Dave Paulsen ‘87
Head Men’s Basketball Coach

My coaching philosophy stems from my belief that a college education should be formational as well as informational, and that intercollegiate athletics is a co-curricular activity.  There are lessons to be learned, experiences to be gained, and important character traits to be forged that cannot be replicated in a classroom.  Student-athletes in our men’s basketball program learn the important values of discipline, persistence, sacrifice, and a commitment to excellence that are at the core of the college experience. 

We want our men’s basketball program to reflect the same quest for excellence that characterizes all of the College’s academic programs.  I want to challenge, stretch, push, and support our student-athletes so that at the end of their four years each one can say that he came as close to reaching his potential as possible.

The players on our team know that their academic success and engagement is their highest priority on campus.  Williams has a time-honored system of “The Division of the Day” which sets the hours of 4-7 p.m. aside for athletics practices and other extra-curricular pursuits.  No practice sessions conflict with classes or labs, and we take great care in scheduling our games to make sure we miss an absolute minimum of classes. 

On the court, we put great emphasis on player development and team building.  The first twenty minutes of each practice are dedicated to skill development, as I believe that “players win games, not plays.”  Our players have flourished under this approach, as evidenced by the many All- Conference, All- New England, and All-American selections over the years.  Several of our players have continued their careers overseas upon graduation from Williams.

As a team, we emphasize intense man-man defense and pride ourselves on our game preparation.  Offensively, our teams play an up-tempo style, emphasizing the fast break before employing a motion offense in the half-court.  We use several different alignments in our motion offense to take advantage of the strengths of our players on any given team.  Our teams have gained the reputation for utilizing the three point shot with great success, while always striving to get the ball inside for easy baskets. 

While our teams may look somewhat different from year to year, reflecting the unique nature of each group of student-athletes, we pride ourselves on certain hallmarks that will characterize every Williams basketball team.  We want our team to be the most passionate, the most committed, the most prepared, and the most unselfish of any team in the nation.  This commitment to these values is what has fueled our team success over the years, and has also been a transferable skill set that has helped our student-athletes achieve unparalleled successes after graduating from Williams.