Bucknell Men's Basketball Coaching Staff Set

June 10, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - New Bucknell head men's basketball coach Dave Paulsen announced the remainder of his staff on Tuesday. Dane Fischer, Tim Sweeney and Michael Cotton have joined the program as assistant coaches, while Aaron Kelly has been named manager of basketball operations.

"I am thrilled with this staff," said Paulsen. "Most important, these are guys who are going to be terrific mentors and role models for the student-athletes at Bucknell. They really embody what we want from our team: pursuing athletic excellence at the same time as pursuing academic excellence. In addition to being great mentors, they are going to be tremendous coaches on the floor, and they are going to be outstanding recruiters because they are outgoing, bright and articulate. They are passionate about blending academic and athletic excellence and really valuing what Bucknell is all about."

Fischer, a 2002 Ithaca College graduate and a two-year captain on the Bombers' basketball team, has been an assistant coach at Rider for the last three seasons. In 2007-08 he helped lead the Broncs to a school-record 23 victories and a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular-season championship. In addition to his on-court duties, Fischer served as the program's recruiting coordinator. He brought two all-conference performers to the Lawrenceville, N.J., campus, and he helped land a top-200-rated recruit - one of the highest-rated in program history - during the November early signing period.

Fischer was also Rider's scheduling coordinator, oversaw fundraising initiatives such as a golf outing and fall booster drive, directed a summer camp comprised of over 800 kids and 50 coaches, and implemented a digital video editing system.

From 2003-05, Fischer was an assistant coach on Paulsen's staff at Williams. In those two seasons, Williams went 46-11 and finished as the national runner-up in 2004. At Ithaca, Fischer graduated with a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance and a minor in economics. He was a three-year starting point guard and helped lead the Bombers to an ECAC Upstate New York championship, and Empire Eight League title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He was named team MVP and honorable mention all-conference, and he was the recipient of the Congdon Award, given to the player that best exemplifies what Ithaca College basketball represents. A native of Minnesota, he graduated ranked among the top 10 in program history in career assists and steals.

"I am really excited to be reunited with Dane," said Paulsen. "He did a phenomenal job for me at Williams, and he has done great things at Rider during his time there. He has headed up recruiting and helped Rider have a great year. Dane is going to be a star in the profession. He has a great basketball mind and has shown a great rapport with the student-athletes, alumni and campus administration. I am going to be leaning on him a ton."

Sweeney is a 2003 graduate of the University of Rochester, and for the last two seasons he has been an assistant coach at Davidson College, one of the nation's best mid-major programs. In his two seasons on Bob McKillop's staff, Sweeney was part of a Wildcats program that went 58-12, won a pair of Southern Conference titles, and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. This past season, led by Wooden Award finalist Stephen Curry, Davidson advanced all the way to the Elite Eight.

Tim Sweeney helped Davidson reach the Elite Eight last season.

In addition to his daily game execution, scouting and player development roles, Sweeney coordinated Davidson's recruiting efforts, co-directed the team's summer camp, managed team travel and edited the team newsletter.

From 2003-06, Sweeney was an assistant coach at Rochester, his alma mater. During that time the team produced a 66-16 record and captured University Athletic Association championships in 2004 and 2005. The Yellowjackets advanced to the Division III national title game in 2005 and made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004.

As a player at Rochester, Sweeney was a four-year All-UAA guard and team captain as a junior and senior. He helped lead his teams to a combined 77-30 record along with a trip to the Division III Final Four in 2002 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2003. He ranks among the top 10 in school history in assists, 3-point field goals and free-throw percentage. Sweeney was also a three-time UAA All-Academic Team member and served as vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He graduated cum laude with a degree in political science.

"Tim has had two great years on the Davidson staff," Paulsen said. "In my opinion, Bucknell and Davidson are the two smaller, academically focused schools who have proven the ability to win games in the NCAA Tournament in the last several years. I knew Tim as a player at the University of Rochester. He was a very heady point guard, and he did a great job as an assistant at Rochester. He is going to be a dynamic coach on the floor and a dynamic recruiter for us."

A former Division I basketball standout at Oklahoma and Boston College, Cotton comes to Bucknell from Durham, N.C., where he was head basketball coach at Kestrel Heights School and owner of Complete Player Development, LLC, a basketball instructional training program for players from elementary school through college. In 2007-08, Cotton led his Kestrel Heights team to the Central Carolina Athletic League regular-season title and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament, while also teaching algebra and science.

Michael Cotton played college basketball at Oklahoma and Boston College.

From 2005-07, Cotton was the head varsity basketball coach at Western Vance High School in Henderson, N.C. In addition to teaching algebra, he coached his team to a league title and an undefeated conference record. Cotton also coached at the prep level at Bonner Academy in Raleigh, N.C., in 2003-04. A year later he served as coordinator of Communities in Schools of Wake County, a program that served middle and high school students in the Raleigh area who were serving long-term suspensions from school.

Since graduating from Boston College with a degree in biopsychology in 2000, Cotton has also spent time working in the business and technical fields, and he has been quite active in AAU basketball in North Carolina. From 2001-03 he was head coach of the Garner Road YMCA AAU team; he was associate head coach of the Carolina Cougars from 2003-05; and he was head coach of the United Celtics in 2006-07, helping the 14-and-under team qualify for the Division I AAU National Championships.

The son of a U.S. Air Force serviceman, Cotton was born in Detroit, spent parts of his childhood in Texas, the Philippines, New Mexico and Alaska, and attended high school in Arkansas. His collegiate basketball career began at Oklahoma, and he transferred to Boston College following his sophomore year. As a 6'4" guard, Cotton was a starter for the Eagles during both his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a junior and had a career-high 24-point game against Pittsburgh. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds during his senior year. At Oklahoma, Cotton was named Big 12 Student of the Week and a Sooner Scholar, and he was a member of the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

"Mike Cotton comes extremely highly recommended from one of my closest friends in coaching, Pat Duquette, who is the associate head coach at Boston College," said Paulsen. "The minute I was hired at Bucknell, Pat said, `I've got the guy who is going to be a star in the profession.' Mike is the one member of the staff who I did not know previously, but after spending time with him, I knew quickly he was a slam dunk. He was a very good player and student at Boston College. He is very personable and knowledgeable, and I like the fact that he spent the last few years working as a high school coach and cultivating some contacts in North Carolina. He is going to be a terrific asset to us."

Kelly takes over as Bucknell's manager of basketball operations after serving as an assistant coach under Paulsen at Williams last season. Kelly served as the Ephs' head junior varsity basketball coach in addition to his varsity duties in recruiting, scouting, player development, strength and conditioning and summer camp organization.

In 2006-07, Kelly was an assistant coach at Clarkson University, where he was part of a Golden Knights team that finished with a winning record (14-12).

Kelly is a 2006 graduate of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He was a member of Cardinals teams that were consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally and produced a four-year record of 89-28. Kelly was elected team captain as a senior, and his team appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2003, 2004 and 2006. A Capital Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree, Kelly graduated with a degree in history.

Aaron Kelly was an assistant to Dave Paulsen at Williams last season.

"I had the good fortune of working with Aaron last year," said Paulsen. "Aaron has all the intangibles to be an outstanding coach, in terms of work ethic and charisma and personality. He just needs a little seasoning, and he is going to be a great one. He brings great energy and efficiency in his role as manager of basketball operations."

"One thing that is very striking is that all of these guys came from very successful programs," said Paulsen. "Rider had one of its best seasons ever last year, and Dane was instrumental in that. Davidson had a magical run and was within a basket of going to the Final Four, and Tim got to experience that with them. Mike Cotton played on some very good teams at Boston College and has been a successful high school coach. Aaron Kelly has been with me [at Williams] and also played at Catholic University, which went to the NCAA Tournament three times while he was there.

Paulsen was announced as Bucknell's 20th head men's basketball coach on May 20 after leading Williams to the top of the Division III ranks. In eight years at Williams, he guided the Ephs to a 170-53 (.762) record, including a combined 61-3 mark in 2002-03 and 2003-04. His team captured the 2003 national championship and was the national runner-up in 2004.

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