The Official Dave Paulsen and Brad Edwards Speculation Thread

[sleeperpick]

Obviously speculating, but in my opinion BE was hired to either bring football to
Mason or to shut down the possibility of football. Football is clearly off the table. Our flagship athletics program is a joke. So why keep BE at this point.

I highly doubt it man

 

[GMUgemini]

Obviously speculating, but in my opinion BE was hired to either bring football to
Mason or to shut down the possibility of football. Football is clearly off the table. Our flagship athletics program is a joke. So why keep BE at this point.

BE was brought in because he was able to increase donations at Jacksonville by 75% while he was there and because he had local connections with a legendary local coach and the university probably thought those connections would equal lots of money. I really don't think football was part of the calculus at all, TOC quashed that before he left.

As for men's soccer, it was really up and down under Andrulis, who had been at Mason since 2005. Whatever sauce he brought to some of those teams had long since lost its flavor.

Edit: And speaking of the men's soccer team, their roster hasn't been updated since last year (I know fall sports have been cancelled, but still, the new guys should be on campus, yes?). We never got any word on Bolowich's first recruiting class.

 

[gmujim92]

Easy to forget how far behind we were on infrastructure when Edwards took over. Even upgrading the scoreboard and lights at EBA and renovating the Cage gym are significant accomplishments given Mason’s history of paltry investment in athletics.

That said, ADs are judged almost entirely on fundraising and hiring coaches for revenue-producing sports. If Dave doesn’t get it done this season and Brad either can’t or won’t move on, that would be a huge mark against his resume.

 

[sleeperpick]

Easy to forget how far behind we were on infrastructure when Edwards took over. Even upgrading the scoreboard and lights at EBA and renovating the Cage gym are significant accomplishments given Mason’s history of paltry investment in athletics.

That said, ADs are judged almost entirely on fundraising and hiring coaches for revenue-producing sports. If Dave doesn’t get it done this season and Brad either can’t or won’t move on, that would be a huge mark against his resume.

The cage gym pre renovation is better infrastructure than the gyms Fordham and Lasalle currently play their games in

 

[gmujim92]

The cage gym pre renovation is better infrastructure than the gyms Fordham and Lasalle currently play their games in

That’s not who we should want to be comparing ourselves to.

 

[Patriot8]

Easy to forget how far behind we were on infrastructure when Edwards took over. Even upgrading the scoreboard and lights at EBA and renovating the Cage gym are significant accomplishments given Mason’s history of paltry investment in athletics.

That said, ADs are judged almost entirely on fundraising and hiring coaches for revenue-producing sports. If Dave doesn’t get it done this season and Brad either can’t or won’t move on, that would be a huge mark against his resume.

Looking from far away, I don't have a huge problem with Brad outside of the basketball hire not working out. Dave was a solid choice, and it just hasn't panned out like everyone had hoped. Dave has run a clean program, found some success in a league that was a step up for us, and Brad has assisted with funding for facility upgrades and such. If this coming season goes how most feel it will, Brad will need to step up and make an extremely consequential hire for both himself and the program.

 

[sleeperpick]

That’s not who we should want to be comparing ourselves to.

Lasalle still kicking our a** with recruitment LOL

 

[GMUgemini]

Lasalle still kicking our a** with recruitment LOL

Too many A10 teams have Mason targets on their roster (to include La Salle — Anwar Gill and Tegra Izay). Reynolds going to St. Joes is a nut punch to this coaching staff.

 

[tblack33]

Too many A10 teams have Mason targets on their roster (to include La Salle — Anwar Gill and Tegra Izay). Reynolds going to St. Joes is a nut punch to this coaching staff.

Yeah it sucks enough to miss kids at the top of your list, but to have to see them 3x a year and watch them develop into all conference, that blows.

 

[gmujim92]

Yeah it sucks enough to miss kids at the top of your list, but to have to see them 3x a year and watch them develop into all conference, that blows.

Is there somebody we’ve whiffed on who has gone on to be all A-10? I can’t remember anyone but it’s Monday.

 

[tblack33]

Is there somebody we’ve whiffed on who has gone on to be all A-10? I can’t remember anyone but it’s Monday.

Not that I know of yet, mainly because we weren't competing for guys with A10 schools 3 years ago, but I'm sure a couple of these kids from the last two years are trending that way.

 

[gmujim92]

Not that I know of yet, mainly because we weren't competing for guys with A10 schools 3 years ago, but I'm sure a couple of these kids from the last two years are trending that way.

Now that I think more about it, the one I know for sure Dave desperately wanted was Dowtin. He would’ve been a huge get.

 

[tblack33]

Now that I think more about it, the one I know for sure Dave desperately wanted was Dowtin. He would’ve been a huge get.

Completely forgot that we'd gone after him tbh. Damn he could have been the difference between turning the corner and where we are now lol.

 

[sleeperpick]

Is there somebody we’ve whiffed on who has gone on to be all A-10? I can’t remember anyone but it’s Monday.

Jamison Battle was Mars teammate in high school and we didn’t offer and he was All A-10 freshman team and looked better than even freshman Mar this year
Jeff Dowtin- tried and failed. All conference two years

all I know off top of my head

any transfer like Ryan Daley, Blake Francis, anyone that transferred up a conference that Paulsen didn’t care to offer because he wanted to develop an unknown project player

 

[gmujim92]

Completely forgot that we'd gone after him tbh. Damn he could have been the difference between turning the corner and where we are now lol.

Kier wound up being just as good, if not better, but it sure would’ve been nice to have both.

We also lost out on Langevine to URI but I don’t know how close we came to getting him.

 

[gmujim92]

To be fair, when Dowtin and Langevine picked URI, they were coming off back to back NCAAs with Danny Hurley and we were coming out of the play-in games. Can’t really blame them.

 

[GMUgemini]

Jamison Battle was Mars teammate in high school and we didn’t offer and he was All A-10 freshman team and looked better than even freshman Mar this year
Jeff Dowtin- tried and failed. All conference two years

all I know off top of my head

any transfer like Ryan Daley, Blake Francis, anyone that transferred up a conference that Paulsen didn’t care to offer because he wanted to develop an unknown project player

Using A10 Talk's top 100 rankings of A10 players, I've compiled the following list using VerbalCommits, 247 Sports, ESPN etc:

Jeff Dowtin
Cyril Langevine
Nick Sherod

Are three I can see.

I think a few other prospects transferred from their initial A10 school and are now in P5 leagues.

Also, as much as Jermaine Harris has struggled at URI, I'd take him on our roster (and we didn't even offer him -- local, 4 star big).

 

[gmujim92]

Using A10 Talk's top 100 rankings of A10 players, I've compiled the following list using VerbalCommits, 247 Sports, ESPN etc:

Jeff Dowtin
Cyril Langevine
Nick Sherod

Are three I can see.

I think a few other prospects transferred from their initial A10 school and are now in P5 leagues.

Also, as much as Jermaine Harris has struggled at URI, I'd take him on our roster (and we didn't even offer him -- local, 4 star big).

We were never in the game with Sherod or especially Harris, who was going to URI all the way. He was tight with Cox.

 

[GMUgemini]

You know what’ll also be interesting is GW has Paar with a similar game and body type as Oduro in the same class and UMass has a freshman PF that was a target of ours (Dominquez) with the exact same body type as Henry in the same class. Will be interesting to track those players and compare them after four years.

 

[Petey Buckets]

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?