Goodbye Tyler Kolek

Pikapppatri8

Hall of Famer
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GOLD SPONSOR
People only referencing it because Mason made it a bit in every interview he did. On NYE he also said something like his resolution was to quit “or reduce” his diet mt dew consumption. What grown man drinks a 6pack of any soda a day? Maybe I’m the weird one.

Past 30 - it should only be a six pack of bourbon/scotch - if you are civilized.
 

Pablo

Hall of Famer
Yes true. I suspect he might be in the mix for any or all of these positions and its obvious that he is interested in continuing to coach. If I had to bet I think he would fit better at CCSU than as a BCS assistant at BC or coaching at Central Michigan but merely my opinion.

Is Coach Paulsen a finalist for the CCSU job?


"I have heard that first round interviews at Central Connecticut will wrap up this week with a group of 4-6 coaches. This one will be entering it’s sixth week – one of the longest searches to date this off-season. Will have a better idea of who is headed to the next round shortly."
 

Quentin Daniels

Hall of Famer
Is Coach Paulsen a finalist for the CCSU job?


"I have heard that first round interviews at Central Connecticut will wrap up this week with a group of 4-6 coaches. This one will be entering it’s sixth week – one of the longest searches to date this off-season. Will have a better idea of who is headed to the next round shortly."

I hope so. He seems like a genuinely good dude and that he'd have more luck at a program like CCSU than he did at Mason.
 

gmujim92

Hall of Famer
GIVING DAY 2023
I hope so. He seems like a genuinely good dude and that he'd have more luck at a program like CCSU than he did at Mason.
He should wait until another Patriot League job opens up. It’s literally the perfect setup for him because for most players athletics are a secondary consideration and the transfer portal isn’t gonna gut your roster on an annual basis.
 

ephoops

Starter
He should wait until another Patriot League job opens up. It’s literally the perfect setup for him because for most players athletics are a secondary consideration and the transfer portal isn’t gonna gut your roster on an annual basis.

I think Dave's ideal "coaching milleu" is a high-academic league (e.g., Patriot or the Ivies) or a high-academic college/university. He is well respected among the college coaching rank-and-file, he runs a clean program and recruits good kids who don't embarrass their university.

In retrospect, Dave probably should have stayed at Bucknell for at least a few more years rather than taking the Mason job. He left a Bucknell team that was loaded with talent -- one that likely would have played in 4 or 5 NCAA's. With that resume, he would have been an attractive candidate for a number of recent high-academic openings in the P-6 (e.g., Wake, Penn St., Boston College).

He inherited an absolute dumpster fire at Mason. He brought the program back to respectability. He just could not get over the hump into the NIT/NCAA's. English steps into a program that is in much better shape than the program Dave took over from Hewitt.
 
Last edited:

gmujim92

Hall of Famer
GIVING DAY 2023
I think Dave's ideal "coaching milleu" is a high-academic league (e.g., Patriot or the Ivies) or a high-academic college/university. He is well respected among the college coaching rank-and-file, he runs a clean program and recruits good kids who don't embarrass their university.

In retrospect, Dave probably should have stayed at Bucknell for at least a few more years rather than taking the Mason job. He left a Bucknell team that was loaded with talent -- one that likely would have played in 4 or 5 NCAA's. With that resume, he would have been an attractive candidate for a number of recent high-academic openings in the P-6 (e.g., Wake, Penn St., Boston College).

He inherited an absolute dumpster fire at Mason. He brought the program back to respectability. He just could not get over the hump into the NIT/NCAA's. English steps into a program that is in much better shape than the program Dave took over Hewitt.
Agree with every word. Still gotta believe if he knew how bad a shape our program was really in he wouldn’t have taken the job — it’s hindsight obviously, but it was an awful move for the trajectory of his career.
 

mkaufman1

Administrator
Staff member
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
Agree with every word. Still gotta believe if he knew how bad a shape our program was really in he wouldn’t have taken the job — it’s hindsight obviously, but it was an awful move for the trajectory of his career.

Agree with you and @ephoops that looking back, Dave screwed his trajectory.

That said, whether its a Patriot League/CAA/NEC/MAAC team those are perfect jobs for Dave to be a head coach of. The only issue is that if he does a league other than the Patriot League, hes going to have to deal with transfers and adapt. He might be able to get away with it for a few years at a Central Connecticut, but long term he has to work the same system as everyone else. I hope he does get a hard look at Central Connecticut. I think his ties to the New England basketball scene would only help him and its part of the reason why he is being considered for the Boston College opening (or so we think).

We'll see what happens, but I'd be very surprised if hes not coaching D1 basketball in some capacity next year.
 
Last edited:

Bricker

Starter
Agree with every word. Still gotta believe if he knew how bad a shape our program was really in he wouldn’t have taken the job — it’s hindsight obviously, but it was an awful move for the trajectory of his career.

If I remember correctly, he even said as much early on in an interview somewhere (that Mason's program was in much worse shape than he initially expected).
 

GSII

Hall of Famer
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GOLD SPONSOR
GIVING DAY 2023
That's okay. DP deserves a head coaching job. He's proven he can be successful in the right place.
Can he in this new landscape? He is a four year kinda guy with not much splash to show any recruit. Especially now that he failed here. I would say he could do TV but he isnt much of a talker. DIII is just right.
 

Walter

Hall of Famer
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GOLD SPONSOR
Dave is in his mid 50s. His only option will be returning to Williams, where he is a hero, to finish his career. Not sure the job will come open
 
I never much understood "the program is in such bad shape" like it's impossible to fix, or has to take years to fix.

The program was "in such bad shape" when Larranaga arrived too and the best thing he did was convince a prior recruit to stay.

And then the program wasn't in bad shape.

If you have a place like Fordham, I get the moniker, but in most places it's not like you necessarily have to always incrementally progress.

You just need to recruit. Would the program have been in such bad shape if DP brought in Livingston and Grayer and all Hewitt's recruits stayed? Not for long.

Now yes, I get that DP preferred to build through recruits, not transfers, but still...
 
Last edited:

mkaufman1

Administrator
Staff member
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
It's impossible to fight in the gold room, not enough room to throw a punch or kick.

If any of us are still alive for the remodel of EBA or a new arena, they definitely have to have a hospitality area big enough so that there can be some brawls to settle the disputes on here.
 

JimP

All-American
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
Dave is in his mid 50s. His only option will be returning to Williams, where he is a hero, to finish his career. Not sure the job will come open

Maybe he'll go back to my wife's alma mater, Lemoyne. They did beat Syracuse in an exhibition game a number of years back.

Binghamton University has an interim head coach for the upcoming season. Perhaps Paulsen takes a year off and then ends up there. I don't get why schools go the interim route.
 

GMU79

All-American
⭐️ Donor ⭐️
GIVING DAY 2023
Maybe he'll go back to my wife's alma mater, Lemoyne. They did beat Syracuse in an exhibition game a number of years back.

Binghamton University has an interim head coach for the upcoming season. Perhaps Paulsen takes a year off and then ends up there. I don't get why schools go the interim route.
I know most everyone here seems to think DP is done as a head coach. I get that times have changed...very suddenly...but still D2/D3 are completely different scenarios. He may rather be an asst at a D1 school without all the hassle of being the HC, but if he wants the head gig, I still think he can be successful at a lower level. You don't stop knowing how to coach overnight, and those young men need and deserve quality coaches too.
 
Top