George Mason basketball head coach Dave Paulsen announced Thursday that Pete Hutchins will join his staff as an assistant coach.
Hutchins brings a diverse background of experience to the Patriot program which includes assistant coach tenures at the NCAA Div. I and Div. III levels, as well as nearly a decade as a prep school head coach. He is known throughout the coaching ranks for expertise in the areas of recruiting and player development, and previously served as an assistant coach under Paulsen at Williams College in 2006-07.
“I am so excited to work with Pete again,” Paulsen said. “It has been fun to watch him grow as a teacher, coach and recruiter. He did a fantastic job as the head coach at New Hampton and made an immediate impact at Dartmouth. He has a unique blend of head coaching experience, player development expertise, and recruiting contacts and relationships which span the globe. He will immediately form great relationships with our current student-athletes, help them improve on the court and enhance our ability to recruit the next generation of Patriots. I can’t wait to start working with him.”
Hutchins comes to Fairfax after a three-year stint at Dartmouth College, where he worked as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach. This past season, Hutchins helped guide Dartmouth to a KenPom team ranking that was 79 spots higher than 2017-18 while mentoring second-team All-Ivy League selection Chris Knight.
Prior to his tenure at Dartmouth, Hutchins served as the head coach at his alma mater, the New Hampton School (N.H.), for nine seasons. In 2015-16, he was named the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) AAA Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to a 21-8 record, and twice he led New Hampton to the NEPSAC AAA Championship game (2011 and 2014).
While at the New Hampton School, three of his players were selected in the NBA Draft — Noah Vonleh (Indiana University, ninth overall in 2014), Tyler Lydon (Syracuse University, 24th overall in 2017) and Olivier Hanlan (Boston College, 42nd overall in 2015).
Vonleh was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2014 at Indiana, while Hanlan earned ACC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-ACC accolades during his time at BC. Lydon garnered All-ACC and All-District merit while at Syracuse and helped lead the Orange to the Final Four as a freshman in 2016.
In addition, Hutchins produced future Notre Dame All-ACC forward Zach Auguste, who helped lead the Fighting Irish to two Elite Eights, four NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2015 ACC Tournament title.
Former Hutchins player at New Hampton Elijah Bryant went on to earn CAA Rookie of the Year honors at Elon in 2015 and garnered All-WCC First Team accolades in 2018 after transferring to BYU. Hutchins also coached Will Ryman, who went on to be named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year at Colgate in 2017 before leading the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA Tournament while earning All-Patriot League Second Team honors.
During his time at New Hampton, Hutchins also mentored players who went on to play for Gonzaga, Kansas and a number of other elite college basketball institutions.
“I want to thank Coach Paulsen, Brad Edwards and the entire George Mason community for the opportunity to be a part of the Patriot men’s basketball program,” Hutchins said. “I can’t express enough thanks to Coach McLaughlin for all I learned from him during my time at Dartmouth. I’m looking forward to building on what Coach Paulsen has already established in Fairfax. Dave has always won and done things the right way. I believe I can help him build something special here and I’m excited to get to work.”
With Paulsen and Hutchins together at Williams in 2006-07, the Ephs won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship, and the players Hutchins helped recruit for the class of 2011 eventually played in consecutive Division III Final Fours and a national championship game.
After studying for one year at the University of New Hampshire, Hutchins completed his bachelor of arts in history at Plymouth State in 2005. A team captain during his senior season, he also helped the Panthers to a school-best 24-6 record and the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament as a junior.
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