Novice Coach Switches Coasts

[Wayne23]

If you've never written long fiction you will find that at a certain point the characters take over the story and drive it in directions you hadn't thought about or planned. It's one of the most enjoyable things about writing.

[Zingo]

If you've never written long fiction you will find that at a certain point the characters take over the story and drive it in directions you hadn't thought about or planned. It's one of the most enjoyable things about writing.

I've done a few things here and there (one of my majors in undergrad. was English) I just didn't expect it with this thread or specifically this game I suppose. Definitely a pleasant surprise as to how deep this is going!

[Zingo]

January 29, 2039, 3:00PM Butler Men's Basketball Coach's Office

Coach S. examined the latest reports on the team's players. Some of the freshmen this year, specifically Watkins and McMillian where playing lights out and helping keep the team's record afloat. Things looked good prior to conference play when the team was 9-1, but it got ugly once January rolled around, especially on the road. Coach S. was nervous and just hoped the team could turn it around, otherwise they would struggle to even secure a spot at the NCAA Tournament.

The wedding though was a beautiful event. Coach S. and Amy married on December 28, 2028, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan. They were joined by former players, coaches, and associates, along with their family and friends on a grand occasion set right on the Great Lakes. Afterward they had a brief honeymoon in Hawaii to usher in the New Year before they both had to get back to work.


Certainly not a bad place to get married.

Coach S. suddenly noticed his phone ringing with Amy's number for a facetime call. Picking it up, he couldn't get a word in before she blurted out "I'm pregnant!" Coach S. just smiled. He was going to be a father.

Top Players (this season):
Wayne Watkins (SG): 20.4 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.9 RPG
Chad McMillian (PG): 11.4 PPG, 5.8 APG, 4.6 RPG
DuJuan Lytle (C): 7.8 PPG, 1.6 APG, 5.7 RPG


Current Record: 12-6 (4-5)
76.1 PPG, 68.0 OPPG, 18.6 APG, 35.9 RPG, NET 29

[Wayne23]

I'm confused. Just above the graphic it says "Current Record 12-6, 4-5, and the graphic says 14-4, 7-2. What gives?

[Zingo]

March 12, 2039, 8:55PM Butler Men's Basketball Facility, Selection Sunday

Coach S. stood in front of the room full of players, most of them freshmen, and addressed them before Selection Sunday started. "I just wanted to let you all know, regardless of where we end up this post-season, you've all done a great job finishing strong. Especially the freshmen, let's give them a hand." The few upperclassmen applauded the freshmen class and slapping them on the back and shoulders for a job well done. "I've been here a few times before, but I know many of you have not. Whether its the NCAA Tournament, the NIT, or even the CIT or CBI, we will go out and leave everything we have out on that court, because who are we?

"Bulldogs!"

"I can't hear you...."

"BULLDOGS!"

"That's right, now let's show who we're up against how fierce we are!"

The team broke into a brief applause that later settled into conversation and then silence once the selection show started. Coach S. was nervous given that the team was 21-11 not the best place to end up with such a competitive year. Still they did finish as Conference Semifinalist and had some big wins. He hoped it would be enough for them to make the NCAA Tournament. With a young team, it was never easy to win every game, but there was massive potential with this team. Wayne Watkins was even selected as a Norton Finalist in his first season! He waited with bated breath as the selections started.

The team watched in anticipation, not knowing how the season would end, but every minute felt like an hour. The show went on until the final bracket was announced "Butler #7 will play Grambling #10" the crowd absolutely erupted. It was the largest applause Coach S. heard in years. He simply smiled and took in the moment. Three years, three seven seed. But this was going to be special.



Tournament Information
March 17, 2039: Butler 21-11 (7) v.s. Grambling 26-7 (10)
This is Butler's 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance and third with Coach S.
This is Coach S.'s seventh NCAA Tournament bid and tenth post-season tournament bid in his career.

[Zingo]

I'm confused. Just above the graphic it says "Current Record 12-6, 4-5, and the graphic says 14-4, 7-2. What gives?

Oof, posted the wrong image. Correcting retroactively, thanks!

[Zingo]

April 15, 2039, 4:30PM Butler Men's Basketball Coach's Office

Coach S. sat in his office to go over the past season. The loss against Grambling stung, no doubt. Even though it wasn't a massive upset, he felt as though this team could have won at least one game before exiting the tournament. Still, he was happy the team was salvaged and more importantly, it reeked of potential. He knew the team might not be solid at this point, but in a year or two, he felt as though they had the potential to make a run and become a real contender in the NCAA Tournament and in their own Conference. Overall, the year wasn't a smash success, it was a rebuilding year anyway, but there was hope to be had for the future. Meanwhile, Amy's team received an NIT bid, but were also bounced in the first round unfortunately. It still was not a bad place to be for her debut position as a coach.

Final Record: 21-12 (11-8)
75.7 PPG, 69.1 OPPG, 19.2 APG, 35.2 RPG, NET 45



An asterisk denotes a starter.

The incoming class only further displayed reinforced the team promising candidates. Kyle Phillips was a rock star power forward, a position of need for the team. Meanwhile Gerald Wade could be a massive depth option, even if he sat behind Watkins initially. KenKay Taylor could hopefully restore the Center position and provide the team with some strength on the inside whereas Francho Cortez and Ron Walker could hopefully supplement the team and eventually grow into starting roles. A scholarship was held over for a transfer candidate next season.


Butler Men's Basketball Recruit Class 2039

Other Notable Facts From the Season:
NCAA Final: Ole Miss (86) over Michigan State(79). Ole Miss claims their first NCAA Tournament Title in School History. Michigan State missed out on what would have been their fourth title.
Big East Championship Game: Seton Hall (91) over Creighton (85)
All-American 2nd Team: Wayne Watkins FR, SG: 19.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
All-Conference 2nd Team: Wayne Watkins FR, SG: 19.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Team MVP[s]: Wayne Watkins
Best Win: 84-73 @UConn (#6) (Conf. Tournament)
Worst Loss: 74-86 v.s. Grambling (NCAA Tournament)
Notable Graduates: Jeff Peskine, Wesley Brown
This was Coach S.'s 16th season and 3rd with Butler. His overall record sits at 342-244.
Coach S. is currently 8-6 in the NCAA Tournament.
Wayne Watkins and Chad McMillian were nominees for the Norton award. Watkins was a Norton Award Finalist.
Wayne Watkins was 2nd Team All-American. Oddly enough, he was also only 2nd Team All-Conference, not the first (although the top SG in the country was the Norton Award Winner and Freshman POTY for Conference rival Villanova). This was Coach S.'s first All-American player.
EDIT: Our recruiting class was Ranked #10 for the above draft class (previous class, this past year's freshmen, were ranked #13).

[Zingo]

September 1, 2039, 4:07AM Pinnacle Hospital Crown Point

Coach S. was rushing alongside his wife as they wheeled her to the delivery room in the hospital. "Take it easy honey, breathing exercises..." "I AM BREATHING!" Amy screamed at him. "Alright, we're bringing her in," the staff said as they rushed her to the delivery room. Coach S. just watched as they wheeled her around a corner. He took a seat in the lobby and waited. He wanted to go into the delivery room, but no one offered him to and he didn't want to cause a fuss. He took out his phone and read the latest headlines of the recruiting season.



It was an incredibly slow offseason for Butler. They burned a scholarship on a Center out of Clemson, a sophomore, Omar Victor. After that, there wasn't anything left. The team was so young that there were simply no scholarships available. Coach S. therefore spent the majority of the offseason at home, supporting Amy in her recruiting search and as her pregnancy developed. This meant a few long nights, including this past one when she had woke up suddenly, stating that her water had broken. It led to them being up all night...

Coach S. woke up to the gentle shoulder pushing of a nurse. The clock on the wall stated 1:08PM. "Your wife's delivered a baby!" He rushed swiftly down the hall, following the nurse when he entered their bedroom. The afternoon sun had just begun peeking through the room. A doctor and nurse sat with Amy as she held their new son. Coach S. rushed to the bedside, overwhelmed with joy. "Did you decide on a name yet?" Coach S. asked her. "Cyan," she replied. "It matches our schools' colors somewhat and it's unique. What do you think?" "Cyan?" Coach S. repeated, "I love it," the huddled closely as they had a moment with the baby who opened his eyes and stared as his new parents as he entered the world.

Suddenly the family members burst in and asked to see the baby. Coach S. stepped aside as they approached, all "oohing and aahing" over the little miracle. Coach S. just looked as his wife and son and smiled. Basketball was certainly an important game and one of the most important things in his life, but life was so much bigger than basketball and he truly appreciated that fact in this moment.


While not the anticipated name, it was a lovely name nonetheless, Cyan. Their little Cy.

[Zingo]

January 22, 2040, 4:40PM Butler Men's Basketball Coach's Office

Coach S. was back in his office after giving the players an early day off of practice today. They'd certainly earned it. This team looked unstoppable this season, with their only loss coming in a close 75-78 battle against Clemson in the Cancun Challenge. Overall, this was an exciting season, the team was electric, flowing effectively on the court and striking fear into the hearts of the opposition. Alright, maybe that was an exaggeration, but needless to say Coach S. was excited of this team's potential. It was the highest ranked he'd ever had with any team he'd coached and he really thought this unit had the potential to make a March Madness run.

Amy's team was also doing pretty well and had a chance at being outside contenders for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Any free time was spent watching her games or chatting with her. Well that and keeping tabs on their kid. Cyan was under the care of a nanny most days, which was unfortunate. Coach S. knew it would be tough to raise a kid given his and Amy's careers, but they still spent a lot of their time with Cyan, even in his formative moments. Coach S. just hoped he could see his kid's first steps. Then again, he also hoped he could win the NCAA Tournament...

Top Players (this season):
Chad McMillian (PG): 13.3 PPG, 7.6 APG, 5.1 RPG
Wayne Watkins (SG): 18.8 PPG, 2.8 APG, 3.2 RPG
Kyle Phillips (PF): 9.7 PPG, 1.7 APG, 8.1 RPG


Current Record: 17-1 (8-0)
78.6 PPG, 64.3 OPPG, 20.9 APG, 39.4 RPG, NET 10


Butler received an invite to the Cancun Challenge. They won their first game over Memphis before losing to Clemson 75-78.

[Zingo]

March 12, 2040, 8:57PM Butler Men's Basketball Facility, Selection Sunday

Coach S. stood in front of the room full of players and addressed them on Selection Sunday. "I'm not going to lie gentlemen, that Conference Finals loss has me a bit concerned going into the NCAA Tournament, especially given that it was our biggest loss this season," Coach S. addressed the room. "But honestly, I feel I'm cursed when it comes to winning any conference, so don't blame yourselves too much for that one." The room sputtered out some light laughter.

"This team is the best I've led in all my time in coaching. When you are on your best, no one in the NCAA can beat you. I know you all have the determination and drive to win a championship, now go out and prove it to the world!"

The team broke into a cheer as Coach S. looked around brimming with joy. The Conference lost stung. It was a stupid loss the Providence too, but he hoped the team would be humbled by the experience and focus on the tournament that really mattered. When they were on, they were unstoppable, but they weren't unbeatably evidently.

The screen lit up as Butler secured a #1 seed against Drexel. The crowd broke out into cheers. "Now go prove to the world you are truly a #1 team!" Coach S. shouted.



Tournament Information
March 17, 2040: Butler 30-3 (1) v.s. Drexel 18-14 (16)
This is Butler's 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and third with Coach S.
This is Coach S.'s eighth NCAA Tournament bid and eleventh post-season tournament bid in his career.