On Monday, former Bucknell men's basketball coach Dave Paulsen signed a contract to become the head coach of George Mason. VAVEL USA got to ask former Bucknell player, and former Patriot League player of the year, Cameron Ayers a few questions about the time he spent with Coach Paulsen.
Q: In your years at Bucknell, what is yout most fond memory of Coach Paulsen?
A: Fondest memory of coach is just his personality. He's extremely passionate about coaching. What I liked is that he was a straight shooter and sometimes he would tell you what you didn't want to hear but it was the truth and I liked that. He could get on you and be your coach but once practice or a game was over he could be silly and have fun and I really enjoyed how he could go back and forth. He was a great coach and we had a lot of success, so it was definitely an enjoyable experience!
Q: What was one piece of advice that Coach Paulsen was always giving you on the court?
A: One thing I learned from coach senior year was just to always be positive and keep leading. I always had guys above me who took more of a leadership role vocally and I was more of a leader by example. Senior year I had to become vocal as well and always remain positive even if the team was losing because if they ever saw me down or not working hard, then they would do the same. So coach would always reinforce that I was doing a good job and it was good to know that I was trying to be the best teammate even when things weren't always going our way.
Q: During your time at Bucknell, were there any assistant coaches who seemed like they would make a great head coach some day?
A: I think all the assistants would make great head coaches one day. Coach (Dane) Fischer being the associate head coach I think would be a good fit for Bucknell's next coach. Me and him became very close because he worked with me everyday being the guard coach and he heavily recruited me.
Q: Even though you are now in the D-League, does Coach Paulsen still stay in touch with you (and other former players)?
A: Yea we still keep in touch and he will check in to make sure I'm doing okay. I was lucky enough to get a weekend off in February so I got to see Bucknell play at Army and I saw coach after the game and chatted a little bit. He is a very hands-on guy and has helped me throughout the whole (process) of becoming a pro and I really appreciated that. I'm sure he still talks to a lot of my teammates as well!
From what Ayers had to say, it seems like Coach Paulsen will make a great head coach at George Mason. Ayers also seemed confident in Bucknell's current coaching staff to step up and fill the void left by Dave Paulsen, who surely was a great coach in his seven seasons at Bucknell.