The Last Man

[Wayne23]

1/1/2044: 2-0 start to PAC 12 play.

1/22: 19-1, 8-0, #2, RPI #3. VA, who we beat, is #1. Michigan, who beat us, is #3.

We had a close call with Stanford here, 61-58, but every other PAC 12 game has been a rout. Bench strength has been a huge asset. #1 in RBs, #4 in scoring and blocks, #5 in TOs.

1/29: 21-1, 10-0. #2, RPI #3. +16.7 PPG, +12.9 RBs, +3.7 TOs.

Marv Alph is #13 on the Norton list.

2/12: Utah caught us sleeping and beat us by 3 there. 24-2, 13-1, #2, RPI #2. We have a 4 game lead in the PAC 12. We missed an opportunity to get to #1. VA has 3 losses.

2/26: We end the regular season at 27-3, 16-2, #2, RPI #2. Stanford, who lost to us by only 2 here, beat us by 5 there. 3 starters fouled out. 12 fouls called on them, 29 on us. Had the officiating been at all equitable it would have been a very different game, which I was not shy about mentioning in the post game press conference.

+16.3 PPG, +12.6 RBs, +3.7 TOs. We won the conf. by 5 games.

3/5: Ouch. Josh Calt and Keb Wing both decide to go pro. Not a huge surprise but we were hoping to keep one of them.

[Wayne23]

May, 2142: We’re getting some occasional sun but it’s mostly snow, sleet, and rain. The boat is at 2700 feet, and the glaciers are at about 4400. That means there’s no escape from a major calving event, but so far there hasn’t been one. Minor calving is happening, but it has not impacted me except to move the boat around a little.

The holoexperts and I are trying to come up with a way to get the boat in a safer position but there are no easy solutions- so far there are no solutions at all. If a huge chunk of ice were to break off I don’t see how it could NOT do me in. The bowl the boat is in is just too small.

I’m not a worrier though. I am going on with my life, doing what I need to do and trying to enjoy my free time. I certainly can’t complain about the longevity or the quality of my life.
Having said that, it would be nice for it to continue!

I’m cooking, breeding fish, hiking and mountain climbing. I’m back to driving a race car, and I’m visiting distant galaxies. I haven’t returned to coaching, but I feel that calling, and I’ll probably get to my next season at Michigan soon.

Next: Trouble

[Wayne23]

3/9: #8 seed California, 15-14, 8-10, won the play in. They’re up first.

3/10: 87-61. 5 in double figures, +17 RBs, 6 TOs.

#5 seed AZ ST, 20-10, 10-8, in the semis. We beat them easily twice in the regular season.

3/11: 70-58. We jumped out to a big early lead and held it. Alph, Moon, and Calt led the way on O and everyone played good D. +19 RBs, 10 TOs.

#3 seed, #19 ranked USC, 21-9, 11-7, for the title. We beat them by 24 here.

3/12: 92-78. They kept it close for more than 30 minutes. At that point I went with a full court press and they had 10 TOs in the last 8 ½ minutes. 5 guys in double figures, +11 RBs, +8 TOs, and the title!

We’re a #1 seed, but probably #2 overall.

#1 Midwest, #2 overall. We start with Sacramento ST.

3/16: 73-60. They played hard. 20, 10, 5, 4 for Alph, 22, 5, 4, 3 for Calt. +15 RBs. We were sloppy though; 16 TOs.

#8 seed UConn, 20-10, in the 2nd round.

3/18: 75-63. Balanced scoring and +10 RBs did it. 30 points from the bench helped, too.

#12 seed New Mexico ST, 22-10, on the strength of 2 straight upset wins, is our opponent in the Sweet Sixteen.

3/23: 88-78. We never trailed but they wouldn’t go away. 5 in double figures again, and 2 others with 7 each.

We’re not playing our best ball. Ball handling has not been what it should be. If we want to keep playing, that needs to improve- right now!

#3 seed, #10 ranked Kansas, 23-10, in the Elite Eight. We beat them by 10 in the Coaches Classic, but that was a long time ago.

3/25: 87-70. This is the best we’ve played so far in the tourney. 32, 7 for Wing, 46 RBs, 8 TOs.

And Virginia was upset. The path is there!

We play unranked Georgia Tech, 24-11.

It’s #4 ranked Duke, 31-5, vs. #3 ranked Michigan, 31-6, on the other side.

We have a genuine shot at the title.

4/1: 79-55. 11, 17, 7 for Alph, 15, 14 for Moon, 21 for Wing, 19 for Calt. +17 RBs, 10 TOs.

And it’s 32-5 Duke, #4 ranked, for the title. They won by 11. We think we’re better but they can play.

4/3: 67-65 and the title! They overcame a 16 point deficit late, and took the lead twice. At the end we got the ball back with the score 65-65, and 7.1 left. We got it across mid court, Dar Smay, in for Wing, who had fouled out, passed to Josh Calt, and he drained a 17 footer at the buzzer.

We won it inside, 36-10 points in the paint. It wasn’t easy though. Their starting guards combined for 42, and seemed to hit a shot every time they needed one. +18 RBs was a huge factor, and it helped make up for 19 TOs (-6). We fought every minute for this one. The bench was yet another huge factor- 29 points and 17 RBs, vs. 11 and 11.

4/4: Awards: Marv Alph was the tourney MOP. I got national COY. In the PAC 12 Josh Calt was frosh OY. Marv Alph made 1st team, and Keb Wing 2nd. Calt should have made 2nd. I got the coach award in conf., as well.

4/23: We ask for a budget increase. No.

Great season, 36-3, and the national title. Overall, I’m 400-132, .752.

Can we repeat?

[Wayne23]

August, 2142: I knew it would come. A good size calving split off from the glacier. I was on deck when it happened. I ran to safety, or relative safety and watched as it sank below the water. Where it came up would mean everything.

It came up next to the boat and pushed the boat a long way, into the side of the glacier eventually. But it was a slow push and the boat was not damaged, and it wasn’t crushed between the glacier and the piece that broke off. It was scary though, and I don’t know that I’m out of danger.

There’s only about 800 feet between how high we’re floating and the top of the glacier, and things are really melting, but another calving incident would be very hard to survive. It’s pretty much a crap shoot. If we can get to where we’re high enough to navigate above the glaciers I have a real shot. If a big enough piece breaks off, I probably have no shot.

The best estimates are about a month before I can cruise. That feels like a long time. And, of course, the height of the glaciers is not uniform. It may be way higher in spots- will be, no doubt.

The robots checked every inch of the hull, including the very bottom, and I now know there was no damage. That’s great news.

Next: Cruising

[Wayne23]

5/1: The usual scouting reports.

6/5: We see a transfer we like. He was the starting PG for VA last year. They were #1 most of the way and he was a big reason. Love to land him.

Preseason #4.

6/9: Nope. Lost the PG to Duke.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We want 3 bigs. We’re looking at 13 guys.

Josh Calt went #1 and Keb Wing #3 in the draft. Art Moon was a steal at #31, and Ryan Town went #37.

8/7: 5 on the Norton list: Center Marv Alph is #18, SG Josh Roy #21, PF Lue Wrig #29, PG Russ Port #32, and PG Dar Smay #38.

8/21: We offer to a PG, SG, PF, and 2 Cs.

9/18: We get a PF and a C, and lose 2.

No in season tournament this year. The schedule is loaded with ranked teams.

9/25: We get a PG and lose a big. We still want a big and a guard.

10/2: We get the 2nd PG. Just want one more big and we’re set.

1st day of practice. We’re solid, and I think we’re in the mix to win it all.

11/6: Senior Dar Smay and frosh Russ Port start at guard, backed by junior Pete Hyms and frosh Josh Roy.

Senior Lue Wrig starts at SF.

Junior Marv Alph and soph Ban New start inside. Senior Troy Jory will back them up. We’re good and we’re deep.

#3 in the latest preseason poll, and picked to win the PAC 12.

[Wayne23]

September, 2142: Well, I made it. I am now floating in water that is above the level of the glaciers. That means the world is an ocean, which it is. There are places where I can see ice mountains far above the altitude of the boat but I can cruise away from those and hit open water, which I am, of course, doing. This does not totally eliminate the danger of underwater ice coming up and submerging the boat, but it greatly reduces the danger. And the sophisticated sounding equipment on board will warn me if a big chunk of submerged ice is nearby. I have a real chance to get through this now.

It was a near thing. The cracking and snapping sounds at the end made it clear that major calving was imminent. But luckily it didn’t happen until the boat had reached the height needed to cruise away. Very shortly thereafter there was a series of calvings and I hit full throttle and got out of there quickly.

So now I cruise. There is still an enormous amount of ice to melt. I can’t imagine that there will be any sign of land for thousands of years, maybe much longer.

There are so many questions. Will my 16 HCs get me through? How about my 16 3D printers? These are all in absolutely top shape, but nothing lasts forever, and I need them to survive. I will rotate their use, keep them fully charged, and be certain that maintenance is done all the time, more often than necessary. I will even try to minimize their use as much as possible. But what happens when they wear out?

Time will tell. For now I’ll live my life. The alarm systems and the robots will warn me of danger, and the robots will take care of most dangers. But I’ll be spending lots of time checking things and responding to alarms, no doubt. Still, I’ll take it. I have my life, and there will be time for the things I enjoy. I love being on the water- any water any time, so this will be okay.

Next: Life on the water

[Wayne23]

11/20: We beat #25 Syracuse by 5 there, then #3 Duke by 11 here. Excellent rebounding in both games.

11/27: Beat #12 Wake Forest and #3 Michigan here. We have 8 guys playing excellent ball. Alph and Ban New are leading the way, dominating the boards and scoring lots of points.

#3, RPI #3.

12/4: 2 more wins, here against #22 VA, and at #7 Temple. Alph had 39, 12, 3, 8 vs. VA, maybe his best game ever. We’re looking really good against ranked competition.

Sub SF Vin Huck, who doesn’t play much, is out a week and a half with a strained knee.

12/25: 9-0, #3, RPI #1. +12.4 PPG, +10.1 RBs, +3.7 TOs.

Marv Alph is averaging 17.8, 9,7. 5 other guys are between 12.7 and 7.2. We have a lot of weapons. You can stop one or two of our guys but then someone else will get you. #1 in the
nation in RBs, #3 in assists, #4 in PPG and blocks, #13 in TOs.

[Wayne23]

December, 2143: 9 months at sea went by with no major problems. The equipment all ran very well. The few breakdowns were minor and easily fixed.

My life was busy, and I was working hard, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle and I never felt over tired or burned out. I would have loved more “play time” but I was managing. Stan and Ollie continued to be great company.

Then yesterday I got quite a shock. I happened to be looking way off in the distance. I saw a boat.

After the initial disbelief I changed course and headed for it. I chased it all day but never got close enough to try to signal or anything like that.

When darkness fell I put the machines to work tracking it, set the robots to piloting the boat, and set an alarm system to go off if my boat got within 1000 meters of the other one. I sent up a couple of signal flares that came down really near the boat. If there was anyone on board they could not have failed to see the flares. No response.

No alarms went off during the night. When the sun came up I was still too far away to know any more than I did before.

I had plenty of questions though.

Was this boat just a ghost ship? If so, how was it managing to stay so far away from me?

Where had it come from? How had it survived all of the decades since the end of civilization, and the presumed end of all humanity except for me?

Was it even remotely possible that there was a person or persons on board?

By this time I had sent all kinds of signals but had received no response from any of them.

And still the boat stayed away from me by the same distance or a greater distance.

As it turned out, I was a long way from getting any answers.

Next: The chase continues

[Wayne23]

1/1/2045: 2-0 start to PAC 12 play.

Sub guard Josh Roy sprained a finger. He’s out about 2 weeks. Pete Hyms will get his minutes.

1/15: 15-0, 6-0, #2, RPI #1. #25 Stanford gave us a scare there. We won 89-80 in OT. Until the OT it was close all the way.

1/29: Our first loss, at AZ ST, 75-79. We blew an 18 point lead. We just couldn’t make a shot in the last 10 minutes- 2-17.

We’re alone in 1st in the PAC 12, 1 up on Arizona, 2 on Oregon.

18-1, 9-1, #4, RPI #1. +15.6 PPG, +8.9 RBs, +6.3 TOs, +4.9 assists. Frankly, we should be higher than #4. We’re the only team with one loss, and our RPI is WAY ahead of everyone else’s.

Alph still leads us with 18.4 and 9.1. Lots of other contributors.

Alph is #6 on the Norton list.

2/12: 22-1, 13-1, #3, RPI #1. 2 game lead with 4 to play.

Alph remains at #6 on the Norton list.

2/26: We end the regular season at 25-2, 16-2, #3, RPI #1. @ up on Arizona in conf., 3 on Oregon, 5 or more on the rest. +16.2 PPG, +8.8 RBs, +6.9 TOs, +4.4 assists.

3/5: Ban New and Vin Huck go pro. New is a big loss and Huck is potentially a big loss. He didn’t play much but he would have next year.

[Wayne23]

February, 2144: Two months later and I’m still chasing that boat. It’s on automatic now. I’ve programmed things with two objectives: 1. Avoid danger- ice floes, submerged objects…, and 2. Follow that boat. I have never gotten within 800 meters of it, and rarely have been able to get that close.

Nothing about the boat or its evasiveness makes the slightest sense. If it’s all random and there’s no one on board, how and why is it managing to avoid contact, and even proximity with me? What kind of power source and guidance systems would allow for that on a ghost ship?

If there are people on board, or even one person, why would he, or she, evade me? After all these decades I’d sure welcome some human company. I’d think so would anyone else.

I just can’t get it to make sense. And I sure can’t let it go. I’m staying on the trail of this boat for as long as it takes.

Next: More of the same