Rhoda Cox

[Wayne23]

11/13: 85-69 over Marshall. 17, 17 for Rod Call in his college debut. 16, 4, 4 for More, 15, 3, 2 for Jory, 14, 2, 3, 2 for Sims, 8, 13, 6 for Mack, 10, 4 for Hare from the bench. Not bad! Oh, 6 TOs, 45 RBs.
#9 seed Missouri next. Theirs was the only upset in the tourney, but an 8-9 game…

11/15: 77-65. 11, 11, 4, 4, 3, 2 for Call, who looks really, really good. 15, 2, 5, 3 for Jory, 12, 5, 6 for More, 19, 4 for Sax from the bench.

The top 4 seeds are left. We face #4 seed Oklahoma in the semifinal game.

11/17: 81-62. 23, 5 for Sims, 16, 2, 5 for Jory, 12, 7 for Call.

#2 seed, #12 ranked Michigan for the title.

11/19: 89-70. 22, 6 for Sims, 19 for More, 16 for Harm, 8, 10 for Mack, 9, 8 for Call. The downside was 20 TOs. 4 games and we have yet to trail, or to be tied after 0-0.

11/20: Very bad news. 2 of our recruits did not sign. Of course they’re both PGs. That leaves us with one PG in the fold.

11/27: 2-0 week. We won 88-70 at Arkansas. 20, 8 for Call, 11, 9 for Mack, 14, 4, 2, 2 for Jory, 15, 4, 3, 3 for Sax, 11, 2, 2 for Harm, 9, 5, 8 for More.

82-61 over North Carolina here. 18, 9, 2, 3, 3 for Call, 12 each for Sax and Harm, 11, 4, 2, 2 for Sims.

We have so many weapons!

12/4: 8-0, #1, RPI #2.

80-53 at Oklahoma ST. 23, 4, 2 for Sims, 18, 10, 3, 2, 2 for Call.

78-60 over #20 Louisville here. 24, 4, 2 for Sims16, 11 for Mack, 10, 15, 2, 2, 2 for Call, 15, 7, 3 for Sax.

After 8 games Rod Call is still averaging a double double.

12/11: 10-0, #1, RPI #1.

80-67 at #25 Creighton. 20, 11, 1, 3, 2 for Call, 16, 2, 4, 2 for More, 14, 4 for Harm, 15 for Jory.

69-56 over #15 Indiana here. 14, 7, 2, 2 for Sims, 14, 2, 4 for Jory, 18 for harm, 11, 3, 4, 3 for More.

12/18: One game week, 11-0, #1, RPI #1. We beat Auburn 91-65 there. 20, 8, 2, 1, 2 for Sims, 18, 4, 3 for More, 13, 8, 4 for Harm, 12, 5 for Call, 11, 7, 4 for Sax.

Big test next, #3 Georgetown, 10-0.

12/25: 65-49, and we held them to 13 in the 1st half. 12 each for Call and More, 10, 9, 2, 2 for Sims. Lowest points scored of the season but also the fewest given up. It was never close.

I am beginning to think we are at least as good as last year’s team.

12-0, #1, RPI #1. At the end of pre-conf. play. +18.1 PPG, +6.9 RBs, +6.2 TOs.

[Wayne23]

1/1/’46: 14-0, 2-0.

75-57 at Memphis. 18, 4, 3, 2 for Sims, 9, 13 for Mack, 16, 4, 8, 3 for Jory, 13, 3, 3 for Call.

76-55 over SMU here. 20 for Jory, 12, 4 for Sax, 11, 6 for Sims, 9, 4, 3, 3, 2 for Call.

Only two undefeated teams in Div. I. The other is conf. rival Temple, who we will play twice. Streak is at 52.

1/8: 16-0, 4-0, #1, #1.

61-41 at South FL. 17, 12, 2 for Call, 10, 10 for Mack, 14 for Sims.

85-59 over Tulsa here. 23, 8, 2 for Sims, 19, 8, 2, 2, 2 for Call, 11 each for Jory and Mack.

1/15: 18-0, 6-0, #1, #1. Tied for 1st with Temple, 2 or more up on the rest.

69-53 at Cincinnati. 19, 9, 2 for Sims, 10, 9 for Sax, 12, 3, 3 for Harm.

76-44 over Central FL here. 15, 8 for Sims, 12, 5, 2, 2 for Sax, 11, 2, 2 for Adam Hare, 10, 3, 4 for Harm.

At Temple this week.

1/22: Still undefeated! 20-0, 8-0, #1, #1, alone in 1st in the conf.

86-60 over Houston here. 29, 3, 2 for Jory, 14, 5, 5, 3 for Call, 13, 5, 4 for More, 12, 5, 6, 2 for Harm, 11, 6 for Sims.

72-68 at Temple. Our first close match, but not really close. We led for the last 35 minutes, by as many as 18. They made a run at the end but 4 was as close as it got. 22, 3, 2 for More, 14, 6 for Sims, 11, 12 for Call, 11, 3, 4 for Jory, 8,
7, 2 for Sax, 3, 8, 6, 4, 2 for Mack.

1/29: 22-0, 10-0, #1, #1. 1 up on Temple, 4 or more on the rest. +19.1 PPG, +7.1 RBs, +6.4 TOs.

64-52 at Tulane. 14, 11 for Call, 13, 7, 2 for Sims, 10, 5 for Harm, 9, 5 for Sax. 8 TOs, 45 RBs.

68-40 over East Carolina here. 19 each for Call and More, 10, 13 for Mack.

Tre Sims is #20 on the Norton list and no one else is on it at all. Probably due to how much talent we have. There are so many people playing really well that it’s hard for any one to stand out.

And now the bad news. As expected, 3 players we offered to, 2 of whom had accepted, failed to hit our SAT score.

We offer to a PG but we’re going to wait a week to make the other two offers.

[Wayne23]

2/5: 24-0, 12-0, #1, #1.

59-51 at SMU. We were flat, shooting only 28.1%. Our weakest game of the season.

76-43 over Memphis here. We bounced back nicely. 23, 8 for Sims, 12, 8 for Sax

We offer to two more PGs.

2/12: 26-0, 14-0, #1, #1. Temple lost so we have a 2 game lead, and 5 or more on the rest.

75-50 over South FL here. 18, 7, 2 for Sims, 16 for Harm.

74-53 at Central FL. 18, 5, 4, 3, 2 for Sims, 13, 4, 2 for More, 10, 6, 4 for Jory, 7, 12, 2 for Mack, 9 each for Harm and Sax.

#4 Temple is here next. 3 of our last 4 are at home.

2/19: 27-1, 15-1, #1, #1, 2 game lead.

Upset! Not by Temple either.

We beat #4 Temple, here, easily, 89-59. 28, 5, 4, 3, 3 for Sims, 18, 3, 3 for Jory, 11, 11 for Call, 9, 7, 7 for More.

Then we traveled to 3rd place Houston and simply did nothing right. We shot 31.3%, let them shoot 51%, gave up 14 threes, were -4 TOs, -3 RBs. It wasn’t close, 68-84.

Their fans stormed the court.

The winning streak ends at 65.

2/26: We end the regular season 29-1, 17-1, #1, #1. 4 up on Temple, 6 or more on the rest. +18.2 PPG, +7.2 RBs, +6.6 TOs.

It wasn’t easy and we’re still in a funk. We beat Tulane 65-64. It took a last second three by Tre Sims to win it. Sims had 27 and 4. No one else did much of anything, and we shot 30.2%.

Over the next couple of practices we worked on moving without the ball, and finding the open man. It helped.

We beat Cincy 71-49 here. Still only shot 38.1%. 15, 6 for Call, 12, 6 for Sims, 13, 1, 10, 4 for Harm, 5, 10 for Mack.

The big question is who will go pro. We find out in a week.

[Wayne23]

3/5: We lose Tre Sims and little used frosh C Adam Hare. Could have been worse. I was worried about Call and Sax. Sims is a tough loss. We could have used him at guard next year, where I fear we’ll be thin. Oh well, worry about that later.

3/9: #9 seed Central FL, 11-17, 6-12, beat #8. We play them in the quarters. We beat them by 32 and 21 in the regular season.

3/10: 82-46. Never a game. 20, 8 for Sims, 14, 5, 3 for Jory, 14, 6 for Sax, 11, 5, 2 for Call.

#5 seed Tulane, 14-14, 10-8, beat Memphis. We won by 12 there, but only by 1 here last week.

3/11: 82-69, and we led by as many as 25. 23, 14 for Call, 13 each for Sax and Sims, 11, 6 for Jory.

It’s #7 Temple, 26-5, 13-5 for the title. We beat them by 4 and then by 30.

3/12: 85-77 and the title. It went to OT when they scored 6 points in the last 6 seconds of regulation, including a 40 footer at the buzzer. We fell asleep, frankly. We woke up and dominated the OT. 23, 9 for Sims, 16, 6, 8, 2 for Jory. By late in regulation Call, Mack, and Sax had all fouled out, and that was definitely a factor.

32-1 going to the selection show. We’ll be #1 overall. Only Arizona, at 31-2, is anywhere near us, but their RPI is only #5.

#1 overall.

3/16: 59-45 over 15-14 South Dakota ST. They played slow down but our shooting woes continued, 29.1%- 1-9 for Jory, 1-6 for both Sims and More, 1-7 for Sax… We held them to 22.4% but a better team could have beaten us tonight.

#8 seed Duke, 19-12, in the 2nd round.

3/18: 80-54. Hopefully we’re back on track. 23, 4, 2, 2 for Sims, 19, 4, 5 for Jory. +8 RBs, +8 TOs.

#4 seed, #12 ranked Kansas, 27-7, is next in the Sweet Sixteen.

3/23: 32-36 at the half. -9 RBs, +6 TOs. They’re shooting 42.9%, we’re shooting 26.7%.

83-69. It was close for a very long time. We pulled away in the last 6 minutes. 10 fewer fouls, 5 fewer RBs, but 11 fewer TOs. 19 for Sims who played only 20 due to fouls. 17, 9, 2, 3, 4 for Call, 15, 5 for Sax, 11, 3, 7, 2 for Jory, 10, 4 for More.

#2 seed, #5 ranked FL ST, 26-5, in the Elite Eight.

3/25: 29-40. I can understand cold shooting but NOT lousy D. Not happy. This is a team we should beat.

78-74. An unbelievable comeback. We were down 18 with just under 10 to go. I had kept increasing the defensive intensity and the frequency of the press. Then I started to speed up the O. Finally, things came together and we chipped away at the lead. We took the lead for the 1st time since the early 1st half with 1:48 to play. 7 fewer fouls and we won it at the line (+10). 19, 5, 4 for Sims, 14, 14, 1, 3, 2 for Call, 18, 9 for Mack. Jory and Harm had 9 each. Close call!

We’re in the Final Four.

We landed 2 recruits, PG Nate Dye, #57, and PG Jay Low, #86, but we thinks he’s very underrated. Hoping to land one more.

In a huge upset #3 seed, #13 ranked Georgia Tech, 27-9, defeated #2 Arizona, the one team we were most worried about. We’ll play GT in the national semifinal.

On the other side it’s #3 seed, #10 ranked Creighton, 30-4, vs. #1 seed, #3 ranked Georgetown, 30-5.

We beat Creighton by 13 there, Georgetown by 16 at home, but we didn’t face Creighton.

3/31: “Gary Gray here on EPSN Sportschat on the eve of the Final Four. We’re with UConn head coach Rhoda Chayne Cox. Rhoda, can you repeat?”

“Sure we CAN. A better question is, WILL we?”

“Okay, will you repeat.”

“Good question! I think, if we’re playing well, we’re the best team in the tournament, were all along. BUT, we’ve not been at our best since mid-February, just barely getting by, and in one case, at Houston, not getting by.”

“How much will that great comeback against FL ST help you?”

“Well, I’m hoping it taught us that we need to be at our best. We weren’t, until very late in that one, and the hole we dug was almost too deep to crawl out of.”

“Shooting slumps are tough.”

“And man, have we been in one.”

“What do you do?”

“Two things. First, you try to move better without the ball to create open shots, and second, you bring it inside. It’s a lot easier to hit a layup or a 4 footer than an outside shot.”

“So that’s what you’ll do if you’re still cold?”

“That’s right Gary. I will say that this week the shots have been dropping in practice. Hopefully that carries over.”

“Good luck, Coach.”

On paper we’re easily the better team, and we match up well. Let’s see what happens.

4/1: 41-49. The O is back but lousy D yet again. We were down 15 at one point. They’re shooting 57.1%, we’re shooting 40%. Our 3 inside guys are all in foul trouble. Call has 3. Still, I NEED to increase the D level. Good bench play but theirs has been better.

Fast start to the 2nd and we quickly got it to double figures. 81-67 and we’re in the title game! Held them to 18 in the 2nd half. +14 RBs, and we wound up out shooting them, 43.3% to 40.4%. 15, 10 for Call, 11, 8, 3 for Sims, 10, 7, 2 for Mack,
8,8, 3 for Sax, so it was our inside guys who got it done. When you can’t hit shots, bring it inside.

#3 seed, #10 ranked Creighton edged Georgetown by 4. They’re 31-4. On paper we’re MUCH better, but we need to play that way.

We got the final recruit, PG Wes Gitt, #61.

4/3: 39-22 at the half. They stayed with us for 13-14 minutes, then we went on a tear. 8 fewer fouls, 9 fewer TOs. Their coach already has a T. We’re shooting 45.2%, they’re shooting 30.8%. 15, 7 for Call. Best 1st half in ages. Just keep doing what we’re doing!

Quickly got it to 20. 73-50 and back to back titles! 22, 13 for Final Four MOP Rod Call, 14, 4, 5, 3 for Jory, 11, 7, 2 for Sax, 9 each for More and Mack.

4/4: Awards: As stated Rod Call was Final Four MOP. I was national COY again. In conf., Rod Call was Frosh OY, Tre Sims was Defensive POY, they were both 1st team. Wyl Mack made 2nd team, and I was conf. COY again.

Team Prestige up to 99.

4/9: Arizona, among others, wants us but we’re not going anywhere.

4/23: We ask for a budget increase. We get $27,000.

We’re losing soph Tre Sims, little used frosh Adam Hare, and seniors Wyl Mack, Jon Harm, Brad Jory, Al More, and little used walk on Mark Mill. That’s a lot of people to replace.

We closed with 11 wins, but a bunch of them were near things.

38-1 and our 2nd title. Overall, in 11 years, I’m 316-65, .829. Easily the best pct. In the country. I never mentioned it but aside from COY last year I got just about every award out there that has anything to do with sports, women, or both. Oh, finally, two women were hired as head coaches in Div. I, one at Temple, and the other at my old school, Oregon ST. Hope they do well.

A threepeat will be a real challenge but if no one transfers out it’s not impossible.

[Wayne23]

5/1: We buy the national and international gold again.

5/3: 1:03 a.m.: CNM News: “This is Morgan Stern. This just in. UConn head men’s basketball coach Rhoda Chayne Cox has been shot. This literally just got confirmed and we have no details as yet, except that it happened in the parking lot behind her office in Calhoun/Auriemma Coliseum on campus. More as soon as we have it. Crews are rushing to the scene.

1:54 a.m.: CNM News: “Morgan Stern back. We have Louise Freis on the scene in Storrs, CT. Louise.”

“I spoke with one of the police officers, and with a night custodian who heard the shots and found the Coach. The officer told me that she was hit twice, once in the shoulder, once in the chest. He said the chest wound, and he says he got a good look at it, seemed too high to involve either the heart or lungs. Coach Cox was awake, and she spoke to him. He says she was in pain but seemed calm. Now he’s not a doctor, but he said it didn’t look like anything vital was hit. My partner Cody Wyoming, should be at Hartford Hospital in just a few minutes. They took her there because that hospital deals with lots of gunshots. More soon, Morgan.”

2:33: Daisy. I’m at the hospital. Rhoda is in surgery. The doc doing the surgery spoke to me for only a minute. He said Rhoda’s vital signs are good. He didn’t want to make any predictions until he’d actually seen the exact location of the bullets but he said there was reason to be optimistic. This is hell.

4:59 a.m.: CNM: “Morgan Stern and we’re going right to Cody Wyoming at Hartford Hospital. Cody?”

“Yes, Morgan. Coach Cox is out of surgery. We’re told that one bullet was deeply lodged in the left shoulder, but the surgeon was able to remove it. The other one cracked two ribs, ended up about an inch above the right lung, but did not impact that organ, or any other organs. The Coach will likely be released in 2-3 days. She’ll need to do some rehab, but she is expected to recover fully.”

"Thanks Cody. I have Louise Freis on campus with FBI agent Bruce Ewusy. You may remember that agent Ewusy worked on the attacks against Coach Cox when she was at Oregon ST. Louise?”

“Agent Ewusy. Do you see any connection with the incidents at Oregon ST?”

“I just got here. My team is gathering information. It’s way too soon for us to really know much of anything. We have a description of the getaway car, and we’re working to get a make on the weapon and the bullets. I have an agent at the hospital. I can say we’re thinking two people in the vehicle, a driver and a shooter.”

5/4: “Gary Gray, EPSN Sportschat. A brief follow up on the shooting of Coach Rhoda Cox. Her condition has just been upgraded to good. First assistant Eric Ford will run the team until Coach Cox’s return, but he told us she has already called him, so he expects her to be completely involved in all decisions.”

5/6: “Morgan Stern, CNM News. UConn men’s head basketball coach Rhoda Chayne Cox was just released from Hartford Hospital. We’re told she has been advised by the medical team to rest at home for the next week or so before returning to work part time. Her wife, Daisy Chayne Cox, told us she is sure Rhoda will spend most of that week on the phone and on the computer but that she, Daisy, will enforce rest. She said she didn’t think that would be easy. Now live at a press conference with FBI Agent Bruce Ewusy who is in charge of the investigation. Cody Wyoming is on the scene. We cut right to Agent Ewusy.”

“It was a standard hunting rifle. The powerful semi-automatics are difficult to get these days since the laws to stop manufacturing ammunition for them were passed, and that undoubtedly saved the coach’s life. The rifle was very likely stolen.

The car was a late model Meechum Fargo. We found it. It too was stolen. It was carefully wiped for prints. We were able to get DNA. We were not able to match the DNA to anyone in our files. I’ll take a couple of questions.”

“Ray Ratso, San Francisco Examiner. Do you have suspects?”

“We are looking at people identified with various hate groups since we believe this to have been a hate crime. We have already interviewed many people ‘of interest.’”

“If I may follow up, did you do DNA sampling?”

“We did. No matches.”

“Gary Gray, EPSN. Agent Ewusy, what sort of protection is in place for the coach and her family?”

“For now, she and all members of the household are being guarded. There is full time surveillance at UConn and at the home. Marco Auriemma, grandson of the former UConn women’s coach, is organizing the kind of citizen task force that
George Smedley organized at Oregon ST. That takes a while to get up and running, of course, but it will be a huge help. I’m going to stop there. Thank you all for coming.”

5/13: Daisy: Rhoda is back at work part time. I’m there when she’s there, and I don’t let her stay for more than 3 hours at a time. She’s still in some pain, and her left side mobility is limited. The physical therapy is helping. Her range of motion is already increasing. Doesn’t help with the pain though. Eric Ford is doing a great job with the team, which helps. Rhoda can’t let go, but she does give him enough room to do what needs to be done.

5/18: “Morgan Stern, CNM News. FBI Agent Bruce Ewusy told us the investigation into the shooting of Coach Rhoda Cox is ongoing. He says some leads are still being followed up, but no arrests are imminent.”

5/25: Rhoda: First day back full time. I’m not letting people know how much pain I’m in- a LOT! I can’t believe we’re going through this again. It could have been worse.

5/31: Still nothing on who shot me. Agent Ewusy says he feels like they’re making progress. They’ve infiltrated some groups, and a couple of those groups have guys who seem to know something. The bodyguard system is in place. I’ll say this though. Whatever happens this is only going to continue until they catch the s.o.b.s who did this. I’m not living like this.

[Wayne23]

6/5: No one transferred out. Preseason #1.

We see a transfer we like- two actually. We offer to an SF.

6/9: Cole Robb, SF, 5 stars, signs.

6/18: Agent Ewusy tells me they have a good lead. They’re proceeding cautiously, hoping to get enough info to nail- well, he didn’t say whether male or female, one or more than one.

6/26: Tre Sims drafted at #19 (a steal), Adam Hare #23, Al More #32, Wyl Mack #44, Jon Harm #49, Brad Jory #56 (another steal).

4 scholarships. Looking more at guards than bigs, but some of each, 10 in all.

7/19: Agent Ewusy’s people brought in the two suspects the FBI has been gaining info on. No DNA match, no evidence. Had to let them go.

8/7: 3 on the Norton list: SF Dave FRil is #16, PG Will Town #21, PG Jed Roy #26. 5 star PF Rod Call is NOT on the list, which I do not understand.

8/21: We offer to 3 guards and a big.

9/18: Got a PG, an SG, a PF. Lost the other SG. #2 PF Joe Prez, #4 SG Rob Monk, #6 PG Oti Smed.

We offer to a PF.

Going back to the Coaches Classic. 1st opponent is Tulane. Challenging schedule.

9/25: Got the PF, #17 Jon Weld.

10/2: 1st day of practice. We’re good. Good enough to win it all?

10/5: Agent Ewusy says three arrests have been made.

10/6: 9:30 a.m.: “May Knotte, CNM News. Breaking development in the shooting of UConn men’s head basketball coach Rhoda Chayne Cox. Randy Clauss is at a press conference at UConn being held by FBI spokesman Bruce Ewusy. We’re going right to agent Ewusy.”

“… have arrested three suspects. Charles “Cubby” Hickok, age 37, of Willington, CT, his nephew Wilbur “Woody” Woods, 19, also of Willington, and Graley Hamms, 21, of Ashford, CT. All three have been charged with attempted murder, criminal
assault, and a host of other charges. They are being arraigned as we speak. I cannot give any further details except to say that we have a very strong case. Thank you.”

“Randy Clauss here. We’re going to try to get some details on the suspects, and we hope to speak to Agent Ewusy. Back when we have more.”

12:47 p.m. “Cam Auphlagge, CNM News. Our man at UConn, Randy Clauss has more on the suspects in the shooting of UConn Coach Cox. Randy.”

“Cam, we went on Facebook, Lifeline, Friendzone, and Tweetybird. All three suspects, Charles “Cubby” Hickok, Wilbur “Woody” Woods, and Graley Hamms, were members of several federally designated hate groups, including ‘Men First, Men Only,’ ‘Death to Uppity Women,’ ‘Take Back America,’ ‘Keep America White,’ ‘Kill First, Ask Later’ and one or two others. Hickok was very vocal on most of these sites, and his rhetoric was extremely violent. He mentioned Coach Cox by name several times and talked about ‘time for a new coach’ and two sentences down, ‘we can help with that.’ Another time he referred to the Coach as ‘a well known dyke.’”

“Can you characterize these groups, Randy?”

“As you’d expect, ‘Kill First, Ask Later’ advocates violent solutions to what its members see as problems. There’s a lot of talk about shooting thousands of people.

“’Death to Uppity Women’ also advocates shooting people.’ We have no idea how many members these groups have. We’re still doing research. But all of this should make a conviction a little easier”Any thing else?”

“An FBI agent who doesn’t want to be named told me they have the three suspects. He said it’s ironclad, with DNA, the rifle, in the possession of one of the suspects, what he described as ‘incriminating writings,’ and he said there were other things.”

“Thanks Randy.”

10/8: Daisy: CNM did a documentary on hate groups tonight. Rhoda and I watched. Most of the groups the guys who shot her belonged to were featured. A couple were small, but ‘Kill First, Ask Later’ claims 150,000 members nationally, and ’Death to Uppity Women’ says they have 125,000. A couple of the others have more than 50,000. Truly scary, and sick.

10/12: Agent Ewusy told us that the nephew, Woods, did the actual shooting, the other kid, Hamms, drove the vehicle, and the uncle, Hickok, was there to supervise.

11/6: 8 man rotation. 3 guys seem like locks, and the other 5 are sharing time and fighting for more of it.

At guard frosh Will Town will get all the minutes he can handle. The rest will be split about equally among seniors Jed Roy and Nick Noon, and junior Nate Dye.

Frosh Dave Fril, who looks like a superstar, is at SF.

Inside, soph Rod Call will get all the minutes he can handle and the rest at 3, 4, and 5 will be split equally between junior Cal Sax and frosh Joe Tann. We’ll adjust as we go.

[Wayne23]

11/13: 79-63 over Tulane in the first round of the Coaches Classic. 5 in double figures and Joe Tann had 8 and 11.

#8 seed Iowa ST, is next.

11/15: 79-72. And again, 5 guys in double figures. Call had 7, 9, 2, 7, 4, better than any of those 5, and Dye had 8, 3, 2.

#5 seed, #10 ranked Iowa next.

11/17: We were down 18 early, 21-3. By halftime it was 8. We outscored them 53-32 in the second to win 89-76. +7 TOs. 18, 4, 7 for Dye, 14, 5, 2, 3 for Town, 13 each for Fril, Call, and Sax. 4 others scored. The scoring balance has been terrific. Our top 5 average between 11.7 and 13.3, #6 is at 8.3, and #7 at 6.0.

It’s #7 seed Oklahoma ST for the title.

11/20: 78-67. We never trailed and were up 20 at the half. No balance tonight, Town had 31, 6, 2. 14, 2, 3 for Dye, 5, 14, 3 for Call.

4-0, #1 ranked.

All 4 recruits sign.

11/22: 78-60 over Arizona in our home debut. 18, 12 for Call, 17, 10 for Sax, 17, 6, 4, 3, 2 for Town, 13, 7, 2 for Tann. +15 RBs, +7 TOs.

Before the game we raised the 2nd national championship banner, #10 for UConn on the men’s side.

11/25: Not tonight, 73-85. They shot 50%, we shot 30.8%. 15, 6 for Tann, 12, 10 for Call, 12, 8 for Sax, 12, 2, 5 for Tann. We didn’t shoot well enough, and we didn’t play enough D.

11/26: Agent Ewusy thinks the case may come to trial in March. Couldn’t be a worse time for me.

11/27: 5-1.

11/29: 84-65 over #21 Georgia Tech, here. 28 for Town, 23, 14 for Tann, 10, 9 for Call, 9, 6, 3, 4 for Sax.

12/2: 64-48 at #7 Michigan ST. Big win! 22, 6, 2 for Town, 7, 8, 2 for Call, 14, 6 for Fril.

12/4: 7-1, #1, RPI #1.

12/6: 61-53 over #3 Kentucky here. 51-27 at the half. I played everybody in the 2nd. The final was as close as it got. 19, 2 with 5 blocks for Town, 15, 8 for Fril who is finally beginning to play the way we had hoped he would, 8, 9 for Tann, 8, 2, 3 for Dye. +11 RBs but they called a ridiculous 27 fouls on us (15 on them).

12/9: 87-72 at #21 Virginia. 22, 7, 2, 2, 2 for Call, 19 for Dye.

Nate Dye is going to start for Jed Roy. Dye has been playing much better. Joe Tann is starting at PF over Cal Sax for the same reason.

12/11: 9-1, #1, #1.

12/13: 83-58 over #24 Auburn here. 24, 9, 2 for Tann in his first start. 13, 2, 4 for Dye in his first start. 15, 5 for Sax, 9 and 7 for both Town and Fril.

12/18: 10-1, #1, #1. Averaging 40.3 RBs, #1.

12/20: 82-79 over #2 Georgetown here on a last second three by Will Town. 21 lead changes, 13 ties. 20, 7, 5 for Town, 18, 6 for Fril, 16, 4, 4 for Dye, 15, 12, 1, 4 for Call, 9, 6, 2 for Sax.

Only Kansas remains undefeated in Div. I, and we don’t play them.

12/25: 11-1, #1, RPI #1 at the end of pre-conf. play. +11.0 PPG, +6.0 RBs, +5.0 TOs.

[Wayne23]

12/27: 75-51 over Houston here. 14, 16 for Call, 20, 7, 3 for Fril, 18, 9, 3 for Town, 12, 7 for Tann. 46 RBs, 5 TOs.

12/30: 83-86. We blew an 18 point lead. This is the unhappiest I have been this season. We couldn’t make a shot in the 2nd half but we didn’t work hard enough to get open, and we didn’t bring it inside often enough. 18, 10 for Call, 19, 5 for Fril 17, 4, 2 for Town, but he missed two late threes; even one would have tied it.

1/1/’47: 12-2, 1-1. Still #1 for now.

1/3: 71-40 over Central FL here. Good games for all 5 starters. 9 TOs, 45 RBs.

1/6: 67-53 at Tulsa. 21, 4, 3, 3 for Town, 14, 6 for Call, 12, 8, 2, 5 for Tann, 6, 10, 2 for Fril.

1/8: 14-2, 3-1, #1, RPI #1. 3 teams ahead of us in conf., but it’s early.

1/9: 72-54 over SMU here. All 5in doubles, Tann and Call had double doubles.

1/11: 85-70 at Cincinnati. We led all the way. 5 in doubles and Call had 7, 12, 4, 3.

Nate Dye hurt his wrist. Out 10 days. Jed Roy will start and Nick Noon will back up.

Of course we face our chief conf. rival with Dye out.

1/13: 91-70 over #4 ranked Temple. 56-33 at the half. We never trailed, and we led by as many as 27. 24, 6, 3 for Sax, 20, 2, 2 for Town, 14, 10, 2, with 4 blocks for Call, 9, 5, 3, 4 for Noon.

1/20: 75-65 at East Carolina. 19, 9 for Fril, 16, 11 for Call, 16, 2, 6 for Town, 14, 5, 3 for Sax.

Dye is back.

1/22: 18-2, 7-1, #1, #1, in a 3 way tie for 1st in conf. Playing one of the others next.

1/23: 99-61 over #19 Tulane. 6 players scored between 12 and 15 points.

1/27: 74-67 at South FL.

18, 5, 4, 3, 3 for Dye, 17, 7, 3 for Fril. We were down 13 early, and 10 at the half.

1/29: 20-2, 9-1, #1, #, in 1st place in conf. +14.0 PPG, +7.1 RBs, +5.8 TOs.

Will Town is #14, and Dave Fril #27 on the Norton list.

[Wayne23]

1/30: Agent Bruce Ewusy now says the trial will likely be the second week in April, which would be perfect. He says the prosecutor understands my schedule and the possibility that we’ll be in the Final Four, and he will schedule no early than 4/5.

1/31: 83-84 at Houston. Poor D and worse officiating beat us. We let them shoot 52%, and we were called for 21 fouls to their 12. Still, we had our opportunities late and didn’t convert. 24, 6 for Fril, 12, 8, 4, 4 for Call17, 3, 2 for Town, 10, 5 for Sax, who hurt his arm. He’s day to day.

2/3: 81-60 over Memphis here. 23, 13 for Call, who leads the nation in RBs (9.7). 16, 8 for Tann, 16, 2, 2, 2 for Fril, 12, 6, 7, 4, 3 for Town, 8, 9, 5, 2, 4 for Dye. 42 RBs, 10 TOs.

2/5: 21-3, 10-2, #1, RPI #1. In a 3 way tie for 1st in conf.

2/7: 74-68 at Central FL. 23, 6, 2, 3, 2 for Fril, 12, 8, 2, 2 for Tann, 11, 5, 4 for Town, 9, 10, 2, 4 for Call.

2/10: 75-65 at SMU. 18, 6 for Sax, 14 each for Call and Town. We’ve played better.

2/12: 23-3, 12-2, #1, RPI #1. 4 to play. 3 at home but the road game is with #5 Temple. They are ½ a game back of Cincy and us. We play Cincy next.

Will Town is #16 on the Norton list.

2/14: 78-72 over #14 Cincinnati. Down 8 early, and 5 at the half. We scored 52 in the 2nd half. 23, 4 for Town, 15, 21, 2, 3, 2 for Call, 16, 6, 3 for Fril. +15 RBs.

2/17: 67-66 at #5 Temple. Cal Sax hit his 3rd three of the season with 0.4 left. 17, 8, 2 for Tann, 10, 12 for Call, 11, 5 for Fril, 10, 5 for Town. This was a hell of a game!

2/19: 25-3, 14-2, #1, #1. 1 game up on Cincy, 21 on Temple, with 2 to play.

2/21: 86-65 vs. Tulsa here. Never a game. 24, 7, 2 for Dye, 18, 7, 2 for Tann, 16, 3 for Fril, 13, 5 for Call.

Cincy lost, so we clinched. 2 up on Temple and Cincy.

2/24: 92-65 over East Carolina here. 23 for Dye, 15, 7 for Fril, 14, 6, 2 for Sax, 12, 4, 3 for Call.

2/26: We end the regular season at 27-3, 16-2, #1, #1, 2 up on #12 Cincinnati, 3 up on #8 Temple and #22 Tulane. +13.3 PPG, +7.0 RBs, +5.4 TOs. #1 in RBs, #2 in TOs and blocks, #6 in PPG.

[Wayne23]

3/5: Dave Fril is leaving for the NBA, but he’s the only one. Since we have #1, #6, #8, and #18, and a 5 star transfer coming in, I think we’ll be okay.

3/9: #9 seed East Carolina, 11-17, 5-13, won the play in. We play them in the quarter final round.

3/10: 85-63. 16, 13 for Call, 19, 6, 9 for Dye. 7 TOs.

#8 Temple in the semis. We beat them by 21 there but only 1 here.

3/11: 74-66. 19 lead changes, 12 ties. We finally took charge with about 5 minutes left. 21, 8 for Fril, 12, 7, 2, 3 for Call, 13, 6 for Tann, 10, 7, 2 for Dye. 47 RBs.

#17 Tulane won their game. We beat them by 38 here.

3/12: 77-61. Pulled my starters with 5:05 left. 53 RBs! 20, 15 for Call, 11, 6 for Sax, 10, 5, 2 for Dye, 9, 17 for Tann, and the conf. title.

30-3, 16-2, #1, #1. We should be the #1 overall seed.

#1 overall, #1 East.

We start with 16-15 Vermont.

3/16: 64-49. Great D, +16 RBs, not much O.

#4 seed, #9 ranked Temple was upset.

#8 seed Georgia Tech, 18-11, is next. We won by 19 here.

3/18: Awful 1st half. We came on at the end, fortunately. 28-31. We were down as many as 13, and we never led. 8-0 run at the end.

Down 12 early in the 2nd. Finally took a lead with just under 10 to play and we were off and running. 73-56. +8 RBs, 5 fewer fouls. We shot 33.3% but held them to 28.8%, under 20% in the 2nd half. 17, 7 for Dye, 14, 13 for Call, but 2nd half D won this one.

#13 seed New Jersey Tech, 23-9, upset both #4 and #5 seeds to get to the Sweet Sixteen. It’s #10 vs. #11 on the other side so our path to the Final Four is clear.

3/23: 64-50. We never trailed, and we led by as many as 21, but the O was awful again.

#11 seed LSU, 22-11, in the Elite Eight.

3/25: 75-59. 37-18 at the half. All 5 starters in double figures. +20 RBs (48).

We play #2 ranked Georgetown, 33-3 in the round of 4. We beat them by only 3 at our place.

On the other side it’s #6 ranked Kansas, 31-3, vs. #3 Stanford, 31-4.

4/1: 26-31 at the half. The O has gone missing again, 24% (They shot 28.6%.). -7 RBs.

Down 15 early in the 2nd. Couldn’t make a shot.

No threepeat, 50-63. 23.5% shooting, -12 RBs, 19 mTOs. This was as poorly as we’ve played all season.

4/3: Georgetown wins it all, 76-69 over #6 Kansas.

4/4: Awards: I get national COY. In Conf., soph Rod Call is POY, Def. POY, and 1st team. Will Town is frosh OY. He, Fril, and Tann make 2nd team. I get Conf. COY.

4/11: In court for most of the day. The prosecutor and Agent Ewusy thought I would not be called today but just in case. Probably be called on the 13th, but they want me here.

4/12: 10:27 a.m.: “Donald McRonald, CNM News. We have a crew at the shooting trial of UConn men’s basketball coach Rhoda Chayne Cox. Our camera operator has just phoned in that there’s been an explosion in the courtroom. We are unable to contact our reporter, Laverne Whorley. Joe Moax, Joe? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, Donald."

“What’s going on? Were you out of the courtroom?”

“It pandemonium here. I left to go outside for a quick smoke.”

“Do you have video?”

“No. I left my camera inside. The judge had just called for a 5 minute break.”

“Tell us what’s going on. We’re speaking to our cameraman, Joe Moax. Go ahead, Joe.”

“No one has come out of the building that I’ve seen. Ambulances are on the way. The building is smoking. I don’t see a fire.”

“One explosion? More than one?”

“One explosion.”

“What else have you got?”

“Well, it may mean nothing but three men ran into the building right near me, just before the explosion. Two of them were yelling, making all kinds of noise. The third was totally quiet. He seemed overdressed.”

“There’s heavy security, isn’t there.”

“Yes. Not clue, but if I can guess, the two were distracting the security people so the third could get past them. That’s just a guess.”

“What else. Police and I guess FBI agents who had outside duty all ran inside after the explosion. More cops are arriving now, and the first ambulances are on the way. I hear sirens. None of them are here yet but it’s just been 2-3 minutes.”

“Stay on the line, Joe. We’ll be back to you. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re sending a crew, and we’ll bring you developments as they happen.”

10:59 a.m.: “Donald McRonald, CNM. We have Joe Moax and Terry Berry at the Tolland County Courthouse in Rockville, CT. Joe, Terry, fill us in.”

“No one is talking to us, Donald. It’s very hectic. Lots of people being wheeled out by ambulance crews, more ambulances arriving all the time.”

“Any sign of Coach Cox?”

“None. She hasn’t come out, and she hasn’t been carried out.”

“Joe, anything else you remember about the three men?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. Like I said they ran right past me and they were running, the guy who was overdressed behind the other two. They were white, maybe in their twenties.”

“Sounds like Redeemer Tabernacle. Ladies and gentlemen, you’re familiar with that group. They have claimed perpetrating two suicide bombings in the last year, one at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, and one at Yankee Stadium. In both cases many people were killed.”

“Terry, Joe, try to talk to a police officer or FBI agent. Get back to us when you have more.”

Rhoda: 2:11 p.m.: I’m at John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. Daisy and I were Lifestarred here. Daisy is hurt badly. I guess it was a homemade bomb. Her left leg is gone, just above the knee and she has lacerations and stuff- on her face, in various places in her body. She was unconscious and never woke up. She’s in surgery; has been for a couple hours.

I went to the ladies’ room when the judge called a break. I heard a loud explosion while I was in there and felt something heavy hit the ladies’ room door. When I tried to get out I couldn’t. I was rescued a few minutes later when someone cleared the debris away from the door. I’m not hurt. That trip to the bathroom saved me.

I’m devastated. The thought of maybe losing my wife is horrible.

Agent Ewusy was hurt. He was in a doorway pretty far from the main entrance to the court. He got shrapnel wounds in his shoulder.

I can say that there are a lot of dead people. The FBI agent who came with us on Lifestar said there were about 85 people in the courtroom, and that most of them are dead or seriously injured. He says the three men on trial are all dead, and all the lawyers as well. The judge was in his chambers and is not hurt.

4:48 p.m.: “Donald McRonald, CNM News. The FBI has reported that there were 87 people in the courtroom including the three men who rushed in. They say that one of the three was a suicide bomber, he and his two companions are dead. In total 49 people are dead, 28 are severely injured, 7 less seriously injured. Only three people, Judge Aruzioni, Coach Cox, and our cameraman, Joe Moax, were uninjured. The wounded have been taken to 7 area hospitals.

“Identification of dead and wounded is still pending but we know that Coach Cox’s wife, Daisy Chayne Cox, was severely injured, in critical condition. Last reports are that she is still in surgery at John Dempsey Hospital in Framingham- sorry, in Farmington, CT. She and the coach were taken there by Lifestar.

“FBI spokesman Bruce Ewusy was one of those with relatively minor injuries. We understand that he was just released from Rockville Hospital. More when we have it.”

8:01 p.m.: “Donald McRonald, CNM News. Redeemer Tabernacle, the radical Christian organization has claimed responsibility for today’s bombing at Rockville Courthouse. Their anonymously released statement said, in part, ‘We will bring the Lord’s vengeance down on all sinners and those who encourage them in their evil deeds. Expect more of the Redeemer’s justice soon. No sinner is safe from the Redeemer’s wrath.’

“Here’s Alice Gutt at John Dempsey Hospital.”

“Daisy Chayne Cox is in critical but stable condition. We are informed that she lost most of her left leg, and that she has shrapnel wounds in many areas of her body. The doctor I spoke with says she is severely wounded but that she has a good chance of survival.”

“Thanks Alice. Names of other dead and wounded have not yet been released. Jake Tasnaak is on the scene in Rockville. Jake.”

“I spoke to an FBI agent who wishes to remain anonymous. She said that the FBI, quote, ‘has good information’ on the Redeemer Tabernacle organization. Arrests were imminent at the time of today’s bombing, and they are taking place as we speak.”

“Good news! Back when we have more.”

11:58 p.m.: “Donald McRonald, CNM News. I have stayed here at the studio to provide continuity with the Rockville Courthouse bombing that took place this morning. We are told that the FBI has taken 73 members of the Redeemer Tabernacle into custody in a series of raids on private homes and meeting places in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The FBI has not said so, but it seems clear that they had infiltrated this organization. More as we get it.”

4/13: 9:27 a.m.: Rhoda: Daisy has been in and out of consciousness all night and this morning. She is in a lot of pain. Sometimes she’s coherent, sometimes not. The doctors have upgraded her condition to serious, and they tell me she will survive. There will be lots of follow up surgery. The shrapnel wounds are horrible. The left side of her face is a mess, and really, the entire left side of her body is torn up. It’s going to be a long haul.

4/15: Rhoda: Daisy is in a rehab facility about 10 minutes from our home. My #1 assistant Eric Ford is running the team for now. I haven’t had any contact with the team or with UConn; too busy with this.

4/21: Rhoda: Daisy is coming home this afternoon. They want her to rest and recuperate before beginning what they say will be at least 5 surgeries. The first will be plastic surgery to repair the wounds to her face and head. We’re told that if the head wound had been a ½ inch to the right shrapnel would have penetrated to the brain and killed her.

Daisy is handling this fairly well, but it has to be terrible to be so disfigured, and to face the prospect of living without a left leg.

I have only left her side to sleep and to use the bathroom.

Agent Ewusy says 15 more members of the Redeemer Tabernacle have been arrested, all have been arraigned, and they will all be tried as accessories to murder, mass murder, and any other charges that the prosecutors think will stick. Agent Ewusy says there may be another half dozen members or so still to be arrested, but that the FBI feels most of the members of the organization are in custody.

CNM ran a documentary on Christian hate groups, and Christian suicide bombings. Those didn’t start until about five years ago but they have been happening, almost exclusively in the U. S. during this time. Not all bombings have been “claimed,” but of the 33 suicide bombings in the U. S. in the last 5 years, 29 have been claimed by the Redeemer Tabernacle, and by two other similar Christian hate groups. Agent Ewusy says the FBI has people in those two groups, and that they are close to making more arrests.

4/23: Coach Ford: We ask for a budget increase. We get $10,000.

34-4, 16-2, regular season and tourney conf. champs, Final Four, but we didn’t win it all. 12.6 PPG, +6.7 RBs, +5.3 TOs. Rod Call was #1 in the nation in RBs.

Overall Coach Cox is 350-69, .835.

4/28: Rhoda: Daisy is making progress but she is, understandably depressed. She has her bed set up so that we can really only see the right side of her face.

The physical therapy has started, and she’s been fitted for an artificial leg. They needed to do some trimming on the wound in two minor follow up surgeries, but she is expected to start working with the leg as soon as early next week.

The plastic surgery on her face and head will take place in 9 days.

No idea when I’ll go back to work.