Basketball 2111

[Wayne23]

3/5: Starting PG Al Gure goes pro.

3/7: We play #8 seed Illinois. 15-14, 8-10, first.

3/8: 97-80. 28, 5, 3 for SG Mike John, 20, 9, 3 for Boro.

#5 seed, #16 ranked Ohio ST, 23-7, 13-5, in the semis. Beat them by 9 there, then by 34 at home.

3/9: 68-60. 18 for Al Gure, 16, 13 for PF Nick Roll, 8, 15 for Boro. +18 RBs.

Our sometime nemesis, #6 Michigan ST, 24-5, 15-3, for the title. We won by 6 there a couple weeks ago. They’re very strong inside.

3/10: 79-87. They do it to us again. It has to be at least partially psychological. They’re starting C and PF combined for 50 and 23; and held Roll and Baro to 4 and 6.

Awful. -17 RBs. Hope we don’t meet them in the NCAAs.

28-5, #1, RPI #3. We’ll be a #1 somewhere.

3/12: #1 overall. I’m surprised but delighted. We would potentially meet Michigan ST in the national semifinal if we both get that far. We play #16, Anal Roberts, 18-13, first.

3/16: 84-55. 22, 11, 4 for Baro, 25, 4, 4, 4 for John.

#8 seed Clemson, 21-11, in the 2nd round.

3/18: 106-78. 30, 10 for Baro.

#4 seed, #15 ranked Texas-El Paso, 28-6, in the Sweet Sixteen. They can score outside.

3/23: 88-67. Easy win. 28, 4, 7 for John, 20, 8 for Baro, 12, 13 for Roll.

Our nemesis, Michigan ST is out, upset by UCLA.

#3 seed, #10 ranked Indiana, 28-6, in the Elite Eight. They beat us by 1 at our place but we’re heavily favored. They’re a good team. We need to play well.

3/25: 82-67, and back to the Final Four. 26, 13 for Baro, 18, 19 for Roll. +24 RBs.

#2 seed, #3 ranked Fresno ST, 33-3, in the national semifinal. They’re very solid inside and that kind of a team can give us trouble, but we’re heavily favored.

4/1: 81-73. 25 lead changes, 11 ties. Then with 2:53 left we started a 9-1 run. 19, 5, 3 for SF Sam Wite, 17, 7, 3, 4, 3 for Baro, 3 others with 10 or more. -5 on the boards but +17 TOs, and that was the difference.

#4 ranked Seton Hall, 34-3, for the title. On paper it’s a win for us but they have a very good SG, and they can play inside. Going for our 5th national title.

4/3: 82-73 and we’re the champs! We opened up with an 11-0 run and we never trailed. The only tie was 0-0. We led by 17 at the half. 16, 9 for Baro, 16 for John. +8 TOs.

It was an up and down season but we were there at the end.

4/4: Awards: Waha Baro is Final Four MOP. I am National COY. In the Big Ten, Forward Nick Roll is Frosh OY, Waha Baro is Def. POY. Baro and soph guard Mike John make the 1st team. Roll and Sam Wite make the 2nd team.

Michigan ST fires their coach and they really want me. So does UCLA. I’m not going anywhere.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. No, but we just asked to keep the rating where it is.

34-5 and the title. Overall, I’m 737-168, .814. I just turned 61 years old. I’d need to coach about another 10 years to get to 1000 wins. I have 5 national titles. Only legendary John Wooden has more. I’d love to get #6 to stand 2nd. If I do I might call it a career at that point.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #13 recruiting class, #1 pre-season again.

6/5: One spot for a transfer.

6/9: We like an SG from Syracuse.

6/12: We get the SG.

6/26: 2 scholarships. We want 1 and 1.

8/7: 5 on the Norton list: PG Mike John is #5, PF Az Bowa is #8, SF Nick Roll is #10, PG Kat Wams is #27, and PF Nwan Akin is #31.

8/21: We offer to a PG and a PF.

9/11: We lose one.

9/18: We get a PF, #6, and a PG, #24.

Coaches Classic vs. Quinnipiac. We play mostly ranked teams pre-conf.

10/2: 1st day of practice and we’re picked to win a Big Ten that doesn’t seem as tough as it has been the past few seasons.

11/6: 8 man rotation:

Soph Kat Wams is at PG. Junior Mike John starts at SG, subs at PG. Seniors Bob Wims and Ron Myer sub at SG.

Soph Nick Roll is at SF. Cris Jack, a junior transfer from Duke, subs at SF and PF.

Frosh Az Bowa starts at PF, subs at C.

Junior Nwan Akin, a transfer from Oklahoma, is at C.

I like roller coasters. With the help of a virtual programmer in the VRC, I designed a few roller coasters. They conform to the laws of physics so that I won’t ride the thing and go flying out of the car, or the car won’t go flying off the track, but also so that I get the absolute most thrilling experience possible. I’m having a ball with this.

Other people design things that are as much fun for them as this is for me- golf courses, ski runs, mountain hikes… It’s terrific. There are more and more VRCs available as time passes and people spend lots of free time in them. They get into poker tournaments, auto races, sail boats, go on the perfect cruise, sky dive- if you can imagine it, you can do it, either designing it yourself or going with a pre-designed experience.

On the more grisly side, it is possible to commit any crime imaginable in a VRC without actually causing any harm to any people, places, or things. There was a LOT of debate about this last feature but the evidence is clear, in almost all cases if people can do it in the VRC chamber they are exceedingly unlikely to do it in real life. If they can get the thrill or satisfy the perverse desire virtually, they don’t need to do it in reality. Rapes, murders, arson, pedophilia- all kinds of major, violent crime are way, way down, and it is no doubt due to the capability of having the virtual experience. Now, none of those crimes have disappeared completely, and I’ve already mentioned that murders have increased, but still, as disgusting as many find this part of the VR experience to be, we are considerably lessening human suffering by allowing it.

[Wayne23]

11/13: We open at the Coaches Classic by beating #16 seed Quinnipiac, 90-49. We’re the #1 seed. It was a team effort with 6 players scoring 9 or more. +23 RBs, +12 TOs.

#8 seed West Virginia in the 2nd round.

11/15: 87-63. 20. 6 for PF Az Bowa, 17, 2, 5 for SG Mike John.

#4 seed, #17 ranked Mississippi in the semis.

11/17: 67-44. Another solid team effort with 5 guys getting between 9 and 13. Great D! +16 RBs, +10 TOs.

#2 seed, #2 ranked Duke, 3-0, for the title. As early as it is, they’re the #2 team in the country. This will tell us a lot about ourselves.

11/19: 73-65. It was 52-31 at the half. 22, 5 for John, 15, 12 for SF Nick Roll, 10, 12 for C Nwan Akin. +13 RBs.

11/20: #1. Both recruits sign.

12/4: 8-0, #1, RPI #1. 4 easy home wins, 3 against ranked teams (#7, 8, 22). 4 players average in double figures led by Mike John with 16.3. #3 and #4 this week, both at home.

12/25: 11-1, #1, RPI #3. #3 Duke beat us at our place by 6. We gave up a season high 88 (next highest is 71), shot 33.8%, let them shoot 57.7%. Both of our starting guards fouled out. +18.8 PPG (#22, #10), +15.3 RBs (#1), +7.5 TOs (#3).

VRCs are now proliferating. The techies tell us a home model is just around the corner. They are amazing things, and everyone is excited about the idea of having one at home.

[Wayne23]

1/1/2138: 13-1, 2-0, #1, RPI #2. Easy wins against 2 middle of the pack teams.

1/3: A mass shooting. First one since 2122, and the one before that was in the 2080s. We didn’t think it was possible with the programmable weapons but someone managed a hack. The computerized system caught it as it was happening but he kept moving and was not caught. He shot 23 people, then himself, so 24 dead; it happened in Alabama, where they are less than strict about enforcement but still, the registry and tracking system is national. Still, people are wondering if the local people in charge did enough to try to find and stop this guy. An investigation will start at once. Very depressing.

1/15: 17-1, 6-0, #1, RPI #2. 4 more easy wins. #4 Indiana, in our conf., has a higher RPI than we do. We’re tied with them for 1st in the Big Ten, 2 up on 3rd place. We play there in Feb.

1/29: 21-1, 10-0, #1, RPI #1. Still tied with #3 Indiana for 1st, 2 up on #6 Ohio St, 4 or more up on the rest. We play both of those teams on the road in the next two weeks.

PF Az Bowa is #13 on the Norton list. PF Nwan Akin is #19, SF Nick Roll is #20, SG Mike John is #24.

2/12: 24-2, 13-1, #1, RPI #1. #6 Ohio ST beat us by 4 there but we beat #2 Indiana by 20 at their place. 26 TOs at Ohio ST. We’re still tied with Indian but Ohio ST is 2 back. 4 to play.

Az Bowa is #13 on the Norton list. Nick Roll is #20.

2/26: 28-2, 17-1, #1, RI #1. We win the Big Ten by 1 over #2 Indiana, 3 over Ohio ST, 6 or more over the rest. +18.8 PPG (#10, #11), +14.0 RBs (#1), +5.4 TOs (#4).

The investigation into the mass shooting has concluded. The facts were all pretty obvious and there were no surprises except in the conclusion section where it was announced that a method had been found to permanently disable any weapon that was tampered with. That should end the fear of mass shootings. It’s great news.

[Wayne23]

3/5: PF Az Bowa declares for the draft.

Groups in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Montana, and North Dakota have filed suit against the new technology that permanently disables weapons that have been tinkered with. They say this is an unconstitutional attack on the right to bear arms, as well as the right to own personal property. Given the liberal nature of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, it seems unlikely to be a successful suit.

3/7: We play #8 seed Purdue, 18-12, 8-10, in the quarters.

3/8: 90-83 in OT. A real scare! They missed an open 15 footer at the end of regulation or we’d be gone. 35% shooting almost did us in. Hopefully it’s a wake up call.

#5 seed Michigan. 18-12, 10-8, in the semis; beat them by 16 and 21. #3 seed, #8 ranked Ohio St was shocked by Maryland, and they’re out.

3/9: 80-66. We were in control all the way. 39 for Mike John. +7 RBs, +7 TOs.

#2 seed, #2 ranked Indiana, 29-2, 16-2, for the title. We beat them by 20 there. We’re a heavy favorite but they have a terrific Center. We need to contain their outside shooting.

3/10: 92-78. They led by 6 early, by 2 at the half. We adjusted, slowed them down outside, and took over in the 2nd half. 29, 9 for SF Nick Roll, 17, 10 for Bowa, 15, 10 for C Nwan Akin.

31-2, Big Ten champs, #1, RPI #1, beat the #2 ranked team twice. We should be #1 overall.

3/12: #1 East and overall. We play #16 seed Alcorn ST, 21-10. Looks like a pretty good bracket for us.

3/16: 74-48. Never a game but my guys were sloppy and I’m not happy. +22 RBs.

#9 seed Kansas ST, 18-13 in the 2nd round.

3/18: 77-56. 6 players got between 9 and 13 points. +14 RBs, +9 TOs.

#5 seed, #18 ranked ST Bonnie, 25-8, in the Sweet Sixteen. 13 Sweet Sixteens in a row.

3/23: 67-45. Great D tonight. 14, 15 for Az Bowa, 18, 5 for Roll. +12 RBs, +11 TOs.

#17 ranked Hawaii shocked Indiana.

#3 seed, #8 ranked Gonzaga, 29-7, in the Elite Eight. 10 Elite Eights in a row.

3/25: 89-66. Never a game. 32 for John, 19, 15 for Roll. +12 TOs.

#2 seed, #4 ranked Duke, 30-6, in the National semifinal. We beat them by 8, then they beat us by 6 earlier this season. We’re huge favorites, but they can play. We need to contain their excellent PG.

4/1: 71-62. We led by 29 with 14:11 to go. I played my subs a lot after that. The final score was as close as they got. 19 for PG Kat Wams, 16 for Bowa, but it was the D that won this one. +11 RBs, 10 TOs.

#12 Seton Hall, 28-7, shocked #2 Florida. We play them for the title and on paper it’s no contest. They have an excellent SG but we think we have a huge edge as far as talent goes. Gotta play though.

4/3: 86-63. Easier than a title game should be. 17, 8 for Roll, 16, 9 for John. +14 RBs.

4/4: Awards: Nick Roll was Final Four MOP. I get national COY again. In the Big Ten Az Bowa is Frosh OY, and 1st team with soph Nick Roll. Juniors Mike John and Nwan Akin make the 2nd team.

The moment of truth has arrived. I’m at 774-170, .820. Alone in 2nd with 6 national titles, 3rd in career winning pct., 12th in wins. Soon to be 62 years old. To retire or not to retire…

4/8: I announced my retirement today. I’m pretty proud of my numbers.

[Ddevore65]

Heck of a great run Coach, you are on the Mt Rushmore of college coaches now. Any chance he gets tired of being on the sidelines and comes out of retirement to take on a real challenge like Washington State, Penn State or Vanderbilt.

[PointGuard]

Nice run, coach! Time to ride your VRC into the sunset.

[Wayne23]

Heck of a great run Coach, you are on the Mt Rushmore of college coaches now. Any chance he gets tired of being on the sidelines and comes out of retirement to take on a real challenge like Washington State, Penn State or Vanderbilt.

The Coach was one of the rare few who knew when it was time to quit!