphis)
Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State)
JaVall Jordan (Butler)
Juwon Howard (Michigan)
Chris Mullin (St. Johns)
Bobby Huggins (West Virginia)
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)
Louis Rowe (JMU)

Sure, a mixed bag of success, but you can't deny some of these guys as legends at their schools.

Through continued connections with their alumni, colleges create traditions. Continually trying to rebrand and cut ties with the past is the opposite of what should be happening at a young school like Mason. I think hiring Tony Skinn, even though he played for Coach Larranaga, is different than hiring a former Larranaga assistant, who was here for a job. I would be more skeptical of a Konkol hire (although I think he could do well here -- and CUSA to A-10 is not nearly the jump as Patriot to A-10 would be) than I would a Skinn hire.

Another good point. I changed my mind. Time to #TANK4SKINN

 

[JPgmuswim]

With Skinn as head coach we’ll need Butler to start coming through on that PVI pipeline, because we all know he doesn’t do it for DP. Get some of these top kids to stay in the DMV.

 

[The Great PATSby]

If we hire him and don’t have a Tony Skinn themed Nutcracker giveaway for one of our Late December games I’m going to be pissed.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

"A lot of rumors going around."

This is what I say to people randomly at work to keep them on their toes/guessing.

Of course I know of exactly zero rumors going around, but a lot of times shit bubbles to the surface after I say "a lot of rumors going around."

Has worked for me at Brion's before many times...one time found out about two extramarital affairs while trying to drum up Hewitt news.

I'll start using the technique on Brad. Shaking his hand, saying it, just walking away. We'll drum up some real message board material here eventually, regardless of DP's performance...

 

[Patriot8]

Meanwhile, Brad is teaching us how to do body weight squats. “A number of people have asked me about a lower body workout”. Imagine someone walking up to Brad and saying “Hey Brad, what exercise do you do to get such a nice a**?”
Content is content I guess...

https://twitter.com/masonathletics/status/1308773743259537409?s=21

 

[By George.]

I have nothing to add to this circular debate, just wanted to mention the hilarity of tagging an internet message board thread with SPECULATION. You think so, doctor?

You make this forum a better place.

 

[By George.]

Lock: DP finishes his contract out

 

[mkaufman1]

Lock: DP finishes his contract out

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Its just a matter of if they extend or lame duck him.

 

[By George.]

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Its just a matter of if they extend or lame duck him.

We were told he got his early extensions to help with recruiting.

.....we’re still complaining about recruiting.

He’ll get an extension if he earns one. The program truly believes injuries have shadowed the DP era, Jared being the worst injury of them all.

 

[sleeperpick]

We were told he got his early extensions to help with recruiting.

.....we’re still complaining about recruiting.

He’ll get an extension if he earns one. The program truly believe injuries have shadowed the DP era, Jared being the worst injury of them all.

Jared sucked before injury and a lot more after injury. He almost was a pro dirtbiker (true story) but was too big

 

[GSII]

.......... The program truly believe injuries have shadowed the DP era, Jared being the worst injury of them all.

The program is truly drunk if they think that.

 

[GMUgemini]

Jared sucked before injury and a lot more after injury. He almost was a pro dirtbiker (true story) but was too big

That's a good question, and I don't know if the Giant Killer people know the answer -- was Jared ever healthy? Was he healthy at the start of the year?

 

[tblack33]

That's a good question, and I don't know if the Giant Killer people know the answer -- was Jared ever healthy? Was he healthy at the start of the year?

Odds are probably not fully, Paulsens last interview with Giant Killer he said they ended up finding a congenital issue that led to Jared’s injury. Chances are it was slowly wearing on him and we got caught holding the bag at the end.

 

[mkaufman1]

Odds are probably not fully, Paulsens last interview with Giant Killer he said they ended up finding a congenital issue that led to Jared’s injury. Chances are it was slowly wearing on him and we got caught holding the bag at the end.

Agreed. These things happen to athletes and its very unfortunate. I remember watching his footage from Spain and thinking they got a 6'8 post player who can really move. Any team can use that.

That said, the kid was declared the difference maker to the early years of Paulsen, talked up to just about every donor, and unfortunately he never came close to living up to the expectation. I feel bad for him.

Sad but Paulsen hasn't come close to developing or finding another traditional big like him yet. Will Oduro get there? I say yes, but he needs more time obviously.

We were told he got his early extensions to help with recruiting.

.....we’re still complaining about recruiting.

He’ll get an extension if he earns one. The program truly believes injuries have shadowed the DP era, Jared being the worst injury of them all.

Thanks for the .02. I couldn't imagine Mason wanting to lame duck him because it can really impact the recruiting for the year, but if he doesn't earn an extension he shouldn't get one either. I don't know what they'll do, it'll be interesting for sure.

(Yes I know we all don't really love DPs recruiting so if you are thinking there won't be an impact, I hear you)

 

[KAOriginal]

I say let him work his final year and say goodbye. In the meantime...make your target list for the next coach.

It's not like we are a good or "top" A-10 program.....and trying to keep a pipeline open or hold on to prestige.

A start over is a start over.