The Last Man

[Wayne23]

5/1: The usual reports.

Preseason #1

6/5: No open spots for transfers.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We need 3 bigs. Looking at 12.

8/7: 8 on the Norton list: SG Rich Naby is #1, PF Zach Wood #12, PF Ban Mihm #18, C Mark Cray #21, PG Mike Onda #27, SG Gar Bone #28, C Cris Arri #40, C Marv Griz #45.

8/21: We offer to a PG, an SG, 2 PFs, a C.

9/18: Got 2, lost one, Got a PF, #2, and an G, #3.

Coaches Classic vs. Xavier.

9/25: We get a C, #6. Lose a PG.

10/2: We get the last 2, a C, #8, and a PG, #15.

1st day of practice. We’ll be in the hunt again this year.

11/6: Lineup:

Senior Mike Onda and frosh Rich Naby start at guard, back by senior Gar Bone.

Soph Ban Mihm starts at SF.

Senior Marc Cray and soph Zach Wood start inside. Seniors Marv Griz and Tony Dell, and junior Cris Arri sub inside.

Looking for the threepeat. We start with Xavier in the Classic, where we’re the #1 seed.

[Wayne23]

February, 2172: Lacy is totally involved in writing her thesis. We need to remind her to eat and sleep. Her advisor is a stickler, and makes her redo passages if anything is even slightly less than perfect. Lacy is fine with that. She wants this document to be as good as it can be. She tells us she’s about three months away from being ready to defend it.

Amy decided she was ready to do an art exhibit. She wants to exhibit a collection of her works. This will happen in the HC. Lacy and I will serve as the human audience, but all of the holoexperts in anything art related will also view the exhibit, and they will critique it.

“I think this will give me an opportunity to really grow as an artist.”

Amy has a few pieces to finish up, and then she’ll be ready, at about the same time that Lacy defends. So lots of important events coming up.

Lacy turned 19 last month, and Amy just turned 15 a few days ago. I’ll be 172 on May 1.

The temps are now really cold, getting into the low to mid 30s at best, with night time temps in the teens and single digits. There’s a lot of snow, actually it snows most of the time. The snow is more often light than moderate or heavy, but it is nearly constant.

We heat the ship, and don’t go topside unless we need to, which I do a couple times a day. I wear lots of heavy clothes, and my warmest parka. I’ve no idea if the temps will continue to drop.

Next: A thesis defense, an art exhibit, frigid temps.

[Wayne23]

11/13: 78-65. 27, 7 for SG Rich Naby, 13, 12, 6, 3, 5 for C Marc Cray. 11 for #3 guard Gar Bone. +10 RBs.

#8 seed Maryland in the 2nd round.

11/15: 76-65. 27, 8 for Naby, 18, 4, 10 for PG Mick Onda. +11 RBs. TOs are too high.

#13 seed Gonzaga in the semifinal round.

11/17: 87-58. First time we’ve played well so far. 35, 7 for Naby. +16 RBs, +10 TOs.

#3 seed, #2 ranked Oklahoma, for the title. They’re a good team, very good outside. Their SF is a potential All American, as is their Center.

11/19: 71-56. 34, 10 for Naby, 13, 10 for PF Zach Wood, 10, 3, 5 for Onda. +8 RBs.

11/20: 4-0, #1. Naby looks like a superstar. He’s rated as the best player in the country right now, averaging 30.8, and 8 RBs.

All 5 recruits signed.

12/4: 7-1, #1, RPI #1. We lost by 11 at #5 Syracuse on a night when our D was weak, we didn’t take care of the ball, and we were called for a ridiculous number of fouls.

I had my semiannual check up from the Arizona ST anti-aging people. I haven’t talked about this in years, but we’re still doing that. This time, Dr. Worth herself came and did the testing. I hadn’t seen her in a very long time and it was great to catch up. She said she is considering giving herself the treatments. That concerns me, given that everyone who got them except for me died. She said she’s almost 80, and she feels death is imminent, so she really does not have much to lose.

12/25: 10-2, #2, RPI #2. +13.2 PPG, +9.9 RBs, +3.8 TOs, +6.4 assists. Naby has slipped to #2 on the Norton list.

[Wayne23]

1/1/2073: 12-2, 2-0, #1, RPI #5.

The world is going to hell and the pace is accelerating. There may be 3-4 billion people left, and in most places those people are not living well. Society is still working, if barely, in the U. S., in parts of Europe, and in a few places in South and Central America. Parts of South Africa are doing okay, as are parts of Australia and New Zealand. Very few places in Asia are still going in any meaningful way.

1/15: 16-2, 6-0, #1, RPI #1. 1st in the Big 10. 1 up on #21 Indiana. Naby is back to #1 on the Norton list.

1/29: 20-2, 10-0, #1, #1. +16.5 PPG, +10.8 RBs, +4.8 TOs, +6.7 assists. Still 1 up on #15 Indiana, 2 up on #7 Michigan, 4 or more on the rest.

Naby is #2, Marc Cray #16, Mike Onda #30 on the Norton list.

2/12: 23-3, 13-1. We lost at Wisconsin on a night when we shot 28%. 1 up on Michigan, 2 on Indiana. Everyone else is out of it.

Naby remains #2 and Cray is #19 on the Norton list.

2/26: We end the regular season at 27-3, 17-1, #1, RPI #2. +18.1 PPG, +10.3 RBs, +5.3 TOs, +6.8 assists. We win the conf. by 3 games.

We beat #7 Michigan by 17 there.

Big injury. We lose starting PF Zach Wood for about a year due to a torn Achilles. Marv Griz will get his spot, and Ban Mihm will get more back up minutes.

3/5: This is the worst day of the year once you get to be an elite program. We lose Rich Naby, and little used PF Bry Clax. Not bad, actually. Clax had a lot of potential though.

Naby remains #2 on the Norton list.

[Wayne23]

July, 2172: Lacy defended her thesis yesterday. The holoexperts on the committee complimented her on a very well prepared thesis. They asked for only two very minor changes, and she says she can have those completed within two weeks. At that time there will be a brief, private review by the committee and she will get to call herself “Doctor.”

Amy’s art exhibit in the HC was great. The holocritics took lots of notes, but the rest of us just looked at the paintings and sculptures and admired them.

After reading the critiques Amy was thrilled. She said she had gotten some incredibly helpful suggestions, as well as some genuine praise for lots of her work. I reminded her that she’s the world’s greatest artist. She gave me an eyeroll. She has been back at work redoing a few paintings and trying again with two sculptures, but also doing lots of new work. She is often working on as many as a half dozen projects at a time, but that’s been her work style for years.

Temperatures continue to fall. Daytime highs are now in the low twenties to high teens, and at night it often goes to zero and below.

I monitor the heating equipment regularly, or rather check on the monitoring done by the robots. These temps put lots of strain on lots of systems. So far so good, but it bears close observation.

Next: Dr. Lacy, art everywhere, a major equipment breakdown

[Wayne23]

3/7: #9 seed Minnesota, 11-17, 7-11, in the quarters. We won by 33 there, then 33 here. Let’s see how our new lineup does.

3/8: 85-67. 32, 7, 3 for Naby. 23 for backup guard Gar Bone.

And the injury jinx strikes again. Starting Point Guard Mick Onda broke his nose. He’s a senior so that ends his college career. We now have two starters out for the season. Gar Bone will start at PG. Pen Brin will get the other guard minutes.

The big difficulty is that we really don’t get even one practice with the new lineup, just a run through. Man! I can’t believe we lost a starter, then in the very next game, we lost another starter!

#4 seed Purdue, 18-10, 11-7, in the semis. We won by 20 there, then by 28 here.

3/9: 64-59. Bone and Brin didn’t play badly, but we didn’t have nearly the ball movement we had with Onda. 22, 11 for Cray, 13, 5 for Brin. +14 RBs.

#6 Maryland beat Indiana and then Michigan, so we play them for the title. We beat them by 11, then 33.

3/10: 72-56. Great D held then to 33.3%, 23.5% on threes. 29, 6 for Naby, 12, 8 for Cray, 11, 2, 8 for Bone, but he’s turning it over too much. +9 RBs, 12 TOs.

3/12: 30-3, 17-1, #2, RPI #2. The injuries may lower our seeding. I think we’ll still get a #1, but maybe on the right side of the brackets.

#1 Midwest, #2 overall. Pretty good bracket, actually, Not easy, but less challenging than a couple.

We play 15-15 North Dakota.

3/16: 60-42. 16, 6, 7 for Naby, 13, 6 for Bone, 11, 4, 5 for Cray. +11 TOs.

#9 seed Maryland, 19-14, in round 2.

3/18: 69-66. Teams were never more than 8 points apart. 17 for Naby, 10, 13 for Cray, 14, 5, 3 for Bone, 11, 1, 6 for Brin.

#12 seed Syracuse, 22-12, beat #5, then #4, so we meet them in the Sweet Sixteen. They beat us by 11 there in November. We need to play better than we did that night.

3/23: 71-64. 32, 8, 3 for Naby, 10, 10 for Cray, 7, 10 for Griz. +9 TOs, +8 RBs.

#2 seed, #9 ranked Georgetown, 27-7, in the Elite Eight. They’re strong inside. We won by 11 there in Nov.

3/25: 73-72. What a game. Naby won it with a three with .4 left. He had 21, 4, Cray had 22, 11. 12, 7 for Arri.

And we’re back to the Final Four, which I did not expect with the injuries. We play #1 overall seed and ranked North Carolina, 34-3. We beat them by 22 in December, but we don’t have 2 of the starters we had then. This is a challenge!

On the other side it’s #4 Florida, 31-3, vs. #12 USC, 25-10.

4/1: 54-67. We shot 24.6%, 17.9% on threes. -10 RBs. We never led. Naby had 21, 10 in his last game for us. Part of it was UNC was better, part of it was the injuries, but we really didn’t play well, especially on O. Oh well, given the injuries, I’m pleased we made the Final Four.

4/3: North Carolina won it all.

4/4: Awards: Rich Naby made 1st team All American. In conf., Naby was POY, Frosh OY, 1st team. Marc Cray was Defensive POY and 1st team. I got Conf. COY.

4/16: We need to hire #2 and #3 assistants. We got a decent #3 and a poor #2.

4/23: I ask for a Facilities upgrade again. Approved, and we actually went from A to A+!

34-4, Final Four. With the late injuries, I’ll take it. Overall: 1359-235, .853.

[Wayne23]

5/1: The usual reports.

Preseason #1.

6/5: No one in the transfer pool.

6/26: 4 scholarships. We want 2 and 2. Looking at 12.

Naby went #1 and Clax #3 in the draft.

8/7: 5 on the Norton list: PF Dan Brem is #2, C Troy Gost #3, PF Ban Mihm #11, PF Zach Wood #12 (But he’s out until late Feb.), and C Cris Arri #16.

8/21: We offer to 2 PGs, a PF, a C.

9/18: Got 2, lost 2. Got a PF, #1, a PG, #5.

No in season tournament this year.

9/25: We get a C, #7and a PG, #3.

10/2: 1st day of practice.

11/6: Here’s the lineup:

Senior Pen Brin and frosh Jay Maso start at guard. Senior Kit Sand subs. We’re thin at guard.

Junior Ban Mihm starts at SF. He didn’t get it done last year but he’s improved.

Frosh Dan Brem and Troy Gost start inside. Senior Cris Arri and juco junior Sean Bobb back up. Junior Zach Wood may be back in time for the post season.

[Wayne23]

February, 2173: Lacy got her Ph.D. soon after my last post. Now she needs to find ways to work in her field. There is a lot of data, some very old, that was never followed up on due to the breakdown of society. She is going through lots of that and deciding which she will pursue. Some would require her to work in space, and some could be done here.

Amy continues to work on her painting and sculpting. Her work style is to have several projects going at once, but right now she seems to have a dozen or so. One or two are revised works based upon the critiques of the experts, and others are new ventures, probably inspired by that criticism.

The continuing cold temperatures are beginning to take a toll on equipment. We’ve had several equipment breakdowns. Last night’s was the worst. The sewage treatment facility stopped working. The problem turned out to be fairly minor, but as soon as we got it fixed the main furnace went down. It’s still down, and it is very cold. I have Lacy and Amy in the HC, and they’re off to some warm location so they’re fine. But I need to be involved in planning the repair so I’m here. I don’t ever remember being this cold. I’m dressed in layers and all that but it’s COLD. I drink hot tea or hot coffee steadily, but that isn’t helping much either. We haven’t figured out what’s wrong yet.

Day 2: The heat is still not working. Any minute spent outside the HC is a frigid hell.

Day 4: Finally, the issue has been found. Repairs are underway.

Next: Cold, cold, cold

[Wayne23]

11/20: We started with a win over #17 UConn. PF Dan Brem had 23, 10. Then we crushed GA Tech. 26, 17 for Brem, who looks like the real thing, 20, 6, 3 for SG Jay Maso, 13, 12 for C Troy Gost. 58 RBs (+24), 7 TOs.

All 4 recruits signed.

12/4: 5-1, #2, RPI #3. We lost by 11 at #4 Brigham Young. We didn’t shoot well and we had major foul trouble.

12/25: 9-1, #1, RPI #1. +18.5 PPG, +16.2 RBs, +4.6 TOs, +5.0 blocks. Brem is averaging a double double, 16.3, 10.8, with 3.0 blocks. Gost just misses with 18.1, 9.5, 3.4 blocks. Kit Sand took over for Pen Brin as a starting guard.

[Wayne23]

1/1/2074: 11-1, 2-0, #2, #1.

My secret hope has been to coach for 50 seasons. This is #46. I’m not sure I’ll make it. I may need to head for the seclusion of Wyoming before the 50 years are up.

1/15: 14-2, 5-1, #1, RPI #1. We lost in OT at Ohio ST. 4 starters in foul trouble, 2 of them were gone by the start of OT. I don’t say this often but the refs beat us.

1/29: 18-2, 9-1, #1, RPI #1. +18.2 PPG, +15.6 RBs, +5.4 TOs. Tied for 1st with #4 Michigan, 1 up on #23 Maryland.

Troy Gost is #6, Dan Brem #7 on the Norton list.

2/12: 22-2, 13-1, #1, RPI #1. 2 game lead over 2 teams.

2nd leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker Dan Brem broke his wrist in the 2/7 game. He’s out for the season. Marv Zach will be back for the post season. For now Sean Bobb is at SF and Cris Arri at PF, with Ban Mihm filling in.

Troy Gost s #4, and Dan Brem #12 on the Norton list.

2/19: Zach Wood is back. He’ll start at PF. Arri and Bobb will share the rest of the minutes up front.

2/26: We end the regular season at 26-2, 17-1, #1, RPI #1. +17.2 PPG, +13.2 RBs, +5.5 TOs, +4.1 blocks. We win the Big 10 by 3 over #4 Michigan, 4 over #24 Maryland. Wood had 2 great games.

3/5: We lose 4 to the draft: Troy Gost, Dan Brem, Ban Mihm, and JayMaso, 3 starters and a sub who played a lot. Ouch!

Gost is #3 on the Norton list.