Courtesy Bucknell/Williams Sports Information

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Dave Paulsen, a two-time National Coach of the Year who led Williams College to the 2003 Division III national championship, has been selected as the head men’s basketball coach at Bucknell.

Williams will conduct a nationwide search to replace the long-time coach.

Paulsen, was the only active Division III coach in the country to be named National Coach of the Year twice, when he completed his eighth and final season (2007-08) at the helm of the Williams program. Paulsen, a 1987 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams, has guided his teams to a record of 170-53 (.762), two Final Four appearances, one NCAA Championship (2003) and one second place finish (2004). Williams teams won three NESCAC championships in Paulsen's tenure (2003, 2004, 2007) and he has been recognized by his coaching peers as the Division III National Coach of the Year (2003 & 2004), NESCAC Coach of the Year (2003, 2004 & 2007) and New England Coach of the Year (2003 & 2004).

Paulsen's teams were known for their defensive intensity and fundamentally sound approach to the game. The 2004 team was the top-rated defensive team in the country (field goal percentage defense) and among the top five rebounding teams in the nation. The 2003 team was the top-ranked rebounding team in the nation and among the top five nationally in field goal percentage defense. All of Paulsen's teams have consistently ranked among the nation's elite in fewest turnovers per game.

Paulsen earned a reputation as an innovative offensive strategist. He has produced two nationally acclaimed instructional DVD's ("Ten Offensive Principles for the Adaptable Motion Offense," 2005, and "Motion Offense for Beginners" 2006), and is in frequent demand as a clinician throughout the United States and internationally.

He consulted with the men's basketball coaching staffs at the University of Virginia and the University of Rhode Island prior to the 2006-2007 season and both programs exceeded pre-season expectations and improved significantly in most offensive categories. He has been a guest clinician for the Portugese Basketball Coaches Association on two occasions, has spoken at the state high school coaches clinics in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York, and is one of a handful of small college coaches to speak at the highly acclaimed Nike Coaches Clinics.

Players have thrived with Paulsen's commitment to player development and an up-tempo offensive attack. Two players have received recognition as first-team All-Americans, three players have received first-team All-NESCAC recognition, two individuals have been named NESCAC Defensive player of the Year, and five players have gone on to play professionally overseas in the seven years that Paulsen has been the Williams coach.

Prior to returning to his alma mater, Paulsen was the head basketball coach at Le Moyne College for three years and the head coach at St. Lawrence University for three seasons. He spent four years as the top assistant at Division I Cleveland State University and a year as a graduate assistant at the University of Michigan. Paulsen began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant to long-time Williams Coach Harry Sheehy in 1988 after a year in the prep school ranks.