The Blade

[Wayne23]

11/20/’32: 86-64 over St. John’s. 7 in double figures, 2 others close. A real team effort.

72-71 over Duke. This was a war and our bench won it- 41 points, 13 RBs, 9 assists. Starting back court was not playing well, Vern was in foul trouble all night. We are DEEP!

At #20 Temple, 2-1, then home with 0-1 Syracuse.

11/27/’32: 71-58 at #20 Temple. 35, 20, 3 for the bench. Yes, we’re talking about changes.

83-67 over Syracuse here. Vern has been in foul trouble in every game except the first. No clue what’s going on with that. Centers don’t usually have this issue, and he didn’t have it last year. 33, 5, 4 for Shep King. 25, 14, 3 for the bench.

Home all week. First it’s #13 GA Tech, 3-0, then #12 Mississippi ST, 3-2.

The staff met. We made some big adjustments inside and some small ones outside.

I love the convenience of life as a transfer. No time wasted on travel or on any of the other “transition” activities that take up so much time on Earth. No trips to the bathroom, ever (Imagine how much better this is for women 4-5 days a month.), showering and bathing are optional, sleep takes up maybe 45-60 minutes a day. I always feel fresh and alert except for a very brief time before my sleep periods. I don’t need to shave or shampoo. Food prep takes seconds and the food comes out at just the right temp. So just about every moment of life as a transfer is spent doing things I love doing- work, family, reading, recreation…

We MUST find a way to get away though. The “Angels FOR Jesus” people are absolutely crazy, dangerously so. The location of the “rock” is a very closely guarded secret, and there are always guards placed around the site, but unobtrusively so that they give nothing away. Still, one convert can change all of that and they continue to convert people.

“Papa Joe, why don’t we just transfer the “Angels FOR Jesus” people and put them in their own ‘rock’ or whatever.”

“Many possible solutions are under discussion, Alvin.”

“We need to get out of here soon- now!”

“Yes, Alvin, we are aware of this.”

“Then why-”

“Alvin, you must trust that we are doing all that we can. Everyone is aware of the danger, and of the need for a rapid solution. There are differences regarding which solution to implement. Every possible step is being taken to insure our safety.”

“But you can’t-”

“No, I cannot guarantee anything.”

12/4/’32: Crushed at home by #13 GA Tech, 59-75. We looked like an old Three Stooges routine, bumping into each other, missing well thrown passes- I swear one guy tripped over the foul line. 14, 13 for Vern. We reduced his minutes, and it worked. Irv Shea picked up many of them and he had 16. Our guards did not play well.

80-62 over #12 MS ST three nights later. Guards in foul trouble all night long again but the bench saved us, 18, 6 for Shea, 32, 8, 9 for the bench as a whole. We are obviously still a work in progress. When we find the right combination, and when we jell, we’ll be fine.

This week we’re at #17 Indiana, 4-2, and we host 7-0, #1 Alabama.

Mai reports that her research is breaking new ground at high speed. Being able to work in a fully equipped lab in space is a tremendous asset, and the fact that all of the best astrophysicists are here and working alone and together is a huge factor.

12/11/’32: [B]76-61 at #17 Indiana. 5 in doubles, Vern and Rod with 12 RBs each and 10 for Irv Shea, +18 RBs. 21, 12, 5 for the bench.

69-46 over #1 Alabama here.[/B] We were terrific! I need to find a way to get Irv Shea more minutes. He simply dominated tonight, 21, 11, 3 blocks, all in 26 minutes against the #1 team in the country. 11, 13 for Vern. +18 RBs again.

We host #17 UNLV, 6-2, then “travel” to Michigan ST, 2-5.

Irv Shea will now be getting Ad Flow’s minutes.

12/18/’32: 65-45 over #17 UNLV. Great D. Irv continues to be terrific. We had 44 RBs, 12 TOs.

81-73 at Mich. ST. 26 for Shep, 16, 11 for Vern. 8 TOs.

We host #2 Maryland, 10-1, in our last pre-conf. game.

They found us, and they very nearly got us. I don’t know all of the details but one of the guards converted to Angels FOR Jesus. Their leader, Elwood Sain, convinced the guard to stay quiet about it and to find a time when he could grab the “rock” and bring it to Elwood, who would be waiting with the other fanatics, all armed with blunt weapons to smash us into tiny pieces.

Fortunately the guard did not get clean away. Another guard saw him hurrying off and grew suspicious. He sounded the alarm and followed. It got pretty complicated I guess, but 6 people lost their lives including both of those guards and 4 AFJ members. The rock was dented but undamaged, and all of the AFJ leaders are under arrest. So now, as far as is known, there are 153 AFJ members, 12 of them in the prison cells on board. The cells were a last minute addition. No one thought they would ever need to be used and they almost didn’t make the final cut.

“Now what?”

“I am not certain, Alvin. We will probably postpone our exit for a short time to help the ship’s leaders to resolve all of this.”

“I’m sorry but that’s crazy, Papa Joe. We’re in too much danger.”

“I do not feel we can abandon our friends at this time.”

“Look, launch the rock. Let it hover nearby if need be. We can help them but if things turn to crap we can also get out of here.”

“That is an interesting possibility. I will bring it to our council.”

12/25/’32: 75-58 over #2 Maryland. A team effort with 9 guys contributing. 9 TOs, 38 RBs.

We end pre-conf. play at 10-1. We’ve beaten a #1, a #2, and a #3 team, we have the #1 RPI in the country, and we’re rated #5?

We host #8 Oregon, 11-1, to start conf. play.

We’re off the ship. We used what I thought was a fairly obvious decoy procedure with a huge guard contingency guarding… nothing. Angels FOR Jesus fell for it, attacked en masse, and we used the diversion to launch the rock into space from a completely different part of the ship. 89 AFJ members are now in areas converted into prison facilities. The other 52 members recanted their beliefs at some point after the previous attack, and they seem to have meant it. This is still a huge problem. What is to be done with 101 (89 plus the other 12 who were already imprisoned) dissidents? Papa Joe and his council have agreed to remain out of visual range of the ship but close enough to confer.

[Wayne23]

Had another one of "those" games. 73-24 over Oregon ST. I have a powerhouse, they were 2-12, but still.

[Wayne23]

And another one. 74-34 over a 7-13 team.

[Wayne23]

1/1/2033: 74-59 over #8 Oregon. 23, 10 for Irv.

At 6-6 AZ ST, then home with #23 Stanford, 9-3.

57 more AFJ members have recanted. They seem sincere and they were released. Elwood Sain is apparently furious with those who have left the movement and he vows “heavenly vengeance” will find them. He and the 43 other “faithful” remain incarcerated.

1/8/’33: 72-54 at AZ ST. 17, 11, 2, 2 for Vern, 15, 14 for Rod. 47 RBs.

76-48 over #23 Stanford. 18, 13, 2, 1, 4 for Vern. 43 RBs.

2-12 Oregon ST is here, then we go to 11-4 Cal.

8 more have recanted.

“I am not certain that I trust that everyone who has recanted is sincere.”

“I agree Papa Joe. But what can be done?”

“They are being watched, unobtrusively.”

1/15/’33: 73-24 over Oregon ST. Insane. 21, 9 for Vern. Sub guard Sol Lay had his best game ever for us, 15, 8, 3. Bench continues to give us big production.

73-60 at Cal. 20, 12 for Irv Shea.

Wash ST, 9-7, 2-3, is here, then we’re off to 6-10, 3-2 Wash.

1/22/’33: 85-46 over Wash. St. 22, 3, 7 for Shep King, 14 each for Irv and Mike Dix. 7 TOs.

86-74 at Wash. We never trailed but managed to get a 25 point lead down to 12 at the end. 24, 7 for Irv, 22 for Shep, 17, 5 for Mike. 33 RBs, 12 TOs.

At 4-14, 1-6 Utah, then we host 7-11, 3-4 USC. After that it’s 3 potentially challenging games in a row.

1/25/’33: Jailbreak! There isn’t much in the way of weaponry on the ship. There are no guns, swords, or anything else designed to be used as a weapon, except in the chambers, and those can’t be brought out since they don’t exist in the “real world.” But where there’s a will… The AFJ people had knives, clubs (home made from disassembled whatevers), and anything else they could use, and it was enough. They made their play during the night shift (remember, the people on the ship live in real time so they use an artificial 24 hour day) when there aren’t all that many people around. Anyway, they were ruthless and they were successful. Two guards and four AFJ members were killed and our medical people are treating several concussions, broken bones, things like that.

So where do you hide on a ship/city? Turns out you don’t. They hijacked a ship to planet vehicle (Yes, think space shuttle), and 18 of them took off in search of… us!

I find it difficult to believe that they will find us, and if they do, they have no weapons to fire at us. I don’t see the point. All they could do is ram into us, and the odds of that happening, according to our statistical team, are ridiculously miniscule.

Papa Joe tells me there are only supplies enough for perhaps 7-10 days on the vehicle they took and that the … waste elimination facilities are pretty basic.

14 people have been taken into custody on the ship, and 27 others are under “house arrest,” not allowed to leave their quarters.

What a mess!

1/29/’33: 84-63 at Utah. 5 in doubles, 2 others with 7 points but 18 TOs.

74-34 over USC. 19, 4, 2 for Sol Lay in 24 minutes. 41 RBs.

This week we’re at #21 UCLA, 14-7, 8-1. Then we host 12-8, 5-4 Arizona.

Shep King is #16, Irv Shea #20, and Vern Blam #23 on the Norton list.

We’re 19-1, 9-0. UCLA is one back and everyone else is 4 or more back. We’re #4, RPI #1.

1/30/’33: They found us and they are closing in, trying to run into us. The rock is not meant to be more than marginally maneuverable. It was given the capability to evade natural objects in space, which move in patterns that are discernable, usually well in advance. We have no weapons. By the same token, the ship to planet vehicle cannot generate a great deal of speed, nor can it do quick turns or anything of that nature.

1/31/’33: This is the slowest slow speed chase in history. That doesn’t mean it isn’t nerve wracking. I can’t even imagine how they found us. Our stats people say it was just blind luck. They come at us, miss, turn around and try again. We can maneuver just enough to be missed, and they can't make quick enough turns to counteract. As it continues they try to anticipate our move, sort of like a keep[er on a penalty shot. So far they've been wrong.

The important thing to remember is that the Angels FOR Jesus people are on what can only be described as a suicide mission. Whether they get us or not they will run out of food at any time, if they have not already, and they can’t have more than a couple days of air left. Some of our people think that, given how many are on board, it could be hours, or even minutes until the air is gone. We can’t help them and the ship/city is out of range, continuing on its way.

2/1/’33: It’s over. Clearly they saw that they were almost out of oxygen. They came at us one last time, missed one last time, and they blew up. We surmise that their destruction was deliberate, meant to take us with them. They mistimed it and blew up when they were too far away to do us any damage.

[Wayne23]

2/5/’33: 57-50 over #21 UCLA, there. Good game, but not as close as the final. They scored the last 5 after we pulled our starters and they didn’t. 44 RBs, 13 TOs.

67-57 with Arizona at our place. Another close one that, as with UCLA, wasn’t all that close. Again, we pulled out starters, they scored some late points. 9 guys got it done for us.

We’re #2, #1 RPI. Only UConn is ahead of us.

At #14 Oregon, 18-5, 7-4. We won by 15 at our place. Home with 11-11, 5-6 AZ ST.

Up 3 with 5 to play.

2/12/’33: 68-77 in OT at #14 Oregon. Shep fouled out at the end of regulation, and Vern turned an ankle in the first 10 seconds of OT. But 21 TOs didn’t help.

78-43 over AZ ST. 10 TOs, 37 RBs.

At 17-7, 9-4 Stanford, then at 3-21, 2-11 Oregon ST.

2 game lead with 3 to play.

Shep King #15, Irv Shea #20 on the Norton list.

I guess stress is tiring even in transfer land. Most of us have been taking longer rest periods since the incident with Angels FOR Jesus. The movement seems to be dead. There is still close surveillance on the former members, but no one seems suspicious at all. We’re sort of traveling beside the ship/city again, and it doesn’t feel unsafe. It’s nice to get back to “normal.”

“We will still go our separate way but they need us for a bit longer because of everything that has happened. 34 people have died, 6 others have very long term injuries. That means a complete overhaul of duties in some departments, and at least some disruption in every department. It also affects the… I suppose to put it indelicately, the breeding cycle. Of the 40 casualties, 31 were male and throws the balance off a bit.”

Papa Joe is on top of every situation, as always.

2/19/’33: 69-64 at Stanford. This was a battle. 16, 10, 3 for Vern, 17 for Shep, but we had 18 TOs, a problem we have not solved this year.

74-47 at Oregon ST. This figured to be a mismatch and it was. 18, 4, 2, 2 for Mike Dix.

We close the regular season at home vs. 17-10, 8-7 Cal. We won by 13 there.

2/26/’33: 72-55 over Cal. 19, 10, 3 for Irv. 10 TOs.

We win by 2 games over UCLA, 4 or more over the rest.

+17.1 PPG, +10.1 RBs, +2.7 TOs, but 13.4 +3.9 assists.

3/5/’33: Milt Scot, our starting PG, is going pro.

[Wayne23]

3/10/’33: We play #9 seed Wash. St, 14-14. They won the play in. We beat them by 39 in the regular season.

70-54. 21, 2, 3, 4 for Shep. 38 RBs, 10 TOs.

Underdogs won in all of the other quarter final games so we’ll play #5 seed Arizona, 18-11, 9-7. We only beat them by 10 at our place.

3/11/’33: 82-50. Never a game. 38 RBs, 8 TOs.

#6 seed Washington, 14-16, 8-8, got hot at the right time. We play them for the title. We won by 12 there.

3/12/’33: 66-42. 20, 19 for Irv, 50 RBs, great D.

We’re ranked #5, RPI #1.

Not in the East.

#1 Midwest. [B]We play 17-13 Niagara.

3/16/’33: 62-45[/B]. They played slow down and it kept them close for 30 minutes. Then we finally went on a run. 9 TOs.

#8 seed, 21-10 Oklahoma ST is next.

3/18/’33: 89-69. 20, 2, 7, 4 for Milt Scot. 6 in doubles. 10 TOs.

#4 seed, #18 ranked, 23-10 Oklahoma.

3/23/’33: 73-42. Totally dominated. All 5 starters in double figures.

It will be #15 ranked Oregon, 25-7, in the Elite Eight. We beat them and then they beat us in OT.

3/25/’33: 80-63. 24, 5, 3 for Shep, 19 for Irv, but 18 TOs.

We’ll play Duke in the round of 4. We beat them by a single point in our second game of the season but they went downhill from there. They’re a #3 seed, 26-8, ranked #11. No slouch by any means.

4/1/’33: 71-44. We led all the way. 17 each for Vern and Mike, 15 for Milt, 9 TOs.

We close our season against the team we opened it with, #2 seed, #9 ranked, 31-5 St. John’s. We won by 22 way back then.

4/3/’33: 76-61 and the fourpeat. 26, 2, 4, 5 for Shep, 19, 4, 6, 3 for Milt. +13 RBs.

4/4/’33: Awards: Shep King was NCAA tournament MOP. I was national COY. In conf., Irv Shea was POY. He and Shep made 1st team. Vern made 2nd team and I was COY.

4/9/’33: I decide to start my new career where I started my last one, at NJIT. That’s where I’ll be coaching next season.

The book is now closed on “Earth based” careers. I end with 11 national championships in 42 years, 1156-290, .800., leading in both wins and national titles. I was national COY 13 times, and conf. COY 18 times.

Before I leave let me say that we split away from the ship/city on April 6, and we are headed for the stars. As it turned out we would not know what we had brought with us until seven years later. But that’s another story, for another time. This story is finished.

[CoachC]

good luck on your star-based coaching career, Blade! I suggest that the rims be set at 35 foot high, and no player is allowed to leave his feet beyond halfcourt and has to keep dribbling from 25 feet in the air!

[Wayne23]

Now you're just not taking this seriously!

[CoachC]

I know. I don't believe gravity has any place in basketball either.

[Wayne23]

Again, you are not respecting the gravity of the situation!