2023: 3s and Put Backs

[Wayne23]

On to the post season!

3/7: We start with #8 seed Charlotte, 13-17, 7-11. Beat them by 31 and 28.

Early lead. They come back. Up 2 after 10. Then a run. 61-39 at the half. 17, 8 for Lead, 14 for Gray. 14 threes, shooting 50% overall.

Up only 10 with 10 to play.

100-89. They outplayed us in the 2nd half. 20, 13 for Lead, 20, 5 for Hart, 15, 5 for Gray.

#4 seed Florida Atlantic, 15-15, 10-8, in the semis. Beat them by 40 and 12. Better inside than out.

3/8: Close early. A run puts us up 12 after 10. 52-46 at the half. 19, 5 for Lead, 9 for Gray.

Good start to the 2nd. Up 22 with 10 left.

101-85. 32, 10 for Lead, 15, 5, 4, 3 for More, 16, 4, 3 for Gray. Strong inside play.

#10 seed UAB, 14-18, 5-13, has scored 2 upset wins to get to the title game. We beat them by 17 and 13.

3/9: Good start. Up 15 after 10. 68-33 at the break. This is a blowout. 19 for Lead, 11, 5 for More, 13, 3 for Nabo. 16 threes. Good shooting and good inside play.

108-73. 22, 6 for tourney MOP Dan Lead. 19, 8, 3 for More, 13, 10, 3 for Hart, 18, 3, 3 for Nabo, 11, 9 for Gray.

We waltzed through the conf. tourney.

On to the big dance. Hoping for a #2 seed! We’re 32-2, 18-0, #5, NET #3, but I doubt we’d get a #1 because of our conference. We’ll see.

[Wayne23]

3/12: #2 South. We play #15 Maine, 17-15. 91-61. We had no trouble at all with them. 21, 3, 4 for Yaki, 14, 6 for Gray. Lead had an off night but we didn’t need him.

It’s #7 seed Seton Hall, 24-9, in the 2nd round. They have a terrific SG, 23.2 PPG. It’s back and forth early on. Then a run! Up 14 after 10. 51-30 at halftime. 13, 7 for
Lead, 13 for More, 9, 4 for Gray. We’re winning big inside. Their SG is getting his points but no one else has more than 4.

Up 12 with 10 to go.

88-72. 25, 9 for Lead, 17, 10 for Hart, 15 each for More and Gray. Great inside play. Their SG had 29.

#6 seed, #25 ranked Tennessee, 24-11, in the Sweet Sixteen.

[Wayne23]

3/24: Good outside shooters and they hit the boards.

It’s close early. Up 3 after 10. 51-48. They can play! Nabo has 3 fouls. They’re shooting better. 13 threes are a big help.

It’s staying close. Down 3 with 10 to go. It’s a war!

83-86. Nabo missed a three quarter court heave at the end. We shot only 32.5% to 43.8%. 20 threes kept us close. 17, 8 for Hart, 15, 9 for Lead, 14, 3 for Alka, 11, 6, 4 for More.

[Wayne23]

4/3: #25 Tennessee is the champ. We lost to the champs!

4/4: Awards: Dan Lead is Conf. POY and 1st team along with Jay Hart. Sub Bony Gray makes 2nd team. He’ll start next year!

We get the PF, #101.

Nabo, Lead, and Hart graduate in May.

4/9: Going to Kansas. I’ve shown that my strategy works with a middle range school and a weak school. Now to test it with an elite school.

This is a good team!

4/23: I ask for $.

No.

Great final season at Bellarmine, 34-3, Sweet Sixteen. Overall, for 18 years, 493-99, .833.

On to Kansas!

[Wayne23]

5/1: #1 recruiting class! #3 preseason.

We exceed the recommended spending.

5/29: We lose a guard who would have started. We need a guard.

6/2: We get a guard from Oregon. He’ll start.

6/25: We’ll go to the Indy camp and all the regional camps.

6/26: One scholarship. We want a guard.

7/11: We offer to a PG, ranked #2 and he has us at #1.

Turns out it’s pretty hot in Kansas in the summer.

8/7: 2 on the Norton list: PG Marc Winn is #12, SG Ben Monn is #25.

9/11: We get our recruit! Still #2.

9/18: Going to the WSSN Classic. Not as tough a sched. As I’d like. The top teams are avoiding us.

10/2: 1st day of practice. I like what I see!

11/13: Here’s the lineup:

Junior transfer Marc Winn is at the Point. He does a lot of things well.

Frosh Ben Monn is at SG. His D needs work but he has the rest of the game.

#3 guard is frosh Gar Dix and he could step in and start at either guard spot. Junior Al Hend has never been able to get much PT here.

Frosh Ivan Prin is at SF. Another guy who has it all except for solid D.

Brad Loux, another junior, is at PF. He has the whole game.

Van Redd is at C and he may be our best player.

1st big off the bench is frosh Earl Brow. He’s a good one. Next is soph Tom Swan who would start for a lesser team. Geb Yung is a frosh and he’s not quite ready yet.

We start with Akron, here.

[Wayne23]

11/16: Early lead. Up by 7 after 10. 63-46 at halftime. 19, 3, 1, 3 for SG Ben Monn. 12 for SF Ivan Prin. Good inside play. I’m not impressed by our D.

Up 20 with 10 to go.

105-66. 21, 6 for both Monn and Prin. 12, 15 for Brad Loux, 20, 1, 3 for sub guard Gar Dix, 12, 9 for Van Redd. Marc Winn had 11 assists. Very strong inside play.

0-1 ST Joe is here next. Their PF is out with a broken ankle.

11/19: We jump out to a quick lead. Up 17 after 10. 76-35. 76 points in a half! 27 for Monn, 12, 8 for Loux, 10 assists for Winn. Dominance inside.

This is a slaughter. Up 44 with 10 to play.

122-69. 27, 3 for Monn, 20, 14 for Loux, 19, 3, 4 for sub Al Hend, 9, 2, 12 for Winn, 12, 5 for Dix. +34 in the paint.

Off to the WSSN. We’re the #1 seed and we play #8 Jackson ST, 2-1.

11/21: They’re hanging with us early. Down 1 after 10. 42-47.Awful D, 60.7% while we’re shooting 32.7%, 16% on threes. We’re eating them up inside but we need to hit shots.

Still not hitting shots. Down 1 with 10 left. Finally a mini-run and we’re ahead.

98-85 but it was a struggle! 24 for Dix, who is laying great. 15, 16 for Loux, 14, 14 for Redd, 17, 3 for Pringle, 10, 5, 8 for Winn. +42 in the paint, +27 on 2nd chances, +15 RBs.

#5 seed South Alabama, 1-1, in the semis. They have a very good Pg and they hit the boards HARD!

11/22: It’s close early. Up 3 after 10. They can play. 48-38 at halftime. 12, 0, 3 for Winn who is eating up their very good PG. 12, 3, 4, 4 for Dix, who needs more minutes. It’s about even inside.

Up 18 with 10 to play. We have this one locked up.

96-74. 26, 5, 4, 5 for Dix, 17, 0, 5 for Winn. +15 2nd chance points.

Big trouble. Starting SG Ben Monn tore a tendon in his knee. He’s out for the season. Gar Dix will get his minutes but it shortens the bench considerably. Dix is our leading scorer.

#2 seed, #9 ranked Florida was shocked by #7 seed South Dakota ST, 3-1, so we meet them in the title game. We were hoping for a challenge against FL.

11/23: Big early lead. Up 19 after 10. 58-27 at the break. 12, 11 for Redd, 13, 0, 3 for Winn, 12 for sub guard Al Hend. Big edge inside.

Up 50 with 10 to play.

111-50 and the WSSN title. Huge 2nd half for Dix who winds up with 37, 5, 3, 3. 14, 13 for Redd, 12, 19 for Loux, 14, 4, 11 for Hend, who has really stepped up, 13, 1, 7 for Winn. +23 RBs.

We’re 5-0, still #3.

[Wayne23]

11/26: At 1-3 Mississippi. When we put together our schedule not many ranked teams were willing to play us in the pre-conf season.

We’re not hitting shots early on. Down 6 after 10. Then we go on a run. 41-31 at halftime. 13, 4 for Loux. Winn has 3 fouls.

Up 10 with 10 to play.

93-77. 20, 4, 2, 3 for Dix, 13, 9, 3 for Loux, 19, 7 for Brow, 12, 4, 6 for Winn. +38 in the paint.

Van Redd hurt his toe. He may miss a game.

11/30: No, Redd will play. At 2-0 Colorado.

We’re now #2.

Back and forth. Up 1 after 10. 55-49 at the half. They can play! 17 for Prin, 10, 2, 6 for Winn. We’re ruling the paint.

We take off. Up 21 with 10 left.

104-76. 19, 5, 10 for Winn, 20 each for Dix and Prin. Very good bench play. +19 RBs.

Finally, a top team, #6 Dayton, 7-0, is here. They’re solid at every position. Let’s see how good we are!

12/3: Back and forth. Up 8 after 10. Playing very good D! 53-38 at halftime. 17 for Dix, 10 for Hend. +18 in the paint.

Up 19 with 10 to go.

103-80. 30, 5 for Dix, 11, 12 for Loux, 36 for the bench, +19. +26 in the paint.

#22 Maryland, 4-1, is here. 2 ranked teams in a row!

12/7: Very close early. Tied after 10. 43-38 at the half. 12, 6 for Redd, 10 for Prin.

We start with a run. Up 14 with 10 to go.

87-71. 26, 10, 10 blocks for Redd, a triple double! 13, 4 for Prin, 4, 15, 3 for Loux, 15, 3 for Hend.

We’re 9-0, #2, NET #8.

#1 in PPG with 102.1, +30.1. #1 in RBs, #4 in blocks.

Dix leads us with 22 PPG. Monn was getting 16.8 when he went down with the injury. 4 others get 10 or more and the next 2 get 9.8 and 9.6. We can score! And not a senior on the team!

[Wayne23]

12/10: 5-0 Auburn is here. They rebound very well and they can hit the outside shot.
Slow start then we wake up. Up 6 after 10. 38-28 at halftime. 16 for Dix, 8, 12, 4 blocks for Redd, 12 RBs for Loux. +14 RBs.

Up 17 with 10 left.

79-64. A comfortable win. 23, 3 steals, 3 blocks for Dix, 13, 17, 7 blocks for Redd, 10, 17 for Loux, 14, 3 for Prin. +18 RBs, +22 in the paint.

This team doesn’t shoot the three that well, only 29.9%.

At Kona, 6-3, next.

12/13: We score the first 10. Up 18 after 10. 57-33 at the half. 18, 11, 3 blocks for Redd, , 11 each for Winn, Dix, and Prin. Huge edge inside.

Up 28 with 10 to go.

110-70. 28, 19, 5 blocks for Redd, who has ben awesome lately. 33, 5 for Dix, 11, 1, 12 for Winn, 17, 6 for Prin, 6, 18 for Loux, 10, 8 for Brow. +34 RBs, +28 in the paint, +28 on 2nd chances.

5-4 Kent ST is here.

Tom Swan hurts his foot. He’ll miss a game. He doesn’t play much but it shortens our bench.

12/17: It’s close early. Down 4 after 10. We’re flat. Took our first lead with 3:33 left. 43-37 at the break. 11, 6 for Brow, 11 for Dix, 8, 9 for Redd. 2-18 on threes. Big edge inside.

They’re staying close. Then a run. Up 13 with 10 to play.

92-70. 24, 4 for Dix, 14, 15, 1, 4, 5 for Redd, 19, 6 for Prin, 10, 13 for loux, 13, 10 for Brow. We owned the paint.

Ranked #1, NET #1. 12-0 with 3 more to play before Big 12 play begins. We’re good but I think we’re a year away. We’ll see!

[Wayne23]

12/21: At 6-5 Cincinnati. Big things were expected from them but they haven’t delivered. That means they’re dangerous. We score the first 14. Up 8 after 10. 64-57 as they came back from down 18. 3 fouls on Dix. Terrible D, 60.7%, 9-13 on threes. I unload in the locker room. 23, 7 for Loux, 14 for Prin, 11 for Dix, 11 assists for Winn. We’re beating them easily inside. We just need to play D.

They’re staying close early. A run puts us up 22 with 10 to go.

106-81. 25, 11 for Loux, 24, 5 for Prin, 27, 3 for dix, 15, 11, 2, 3, 3 for Redd, 15 assists for Winn. Terrific 2nd half D!

At 8-2 BYU. Good team.

12/24: It’s a battle early. Up 6 after 10. 49-40 at halftime. 14, 10 for Redd, 14, 4 for Prin. +20 in the paint. 4-22 on threes.

My three point strategy isn’t working so well with this team but it’s only my first year here.

Up 8 with 10 left but these guys can play.

92-86. Good team! 19, 16, 5, 0, 3 for Redd, 27, 5 for Prin. +17 2nd chance points, +16 in the paint.

Our last pre-conf game is with #22 Virginia, 8-2, here. They’re strong inside.

12/28: Fast start. Up 31 after 10. We’re shooting the lights out! 70-36 at the half. 18, 2, 8 for Winn, 13, 6, 3 blocks for Redd, 12, 3, 2, 2, 3 for Dix. Shooting 61.4% to their 38.7%. 16-30 on threes. We own the paint.

Up 43 with 10 to go. What a blowout!

120-75. 29, 7, 3, 2, 3 for Dix, 23, 4, 11 for Winn, 13, 8, 3, 2, 3 for Redd, 18 for Prin, 17, 1, 3 for Hend, 12, 6 for Brow. 23 threes. Total control inside.

1/1/2029: Heading for Big 12 play we’re 15-0, #1, NET #1. #1 in PPG, +28.3. #1 in RBs, +14.5 (WOW!), +4.4 assists, +6.3 steals, -7.5 turnovers (7.5!). 3rd in blocks. We’re not a great shooting team but we take a LOT of shots. Only .313 on threes.

Gar Dix leads us with 23.1. 15.9, 4.2 for ivan Prin. 14.1, 10.7, 3.7 blocks for Van Redd, 10.5, 13.7 for Brad Loux. 10.0, 9.1 assists for Marc Winn. 9.2 for Brow, 8.9 for Hend. And our injured guard, Ben Monn, was getting 16.8. The docs say he’ll be back for the start of next season.

[Wayne23]

1/7: We start Big 12 play at 10-4 TCU.

Good start. Up 21 after 10. 42-29 at the half. 12 for Dix, 10 for Prin, 6, 10, 3 blocks for Redd.

We get it to 20. Up only 9 with 10 left.

86-74. They got it to 4 at one point. 16, 15, 1, 3, 4 for Redd, 14, 12 for Loux, 19, 1, 1, 4, 3 for Dix, 16, 4 for Prin, 10 assists for Winn. Total control of the paint.

12-3, 1-0 Oklahoma is here. They’re good outside.

1/11: Early lead. Up 16 after 10. 56-34 at the break. 19 for Dix, 10, 0, 9, 4 for Winn, 10, 3 for Prin. 11-23 on threes. Good D.

Up 24 with 10 to go. This one is a breeze so far.

120-98. 34, 3, 3 for Dix, 27, 5 for Prin, 13, 1, 15, 4 for Winn, 10, 10, 4 blocks for Redd, 15, 3 for Hend.

At 11-5, 2-0 Texas. Their better outside.

1/14: Close early. Up 1 after 10. 52-38 at halftime. 16 for Prin, 13 for Dix. We’re winning big inside. But 3 players have 3 fouls- Redd, Dix, and Loux. Not good! They’re shooting 27.3%.

Up 15 with 10 to go.

106-79. 38, 5 for Prin, 17, 4 for Dix. Good bench play, good inside play.

We have yet to be challenged in the conference.

11-5, 2-1 Kansas ST is here.

For some reason we fell to #2. I don’t get it.

1/18: We score the first 10. Up 7 after 10. They make a run at us. Up 39-29 at the half as we answer their run. 11, 5, 4 blocks for Redd, 10, 3, 0, 3 for Dix. Very good inside play. They’re shooting 25%.

Strong start to the 2nd. Up 20 with 10 left.

84-70. 19, 9, 5 blocks for Redd, 22, 5 for Prin, 20, 5, 0, 3 for Dix. Great D, great inside play.

We’re 19-0, 4-0, #2, #1 NET. We’re dominating a very good conference!