Historical Association #1

[Wayne23]

1/1/1880: 1-1 week. We lost at #8 Arizona by 11. I think it could be different at our place. We’ll see.

Big guy Amir Jax sprained an ankle an’ he’s out for 10 days or so, but Geer has been getting most of his minutes anyway.

It’s an election year. Too soon for anything to be happenin’ with that, but it’s clear that Hayes won’t keep his job. Nor should he.

1/15: 13-4, 4-2. #16, RPI #19. Lost at home to USC. That should not have happened an’ the guys knew how unhappy I was about it. Puts us in 4th place. We shot 27%; missed a lotta open shots an’ took some stupid shots.

We’re givin’ Geer some of Swat’s minutes. They’ll play about the same number for now. 3 a the nex’ 4 are on the road. That ain;t usually good. We want ta go 3-1 for the set.

Maude an’ I have decided we want to try to become parents again. Neither of us is completely sure about it but the truth is that in this day an’ age it’s a hard thing to get a child past the infant stage. If ya can keep ‘em ‘til their 5 or so the odds improve a lot, but ya gotta steel yerself that ya can lose them before that. Let’s see what happens.

1/29: 16-5, 7-3, #17, RPI #22. Tied for 3rd place. #1 an’ #2 both come ta town in the nex’ 2 weeks.

Geer’s gonna start for Swat. He’s a better defender, a better rebounder, an’ almos’ as good a scorer.

As we knew, that recruit didn’t hit our SAT score. The guy we most had our eye on didn’t either. We offer ta a PF who did.

It’s always a nice surprise when dad gets assigned ta the train we’re usin’. It don’t happen often but it did for this road trip so I got ta spen’ time with him, an’ he got ta see 3 games. Wish I saw more of mama.

I just read that they’re gonna try ta build some kinda canal ta connect the Atlantic an’ Pacific down in Panama, wherever that is. Seems impossible ta me.

2/12: We beat both a them ranked teams- #16 UCLA by 13, an’ #8 Arizona by 26; there’s no place like home! 20-5, 11-3, #14, RPI #13. Still 1 back a #8 Arizona, alone in 2nd. Somebody else’s have ta beat ‘em ta get us ta 1st. 12.1
TOs per, the best a team a mine has ever done.

2/26: We end up 22-7, 13-5, #16, RPI #18. Not happy with the way we ended the regular season, 2 losses in 4 games, but we’re alone in 2nd place. +7.7 PPG, +3.2 RBs, +4.1 TOs (12.0). 5 guys averagin’ 10.2 or more, and the 6th at 9.4.

[Wayne23]

3/9: #10 seed USC, 13-15, 6-12, won the play in. We lost by 8 there won by 7 here, so they’re a tough match up for us. Shouldn’t be, but they are.

3/10: 77-62. 16, 12 for Gard, 18, 5 for Six, 10, 3, 8 for More. But 17 TOs.

A couple of upsets. UCLA is out an’ we play #6 seed Oregon, 15-14, 8-10, in the semis. Beat ‘em by 9 here, but they’re better than their record.

3/11: 72-76. We were down as many as 13, came back ta take the lead, then lost it in the last minute when the shots didn’t drop. 23, 3, 6 for More, 16, 7 for Six, 15, 7 for Geer, but our 2 big guys didn’t get it done.

Arizona lost too so it’s the #6 an’ the #5 seed for the title.

3/12: Oregon won.

23-8, #19, RPI #24. We hope for a #5 but it will likely be a #6 or even #7.

#5 Midwest. That’s good! We play #12 Mississippi ST, 17-12.

3/16: 73-60. Close for a while, then we stretched it out in the 2nd half. 32 for More, 11, 11 for Wats with 5 blocks. 16 TOs, too many.

#13 seed Oregon, 18-14, upset the #5 seed. They knocked us outta the PAC 12 tourney an’ here they are again. Never been ta the Sweet Sixteen. Sure like ta get there.

3/18: 74-59. 16, 2, 6 for More, 14 each for Swat an’ Geer, 12 RBs for Wats, 11, 5 for Six. 17 TOs, still too many, but we’re still playin’!

#1 seed, #2 ranked North Carolina, 33-1. We played ‘em last year and they whipped us. Wouldn’t tell my kids but we’d need a miracle for it not ta en’ the same way again.

3/23: No miracle, 58-84. Hey, they really are that good. We did what we could.

4/3: Yep, #2 North Carolina won it all.

4/4: Awards: Em Swat, Ben Gard, and Will Wats made PAC 12 2nd team. I got Conf. COY.

Well, it’s that time. The Mormons want me out. I’m only goin’ if the right job comes up though.

4/9: Best offer so far is Mississippi ST, which is not close to Utah in any way. We’re considering it and hoping for a late offer that’s better.

Florida ST contacted us. Tough decision for us as a family. Do we tough it out an’ stay where we’re not wanted. If we continue to get better it will be harder and harder to find a school good enough to take us away. If we stay how3 much abuse will we be subject to. Maybe it’s better to take the step backward now, rather than later. We haven’t decided yet.

4/11: Still pondering, but my A. D. just upped the stakes.

“They’re probably going to get rid of me if you stay.”

He said the community was upset with him for not choosing a Mormon when I got the job, and they’ve been making things difficult for him since.

“This is my home. These are my people. This is my church.”

4/12: I called both Mississippi St and Florida St and asked for a day to make a decision. They both gave it to me.

4/13: We’re going to MS ST. It’s a step down, and it’s not a place I particularly want to be, but we feel we can rebuild more quickly there. We’ll see. I’m not happy about this but clearly, I can’t stay here in Utah.

4/16: I hire 3 assistants. Didn’t do all that badly.

4/23: I ask for a budget increase. Got $12,100. Great!

25-9. Overall I’m 222-99, .691.

Not a move I wanted to make but the people here have really given me a warm welcome. Let’s see if we can make something happen!

And as an added bonus, Maude tells me we’re going to have a baby.

[Wayne23]

5/1: I buy national basic.

One more time settling in to a new flat. Being in the deep south this one is very large, and it comes with colored servants. We’re not comfortable with that, but we realize that if we didn’t keep these people on they would be out of
work an’ in bad shape. They live in, in their own wing, with their children. We have talked, an’ we will treat them as well as possible, an’ make sure they are not overworked, an’ that they have everything they need. We’ll do what we can to see that their kids are educated. I suppose we will wind up being as unwelcome here as we were in Utah, but we need to be true to ourselves.

6/5: (Author’s note: Transfer thing is still broken.)

6/26: 5 scholarships. Need 3 an’ 2, probably 3 bigs.

7:18: Lots of very good looking recruits are showing interest.

As was true last time, Maude is having very little difficulty with the pregnancy.

8/21: We offer ta 2 PGs, a PF, an’ 2 Cs. They’re all interested.

The servant thing is still difficult ta adjust to, but that’s the way it is down here. We’re treatin’ all of ‘em as good as we can, an’ they surely seem ta appreciate it. They were pretty puzzled at first. Now they quietly an’ gratefully accept it.

Ugh. Yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans. That ain’t that far away.

They say there’s more than 50 million people in this country. Hard ta imagine.

9/18: Got one, a C, #41. Lost 2.

Heroes Memorial Tourney vs. Troy. Schedule has one or two challenges.

9/25: Got 3, lost one. Got a PF, #30, a C, #52, a PG, #62. Looking for one more PG.

10/2: 1st day of practice. We have some talent but we’re not deep.

10/9: Got the PG, a very solid #22.

10/23: I hafta say we’re bein’ treated great here, an’ given the recruitin’ class, we just might be able ta build something real good, real quick.

11/6: Here’s the lineup. Going with an 11 man rotation. It will boil down to 7 or 8 quickly, I’m sure.

We don’t really have a true PG so some SGs are getting time there with a PG as back up.

Frosh Ad Garr is starting at the Point, an’ senior Ban Yon, a 4 year starter, is at SG; he may be our best player. Soph Ad Hick, our only true PG, gets back up minutes, as does frosh Ki Hari, who wasn’t even on the radar, but looked good in the exhibition games.

Frosh Mat Riss starts at SF, but that position is totally up for grabs. Senior Tom Jens, soph Ike Ride, an’ frosh Sam Rivi will all get minutes there.

Frosh Den Scot an’ senior Kit Mann, who started last year, start inside, with junior Roy Irp, who also started last year, backing up inside; he is a strong possibility to break into the lineup. So it’s gonna be a process.

We're picked 6th in the 14 team SEC.

Maude is due any day now. Her mama is here to help again.

11/15: James Thomas Jones has arrived! Maude wanted a Junior, but I didn’t, so we compromised, an’ went with the two grandfathers’ names. We tossed a coin for which came first an’ my dad won.

[Wayne23]

11/20: 2-0 first week. Not gonna make any changes yet.

All the recruits signed.

Heading for the HMT tourney where we’re the #1 seed. We play Troy. There are a couple of good teams here so this won’t be a walk over after the first round, which should be.

We’re way too cautious around the baby. I understand it, given what happened with Harriet, but we need to relax. Not easy.

11/21: 80-68. 19, 12 for C Kit Mann, 17, 8 for SG Ban Yon, 15, 3, 5 for PG Ad Garr, 9, 11, 3, 5 for PF Den Scot, an’ 10, 4 for sub Roy Irp, who has been playing really well. +17 RBs but 21 TOs. They had 21 too, but I don’t like it.

#4 seed Southern Miss in the semis. They’re tough inside. The #2 an’ #3 seeds both lost.

11/22: 81-74. They hung with us in a back an’ forth game, until the last 3-4 minutes. 20 lead changes, 11 ties. We finally got it together an’ went on an’ 11-2 run late. 16 for Garr, 14, 8 for Scot, 12, 9 for Mann, 12, 13 for Irp, 12 for Yon. Only 9 TOs.

I have to start Irp. He will start at SF for Riss.

#6 seed Indiana ST, 4-0, for the title. They look good. We’ll need ta play well.

11/23: 76-62 an’ the title. We dominated the last 10 minutes. Ban Yon had a career game, 41 an’ 5. Irp had 8 an’ 15 in his 1st start. +14 RBs, an’ 9 TOs again. We’re lookin’ great right now!

Some changes. Hick gets Hari’s minutes at guard. Jens will pick up minutes at SF. Irp is already in the starting lineup.

I love sleepin’ on the train when it’s in motion. The rockin’ motion, the sound, it’s soothin’ an’ relaxin’. The smells ain’t so great but ya can’t have everythin’. It’s so fast compared to horse drawn transportation. This modern age is full a wonders! Seems like more comin’ all the time, too.

Oh, we got a new President, or will have in March when he takes office. Another General, James A. Garfield. I like what I read, an’ I voted for him. He seems real smart, knows Greek an’ Latin, an’ he has some great ideas. This election wasn’t as close or controversial as the last one, thankfully. Popular vote seems close- it ain’t all been counted yet, takes time, but the electoral vote wasn’t close.

11/27: Lost by 13 to a really mediocre team, there. NOT happy. We shot 31.8%, had 22 TOs, committed ridiculously bad fouls.

The polls were taken before the game scores got out an’ we were #11, but we’ll nosedive after this loss.

12/11: Great run, 4 in a row. 8-1. #13. Yon is getting’ 19.2, an Irp has been huge. We’re reboundin’ real good, an’ the ball handlin’ ain’t a strength but it’s getting’ better.

12/25: Split the las’ 2 non-conf. games. We won in OT on the road in a real barn burner. 35 for Yon, who has had the hot hand. Then we los’ at home when we jus’ fell apart in the 2nd ½. Couldn’t make a shot; 6-30 for the ½.

We’re 9-2. #19, RPI #87. +6.4 PPG, +5.2 RBs, +4.5 TOs. Yon is getting 19.8, an’ Irp continues to do a lot for us on both ends, an’ leads us in RBs.

The SEC looks TOUGH. 8 of our 18 conf. games will be against ranked teams, including #1 Kentucky, twice.

[Wayne23]

1/1/1881: 0-2 start ta conf. play. Lost ta #18 Arkansas there, then ta #1 KY by 18 here. Next 6 games are against unranked teams. We need ta win at least 4, hopefully 5 of ‘em.

It’s a new year. Our new baby is doin’ great so far, at a month an’ a half. He seems strong an’ healthy.

1/22: Lookin’ great right now, 15-4, 6-2, after a 6 game win streak against a softer part a the SEC sched. #23, RPI #27. We’re doin’ it with three guys on ), Yon, Irp, an’ C Kit Mann, but lotsa guys helpin’ out on D, an’ good work on the boards.

1/29: We split against ranked teams, leaving us at 16-5, 7-3, #23, RPI #30, alone in 4th, 1 back a 2nd. +4.0 PPG, +3.4 RBs, +3.1 TOs.

This new fangled telephone thing is spreadin’ pretty fast back East. Wish it would get here. I tell ya, it’s enough ta take a job in the East if the right one came up.

2/12: 3-1 in the last 4. 19-6, 10-4, #21, RPI #23, alone in 3rd in the SEC. I’m thrilled! 3 of the last 4 are on the road but none against ranked teams.

2/19: Split 2 on the road, an’ I’ll take it. 20-7, 11-5, #22, RPI #20. Still alone in 3rd with 2 ta play. Please note that we’re doin’ better than Utah. I wish my old team well, but I wanted ta note that.

2/26: We finish the regular season at 21-8, 12-6, #23, RPI #22, alone in 3rd. We widely exceeded all expectations, an’ I am thrilled!

The baby continues to do well. He’s big an’ strong for his age. Got one LOUD cry!

[Wayne23]

3/7: #6 seed Missouri, 17-11, 10-8, won the play in. We beat ‘em by 13 at our place. I like our chances but we gotta play.

3/8: 83-71. 32, 7 for Yon. When he gets hot there’s no stoppin’ him. 17, 9 for Mann, 12, 5, 7 for Garr, 11, 5 for Irp.

#2 seed, #17 ranked Florida, 20-9, 13-5. They beat us by 14 there. This is gonna be a tough one.

3/9: 66-82. They jumped on us early, buildin’ an 18 point lead. We never really got close. Great team. 19 for Yon, but -17 RBs. +7 TOs, but that was one a the few bright spots. Oh well.

3/12: 22-9, 12-6, 3rd place. We fell outta the top 25 but still RPI #24.

#7 Midwest, vs. #10 seed Creighton, 17-12. On paper we should be fine. We’ll see.

3/16: 85-72. We led mosta the way. 24, 11, 3, 2, 3 for Mann, 14, 8 for Garr. They doubled Yon all night but we found the open man. +15 RBs, 9 TOs.

Tough one next, #2 seed, #4 ranked Michigan ST, 30-4. Whew! Talk about a team I’d love ta coach!

3/18: 57-73. We did what we could but wow! No disgrace in losin’ ta this team, an’ losin’ by only 16 says a lot about my guys an’ their determination. Season’s over, but I couldn’t be happier with it.

4/3: #2 North Carolina won the title.

4/4: Awards: Kit Mann made SEC 1st team. Ban Yon made 2nd, an’ shoulda made 1st. Unfortunately, they’re both seniors.

We hope ta stay here at MS ST ta build somethin’. It would take an offer from an elite program ta get me outta here. We had a great season, an’ we been treated real good here.

4/9: Oh boy, what ta do. Maryland an’ Wake Forest both want us.

4/10: Maude an’ I have a long talk… lotsa long talks. How do ya say no ta Maryland. Elite program. Sure they’re down a little but I feel like I could get them right back ta the top in no time.

In the en’, Maude says, “Buck, they’ve been very, very good to us here. They rescued us from a terrible situation. We owe them a little loyalty. Other offers will come, and in a year or two we can take one, but I think we need to stay for now.”

As usual, my beautiful, intelligent, sensible wife is right. We’re stayin’.

4/23: We need a budget increase. We get $123,750. I’ll take it!

23-10, 12-6, 3rd place. Overall, I’m 245-109, .692.

Lookin’ forward to a great season!

[Wayne23]

5/1: PF Mat Riss transferred out. He was in our plans, but what can ya do.

We buy the Southeast Gold.

5/15: James is 6 months old an’ still strong an’ healthy. He has a personality an’ a nice laugh now. We’re still on edge too much, but we’re also hopeful.

6/5: Lookin’ at some good lookin’ transfers.6/12: We get a PG an’ a C. They’re both gonna need some work but we have a year.

Ban Yon went #25 in the draft. My 1st ever.

6/26: Only 2 scholarships. We want big guys. Lookin’ at 10.

7/4 Just got word that President Garfield was shot 2 days ago. Reports are it’s serious but if infection can be prevented he should recover.

8/21: We offer ta a PF an’ a C.

Scary incident. I was headin’ home from a trip ta Georgia to try ta convince a recruit ta commit, which I did. The train got stopped by a big pile a rocks on the track. Luckily we weren’t goin’ too fast, an’ the engineer was able ta stop before hittin’ ‘em. Well, soon as we stopped out come these Indians on horseback. LOTS of ‘em. This was about a 20 car train, not one of our private ones. The Indians made everybody get outta the train. Half of ‘em guarded us while the other half went in the train.

We knew we was bein’ robbed an’ just hopin’ we wouldn’t get scalped. Eventually the Indians on the train came out, loaded down with all kinds a stuff. Them they took any jewelry an’ watches an’ things like that off us, an’ all the money we was carryin’, loaded up, an’ rode away. I lost about 12-15 dollars, nothin’ more, but some folks really lost a lot a money an’ valuables. Still, they didn’t kill anyone, they didn’t kidnap anyone, so I guess we was lucky.

I heard about this kinda thing, an’ sometimes they kidnap some an’ kill the rest. My dad’s been held up three times.

9/18: Got one, lost one. Got the C, #41.

Preseason NIT but vs. #6 Louisville. Tall order.

9/21: President Garfield died 2 days ago. The wound got infected a few days before that and there was nothing they could do. Chester A. Arthur, known pretty much as a corrupt career politician, is now President. Heaven help us all.

9/25: Got the PF, #25. Both recruits are good students so we should be finished with recruiting.

10/2: 1st day of practice.

Pres. Arthur gives a speech. Sounds like he’s sayin’ he’ll do a Henry V an’ turn his back on his corrupt friends. Hope so.

11/2: Here’s the lineup:

Frosh Tom Hoy is at the Point. Frosh Mijo Sujc is at SG. Soph Ki Hari backs up at both.

Senior Roy Irp is back at SF.

Soph Den Scot an’ frosh Mo Brad start inside. Junior Ike Ride an’ frosh Tag Back support inside.

Big gun fight between a Sheriff named Wyatt Earp and his deputies, and a bunch of outlaws at a place called the O.K. Corral. A few a the outlaws was killed.

[Wayne23]

11/13: We start tomorrow at the NIT vs. #6 Louisville.

11/14: 66-88. They were a much better team but the referee didn’t help. He fouled 2 of our guys out on mostly questionable calls. Better days are comin’.

11/15: Baby James is a year old. I sent a telegram. Headin’ home, but not there yet.

11/20: Both recruits sign.

Maude tells me there’s another baby comin’. Hope it’s as strong as James.

12/4: 4-1. 2 on the road, 2 at home. SG Mijo Sujc is getting 16.0 per, an’ PF/C Den Scot gets 15.0. Irp is at 10.0 an’ 8.4 ta lead in RBs, an’ C/PF Mo Brad gets 9.0 an’ 8.0. Our PG, Tom Hoy gets 9.6 an’ moves the ball well. Too many TOs, like all my teams (13.8), but good reboundin’. The lineup looks solid right through the #8 man; no changes at this point.

Still enjoyin’ the train rides, long as we don’t get robbed again. Like I said a while back I love sleepin’ on a movin’ train. The food’s good an’ there’s plenty of it, an’ it’s a great way ta travel. I’d like ta be home more durin’ the season, but that’s the job.

12/25: We end the regular season 8-1, RPI #11. +10.0 PPG, +6.5 RBs, +1.9 TOs (12.7). Same guys leadin’ the way. Sujc gets 16.7 per, an’ Brad gets 8.1 RBs (Irp gets 8.0).

Let’s see how we do in the SEC. KY is #1 in the country again.

[Wayne23]

1/1/1882: 9-2, 1-1. We win on the road then lose at home. Not the way it’s supposed ta be.

1/15: 11-4, 3-3. RPI #18. Strangely, we’re 2-1 on the road, 1-2 at home. We decide to try Hick at the Point.

1/29: 13-6, 5-5. RPI #27. Alone in 6th place. We’re still just holdin’ our own in conf.

James got a cold. I gotta admit the house was in panic with his first illness, but he got through it fine. New baby is due in June.

2/12: 17-6, 9-5, Ranked #24, RPI #19. In a 3 way tie for 3rd. Maybe we turned a corner. Beat #12 Florida here in the last game.

John L. Sullivan beat Jake Kilrane in a bare knuckles fight here in Mississippi to keep the heavyweight championship. The fight was illegal, but no one cared, and yes, I was there. 75 rounds. What a fight. I hear they’re goin’ ta gloves. Might spoil it.

2/26: We end the regular season with an 8 game win streak ta finish 21-6, 13-5, #22, RPI #15. Tied for 2nd, #2 seed. We kept switchin’ up at Point. Finally gave the job ta Ki Hari an’ he came through big time. Sujc an’ Scot led us in scorin’, an’ Brad an’ Irp in RBs. +7.0 PPG, +3.6 RBs, +2.2 TOs (12.4).

Hopin’ for a strong post season!

[Wayne23]

3/7: #7 seed LSU, 17-11, 9-9, won the play in. Beat ‘em by 24 an’ 21.

3/8: 79-72. We had ‘em by 15, then they made a comeback. Got it down ta 4, but then we held on. 23 for Hari, 22 for Sujc, 18, 14 for Scot. +16 RBs.

#3 seed, #11 ranked Florida, 22-8. We beat ‘em by 12 las’ time but they’re a real good team. Their PF is a superstar an’ their SG ain’t far behind.

3/9: 60-70. 22 TOs (-70, -8 RBs. That gave ‘em 17 more shots, an’ they made 7 of ‘em, an’ that was the diff. 18, 7 for Scot, 14, 4, 4 for Sujc. Nobody else did much. The win streak ends at 9.

3/12: 22-7, 13-5, #21, RPI #17.

#5 Midwest. We play #12 Ball ST, 22-9. Tough bracket, but they all are.

3/16: 75-66. 3 guys with 17. Brad had 10 RBs ta go with his 17. 11 RBs for Irp, 12, 3, 5 for Hari. 46 RBs, 11 TOs.

#4 seed, #11 ranked Memphis, 26-5. Tough, tough team. We’ll need ta be at our best.

3/18: 74-89. Only ever made it past the 2nd round once. Frustrating. But, again, they’re a real good team. We were down 20 at the half. We battled back but it was too much.27, 5 for Brad, 18 for Hari, 7, 11 for Sujc. Good news is the only guy were losin’ is Irp, an’ we got 4 good lookin’ kids comin’ in. IF we stay, but that’s another story. If another Maryland quality team offers we’ll go this time. We’ve discussed it a lot.

4/3: #1 North Carolina wins it all in a 2 point win over #5 Mich. ST.

4/4: Awards: we were shut out. Very disappointing, but we had so much balance, that may have been the issue.

We will now see what sort of offers we get.

4/9: We are going to Oregon. Great program, riding high, most of the team back from a top 25 season, two top 20 recruits coming in, and a better budget. We are thrilled!

4/14: Finally got here after a LONG train ride. Maude isn’t arriving for a couple of weeks. Lots of packing and other preparations.

Lots of work to do.

4/16: We keep the #1 an’ #2, both great lookin’ coaches. We hire a #3 who looks good.

4/23: I ask for a budget increase. Got $10,000.

There’s one issue. I will have only 7 scholarship athletes and one good walk on next season. They’re all good players but that’s a problem. Oh well, we’ll work on it. I’m so excited to be here. I think this is where I will make my name!

23-8. Overall, I’m 268-117, .696, after 12 seasons.