George Mason hires Bucknell's Paulsen as coach

Mar 30, 2015 - 10:44 PM Fairfax, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - George Mason hired Dave Paulsen as its head men's basketball coach on Monday, bringing in the three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year to replace Paul Hewitt.

Paulsen coached Bucknell for the past seven seasons, leading the Bison to a 134-94 record and two berths in the NCAA Tournament.

Under Paulsen, Bucknell became the first team in Patriot League history to win three consecutive regular-season titles.

George Mason athletic director Brad Edwards called him a "proven winner" and pointed out Paulsen's recruitment of current NBA player Mike Muscala.

"Combine all that with his superb academic pedigree, and we have a coach who is a perfect fit to execute our vision for a sustainable elite basketball program," Edwards said in a statement.

Hewitt was fired March 16, four years after taking over for Jim Larranaga. The Patriots went 66-67 in his four seasons, never making the NCAA Tournament after Larranaga led them to five berths in 14 seasons, including a trip to the Final Four.

George Mason was 9-22 this past season, including a 4-14 mark in the Atlantic 10.

The Bison went 19-15 in Paulsen's last season at the helm, including 13-5 in the Patriot League. They lost to Temple in the first round of the NIT.