Dave Paulsen coached at Williams for eight full seasons. He left on May 20th, 2008 to become the head coach at Bucknell University.

Dave 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 (Syracuse, NY) for three years and the head coach at St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY) 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.

Paulsen and his wife Kathy reside in Williamstown and are the proud parents of three daughters.

8 years at Williams, 170-53 (.762)

2003 NCAA CHAMPIONS (1st New England team to win NCAA Div. III title)

2004 Second Place NCAA Tournament

2003 Northeast/East NCAA Regional Champions

2004 Northeast/East NCAA Regional Champions

2003 NESCAC Champions

2004 NESCAC Champions

2007 NESCAC Champions

2003 NABC National Div. III Coach of the Year

2004 NABC National Div. III Coach of the Year

2003 DIII News/Molten National Coach of the Year

2003 NABC Northeast Div. III Coach of the Year

2003 NESCAC Coach of the Year

2004 NESCAC Coach of the Year

2007 NESCAC Coach of the Year 

2001 ECAC-New England Champions

NCAA Tournament (10-3, .769) :
2007 -- 0-1
2004 -- 4-1
2003 -- 5-0
2002 -- 1-1

Overall Record: 245-112, (.686)

Williams: 153-45 (.773) 2001--
LeMoyne (Div. II): 42-39 (.519) 1998-2000
St. Lawrence: 50-28 (.641) 1995-97
 

Dale Wellman is entering his second season as an assistant with the Ephs. Prior to arriving at Williams, Wellman served on the staff at Eastern Kentucky University for two seasons.  In 2004-05, he served as a graduate assistant coach on the EKU team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 22-9 record.  The following season, Wellman was the administrative assistant for Jeff Neubauer at EKU.

Before arriving at Eastern Kentucky, Wellman spent time as an assistant coach at both Union (N.Y.) and Kenyon Colleges. Wellman helped Union’s 2003-04 team go 20-8 overall and reach the finals of the ECAC Upstate Postseason Tournament.

Wellman earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of the South (Sewanee, TN) in 1999, where he played varsity basketball and baseball. The Tigers twice earned a bid to the Division III NCAA Basketball Tournament with Wellman on the team. He was named to the basketball Academic All-Conference (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) team in 1998.  As an outfielder on the baseball field, Wellman was named to the All-Conference and Academic All-Conference teams in 1998.

Wellman completed his master’s in sports administration from Eastern Kentucky University in 2006. He recently was married to the former Lori Farrell and resides in Williamstown.

Aaron Kelly enters his first year on the Eph coaching staff after spending the 2006-2007 campaign as an assistant basketball coach at Clarkson University.  In his one year at the Potsdam, NY school, Kelly helped guide the Golden Knights to one of the finest seasons in the program's history, qualifying for the ECAC post-season tournament. 

Kelly, a four-year letterwinner at perennial Division III power Catholic University, captained the Cardinals his senior season.  In his four years at Catholic, the team qualified for three NCAA Division III tournament apperarances. 

Kelly is a native of Syracuse, NY and attended West Genessee High School and St. Thomas More Academy in Connecticut.  He is single and resides in Williamstown.