Rhoda Cox

[Wayne23]

5/1: 5-7, 4.5-1, 4-1, 3-2.

5/2: Life in 2049 is … tense. Violence really does reign, pretty much everywhere. The Christian hate groups here, have their relatives throughout their world, where they are joined by equally violent Muslim and Jewish hate groups, and a small number of atheist hate groups that target religious groups. There are probably more race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation … based hate groups. Everyone seems to have weapons, although not the insanely powerful automatic and semi-automatic weapons that used to be so easily obtainable. When international laws were passed that stopped the production of ammunition, within a few years the problem was mostly solved. There is homemade ammunition, of course, but more often than not it blows the gun up.

Then there is the rising water level. Perhaps 40% of the land masses of the world, as it existed in the year 2000 are now under water, and another 10%-15% are expected to go under before things level off. The reduced population, and the fact that private motor vehicles are very rare, along with the widespread use of solar and wind power, have combined to greatly reduce the pollutants going into the atmosphere, the oceans…

The experts say the population will continue to drop due to lack of fresh water more than anything else, but this too will level off- at about 750-850 million.

This whole process is horrible to live through, even for those of us who are insulated against it by our wealth. That same wealth puts us in danger, of course. I have had the most sophisticated alarm systems at home and at work for years. The addition of the volunteer guards is wonderful. Many of them are living subsistence lives, as are their families, for those who have families. I don’t pay these people, but I regularly provide them with vouchers that can be used at local grocery stores, clothing stores… I don’t give them huge amounts, but a $100 voucher goes a very long way for a family that is barely getting by.

Somehow, college sports survive. The amount of money spent on them has greatly diminished but I still make a salary that puts me in the 1%. Pro sports has lost even more revenue but the players and coaches do just fine.

More later.

6/5: Looking at a couple of transfers.

Preseason #1.

6/9: We decide to pass.

6/16: This surgery was on the right foot and ankle. Minor, but there was a small amount of shrapnel and it was a constant irritation.

Dee Phil went #1 in the NBA draft, Rod Call #7, Joe Tann #11, Will Town #16, Cole Robb #20, Dan Deng #21.

6/26: 4 scholarships. We may go for all guards. Looking at 14, including 4 PGs, 4 SGs, 1 SF, 2 PFs, 3 Cs.

8/7: Norton list: C/PF Al Dell #5, PF/C John Wall #8, SF Max Tao #9, C Wes Warp #10, SG Sha Cull #11, PG Loy Hem #17, C Jay Gloe #31.

8/21: We offer to 2 PGs, an SG, an SF.

9/18: Got 3, lost 1. Got: SF Ted Daws, #4, PG Jess Ell, #5, PG Al Tack, #13. Offered to a PF.

Preseason NIT against St. Joe. Toughest schedule yet.

9/25: Didn’t get the PF. We offer to a PG.

10/2: 1st day of practice. Not as strong or as deep as last year but we’re still very good.

11/6: Not sure we’ll fill that last scholarship but we’re still trying.

Here’s the lineup we’re starting with; it will change:

Senior Sha Cull and frosh Loy Hem start at guard, backed by junior Mick Beck, a transfer from Kansas who will also back up at SF.

Frosh Max Tao will start at SF.

Freshmen Al Dell and Wes Warp will start inside, backed by junior John Wall and soph Jay Gloe.

We start at the NIT with St. Joe. We’re the #1 seed.

[Wayne23]

65 game win streak coming into the season. The record is 88 but we’re not thinking about that unless and until we win #87.

11/14: 104-70. 5 in double figures and we shot 59%.

#12 ranked, #8 seed FL ST is next. Only #1 (us), and #3, 6, and 8 won.

11/16: 83-59. 30, 5, 3 for Sha Cull. 43 RBs, 9 TOs.

#13 ranked, #13 seed Maryland in the semifinals.

11/18: 81-67. They hung around, not quite taking the lead, or even coming within one possession, but never that far back. 20, 3 for Cull, 18, 9 for Beck, 11, 11, 3, 3, 3 for Warp. 42 RBs, 9 TOs.

#7 ranked (They were unranked last week), #15 seed Tennessee for the title.

11/20: 86-67 and the title. 29, 5, 5 for tourney MOP Sha Cull, 21 for guard Loy Hem13, 4, 2, 2, 2 for Mick Beck, who is getting more minutes and may start soon. 17 TOs did not make me happy.

SF Max Tao, #1 recruit in his class, is so far not living up to expectations. He is still starting but I reduced his minutes. Trying to be patient with him. As long as we’re winning I can be- for a while.

0-1 KY is here. They’re always dangerous.

11/22: 78-56. 20, 6, 4 for Cull (avg. 23.6), 10, 10, 2, 2, 2 for Wall in his first start, 18, 5, 2 for Hem but he’s awful with TOs.

Daisy’s last surgery was today. They cleaned up an area around the right shoulder, arm, chest.

1-2 FL ST is here. We beat them by 24 in the NIT.

11/25: 91-70. 12, 13 for Wall, 9, 10 for Warp, 18, 4, 2 for Hem, 13, 3, 4 for Beck, 8, 9, 2 for Tao, maybe his best game.

11/27: 6-0, #1, RPI #2.

#3 Syracuse, here, next.

11/29: 79-61. 32, 5, 3 for Cull, 12, 6 for Wall, 8, 7, 2 for Warp, 8, 2, 6 for Beck.

Little used Deon Farr was put in and promptly hurt his shoulder. Out about a week.

#21 Indiana is here.

12/2: 79-48. Team effort, 8 scored between 6 and 16. 52 RBs, 5 TOs.

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

#10 Georgetown, 4-2, is here next.

12/6: 87-52. This wasn’t a win it was a mugging. 17, 12, 2, 1, 5 for Warp, 22, 6 for Wall, 15, 2, 6, 1, 3 for Hem. 50 RBs, 7 TOs.

Since I moved Loy Hem from PG to SG, TOs are going down quickly. We’re now #5 at 10.8.

#12 Stanford, 4-2 is here next.

12/9: 92-65. 36, 8 for Cull. 51 and 10.

12/11: 10-0, #1, #1. 75 in a row. #10 Wake Forest is the only other undefeated team.

At 5-1 Auburn next.

12/13: 71-52. They took an early lead. It took some time but by halftime we were up 13, and that’s as close as it got. 21, 14 for Wall, 17, 10, 2 with 4 blocks for Warp, 11, 8, 2 for Beck. 50 RBs but 19 TOs.

12/18: 11-0, #1, #1, with one more before conf. play., with 4-4 Arizona here. They’re having an off year but they’re still Arizona.

12/20: 83-72. The final score was as close as it got after the first 5 minutes or so. 21, 11 for Wall, 15, 8, 8, 1, 2 for Hem, 16, 7, 3 for Cull, 14, 3, 4, 2 for Beck, 11, 7 for Warp. 48 RBs but 19 TOs again. We will NOT win the national championship if we don’t fix the TO issue.

12/25: We end pre-conf. play at 12-0, #1, #1.

#1 in PPG, RBs, blocks, but only #23 in TOs (12.1). +22.9 PPG, +16.0 RBs (45.0), +2.6 TOs.

[Wayne23]

We start conf. play at #10 Temple, 9-2. They are our #1 conf. rival.

12/27: 66-52. 34-13 at the half; they shot 12.0%! +9 RBs, 12 TOs. 14, 12 for Wall, 18, 10 for Warp, 14, 9, 4, 4 for Hem, 9, 5, 2, 2 for Beck.

4-6 Houston is here next.

12/30: 87-59. 26, 6 for Cull, 22, 10, 4, 2 for Beck, 13, 9 for Warp, 12, 4, 9 for Hem. 45 RBs but 14 TOs.

1/1/’50: 14-0, 2-0, #1, #1.

At 10-1, 2-0 Central FL next. They’re good, but they haven’t played anybody.

2050! Whew! Midcentury. The world is in such a mess. I’m not sure how long this can all be held together. While the significantly lower population has led to a significant decrease in the amount of pollutants being released, the negative effects will not peak for another few years. It’s a question of holding things together until that time.

Riots, suicide bombings, car bombings, other bombings, mass shootings, hijackings- all of it is an everyday part of modern existence. Food shortages are commonplace.

Daisy and I have a garden in the back yard- a big one, and other family members, as well as our “help” (more on that in a minute) tend the garden and the chickens and lambs we raise. All of that is back up food supply and we “can” veggies- as many as possible. Shortages will get worse. This is an alternative to hoarding. I’ll admit we do some of that, with things we can’t grow- oats, flour, sugar, salt… We have an excellent water filtration system.

As to the “help,” we have two couples that work for us. We don’t need four people, but we have them anyway. They are family- not by blood, but still. They know that they are with us no matter what, and they will always have a place here. If the worst comes we will all face it together, sharing whatever we have equally.

When we built, we did so on the side of a steep hill, and with a wide stream on one side. The house is sheltered, and is easily guarded, well, relatively so.

We have a place in the highlands of Scotland that is all but impenetrable, but who knows if we could get there in an emergency situation.

1/3: 71-52. 15, 7, 8 for Cull, 18, 4 for Warp, 12, 11 for Gloe, 10, 5, 2 for Hem. 45 RBs, 10 TOs.

John Wall hurt his back. He’s out for about two weeks. He was hurt in the first minute and never came back. Jay Gloe, who will get his minutes, did a great job filling in.

4-8 Tulsa is here next.

1/6: 71-45. 17, 13 for Warp, 7, 5, 13, 2 for Hem, 18, 3, 5 for Beck, 15, 8 for Cull. 43 and 9.

1/8: 16-0, 4-0, #1, #1. Alone in 1st.

At 4-9, 1-3 SMU.

1/10: 73-51. 14, 10 for Warp, 15, 5, 2 for Hem, 12, 6, 3, 2, 2 for Cull. 45 and 10.

5-8, 1-3 Memphis, having an off year, is here.

1/13: 101-57. 6 in double figures. 44 and 13. Ugly.

1/15: 18-0, 6-0, #1, #1.

At 10-5, 4-2 Tulane. This is a good team.

1/16: 85-67. 51-29 at the half. 21, 3, 7 for Cull, 18, 2, 2 for Beck, 12, 11, 3, 2, 3 for Warp.

John Wall is back.

Wake Forest lost so we’re the last undefeated team in Div. I. The streak is at 84, and that’s all the reporters ask about. My answer, every single time? “I’ll talk about it when and if we hit 88.”

#16 ranked Cincy, 12-4, 5-1 is here. They’re alone in 2nd place in conf.

1/17: 101-69. We just destroyed a pretty good team. 21 for Cull, 13, 13 with 5 blocks for Warp, 13, 3, 10 for Hem, 15, 3, 1, 3, 3 for Wall in his return from injury, 14, 3, 4 for Beck. 44 and 8.

At 9-7, 2-5, East Carolina.

1/20: 86-67. 24, 4, 4, for Cull, but 8 TOs. 21, 5, 1, 4, 2 for Hem. 15, 8, 3, 2, 3 for Wall. But 19 TOs.

Temple beat Cincy so we have a 2 game lead.

1/22: 21-0, 9-0, #1, #1. 2 up on Temple, 3 on Cincy, 4 or more on the rest.

#14 Temple, 17-4, 8-2, is here next.

1/27: 85-52 as we destroy another very good team. 20, 4, 6, 2 for Hem, 17, 5, 4, 3 for Wall, 13, 10, 3 for Warp12, 2, 2 for Beck.

1/29: 22-0, 10-0, #1, #1. 3 up on Temple, 5 or more on the rest.

Sha Cull is #6, Wes Warp #8, and Loy Hem #13 on the Norton list.

We are now at 87 in a row. The record has been 88 for a VERY long time.

At 7-12, 4-6 Houston. If we win, our chance to break the record will be at home.

[Wayne23]

1/31: 112-62 over Houston. 36 for Cull, 19, 6, 3 for little used Mike Tune. Everyone played, everyone scored. It was great to have everyone be part of this.

After the game I got lots of questions. I admitted that yes, this is nice, and also admitted that it would be very special to break the record.

12-8, 4-7 Central FL is here for what we hope will be the record breaker. We won by 19 there.

2/5: A 2:00 p.m. Superbowl Sunday game so people can get back home for the start of that game.

92-69. 28, 3 for Cull, 15, 13, 2, 2, 3 for Wall, 13, 11 for Warp, 19 for Beck, and I was really pleased to get everyone into the game again. The walk ons and the guys who don’t play much will be able to tell their grandchildren about the day they broke the record!

7:42 p.m.: “Bud Flowers, CBZ. Ladies and gentlemen we have lost feed from the Superbowl, being held at Wembley Stadium II in London. Arianna Meekle was just concluding her halftime performance- wasn’t it fantastic! We have no idea what happened but as soon as- hold on! What? Are you sure? Ladies and gentlemen we’re going to a telephone report from Myles Aweigh, who was assigned to do interviews of fans leaving the game. He’s outside Wembley- anyway, here he is. Myles?”

“Bud, there was a tremendous explosion followed by I don’t know how many others- too many to count. The stadium is in roaring flames. I had to run across the street and then further down the street to escape the heat. It’s horrible. I don’t see how anyone inside could have survived, the flames seem to be coming from throughout the stadium.”

“Stay on the line, Myles. Don’t end the call, no matter what. Are any of our other people outside with you?”

“Only my cameraman, Jack Allnite, but the explosion shook the pavement hard, and his camera fell and broke. I know we didn’t have anyone else assigned outside the stadium. There may be some people from other news services. Bud, firefighters and ambulances are starting to arrive but this thing is so far out of control I think all they can do is to try to stop it from spreading. There’s no getting inside the stadium.

“As most of our viewers probably know Wembley II is a domed stadium seating 123,456. The Dome was not in use since it is 62 degrees and clear. Wow! Bud, the stadium wall nearest me just collapsed inward.”

“What are you seeing inside the stadium, Myles?”

“Yes, I’m trying to get a better angle, literally running down the street. The heat is terrible; this is as close as I can get. All I can see is flames. I think I can see a lot of the area of what would be the inside of the stadium but all I can see is flames.
A side wall just went. It collapsed inward, as well, Bud.”

3/1: (Moving ahead with the bombing story) Reports filtered in for hours, and then less frequently for days. In the end it was learned that 124, 998 were killed inside the stadium; there were no survivors. An additional 668 were killed and 1,122 wounded outside the stadium.

Authorities said that somehow a chain reaction was set off. Plastic explosives had been placed throughout the stadium, as well as gelignite, and other highly flammable materials. How all of that was smuggled inside, and who is responsible remain unknown. Seventeen groups have claimed responsibility for what was by far the most deadly terrorist attack in history, but it is unknown which, if any of the groups claiming responsibility actually did the deed.

Interpol, the British police and federal authorities, and law enforcement and military personnel from many countries have been working to gather information in the 24 days since the attack but it all remains a mystery. The dead and wounded come from 79 countries, on all six inhabited continents.

2/6: And so the day of the greatest triumph of my coaching life becomes the day of perhaps the greatest tragedy in human history. Everyone, probably throughout the world, remains in shock.

UConn head football coach Bronco Polanski was the only member of the UConn family known to have been at the game. He and his wife leave two small sons, ages 8 and 5. There would certainly have been more UConn folks there were it not for the fact that we were going for the record on the same day. That is something to be thankful for. I know a good dozen or so athletic directors who lost their lives in the tragedy, and there were, of course, many others I did not know.

I had a chance to speak with Agent Ewusy. He said he really can’t say anything other than that they have some very promising leads. He flew to London immediately upon hearing of the bombing.

U. S. President Epstein said what you would have expected her to say. She put the entire FBI, CIA, and U. S. military spy apparatus at the disposal of the investigators. Naturally the British are leading the investigation but it is very much an international effort.

Security measures were ramped up tremendously at the winter Olympics in Canberra, which is going on at the same time as the Superbowl. They have two weeks to run. There’s talk of cancelling the rest of the events but it does not appear that that will happen.

The entire world will declare a day of mourning and remembrance on 2/8. For probably the first time in history, every nation on the planet has agreed to participate.

Meanwhile, I have a team to run. It’s all but impossible to retain focus, given that the news reports continue nonstop with casualty reports, rumors, profiles of hate groups that may or may not have been involved… Of course the Superbowl is a gathering place for the rich and famous of the world. It is known that 33 billionaires lost their lives in the tragedy, and many, many famous athletes, entertainers, public figures of all kinds were killed, including, of course, Arianna Meekle, who was concluding her halftime show.

Next up is #21 Cincinnati, 16-9, 9-6, there. We won by 32 at our place. I have no doubt that my guys will have trouble focusing but so will the other guys. Hopefully it will balance out.

2/8: The whole world stopped today. It was an incredible thing. Coverage was worldwide, and throughout, on all TV stations, the names of the dead scrolled along the bottom of the page. The tributes brought tears to eyes everywhere. Probably every head of state in the world spoke to their countrymen.

Not that many people are particularly concerned about this but the two participating teams in the game, the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns, were declared co-champions for the season. The game was tied 17-17 at the half. The NFL also announced that there will be a special draft to restock both teams. Ownership of the teams is in certain at this time since the owners of both teams, and many of their respective family members were in attendance, and so ownership will be determined after readings of the wills involved, and probably after litigation as well.

2/10: 91-67. +12 RBs, 12 TOs. 20, 12, 1, 2, 5 for Wall, 21, 4 for Hem, 17, 1, 6 for Beck, 12, 9 for Warp.

2/12: 25-0, 13-0, #1, #1. 4 up on Temple, 7 or more on the rest.

Cull is #6, Warp #13, Hem #19 on the Norton list.

7-16, 4-10 SMU is here next.

2/13: 69-49. 17, 12 for Warp, 18, 3, 5 for Cull. 40 and 10.

The Superbowl tragedy just won’t go away. I know it’s only been 8 days but still. It’s so far beyond any other tragedy in human history. 125, 666 dead, and more than 1000 others injured. It is hard for the mind to accept this.

At 9-14, 5-9 Memphis.

2/15: 99-80. 8 more points than we’ve given up in any other game this season. 16, 11, 2 for Wes Warp, who is very steady. He seems to put up good numbers every game. 7 TOs. We’re now averaging 11.6, #6 in the country.

14-10, 8-7 Tulane is here next.

Still nothing on the Wembley Superbowl bombing. Authorities seem completely baffled as to who did this.

2/17: 79-62. 27, 5 for Beck. 46, 12.

2/19: 28-0, 16-0, #1, #1. 5 game lead on Temple, 7 on the rest with 2 to play. Streak is at 93.

At 9-16, 6-10 Tulsa.

2/21: 69-45. 18, 9 for Warp, 16, 11, 2, 2, 2 for Wall. 48 and 12.

We close the regular season at home with 11-15, 8-9 South FL.

2/24: 71-33. 20, 9, 2, 5, 2 for Wall. 37 and 7.

Jay Gloe hurts his arm but we’re off for 11 days. He’ll be fine by then.

2/26: We end the regular season at 30-0, 18-0, #1, #1, 6 game lead, streak at 95. +24.9 PPG, +14.2 RBs, +4.9 TOs. #1 in PPG, RBs, Blocks, Steals Allowed. #2 in TOs. #3 in Assists and in Assists Allowed. #4 in PPG Allowed.

3/5: We lose 4 to the NBA draft: guards Loy Hem and Mike Tune, SF Max Tao, and C Al Dell.

Sha Cull #5, Wes Warp #10 on the Norton list.

Authorities remain baffled by the Wembley bombing.

[Wayne23]

3/9: #9 seed Memphis, 11-17, 6-12, won their play in. We play them in the quarters.

3/10: 95-68. 22, 15, 2 with 6 blocks for Warp, 22, 8, 2 for Cull, 12, 11, 3 for Wall, 15, 3, 5, 2 for Beck. 54 and 7.

#5 seed Tulane, 16-12, 9-9 in the semis. We won by 18 there, 17 here.

3/11: 81-60. 17, 14, 4, 3 for Wall, 21, 4, 2 for Cull13, 6, 3 for Beck.

#2 seed, #14 ranked Temple, 23-8, 12-6, for the title. Beat them by 14 there, 33 here. Their starting PG is hurt and may not play.

3/12: 80-55. 27, 6 for Cull, 9, 12 with 5 blocks for Warp. 41 and 8.

#1 overall.

We play 15-16 TX Rio Grande Valley 1st.

3/16: 84-59. 5 in double figures, Hem led us with 12, 4, 12, 2 blocks. 7 TOs.

#9 seed Michigan ST, 19-12, is next.

3/18: 81-50. 21, 8, 2 for Wall. 8 TOs.

The win streak is at 100.

#4 seed, #18 ranked Virginia, 24-7, in the Sweet Sixteen.

3/23: 82-56. 15, 10, 8 for Hem, 20, 8, 3, 3, 3 for Wall. 43 and 12.

#6 seed, #15 ranked Bradley, 27-7, in the Elite Eight.

3/25: 88-60. 11 players scored. 47 and 12.

#3 seed, #9 ranked Georgetown, 27-7, in the national semifinal. We beat them by 35 early in the season.

On the other side it’s #1 seed, #4 ranked Syracuse, 28-6 vs. #2 seed, #8 ranked Oklahoma ST, 28-7.

4/1: 82-70. We never trailed, and the only tie was at 0-0. 5 in double figures led by Wall with 11, 11. 37 and 12.

It’s #1 seed, #4 ranked, #6 RPI Syracuse, 29-6, for the title. We beat them by 18 early in the season.

4/3: 75-60. They scored the first 2 points, we got the next 11, and we never trailed or were tied again. 18, 5, 3 for Cull in his last game, 15, 8 for Warp, 10, 11 for Gloe, 10, 5, 8, 2, 3 for Hem in his last game8, 8, 3, 4 for Wall. 50 and 14.

4/4: Awards: John Wall was Final Four MOP. Sha Cull made 1st team All American, Wes Warp made 2nd team. I was national COY again. In conf., Sha Cull was POY and 1st team, Wes Warp was freshman OY, Defensive POY and 1st team along with
John Wall and 6th man Mike Beck. Loy Hem made 2nd team.

4/23: We ask for a facilities upgrade, just to keep our facilities where they are. Mission accomplished.

39-0. +24.4 PPG, +13.5 RBs, +5.3 TOs. #1 in PPG, RBs, Blocks, , Steals Allowed. #2 in TOs, Assists, PPG Allowed. #4 in Assists Allowed. Warp wound up 2nd in both RBs and blocks.

Threepeat, 104 game win streak, 5 titles. Only John Wooden had more.

466-70, .869. for 15 seasons. 5 national titles, 7 times national COY, 8 times Conf. COY.

Agent Ewusy called to say there is a break in the bombing. He can’t give me details but he says arrests are near. Great news!

[Wayne23]

5/1: Only 10 on the squad. We’ll look for walk ons and keep at least 2.

#1 in the preseason polls again.

5/5: 27 arrests in connection with the Superbowl bombing at Wembley Stadium II in London. Spokesmen say they expect many more arrests, possibly numbering in the hundreds.

5/6: Agent Ewusy says three militant groups got together. Somehow no agency of any government had penetrated any of the three groups. The planning took place over a period of more than three years. The groups managed to get several of their members hired as midnight custodians and security guards at Wembley II! They managed to arrange things so that all of those working on the night before the game were their people. They managed to smuggle in the explosive and inflammatory substances and devices and to place them in hidden nooks and crannies throughout the stadium. It appears that it only took two suicide bombers, one at each end of the stadium, to trigger the explosions and fires.

One I7 agent in England managed to infiltrate one of the groups in late February. He took his time, didn’t push, but played his part so well that he was quickly accepted. He gathered the information, and the authorities felt they had enough to make the 27 arrests yesterday. They feel confident, now that they know the three groups involved, that the remaining arrests will happen fairly quickly.

June 5: Looking at some transfers. Very little talent in the pool this year. We pass.

June 25: We have only 11 on the squad. I kept one walk on. All the rest had a defensive rating of 1, and no, just no. 5-4, 4.5-2, 4-2, 3.5-2, 2.5-1.

June 26: 6 scholarships. We hope to get 4 guards but we’ll see. Looking at 20, which is a lot more than usual.

8/7: 5 on the Norton list: #1 is SF Ted Daws, #5 is C Wes Warp, #7 is PF John Wall, #14 is C/PF Jay Gloe, #27 is PG Al Tack.

8/21: We offer to 4 PGs, a PF, and a C.

8/22: Major headlines. 889 arrests in connection with the Superbowl bombing at Wembley II. Prosecutors are charging all 889, as well as the original 27 people arrested, with first degree murder, mass murder, and murder by terrorism. England does not have the death penalty, so if convicted, all 916 would receive life sentences with no possibility of parole. Prosecutors have said they will accept guilty pleas but will NOT plea bargain. Agent Ewusy told me that this only happens when the case is absolutely rock solid, and in this case it is.

9/18: Got 2 PGs, #9 Jay Plow, and #14 Chad Nunn.

At the NIT playing Duquesne.

9/25: Got PG Josh Six, #27. Lost the other three we were chasing.

We offer to a PG, an SF, and a C.

10/2: We are very good, but we are not very deep.

10/9: Got #33, C/PF Tod Vine. 2 to go.

11/6: 7 man rotation.

Starting at guard are senior Mick Beck and frosh Al Tack. They’ll share the Point and play the rest of their minutes at SG. Backing up at SG is frosh Jed Elly. 2 good guards behind them.

At SF is VERY highly regarded Ted Daws.

Inside starters are senior John Wall and soph Wes Warp, who had an outstanding rookie season.

Backing up at all three inside spots is junior Jay Gloe.

We can withstand an injury to a guard but we’re very thin up front. An injury there and I’ll need to get creative, probably by going with a three guard set up.

Nov. 8: “EPSN Sportchat. I’m Dan Pyronnyt with an editorial. Women coaching men’s sports. Well, it doesn’t happen at the professional level, and at least so far the only place it happens in Div. I college sports is in men’s hoops. 8 women have now coached men’s hoops teams. 7 of them have been dismal failures. In a total of 22 seasons those 7 women have had exactly 1 winning season, and their overall record is 245 wins, 371 losses, .398 pct, no conference titles, no conference tournament or other tournament wins, no NCAA tournament appearances, no NIT appearances, one CBI tournament appearance resulting in a second round loss.

“Love me or hate me, the point is clear. Women, with one exception, can’t cut it coaching men’s sports.

“Now, the exception is a gigantic one. Rhoda Chayne Cox has had incredible success. There’s no denying it, and there’s no denying she will end up as a hall of fame men’s basketball coach. She is currently carrying the highest winning percentage in men’s hoop history, 466-70, for an unbelievable .869. She has won 5 national titles in the past 6 seasons, and she looks like she just might add #6 this season. She can coach, folks. I tip my fedora to her. She did a great job at Cornell, she did a great job at Oregon ST, so it’s not just because she’s at a powerhouse school. Oh, and she won 4 titles on the women’s side in ten seasons before crossing over.

“Okay, what’s my point? Here it is. In the entire history of the college basketball world exactly one woman has not done a terrible job of coaching men’s Div. I basketball. Could some of the old timers have done it? From what I’ve read Pat Summitt probably could have. Trish Vandervere is a maybe. Nobody else. So if you’re an A. D. at a Div. I college, and you need to hire a head men’s basketball coach, hire a man. I can’t WAIT for the emails, texts, and phone calls I’m going to get on this one. Back to Gary Gray.”

[Wayne23]

We face Duquesne in the first round of the NIT. We are the #1 seed.

11/14: 96-73. 23, 8, 3, 2, 6 for Ted Daws, 27, 7 for Warp, 17, 12, 5, 3 for John Wall, 13 for Beck, 10 assists for Tack.

#9 seed Cincinnati in the quarter finals.

11/16: 74-56. 24, 11 for SF Ted Daws. This kid is the real thing. 17, 14, 2, 2, 3 for Warp, 13, 4, 9, 3, for Tack.

#12 seed Oregon ST knocked off both #4 and #5. They’re next in the semifinals.

11/18: 79-44. 21, 4, 7 for Beck, 18, 10, 4 for Wall, 16, 11 for Warp. Daws turned his ankle early on. He only played 15 minutes.

#2 seed, #15 ranked Kansas for the title.

11/20: 87-66 and the title. 26, 10 for Daws, 14, 12 for Wall, 13, 11 for Warp, 15, 3, 4 for Beck. This may be the strongest front line in college hoops history.

4-0 after the first week. All 4 recruits who committed have signed.

0-1 Maryland is next.

11/23: 73-57. 23, 16 for Warp, 11, 11 with 5 blocks for Daws, 19, 3, 4, 2 for Beck, 6, 6, 10, 3 for Tack, 8, 12 for Wall.

0-2 Michigan is next.

11/26: 91-88 in OT. We were up 17 at the half and proceeded to fall asleep for about the entire 2nd half. Daws hit a three at the end of regulation to save us, and then he hit another one for the win, with 1.1 seconds left in OT. 17, 18 for Warp,
15, 10, 3, 2, 5 for Daws, 14, 6 for Wall. 52 RBs but 17 TOs- our high for the season.

This was the first OT game during the course of our 110 game win streak. It almost ended tonight.

11/27: 6-0, #1, RPI is only #34, which seems way too low. Wes Warp is averaging 18.8 points and 12.8 RBs.

#11 Kentucky is here next. This will be our first home game this season- took a long time getting here. We’ll raise the championship banner. #10 for the UConn men. The women have 24.

11/30: 70-52. 17, 9, 3 Daws, 18, 5, 3 for Beck, 4, 19, 4 for Wall, 9, 5, 7 for Tack.

At 3-2 Creighton next.

12/3: 74-60. 17, 13, 4, 2, 4 for Wall, 15, 10, 1, 3, 4 for Daws, 17, 6 for Warp.

12/4: 8-0, #1, RPI #7.

2-3 Georgetown is here next.

12/7: 82-59. 25, 9 for Daws, 20, 9, 4 for Beck, 14, 7 for Wall, 10, 12, 2, 3 for Warp.

#7 Stanford, 5-1, is here next.

12/10: 84-67. 31, 13, 1, 2, 3 for Daws, 14, 14 for Warp.

12/11: 10-0, #1, RPI #2.

5-3 LSU is here next.

12/13: 83-49. 17, 15, with 8 blocks for Warp, 18, 9 for Daws, 10, 11, 2, 2, 6 for Wall, 16, 4, 5 for Beck.

At #8 North Carolina, 7-1, next.

12/21: 99-86. 26, 11, 2, 1, 6 for Warp, 25, 3, 2 for Beck, 22, 7 for Daws.

12/25: We end pre-conf. play at 12-0, #1, RPI #. +19.6 PPG, +13.7 RBs, +5.4 TOs.

[Wayne23]

12/27: 74-47 over East Carolina here. 25, 7, 2, 4, 2 for Daws.

1/1/’51:13-0, 1-0, #1.

1/2: 98-66 at Memphis. 26, 7, 2, 2, 2 for Daws, 24, 4, 6 for Beck.

1/6: 82-49 over Tulsa here. 21, 10, 3 for Daws, 14, 11 for Warp.

1/7: “Gary Gray, EPSN Sportschat, here with Rhoda Chayne Cox of the UConn Huskies. Rhoda, 119 wins in a row.”

“It kind of boggles my mind, to tell you the truth.”

“Where does it end?”

“You know, it ends with one night where we lose focus, or where shots just won’t drop, or a night where you play a good team on their home court, they play really well and we don’t.”

“Sort of like your next game, at #16 Temple, 11-3, 4-0. The only other undefeated team in your conference.”

“They’re a team that could beat us if we don’t play well. But look, the streak is terrific, but coaching at this level is about winning national championships. That’s way more important than the win streak, and it is what we focus on.”

“But, let’s face it, you have an incredible team, with 7 or 8 guys who are as good as anyone in the country.”

“Well, we have talent, that’s for sure.”

“How? How does one team, one coach, attract this much talent?”

“Part of it is the reputation we’ve established. Part is that we’ve won 4 of the past 5 national titles. Part is that I have an incredibly good recruiting assistant, and he and I work very, very hard at recruiting and we are very careful not to make false promises. We’ve earned a good reputation with recruits. They know I’ll give them an honest assessment of what I feel their chances are of getting minutes with us, and when the time comes, of how high they are likely to go in the NBA draft. But we didn’t have the best recruiting year this season. We’ve signed #14, 15, 29, and 37, and that’s a lot lower than usual, and the guys we’re after to fill the last two slots are in the 40s, 50s, and higher. If we lose people to the NBA draft, which I’m sure we will, next year could be a challenge.”

“Coach, only the legendary John Wooden has won more titles on the men’s side. What are your long range goals?”

“Well Gary, I turned 50 in May. If the people in charge can hold the society together, I’d like to coach for a long time. I think it’s foolish to say I can catch John Wooden, or pass him, but I have two long range goals. The first is to have as high a winning pct. And number of wins as possible, and second, to win as many national titles as possible. But I’m not putting a specific number on either.”

“Thanks Coach, and continued success.”

1/8: 79-56. 15, 12, 1, 1, 5 for Daws, 18, 8 for Warp, 6 in double figures. It was close for about 10 minutes.

1/10: 74-41 over SMU, here. 26, 6 for Daws, 13, 11, 2, 1, 5 for Warp, 18, 6, 2 for Beck but he had 7 TOs, as did PG Al Tack. TOs are the one area of concern, we’re averaging 12.5, which is way too high.

Houston, 11-4, 5-1, tied for 2nd in conf., is here next.

1/13: 85-42. 26, 9, 2, 2, 2 for Daws. 47 and 11.

1/15: 18-0, 6-0, #1, #1, alone in 1st in conf.

1/16: 78-46 at Central FL. 21, 13 for Wall, 19, 7, 3, 1, 5 for Daws, 14, 4, 5, 4 for Beck. 46 and 9. Warp had a very rare off night. He is incredibly steady, and has been all of this season and last season.

Al Tack hurt his hand. Out about a week. Jed Elly will start and Dan Dahl will back up. It’s only one game, and it’s against a 2-13 team- on the road though.

1/20: 69-41 over South FL there. 18, 10 for Wall, 24, 3 for Daws, 7, 10, 7 for Beck, 6, 12 for Warp.

Al Tack will be back for our next game. Little used guard Zac Wigs sprained a toe and is out for 2 weeks.

1/22: 20-0, 8-0, #1, #1. 1 up on Temple, 3 or more on the rest.

1/23: Scheduling oddity, back to back vs. South FL. 70-50 this time. 18, 11, 2, 2, 5 for Wall, 12, 10, 2 with 9 blocks for Warp, just missed a triple double.

#14 Cincy, 13-5, 5-3 is here next. We beat them by 18 in the NIT.

1/25: 92-73. 28, 12 for Daws, 19, 16, 4, with 4 blocks for Warp. All 5 starters had very good games. 43 and 11.

1/27: 78-57 at East Carolina. 19, 12, 2 for Warp, 19, 3, 2 for Beck, 14, 10 for Wall. 39 and 6.

1/29: 23-0, 11-0, #1, #1. 1 up on Temple, 4 or more on the rest. +23.7 PPG, +13.0 RBs, +5.1 TOs (11.7, #6, so it’s getting better).

Ted Daws is #1 on the Norton list, Wes Warp is #4, John Wall is #7.

[Wayne23]

2/3: 91-49 over Memphis here. 34, 14 with 4 blocks for Daws, 18, 12 for Warp, 12, 7, 9, 2, 2 for beck. 56 and 10.

2/5: 24-0, 12-0, #1, #1. Still 1 up on Temple, 4 or more on the rest.

2/7: 75-53 at Tulsa. 21, 8, 4 with 3 blocks for Beck, 10, 4, 7 for Tack, 12, 3 for Elly. They packed it in and made us beat them outside. We did, but my inside guys completely controlled the boards. 46 RBs, 7 TOs.

#10 Temple, 19-4, 12-1, 1 back and the only team that can catch us, is here next. We won by 23 there.

2/8: There are reports of mass suicides in the prisons where the 916 perps of the Superbowl bombing are being held.

2/9: 714 of the prisoners committed suicide, and the other 202 all have serious to critical injuries. Every single one tried to commit suicide.

2/9: It’s almost midnight. After all of the suicides there have been 58 suicide bombings and another 175 (roughly) car bombs around the world today. Clearly, all of this is related.

2/10: 2:27 a.m.: Agent Ewusy called. I just hung up. He said it has been extremely difficult to infiltrate these Christian hate groups. The authorities knew something was up but they never got any specific information, and late yesterday, 17 of the various police, spies, agents… who had infiltrated several of these groups were found beheaded, their bodies left in very public places in 17 different cities around the world.

2/10: 74-53. 31, 4, 2 with 4 blocks for Daws, 20, 5, 7, 2 for Beck, 11, 11 with 4 blocks for Warp. 41 and 6.

2/12: 26-0, 14-0, #1, #1. 2 game lead over Temple with 4 to play. 6 ahead of the rest.

Daws remains #1, Warp #4, and Wall moves down to #13 on the Norton list.

2/13: Down 8 at Tulane at the half, and it went up and down. Still down 8 at the media TO with 4:56 left. Then we finally got it together and went on a 23-6 run for the rest of the game to win 74-65. Second closest game of the season. 12, 14 for Warp but he fouled out. 17, 5, 6 for Beck but 9 TOs. 14, 7 for Daws. 51 RBs but 17 TOs.

2/15: 92-76 at Houston. 31, 5, 4, 2 for Beck, 21, 8, 4, 2, 3 for Daws, 14, 5, 10 for Tack, 13, 12 with 4 blocks for Warp. 7 TOs.

9,787 people were killed, and 19,913 injured in the bombings on 2/8 and 2/9. Agent Ewusy told me they’re not optimistic about solving this one. When their own are killed they pull out all the stops but this is a tough one.

2/17: 82-57 over Central FL here. 24, 9, 3, 3, 4 for Daws. Warp and Wall spent the night in foul trouble but we got good guard play and good bench play.

2/19: 29-0, 17-0, #1, #1.

2/24: 91-69. 28, 14 with 6 blocks for Daws, 19, 5 for Warp, 12, 11 for Wall, 11 assists for Tack.

2/26: We end the regular season 30-0, 18-0, #1, #1, 2 up on Temple, 6 or more on the rest. +23.5 PPG, +13.4 RBs, +5.2 TOs. #1 in PPG, RBs, Blocks, Assists. #3 in TOs, PPG Allowed, Assists Allowed. #4 in steals Allowed.

Al Tack is #1 in assists. Wes Warp is #1, John Wall #3, and Ted Daws #6 in RBs. Warp is #1 in blocks, Daws #3, Wall #10. Warp is #1 in double doubles, 18.

The win streak is at 134.

3/5: The day we dread. We lose: Surprisingly only Ted Daws and Al Tack go. Delighted to have Wes Warp back for his junior season. Only 5 players returning between graduation and leaving early: Warp, Gloe, guard Jed Elly, little used SF Chad
Max, and little used guard Zac Wigs.

Daws is #1 and Warp #5 in the final Norton list before Awards day.

[Wayne23]

3/9: #8 seed Central FL, 13-15, 6-12, wins the play in. We play them in the quarter final. Beat them by 28 and 25.

3/10: 86-58. 25, 14, 3, 3, 3 for Wall, 22, 12 with 4 blocks for Daws. 42 and 10.

#5 seed Memphis, 18-10, 10-8, in the semifinal round. Beat them by 32 and 42.

3/11: 93-63. 22, 9, 3, 4, 6 for Warp, 21, 10, 4, 2, 3 for Daws, 19, 9, 2 for Wall. 43 and 9.

As expected it’s #7 Temple, 25-5, 16-2 for the conf. title. We won by 23 and 21 in the regular season, and their starting PF just tore his ACL. He was their leading rebounder and 2nd leading scorer, and their best inside defender.

3/12: 73-59. 43-19 at the half. The final score was as close as it got after the opening minutes of the game. 15, 11, 2, 3, 2 for Wall, 11, 13, 4 for Warp13, 3, 4, 2 for Beck. 48 and 9.

#1 overall.

We play 16-15 South Dakota first.

3/16: 82-52. All 5 starters in double figures. 41 and 12. Never a game.

#9 seed, LaSalle, 23-6, is next.

3/18: 64-41. 16, 13, 5 blocks for Wall, 20, 9 for Daws. 47 and 9.

3/20: Temple was upset in the 2nd round.

There are 2 #1, 1 #2, 2 #3 seed left.

We play #13 seed New Orleans, 23-8, in the Sweet Sixteen.

3/23: 92-68. 28, 12, 2, 0, 2 for Warp, 21, 15, 2 for Wall, 21, 6 for Daws. Quite the front line! 45 and 10.

3/24: 2 #1 teams, a 2, a 3, a 6, a 7, an 8 left. If we win tomorrow we’ll play the winner of the game between the other #1 and the #2.

#7 seed North Carolina, 21-11, in the Elite Eight.

3/25: 93-75 and back to the Final Four. 23, 7, 2 for Daws, 19, 13, 1, 0, 6 for Warp, 12 each for Wall and Tack. 40 and 7.

#1 seed, #2 ranked Syracuse, 34-2 won their game so they’re next. On paper we’re way better but they’re the #2 team in the country.

On the other side it will be #9 ranked Creighton vs. unranked Louisville.

4/1: 79-57. It was over after the first 5 minutes. 25, 10, 2, 1, 2 for Daws, 13, 15, 4, 1, 3 for Wall, 15, 7, 3 for Warp, 13, 4, 5 for Beck. 49 and 8. One more to go!

#9 ranked, #6 RPI, #3 seed Creighton, 29-7, for the title and a fourpeat. Their leading scorer and starting SG badly sprained his finger in the national semifinal. If he plays it won’t be much. He averages 25.2 per game. Their #2 scorer averages 8.8.

4/3: 75-55 and our 4th straight title and #6 overall. Like the semifinal it was over after 5 minutes. Without their SG, who did not play, they had no chance.

16, 13 for Wall, 21, 3 for Daws, 13, 7, 3, 2 for Tack, 10 RBs for Gloe. 49 and 11.

39-0 and the title. +23.4 PPG, +13.8 RBs, +6.1 TOs,. #1 nationally in PPG, RB, TO, Blocks. #2 in Assists (both for and against), PPG Allowed, Steals Allowed.

Al Tack led the nation in assists. Wes Warp was #1, John Wall #3, and Ted Daws #4 in RBs. Warp was #1 in blocks and Daws #2.Warp was #1 in double doubles, Daws #4, Wall #5. I’d say we dominated.

Ted Daws is national POY, Final Four POY. Wes Warp is defensive POY. Both made 1st team All American. I was national COY, for the 8th time. In conf., Daws was POY, frosh OY, 1st team. Warp was defensive POY, 1st team. Mike Beck and John Wall also made 1st team.

4/23: We ask for a facilities upgrade. No.

143 wins in a row. I am now 505-70, .878, 6 titles, in 16 seasons.

Next year will NOT be at this level but let’s see how far we can get.