Welcome Justin Kier

[Mason32]

What I'm saying is, if you are going to fire Paulsen because you think you can do better from a coaching perspective, you should also invest more long-term in the basketball team so you can start putting the infrastructure in place to have long-term success, because if you have someone who comes in and has instant success like Keatts and leaves after 3 years, without those investments in place you're pretty much back to the lottery again with your next hire.

Exactly, Mason's has shown very little signs of serious investment of the program that would warrant getting rid of Paulsen at this current time.

 

[sleeperpick]

You do know he coached college basketball for many years before taking the Mason job, right?

I’m sure even you can easily locate his record on Wikipedia.

Unless you’re using some kind of new-fangled math, he’s very much not a “proven loser.”

yes we all know about how he was a Division 3 giant for 3 of his 8 years there.

We also know he landed Mike Muscala out of nowhere who carried the program for the 3 years Dave was good at Bucknell. (2 of his predecessors recruits were also top 4 players on that first good team)

We also know Dave can't recruit big men nor design an offense that works at GMU and we have been mostly poor since he has arrived in Fairfax with inflated win totals for playing an Atlantic East type non conference schedule.

Hopefully Polite and Henry ball next year and you can tell the boards a big I told you so. I actually look forward to it because that would make me feel like I am not wasting my money any longer on a crappy basketball team with no vision. So please be right Jim, for most of our sakes we want you to be right.

 

[gmujim92]

yes we all know about how he was a Division 3 giant for 3 of his 8 years there.

We also know he landed Mike Muscala out of nowhere who carried the program for the 3 years Dave was good at Bucknell. (2 of his predecessors recruits were also top 4 players on that first good team)

We also know Dave can't recruit big men nor design an offense that works at GMU and we have been mostly poor since he has arrived in Fairfax with inflated win totals for playing an Atlantic East type non conference schedule.

Hopefully Polite and Henry ball next year and you can tell the boards a big I told you so. I actually look forward to it because that would make me feel like I am not wasting my money any longer on a crappy basketball team with no vision. So please be right Jim, for most of our sakes we want you to be right.

Not trying to pretend DP is McKillop or even Schmidt for that matter. I just take specific issue with anyone stating he is “a proven loser” when readily available information shows that to be false.

His record at Mason is what it is. Maybe the A-10 turns out to be too much for him. But there’s no need for the constant revisionist history to suggest he’s some kind of bumbling idiot.

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

I went through a severe case of delusion/denial with Hewitt, because I liked most of the players he was recruiting and feared his his firing would lead to a mass exodus. Sadly, that fear became a reality with Porter, Jackson, Lockett and Gilbert all defecting. And in that regard, I do understand why Jim is clinging to hope for Paulsen.

What I can't do anymore is live in that "what if" world. If Paulsen rights the ship next season and gets us to the postseason, he should stay; if we suck yet again, he should go. It really is that simple. Players have more freedom under NCAA rules anyway, so it's not like him staying guarantees anything (see Kier as a perfect example).

I want Mason to be good again, so I am pulling for Paulsen to finally figure this out. I'm just done over-valuing a coach out of fear that the next coach could be worse.

Agreed. My thoughts, too.

 

[sleeperpick]

Not trying to pretend DP is McKillop or even Schmidt for that matter. I just take specific issue with anyone stating he is “a proven loser” when readily available information shows that to be false.

His record at Mason is what it is. Maybe the A-10 turns out to be too much for him. But there’s no need for the constant revisionist history to suggest he’s some kind of bumbling idiot.

he's not a proven loser but he certainly isn't a consistent winner even at D3 level or at Bucknell. It was a tremendously safe hire from BE. He probably won't have players smoking weed before games or stealing credit cards at University Mall either. But he made us a friendly nice program again. We are still mostly doormats to good teams. We are in a high mid major conference and that is unacceptable to me and other fans and I think the process has mostly ran its course. If he does well next season with one of the oldest teams in the A10 people will want him to stay. I won't unless he lands a Johnson, Reynolds or Williamson type talent to come in and help yet another rebuild.

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

And there are hundreds of examples of schools that fired their coach and decimated their roster only to hire somebody who was no better than the last guy.

The worst thing we could do is fire this staff just as they are starting to bring in a higher caliber of recruit, based on one bad* season.

Wasn't the higher caliber of recruit supposed to be guys like Mar?

 

[gmujim92]

Wasn't the higher caliber of recruit supposed to be guys like Mar?

Yes, what exactly is your point?

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Yes, what exactly is your point?

Um, that was 4 years ago and now we're supposedly getting a higher caliber of recruit. I'm just not convinced.

 

[gmujim92]

Um, that was 4 years ago and now we're supposedly getting a higher caliber of recruit. I'm just not convinced.

Some highly regarded recruits just don’t pan out for whatever reason. It happens in every program.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

I went through a severe case of delusion/denial with Hewitt,

Yeah you did!

(& mostly agree on the rest)

 

[Pablo]

https://bustingbrackets.com/2020/03/24/butler-basketball-transfer-targets-2020-offseason-dawgs/:

"Butler basketball recently completed a superb 2019-20 season that would have resulted in a high seed at the NCAA Tournament had it not been canceled. Looking ahead to the future, the Dawgs have five high-level freshmen talent joining the roster next year to potentially provide big minutes.

With Khalif Battle transferring and Jordan Tucker potentially leaving to play professionally, though, Butler could have up to two open scholarships to fill via the transfer market this offseason.

In terms of need, it is important to mention that Butler already has at least three “locks” for its starting lineup. Aaron Thompson, Bryce Nze, and Bryce Golden are all returning starters that will reprise their roles during this coming campaign. Tucker would also almost-assuredly snag a starting spot if he returns for his senior season as well.

As of now, Butler is publically linked to several available transfers. These vary in positions as well as their eligibility (either sit-out or immediately eligible graduates):

Justin Kier (Immediate)
G | 6-foot-4 | 197 lbs | Graduate Transfer

April 9th Update: Justin Kier is a new name to the transfer tracker for Butler.

Butler definitely appears to be in the market for an immediately-eligible guard that can be a top offensive weapon right out of the gates during the 2020-21 season. This is a major need surrounding the returning starters of Aaron Thompson, Bryce Nze, and Bryce Golden. While it remains possible that the one-time transfer waiver rule could be passed this offseason, targeting graduate transfers is the only sure-fire way for Butler to add a backcourt piece for next year.

Justin Kier fits that mold as a 6-foot-4 guard ready to finish his career as an impact player in a more challenging conference. Kier has been a mainstay in George Mason’s starting lineup for the past few seasons and impacts the game in a wide variety of ways. He can score at all three levels, create for others, and also defends at a relatively high level. Considering his well-built frame and size, he can play either slot in the backcourt and succeed.

Although he was limited to just nine games during this past campaign due to a foot injury, he was named the Atlantic 10’s Most Improved Player after the prior year. Over the course of that 2018-19 campaign, Kier posted averages of 14.5 points (.471/.371/.769), 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He developed tremendously with each year in Fairfax and will be transferring out of a pretty good conference in the A10 – he has proven himself against tough competition.

Butler is among the teams that have already contacted Kier after he entered the transfer portal on April 8th. If he ends up committing to spend his final year in Indianapolis, Kier would likely snag the starting shooting guard spot alongside senior playmaker Aaron Thompson. According to Rivals’ Corey Evans, Kier is looking for “a place that wants me to come in and have an immediate impact and not just be a role player. I want to go to the next level and dominate in every aspect of the game.” That is something Butler can offer.

The other teams involved early include Arkansas, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Loyola Chicago, Ohio State, Tulane, Wake Forest, and Washington State."

 

[ephoops]

yes we all know about how he was a Division 3 giant for 3 of his 8 years there.

We also know he landed Mike Muscala out of nowhere who carried the program for the 3 years Dave was good at Bucknell. (2 of his predecessors recruits were also top 4 players on that first good team)

We also know Dave can't recruit big men nor design an offense that works at GMU and we have been mostly poor since he has arrived in Fairfax with inflated win totals for playing an Atlantic East type non conference schedule.

Hopefully Polite and Henry ball next year and you can tell the boards a big I told you so. I actually look forward to it because that would make me feel like I am not wasting my money any longer on a crappy basketball team with no vision. So please be right Jim, for most of our sakes we want you to be right.

SP-

When it come to Paulsen’s career at Williams and Bucknell, you don’t know what you are talking about.

Stick with your criticism of his tenure at Mason.

 

[sleeperpick]

SP-

When it come to Paulsen’s career at Williams and Bucknell, you don’t know what you are talking about.

Stick with your criticism of his tenure at Mason.

Ok well tell me about bucknell those seasons they were barely over .500 in patriot league

also tell me about the 4 subpar years in D3. Because you are correct I can only read stats and box scores for those years and it doesn’t tell the full story. I am actually curious

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

UMDs Ricky Lindo Jr. to GW. Don't know how a school with a worse basketball budget and facilities than ours lands a guy like that.

Maybe Kier to MD now, they could use some depth...but more in the frontcourt, really. Of course on our team he is our high post 4, so...who knows?

 

[sleeperpick]

UMDs Ricky Lindo Jr. to GW. Don't know how a school with a worse basketball budget and facilities than ours lands a guy like that.

Maybe Kier to MD now, they could use some depth...but more in the frontcourt, really. Of course on our team he is our high post 4, so...who knows?

Let’s be honest a middle aged man with a soda problem that hates ally oops isn’t the most attractive coach to these stud kids transferring. Plus we don’t win games. So why would they come here?

 

[gmujim92]

Let’s be honest a middle aged man with a soda problem that hates ally oops isn’t the most attractive coach to these stud kids transferring. Plus we don’t win games. So why would they come here?

LOL.

 

[GSII]

I'm gonna give lil Dave the edge here and assume he didnt let them bc they couldnt execute correctly in practice, or that's all they wanted to do to poor lil jack.

 

[PoorManProfit]

Let’s be honest a middle aged man with a soda problem that hates ally oops isn’t the most attractive coach to these stud kids transferring. Plus we don’t win games. So why would they come here?

100% true fact. Especially about the dude with the soda issue.

 

[tblack33]

I'm gonna give lil Dave the edge here and assume he didnt let them bc they couldnt execute correctly in practice, or that's all they wanted to do to poor lil jack.

God I’ve never thought about that. How many times a season do y’all think Jack gets yammed on in practices? Maybe that’s why practice is always the highlight of Dave’s pressers, poor Jack is just getting put on a poster every day by the whole team.

 

[gmutom]

God I’ve never thought about that. How many times a season do y’all think Jack gets yammed on in practices? Maybe that’s why practice is always the highlight of Dave’s pressers, poor Jack is just getting put on a poster every day by the whole team.