Maurice Joseph has joined Dave Paulsen’s staff at George Mason as an assistant basketball coach.
Joseph brings a wealth of high-level playing, coaching and recruiting experience to the Patriot program, including a three-year tenure as the head coach at George Washington.
In his first season as head coach at George Washington, Joseph guided the team to 20 wins and an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). He joined the staff at GW in 2011 under the direction of Mike Lonergan and helped the Colonials advance to the NCAA Tournament and earn two NIT berths, including the 2016 NIT Championship.
Across his eight seasons at GW – including the last three as head coach – Joseph played a key role in developing three players who went on to earn roster spots in the NBA. He coached Olympian and NBA player Patricio Garino, as well as, Tyler Cavanaugh, who played for the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz, and guard Yuta Watanabe who is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies organization.
A Montreal, Quebec native, Joseph began his collegiate playing career at Michigan State under Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo in 2005 and helped the Spartans make two NCAA Tournament appearances. He transferred to Vermont in 2007 and led the Catamounts to 24 wins in 2009 and 25 wins in 2010, including an America East Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. That season, Joseph was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.9 ppg) while shooting a career-best .374 (77-206) from 3-point range. He also ranked second in the America East in free throw percentage (.848) in 2009-10.
Joseph also had a decorated prep career at Champlain-St. Lambert in Montreal, where as a senior in 2005, he was named Canada’s National Player of the Year. He recently wrapped up his tenure as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson,before joining the Patriot staff.
“I am thrilled to be joining Coach Paulsen’s staff and the George Mason program,” Joseph said. “I have always admired the toughness and preparedness of his teams in years of coaching against them, so it is an honor to now be able to compete in the A-10 as a Patriot. Thank you to Coach Paulsen and Brad Edwards for this tremendous opportunity. I look forward to serving our student-athletes and joining the George Mason Community!”
“I have a great respect for Maurice, forged over many years when he was first an assistant and then rival head coach at GW,” Paulsen said. “His teams always played with great passion, energy and execution, and he always carried himself with a level of professionalism and respect. We’ve become even closer in the past year and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join our staff. He brings a perfect blend of experience and expertise, combined with humility and a willingness to do whatever it takes to help our team.”
