Alone

[Wayne23]

12/1: 81-71 at Abilene Cretin. We led all the way but never by more than 14. 16, 0, 8 for Dare, 13, 8 for Long. +13 RBs but 19 TOs.

Albany is 4-2, Stony Brook 2-6. So Len is doing well but Emma has some rebuilding to do.

12/5: 69-60 over Jacksonville ST here. We never trailed and led by as many as 22. 18, 7, 5 for Wash, 11, 9, 6 for Bunn. +18 RBs but 20 TOs.

Next 6 are on the road.

12/8: 65-72 at NC A & T. 1st loss. 23 TOs and they went to the line 25 times, we went 8. The refs definitely didn't help but we played poorly. 20, 5, 4 for Wash, 17, 6 for Bunn.

At Arizona ST next, then at Central Michigan. They're the two best teams on our schedule.

12/12: 66-76 at Arizona ST. We gave it all we had but they were the better team. Their SG was amazing, 44 points; he was way more than the difference. 16, 7 for Long,
12, 6, 3 for Bunn.

12/15: 74-65 at Central Michigan. Back and forth all night. We only took charge in the last 3 minutes. 28, 7 for Bunn, 16 for Sink. We did a really good job of getting open, 56.6% shooting.

We're 8-2, RPI #172.

Work is going well. A crew fully encloses a building in about a month, and then another crew finished off the interior in another two months. That does not count furniture and accessories. It would be foolish to put that stuff in so far before it will be used. So settlers will come in to empty living units unless we do something. The plan is to spend the 6 months before their anticipated arrival date putting basic furnishings in the units, beds and a sofa and two recliners. Then we'll be certain that there are towels and "bathroom essential products." Dining is going to be in cafeterias in each building at least at first, and we'll build, equip, and supply those cafes in time for arrival. Everything else will happen after arrival.

I have three crews working at all times, so that's about a dozen buildings a year. We're expecting 50,000 settlers in 2246, We have 100 living units per building, 65 doubles, 35 singles, for 165 people. That's 303 buildings, not counting buildings used for other purposes- shops, auditoriums... So, if you do the math and if we continue at this pace, and building only living units, we'll have just about all of the living units we need, when we need them. But, we're already 9 months behind; then add the 6 months just before arrival. Inevitably other delays will happen. The expectation is that there will be some doubling up or living on the ship, very likely the latter, for some time, hopefully, not too long.

There's no reason to expect that anything native to the planet or its climate will cause delays, although the wild animals remain a concern, and will be certain to be more of one once the settlers get here.

[Wayne23]

12/19: 76-65 st Cornell. 21, 6 for 6th man Bill King. Bunn was in foul trouble all night, playing only 15 minutes and King really stepped up. 15, 6 for Long. Our big guys are the main reason for our success. Four of them play major minutes and all contribute. Our guards don't score much. They do defend well. Sometimes, like tonight, they are good with the ball (10 TOs), but other nights, not so much.

I am really thrilled that we're doing as well as we're doing.

12/22: 73-68 at Grand Canyon. We led most of the way but they got it to a single possession regularly in the last 10 minutes. We did what we had to do though. 5 players scored 10 or more.

One more away game before 3 at home. 9 of the 12 we've played so far have been away, and we're 10-2. I'll take that!

12/26: 87-75 at Bethune-Cookman. 25, 4, 3 for Bunn, 15, 7 for King. +8 RBs.

12/29: 71-57 over Perverterian here. Easy win; we led by as many as 27. 17, 4 for Bunn, 15 for sub Center Key Eard, who is good; we try to get him minutes but we have 5 very good inside players. 9 TOs.

One more pre-conf game.

We've had a couple of injuries but minor, and to guys who didn't play much, so I haven't reported them.

1/2/2224: 83-65 over Merrimack. 28 for Bunn, 19 for Sink. +9 RBs.

We're 13-2, RPI #161. +9.7 PPG, +5.8 RBs, -1.2 TOs, but 15.1, which is simply too high. Bunn leads us with 16.8 PPG. Mal Long gets 7.7 RBs. Rob Dare gets 5.7 assists.

Very pleased with pre-conf play. We're picked to win the conf.

Len's Albany team is 6-9, and Emma's Stony Brook 4-11. All 5 starters graduated last June so she has a rebuilding job ahead of her.

No hold ups on construction. I constantly rethink the plan but so far I'm staying with it.

[Wayne23]

1/9: 75-71 over Maine here. They gave us a real battle. Rob Dare hit three threes in the last 90 seconds, had 23 with 6 assists. Maine may be our chief opponent in the AEC. We're thinking the game there will be tough.

Major equipment failure. The biggest construction rig somehow tipped over. It's a total loss. A new one can be built, using 3D printers, but it will take weeks to make the parts and assemble them. This rig was moved from site to site so it affects all three crews.

1/12: 64-74 at Hartford. Not a good sign, they were 4-12. Hope this doesn't mean we'll struggle on the road in the AEC as we did last season. We fell apart in the 2nd half. King had 23 and 6. No one else had more than 8. We shot 33.3%, and they shot 51.9%.

Practice is going to be intense for awhile.

1/16: 83-60 over UMass-Lowell here. 21, 5 for Wash, 12, 12 for Long, 12, 3, 6 for Sink. +9 RBs, 8 TOs.

1/19: 88-58 at Stony Brook. I hated to beat Emma's team this badly. Gotta love the road win though. 6 of my players had 10 or more. +14 RBs.

We're about halfway through the rebuilding of the rig that fell apart. We've tried to find other meningful work for the three crews but basically this has been mostly lost time.

1/23: 82-74 over Binghamton here. The game was nowhere near as close as the final score. We led comfortably all the way. 23, 7, 4 for Bunn, 17, 5 for Long.

17-3, 4-1, tied with Maine for 1st in the AEC. RPI #111.

[Wayne23]

1/26: 80-67 over Albany here. Up 20 at the half. 6 players with 10 or more. +12 RBs.

We're alone in 1st place but 5 of our last 8 in conf are on the road.

1/30: 58-68 at New Hampshire. It was tied at the half. We simply didn't play well in the 2nd. 22, 8, 3 for Wash.

Back in a tie with Maine for 1st place. We're there next. Maine is the only other AEC team with a winning record.

2/2: 69-64 over Maine. Great win and a very important one! For once we had a great 2nd half, 45-37. 6 players with between 8 and 13 points. Both teams shot 40.0% but we had 8 threes to their 3, and that was the difference. For once our outside players came through for us.

The rig is up and running so my crews are back at work.

2/6: 87-73 over Hartford here. 20, 11 for Bunn, 22, 3, 3 for Sink, 14, 4, 9 for Dare. +19 RBs.

2/9: 61-67 at UMass-Lowell. 33.3% shooting, 3-21 on threes. Poor 2nd half again.

20-5, 7-3. Tied for 1st with Binghamton, Maine is one back with 4 to play, 2 at home.

Things are going well at work these days.

I went for a long boat ride on Sunday with my friends. We had a really nice day.

[Wayne23]

2/13: 62-53 over Stony Brook here. I think we were overconfident. We didn't play all that well offensively. But the D was solid, they shot 33.3%.

At Binghamton next; we're tied with them for 1st. Big game.

2/16: 71-83 at Binghamton. They led by as many as 19 and we never really got back into it. 21 for Sink.

We're tied for 2nd with Maine, 1 back of Binghamton. 2 to play.

2/20: 72-83 At Albany. Damn! We needed that game. We've lost 3 of our last 4.

Alone in 3rd with one to play.

2/23: 79-72 over New Hampshire here. Strong 2nd half. 19, 4 for Sink, 18, 4 for Bunn. 7 TOs.

We end the regular season at 22-7, 9-5, tied for 2nd, 2 back of Binghamton. RPI #113. #2 seed in the AEC tourney. We play #7 Hartford, 9-20, 4-9. Split a pair during the regular season.

[Wayne23]

3/5: 84-52. Easy win. 16, 10 for Bunn, 15, 3 for Sink, 14 for Dare. +16 RBs.

Mike Wash hurt his shooting hand. Not serious but it will likely affect his play for a few days.

#3 seed Maine, 17-13, 9-5, in the semis. We beat them twice but only by 4 and then 5. We expect a tough game.

3/6: 91-75! Great win! We led all the way. 22, 2, 9 for Dare, 17, 4, 4 for Wash, 16, 3 for King, 12, 4, 5 for Sink. Our outside game really came through, 13 threes.

#5 seed UMass-Lowell, 13-18, 6-8, rode two upsets to the title game. We won by 23 then lost by 6 at their place. We're taking nothing for granted but if we play our game we're the better team.

3/7: 76-60, the title, and our first trip to the NCAA! 48-29 at the half and never close. We peaked at the right time. 21, 13 for Bunn, 14, 4, 3 for King. +9 RBs.

I'm sure we won't get a great seed but we're in it.

3/12: #13 South. We play #4 seed, #19 ranked Kansas, 24-11. This is the best team we've played in my two seasons as a head coach. All we can do is give it our best.

3/17: 64-76. We didn't play badly but there was a huge talent differential. The real downside was 24 TOs. But +9 RBs.

I'm very happy with the season.

4/3: #6 Oregon wins it all.

4/4: Awards: Jim Bunn is AEC POY, Frosh OY and 1st team, along with Mal Long. #3 guard John Jonn is Def POY which seems odd to me but we'll take it. I am thrilled to be named Conf. COY. Rob Dare and Mike Wash make the 2nd team.

Would I move? Not likely but not impossible.

4/9: I'm staying.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade.

Yes! C to B.

25-8, conf, champs, NCAA. Overall I'm 39-24, .619 for 2 seasons.

[Wayne23]

5/1: Ugh, recruiting class #288. Of course it was only one guy...

#3 guard John Jonn transfers out. We have three good guards so as long as we avoid a serious injury in the backcourt we'll be okay.

We get a good looking PG.

6/26: 4 scholarships.

I guess depression is a tough opponent. I am feeling very isolated again, and, as a result, very depressed. I have no desire to engage with the "people" I created. They simply don't feel at all real to me right now, and they aren't, are they... The same holds true for my therapist, who is no more real than any of the others. And yes, I'm drinking again.

I'm working, and I'm recruiting in the hoops game. I hike now and then but not often. Mostly I sit around when I have free time. 2246 is so very far away...

8/21: We offer to a PG, an SG, and 2 PFs. Not a lot of interest from any of them but we're working on it.

I'm feeling a little better. About a week ago I started hiking every day after work, and I visited with my therapist, who convinced me to start seeing her every other day again. She is trying to frame things for me. There's nothing I can do about the fact that I'm alone, and will be for another 22 years. But she says there's a lot I can do regarding how I deal with that. She says it's important to do what I love, and she's suggesting I take some time off work and go on a "cruise"- take my boat and just go, with Lana, Len, Jed, and Emma. She says to drink a little beer, but only a little, and have a lot of fun, sometimes with one or more of my friends, sometimes alone, but just go. I can set the cruise to visit some of the programs sites from old Earth, or just stay on the water.

I can still coach while on board, and I can still see the therapist. So, yeah, I'm doing that. Not sure for how long. Being on the water brings me a peaceful feeling that I get nowhere else, so this makes sense.

9/11: Recruiting hard. We'll see what happens.

I've been on the boat for three weeks. I feel a lot better. I worry about falling farther behind schedule with the construction, but I think I just need to do this for a while.

9/18: No commitments yet.

Soft schedule but just a little less soft.

9/25: No commitments. Getting close with the 2 PFs, and not at all close with any guards. Of course we really need guards.

The boat came back to shore yesterday and I went back to work today. The 4 week vacation really helped.

10/2: Got a PF, #519. Lost the Pg we thought we had a small chance with.

1st day of practice. I think we're better than we were last season.

10/9: Going to rest with the recruiting for a bit. Getting nowhere.

11/11: Recruiting continues to go nowhere. I've added some new people to the list but they're no more interested than the others are.

My therapist suggests I work 4 ten hour days a week and leave it at that, going on the boat for three day weekends or on long three day hikes, at a relaxed pace but programming in things worth seeing along the way.

[Wayne23]

11/12: The season starts tomorrow.

11/13: 92-62 over Bryant here. 20, 5, 9 for PG Rob Dare. 14, 12 for PF Mo Brin. 15, 8, 3 for SF Mike Wash. +22 RBs, 7 TOs.

Strange schedule. Back to back games and 3 in 4 days.

11/14: 81-36 over Furman here. Unbelievable D. Held them to 12 in the 1st half. 14, 14 for Brin, 15, 6 for C Jim Bunn, 15, 4, 5 for SG Rhee Sink. +22 RBs, 8 TOs.

11/17: 83-64 over North Florida. A 3rd easy win. 23, 4, 3 for Sink, 18, 6, 4 for Brin, 14, 6, 3 for Bunn. +16 RBs, 9 TOs.

The next 4 are on the road, 6 of 7, 8 of 10, 10 of 13.

11/20: Our only committed recruit signs.

11/21: 76-66 at Alabama A & M. They kept it close most of the way. 26, 10 for Bunn, 21, 5, 7 with 4 steals for Dare. 12 TOs. So far our ball handling has been excellent.

11/24: 84-73 at Central Arkansas. Big early lead. 31 for Bunn, 18 for Sink.

5-0, RPI #130.

Starting the 3 day weekend. Last weekend we were on the water. This time we're going on a 3 day hike in some very hilly country (in the holo).

[Wayne23]

11/28: 88-67 at Longwood. Another easy win. 29, 5 for Sink, 20, 11, 3 for Bunn, but he seems really unhappy here. We may lose him if that doesn't change.

12/1: 92-73 at Kansas City. Should have made the pre-conf schedule more challenging. 18, 8, 6 for Wash, 14, 7 for Brin, 14, 6 for Bunn, 17 for Sink. +13 RBs, 9 TOs.

12/5: 87-63 over Chicago ST here. 31, 6 for Bunn. We're trying to work on his attitude but i think he feels like he can play for a better program. He may be right.

The 3 day weekends have been a great idea. Just finished my third one. They definitely recharge my batteries and give me something to look forward to.

12/8: 72-63 at Prairie View. First single digit win. They led at the half, and that's the first time for that, too. 18, 5 for Bunn, 13, 12, 3 for Sink, 12, 9, 3 for Wash. +19 RBs but a season high 22 TOs.

Animals are getting to be more of a problem. Big cats get closer and closer to both the construction sites and the dome. Bear-like animals are also being seen regularly, and in close proximity. In a little more than 20 years 50,000 people will be here. We won't be able to provide each of them with 4 bodyguards, which I have. Not sure how, or even whether we'll be able to co-exist.

12/12: 85-72 at SIU-Edwardsville. 36, 5 for Bunn. +7 RBs.

We're 10-0, RPI #34, which is terrific. +19.9 PPG, +14.1 RBs, -0.7 TOs (13.1). Bunn leads us with 21.6 PPG. Brin gets 8.1 RBs. Dare gets 6.5 assists.

[Wayne23]

12/15: 77-51 over Grambling here. 23, 9, 4, 5 steals, 4 blocks for Bunn. Hell of a game! 19, 6, 3 for Sink. +20 RBs.

Building collapse today. Frustrating. The specs say these buildings should be absolutely solid. Of course this one was not completely finished so perhaps that's a reason. Only three buildings have collapsed on Terra 2, but the first killed 23 people, the second damn near killed ME. This one cost a few robotic workers but fortunately I was not nearby. I am 3d printing replacement workers and I have a diagnostic crew investigating to see if they can find reasons for the collapse.

12/19: 82-77 at Gardner-Webb. Closest game of the season. 21, 7 for Bunn, 18, 6 for Sink. They shot 50.9%, the most of any opponent this year.

12/22: 69-65 over Howard, there. Another close one. Rhee Sink hit threes on our last three possessions and wound up with 21 and 8. +16 RBs.

12/26: 107-57 over Chattanooga here. 23, 4, 3 for sub forward Bill King, 19, 3, 5 for Sink, 16 for Bunn. +20 RBs, 8 TOs.

One more pre-conf game, away.

12/29: 72-82 at Tennessee-Martin. They took an early lead, led by 10 at the half, stretched it to 26. We never got back into it. Not the way I wanted to end pre-conf play. They shot 60%. Bunn fouled out in 13 minutes. 20 TOs.

Oh well, we just need to work harder. Dare hurt his hand but it doesn't seem serious.

1/2/2225: 14-1, RPI #46. +18.3 PPG, +11.2 RBs, -1.4 TOs. 20.1 PPG for Bunn, 7.9 RBs for Brin, 6.3 assists for Dare.