New Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dave Paulsen. Photo by Alexis Glenn.
By Melanie Balog
Dave Paulsen looked directly at the members of the men’s basketball team who came to his inaugural press conference Wednesday morning and told them this:
“You didn’t choose me, but I chose you,” he said. “We’re going to build great things together.”
George Mason University announced today that three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Dave Paulsen has been hired as the 10th men’s basketball head coach in program history. Photo by Craig Bisacre.
Paulsen, who brings a 21-year career as head coach to his new role at George Mason University, said he’s confident the university can field a team that can be a force on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
“This is a place that can create academic and athletic excellence,” Paulsen said.
That echoed sentiments from George Mason President Ángel Cabrera and Athletic Director Brad Edwards.
“For George Mason, basketball is clearly the front door to our university. It is what many people see first,” Cabrera said. “Basketball really amplifies what we are, it amplifies what we do: A world-class public research university that can be a slam dunk on the basketball court just like we are in all of our learning environments.”
Edwards said he couldn’t help smiling when saying Paulsen’s name, citing his charisma, energy and passion for the job.
“Dave is going to be a fabulous and terrific fit here,” Edwards said, calling him both a skilled developer of talent and a tremendous teacher.
Like Edwards, Paulsen realizes the pivotal role a coach can play in the players’ lives.
“The best part of my job is the relationships I develop with my student-athletes,” Paulsen said, noting that he gets them for two hours a day, six days a week, for four years.
He also reminded those in attendance at the Patriot Center of his flexibility and adaptability.
“I changed my offensive philosophy three times at Bucknell,” where he led the Bison to two NCAA appearances and two NITS in the past five years of his career there.
Paulsen is Mason’s 10th head basketball coach. He and his wife, Kathy, have three daughters: Claire, 20; Sara, 16; and Molly, 13.
For more information, go to gomason.com.