Fun and Games

[Wayne23]

1/1/’77: 8-4, 0-1, RPI #157. We lose by 9 to a very good New Mexico ST team there.

And then I finally caught Elvira Coombs. It was on 12/31. I was there before dawn, well hidden in a spot where the undergrowth was chest high. I heard someone or something coming- there’s always the chance of encountering a bear out there.

It wasn’t a bear. When she was maybe 20 feet away I saw it was her. She was walking fast and walking right at me. I crouched down and got my knife ready. As she pulled even with me, no more than two feet to one side, I leapt out, stuck the knife in her chest, drew it out and made sure the second strike was definitely right to the heart. The first strike probably killed her; the second one definitely did. I dragged her a few feet to where the undergrowth was thickest and deepest. Then I wiped the knife off really well on her sweat pants and walked away. About a mile and a half from the scene I buried the knife, again in very thick, deep undergrowth in a muddy spot which I covered up and smoothed over. I cleaned up at a stream about a half mile farther down, made my way out of the woods, got to my car, and drove back to campus. No one saw me walking, no one saw me get into my car, no one saw me drive away. I encountered a few cars on my drive back to campus, but I drive a grey Ford pickup truck that looks like a thousand other grey Ford pickup trucks so I’m sure no one took any notice. I have a nondescript vehicle for that reason. No one sees it.

I REALLY got a good feeling from this kill and I have a feeling its' going to stay good for a long time!

1/2: Elvira was reported as missing right away on the evening of 12/31. There are miles and miles and miles of wooded, hilly areas where she might have been walking. She drives as far as an hour or more from her home, in any of several directions, to hike off the trails. The body has not yet been found.

1/3: Her car was located today. That will focus the search some, of course, but they still haven’t found the body.

1/6: Elvira’s body was found today, or what was presumed to have been her body. Most of it was eaten by wild animals of all kinds, and insects, worms, and other creepy crawly things had done a lot of damage beyond what the mammals and birds and reptiles had done.

1/8: The authorities announced today that Elvira had been stabbed, “… we think twice…” The search for clues was gigantic. It included FBI, state and local police, a National Guard unit.

1/11: A spokesman for the investigation announced that an area five miles in diameter from where the body had been found had turned up no clues so far, but that the search was ongoing.

Incidentally, the body, or what was left of it, was found, as best as I can figure it, about ½ mile from where I killed Elvira. I guess something or some things dragged the body away.

This has been the longest, deepest, most fulfilling experience of my life. I have never felt such joy, such exhilaration, such power.

I said I never watch TV but it’s been on practically 24/7 since the body was found; the local channels are constantly cutting into programs with updates, every one of which adds up to, “nothing new has been found.”

1/14: An arrest has been made in the case. A homeless man was found in possession of a knife that appears to be the murder weapon.

Life goes on. I’ve made two road trips since the murder.

1/15: 11-5, 3-2, RPI #98. We beat a pretty good Wyoming team there and won both of our home games. We’re very balanced regarding inside and outside scoring, with 4 starters who can put points on the board. When guard Joe Hunt comes in for Will Mott at SF we have 5 scorers in the game.

1/16: The spokesman announced some details regarding the suspect. His name is Richard House. He was found in the hills not far from the murder scene, in possession of the knife. At first he said he was homeless and often slept in the tall grass because it was warmer. He said he had found the knife in the grass. After questioning he confessed to the crime. He said the woman had surprised him. He panicked and stabbed her, twice in the chest; it was nothing he had planned at all. He then searched her body to see if she had cash or valuables. When she didn’t, he moved her body into deep undergrowth and ran off. He continues to sleep in a different part of the woods whenever the weather was dry.

If the knife they found on him is actually the one I used, I have no idea how House got hold of it. The only thing that makes sense is that he saw me and followed me, but I’m pretty careful. I think I would have known it or at least sensed it if he had been following me. Maybe he just stepped on the place where it was buried and hit something solid and dug until he found the knife. I’ll probably never know.

House turned out to have a record- two assault charges with convictions, one arrest for rape, but there was no conviction on that one. He denied sexually assaulting the woman either before or after her death. The spokesman didn’t say so but I’m guessing that there wasn’t enough left of Elvira for the police to determine whether or not she had been sexually assaulted.

Looks like House will take the rap; they charged him with first degree murder. His court appointed attorney is working hard to get it down to second degree since House is claiming it happened on the spur of the moment and there was no premeditation. But with someone as high profile as Elvira I’m guessing House will be tried for first degree murder. Doesn’t matter, really. There’s no death penalty here so he’ll get life without parole either way, I’m guessing.

I have no idea why he confessed but that seems to happen often in this type of case. The cops are happy because the public wants the case resolved, and a confession, even if it’s not by the actual murderer, calms the situation. I doubt that there will be much more in the way of an investigation. Everybody will be happy to assume that this means the case is solved.

And yes, I have mixed feelings about it. One the one hand, even though there was almost no chance I would ever be connected to this murder, this means there is probably zero chance. On the other hand, I’m proud of my work. It would light me up to have people afraid that they might be next. Now they figure the perp is caught and out of circulation, and they feel safe again. That feels like it takes away some of my power. But then, any one of those people just MIGHT be next, you know?

[Wayne23]

1/29: 13-7, 5-4, RPI #113. In a 4 way tie for 4th. The MT West is a real log jam.

2/12: 15-9, 7-6, RPI #127. Still in a 4 way tie for 4th. These last two weeks should be interesting. We have 2 home games. We truly could finish anywhere between 3rd and 7th.

The hype around Elvira’s killing has died down. There are reports and updates now and then but everyone is convinced that Richard House did it. It will probably be a year or so before his trial and I’m guessing there won’t be much publicity between now and then. The trial will be big news though.

On Feb. 8, at maybe 2:15 in the morning. I did a celebration kill. It was the standard one. I found a hooker on a back street in Colorado Springs, walking home after a long night. I talked her into an alley, had her strip down and get on all fours, and I slit her throat. It was kind of a cheap thrill after Elvira, but it made me feel good and I slept really well that night.

2/14: We beat a good Wyoming team by 2 at our place. I still don’t seem to coach in a lot of close games so it’s really fun when I do, especially if I win. We almost blew an 18 point lead in this one. They tied it twice in the last minute. After both of their tyiong baskets we got the ball to our big guy, Jama Broz, and both times, he made a lay up in traffic. Then, in the final second he blocked a 6 footer to preserve the win for us. He had 21, 10.

Clune Arena, where we play, seats only 5858. We aren’t selling it out regularly yet, but attendance this season has averaged about 4900. Considering it was 2200 when I got here, I’d say we’re doing well!

2/26: It came down to the final game, against 3rd place Utah St at our place. We could wind up moving up or down a few spots depending upon whether we won or lost.

We won and ended up 17-10, 9-7, tied for 3rd but only the #5 seed in the MT Wes tourney. But a loss would have put us 7th. Needless to say the game was a sellout. We went back and forth with them for 32 minutes and then went on a 12-2 run to open it up. We won by 15. 26 and 6 for SG Mao Joes. Broz had 16 but fouled out late.

Life was feeling, of all things, pretty normal by now. There was almost nothing about the Elvira Coombs murder, and the killing of the prostitute had only been a story for a day. I felt sated. Didn’t have the slightest interest in going after anyone else. And no one was annoying me. That was the best part of the whole AFA experience. Great people, at least the ones I dealt with.

I’m not happy with my #2 assistant, but I hadn’t expected to be. We simply didn’t have the $ to hire anyone who was really good at the scouting job. I do a lot of his job myself. We have film on the teams we play and I spend a lot of time looking at it and taking notes, doing what the scouting coach really doesn’t know how to do. But he’s a nice guy so what can you do. Hopefully, by the time his contract is up, we’ll have the money to make a better hire.

[Wayne23]

3/5: #12 seed, last place, Colorado ST, 7-20, 2-14, in the first round. We won by 17 at home in our only meeting but the game is rated a toss up.

3/6: 70-66 and close all the way. This one was a lot tougher than I expected it to be. In the end Jama Broz got us through again. He scored 5 of our last 7 and got three RBs in the last minute and a half. He wound up with 23, 10. Joes had 17 and PF Mali Colu had 14 and 7. +10 RBs but 18 TOs hurt us.

#4 seed Fresno ST, 16-11, 9-7, in the quarters. They won by 10 there and they’re a 3 ½ point favorite. They have some players both inside and out, a varied attack. We’ll need to play good D.

3/7: 68-77. The D wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t good enough and we couldn’t score, mostly because Jama Broz was in foul trouble all night, only played 20 minutes before fouling out. Two of the calls were questionable, to be kind. It’s a wonder I’ve never killed a referee! But then that would be too obvious. They’d know a coach had done it. 17 for Joes, 14, 8 for Broz.

18-11, RPI #126. I don’t think we’ll get to the NIT but we’ll hit the rest of our goals.

3/12: CHI again. We’re the #2 seed and we play #7 Bowling Green, 17-12. We’re favored by 2 ½. We’ll need to stop the threes.

3/14: 73-65. Happy with the D, especially the outside D. 16, 8, 3 with 5 blocks for Broz. 17 each for Colu and Joes.

#3 seed Troy, 20-12, in the 2nd round. We’re favored by only a ½ point. They have really good guards so we’ll play a lot of 3-2. There C can play too, but Broz can handle him if he stays out of foul trouble.

3/21: 66-61. Good D gets us through again. Held their starting guards to a total of 22 while ours scored 19. And our bench matched theirs which is terrific for us. 18 for Colu, 12, 10 for Broz.

#8 seed Missouri, 18-14, in the tourney semifinal. We have a shot at winning this thing. It’s #7 vs. #8 seed on the other side. MO is favored, but only by a ½ point.

Their strength is inside so we’ll play 2-3 and man and hope our big guys, especially broz. Stay out of foul trouble. D has gotten us here. It needs to continue.

3/27: 89-76. For once offense did it for us! We shot 55%, with 15 threes. 62 points from our three guards- 27 for PG Quin Geer, in his best game of the season, 25 for Joes, and 10 for Joe Hunt. Broz had 14 and 15. +10 RBs.

We play #7 seed Tennessee Tech, 19-12, for the title. We’re favored by a ½ point. They score outside but their big guys rebound well. Probably some man and if they start hitting threes we’ll shift to 3-2. It’s exciting to play for a title, and this is the first time I’ve done that.

3/29: 77-71 and the title! We led all the way, by as many as 16. They got it to one possession only twice in the 2nd half and we scored next both times. 24 for tourney
MOP Mao Joes. 14, 5 for Colu, 10, 9, 8 for Broz.

This is a GREAT feeling!

4/1: We get a C, #178.

4/3: #1 UConn is the national champ.

4/4: Awards: Jama Broz is MT West Frosh OY, Def. POY, and 1st team. Our back court of soph Mao Joes and frosh Quin Geer make the 2nd team.

4/9: It would take something pretty amazing for mew to leave here.

Some decent schools called. None were amazing.

4/23: I ask for money again. We got $10, 700. I am thrilled, didn’t think it would happen. Colonel Mize has my back. She said increased attendance led to increased revenues, and that allowed her to grant my request. She’s the best!

22-11, RPI #125. Overall, after 7 seasons, I’m 149-70, .680. Love to climb back over the .700 mark next season. We have some talent coming back and some more coming in!

I talk a lot about my hobby. I should talk more about how much I love coaching basketball, which I do. I love the complexity of it. There are so many things that need the head coach’s consideration. It’s a totally consuming job. I spend a minimum of 12 hours a day at it, and it’s not terribly unusual when it’s more like 16 or even more.

I love designing a practice. The NCAA strictly limits the time of a practice and how many practices a team can have each week, so I need to make every minute count. Designing that properly is critical.

Then there’s game coaching. I continue to not have many close games, which puzzles me. This year there were only three one possession outcomes and we won two of them. BUT, during a game I’m thinking and planning every single minute. When the time outs come, I need to know exactly what I want to say in the very limited time I have. One change, two at most, and I send them back out. As the game goes on I shout things from the sideline- a change on O or D, a guy I want watched more closely or double teamed- all kinds of things. At the half it’s about 8 minutes of instruction. And after the game I go over everything, take copious notes, consider lineup or strategy changes, and watch the film, multiple times, usually.

I consult with my assistants every day, do some recruiting with my assistant, do most of the scouting as I’ve said, talk to my bench coach about strategy and listen to his ideas. I listen to all of my coaches. I don’t want to be the only one thinking.

I try to stay on top of any problems or issues with players and nip them in the bud. I make changes and adjustments based on all kinds of things- injuries, a hot hand, a guy who’s off his game…

I talk to Col. Mize most days, and sometimes to her assistant, Major Tom Riley. I make sure the office personnel have what they need to do their jobs. It is truly endless. But it is also wonderful. I wouldn’t want to do any other kind of work.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #143 recruiting class but one of my recruits is a juco. We buy the Great Plains Gold and the national basic.

6/5: A forward who was never going to play transfers out.

6/12: No luck.

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

I have felt absolutely no desire to kill right now. I’m still feeling a great deal of elation over the killing of Elvira. But I AM giving lots of thought to future kills.

It turns out that Elvira Coombs’ son, Malcolm, who took over as President and CEO of Coombs Enterprises, is quite the progressive. His first act after being voted in was to give every employee of the mega-corporation a one dollar per hour raise:

“We’ll be increasing the pay of all our salaried employees as well as the hourly employees. First, our profits are outrageous. Doing this won’t hurt our stockholders in any meaningful way. If any think it will I will be more than happy to buy up any shares they want to sell.

“Second, we’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do. Our wages, salaries, and benefits have been among the lowest. That will change.

“Third, this is only the beginning. We want to see how this affects our bottom line. We don’t think, as I said, that it will have a huge effect. As time passes, and not a lot of time, we’re going to look at further pay increases, pensions, and a health care plan.

“Fourth, we welcome the formation of an employees’ union. I envision that as a union composed of all Coombs Enterprises’ employees, sort of an in house union. But I’ll let the people working for the company decide that, and when they do, Coombs Enterprises will negotiate with whoever they choose to have represent them. My greatest hope is that we can work together as a family, to everyone’s benefit.

“Finally, the products we produce, and I am embarrassed to say this, are not always of the highest quality. That will also change. We are going to significantly upgrade quality control with the goal of producing products that will last a lot longer and be a lot safer than some of our products are now. We’ll do all that we can to raise prices as minimally as possible, but higher quality will have some cost.”

The reaction was enormous and, of course, very mixed. I think it’s great, and although I’m no businessman, I think this could well have a ripple effect.

Anyway, this got me thinking. Maybe I need to focus some of my murders on people in powerful positions. To be clear, I’m talking about people in powerful positions who are working against the interests of their employees, and of the public. That’s not an easy task. These people are usually very well protected. Still, there’s always a way.

As a basketball coach I travel all over the place. I will do lots of research and try to find people in positions of power in as many cities and states as possible. I’ll target some and see if I can find vulnerabilities in their security systems. When I do, I’ll act.

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

9/11: We lose 1.

9/18: We get a PF, #323, but we think his ranking will improve a lot, and we like him.

Memorial Tournament vs. Washington.

9/25: We get a PG, #43. We’re REALLY high on this guy; we think he could be the best player ever to play here. THRILLED to get him.

We’re finished with recruiting, one guy has a 3.6 GPA and the other is a juco.

10/2: 1st day of practice. We’re picked to finish 2nd in the MT West and I think we can do that. I like this team and for the first time since I got here, we’ll actually have a bench! We will probably go small and play three guards most of the time.

There’s a guy in Las Vegas that I have my eye on. He’s a casino owner- two casinos actually and they say he’s a silent partner in a couple of others. He’s involved in lots of other businesses, too. He’s an absolute snake- lies, cheats, doesn’t pay his bills, uses people. Even other rich people don’t like or trust him. He’s a womanizer, an egomaniac- you name it, if it’s negative, he’s all over it. He spends a lot of time in NYC, but he’s in Vegas a lot, too. Very well protected though so he won’t be easy to get to. I’m thinking about possibilities. It will probably take a while.

11/6: 7 man rotation:

Dilo Wort, a junior transfer from Clemson, is at PG. Junior Mao Joes is back at SG.

Junior Joe Hunt subs at both guard spots.

Soph Quin Geer is at SF. He was at the Point last season.

Our only senior Will Mott is at PF. Soph Jama Broz is at C.

Soph Mike Hick subs at SF, PF, and C.

I like this team. Let’s see how we do!

[Wayne23]

11/20: 2-0 start, both on the road. The first one was at Navy in OT. We blew a 14 point lead and then came back. Lots of foul trouble and our newly found bench came through. Sixth man, forward Mike Hick, is playing really well.

Both recruits sign.

Headed for the Memorial Tournament. We’re the #6 seed. We play #3 Washington, 2-1. We’re favored by 1 ½.

11/21: 66-68. Damn! We blew an 11 point lead. We’ve been fading at the end. Maybe playing my starters too much. 2 bad calls in the last minute really hurt. I don’t get on the refs much, it’s not my style, but I had some things to say. Didn’t help, of course. 19, 7 for C Jama Broz, 17, 6 for SG Mao Joes, 16, 8 for PF Will Mott, but Mott fouled out and Broz had 4. Our bench gave us nothing tonight and that was the difference.

Oh, at the end the foul calls did it. We were up 2 with 37 seconds left. They called a very iffy offensive foul. Wash. Came down and scored. We set up for the last shot, PG Dilo Wort drove, and they called another charge- a worse call than the other one. Then Wash. Came down and hit a 14 footer at the horn. Super frustrating.

The tournament was in NYC, and we stayed for the whole thing.

I got to spend some time checking out the rich guy, Ron Funk. He lives in a big hotel downtown, in the penthouse, of course. I wasn’t able to get to that level.

The more I checked the more I became convinced that if I’m going to hit him it will have to be in Vegas, not here.

12/8: 5-2. A BAD lost at South Dakota. Both starting guards fouled out and Broz was in foul trouble all night- and the calls weren’t bad. Just a lack of discipline. I don’t show a lot of emotion but after the game I made it clear that I was NOT happy.

The bench has been inconsistent. Some nights they really give us a lot but on other nights they don’t give us much at all. I feel like the 7 guys who get most of the minutes are the right ones, but… Maybe we just haven’t quite jelled yet.

I’m starting to get “the urge” again.

12/25: 8-3, RPI #131. We should be 10-1, maybe 11-0. We lost 2 on the road to teams we should have beaten easily, and the loss to Washington was by only 2; we should have won that one. +8.1 PPG (#116, #53), +7.0 RBs (#38), +2.0 TOs (#101). We have 5 starters averaging between 13.1 and 10.6, so lots of consistency but nobody who is a solid “go to guy.”

I made a discovery. It involves, of all things, licorice. The real licorice, not that awful red stuff. Anyway, I’m not big on candy but I LOVE black licorice.

Now the licorice usually comes in one of two forms, one is “licorice whips”- long tubes of licorice. Those aren’t the thing. The other one is a shorter version. Like the whips it is circular with an opening in the middle. These are about an inch long, and they are very firm and hard. The discovery? If I take one of the poison darts I use with a blow gun, wrap thin paper around and behind it, insert it in the tube shortly before use, I can use it as a blow gun and simply eat the evidence!

Well, I had to try it, of course. I practiced for quite some time. I found it was at least as accurate as the blow gun and eating the evidence had absolutely no ill effects. The thin paper I wrap the dart in is left behind but I doubt anyone would notice it, or think anything of it if they did; it’s really tiny and would just seem like a random scrap of paper.

On 12/28 I drove to Castle Rock, set myself up on a back street, and waited for someone to walk by. It was about 7:30 in the evening. I had to wait a while but eventually a man who appeared to be drunk staggered by. When he got near me, I unloaded my “missile.” He dropped like a shot. I ate the licorice, walked a few blocks to where I had parked, and drove home with a big smile on my face.

It had been just 3 days less than a year since my last kill and it was definitely time. As always on the night I kill someone, I slept beautifully.

This is PERFECT! I could commit this murder with a cop watching from a distance and get away with it. If I was in another city and for whatever reason I was suspected, if the cops checked my suitcase or my room, a bag of these licorice things would arouse no suspicion. I’d simply tape the dart or darts inside one of the pieces of candy.
No cop would think to examine the candies in the bag. This won’t be the only method I use from now on, but it will be the most frequent. It’s just too good!

We play UNLV, in Vegas, on January 21. I’ll arrange the trip so we’re there for a couple of days. I may get a shot at Ron Funk, the casino owner, while I’m there. I feel really bold and confident with my new “approach.”

[Wayne23]

1/1/1978: 9-3, 1-0, RPI #82. A home win against a really good New Mexico ST team by the unbelievable score of 107-100, and no, there was no OT. For once we won it with a strong finish. Mao Joes had 30 and Jama Broz had 26, 12, 7. We had decent bench play which allowed me to rest my starters enough to have them fresh at the end.

1/15: 13-3, 5-0. I think we’ve jelled. We’re playing really well together and most nights our two guys getting most of the sub minutes, Joe Hunt and Mike Hick, are giving us a lot.

This never applied to me but I’ve read that it applies to most people- when you get a new toy, or a new love, or anything new that excites you, you tend to use it and use it and use it until you get bored with it. Well, now I know what that’s like. The licorice dart gun has become something I just HAVE to use.

On the morning of 1/5, while we were in San Jose, I boarded a bus and rode it to a location away from our hotel. I managed to find a seat in the last row. The bus wasn’t full and no one was seated in the last row or the row just in front of it. An old, old lady got on the bus very slowly, and even more slowly started to make her way to a seat. My licorice was ready. I put it to my lips and fired. Down she went, probably dead before she hit the floor. Given the shape she was in this was probably a mercy killing.

On 1/9, right here in Colorado Springs, I went for a walk around campus. I got to a fairly secluded area near the frat houses and saw a young man walking toward me. He had “frat boy” written all over him. I loaded and fired and down he went. I carefully looked around to be sure no one was looking and when I knew they weren’t I cut through some shrubs and kept going until I was far from the scene. Eventually I heard sirens, but I was almost at the Arena by then, and the ambulance or police car or whatever was far away from me and on a different street.

Early in the morning on January 12, after the game in San Diego, I walked downtown. At about 1:15 someone came walking down the street toward me. I put the licorice to my lips, looked him in the eye, and fired. He had time to register surprise, but barely.

Just today, 1/15, I was walking back from the cafeteria after lunch and saw a woman emptying something into the trash cans behind the kitchen. I looked around. There was no one in sight. I fired, even though I was pretty far away. The dart found its home in her neck and down she went. I walked back to my office.

I realize I need to stop. I’m really pushing it. But the new “toy” is just so much fun. But I WILL stop now. January 21 is coming soon and I’m hoping to get my chance with Ron Funk. It’s clear to me that all I need to do is get somewhere near him and I can probably get the job done.

Oh, I’ve been experimenting with the paper I wrap the dart in. I now have paper that falls off the dart as it exits the licorice. Perfect!

1/22: 15-3, 7-0, RPI #31, 2 game lead in the MT West. We’re really playing well.

I spent two days in the lobby of Ron Funk’s hotel but he never came through. I need a better plan.

1/29: Ranked! #25. RPI #24. 17-3, 9-0, 3 game lead in conf. +10.2 PPG (#52, #47), +7.0 RBs (#22), +2.2 TOs (#49). All 5 starters in double figures ranging from Broz, with 13.9, to PF Will Mott with 11.5.

Still thinking about Ron Funk. The MT West tourney is in Vegas so that will give me another opportunity, but I need a plan.

2/5: 18-4, 10-1, #24, RPI #22. We lost at 4th place Colorado ST. We lead by 2, but we’re at 2nd place New Mexico ST this week. To make it worse, 6th man forward
Mike Hick broke his toe. He’s out through the MT West tourney. SF Will Monk will get his minutes.

2/12: 20-4, 12-1, #19, RPI #19, 3 game lead with 3 to play. We won at New Mexico ST by 14.

2/26: 23-4, 15-1, #18, RPI #15. A terrific regular season! We win the MT West by 4 games. +10.1 PPG (#40, #63), +7.6 RBs (#19), +1.3 TOs (#76). Tos are the only area
I’m less than happy with. Will Monk is doing a great job filling in for Mike Hick.

A couple of things keep going through my mind:

First, I’ve kind of lost interest in regular killings. I think it’s a combination of the thrill of the “celebrity kill” of Elvira plus the spree I went on last month.

Second, I’m really happy about how successful we’ve been but I have mixed feelings about what it may mean. It could well lead to offers from good to really good schools. I’m ambitious and my plan is to wind up at an elite school, but I hate the thought of leaving the Air Force Academy. In many ways this place is ideal for me. I love the discipline, the regimentation, the structure… I guess the key is to enjoy it while I can, not to leave unless it’s for a really, really good situation, and look for a place with the same kind of structure and discipline, or close to it.

[Wayne23]

3/6: We play #9 seed Boise ST, 13-17, 5-11, in the quarter finals. We won by only 7 there, but we’re a big favorite.

I’m on the lookout for Funk.

3/7: 74-60. It went back and forth for the first 10 minutes or so but we led the rest of the way, by as many as 22. 15 each for Broz and SF Quin Geer, 14 for SG Mao Joes. +13 RBs.

The word is that Funk is going to be at the title game, seated right behind one of the benches. If it’s ours, he’s toast.

3/8: #4 seed Colorado ST, 17-11, 10-6, in the semis. They’re the only MT West team to beat us all season, by 11 there. Our outside D let us down in that one. We plan to use a combination of 3-2 and man this time. We’re favored by 4 ½.

3/9: 73-60. We led just about all the way. 28 for Joes, 19, 9 for Broz. +10 TOs. Last time they shot 55%, this time 36.5%.

#6 seed Nevada, 19-11, 9-7, for the title. We won by 10 there and are favored by 1 ½. They’re good though. They have a solid PG and a tough inside game.

3/10: 82-54. We never trailed, and we led by as many as 33. 26, 6, 7 for tourney MOP Mao Joes, 21 for SF Quin Geer. 14 assists for PG Dilo Wort.

Funk was there. He sat behind the Nevada bench and I never got a clear shot at him. After the game he came over to shake my hand but it was unexpected and I wasn’t ready. It would have been madness to load a dart under those circumstances.

3/11: The whole Funk thing frustrated me so much that when we got home I drove down to Pueblo and got a hooker. I did it the old fashioned way, in an alley, with a knife. It made me feel a little better, but not much.

I’ve decided to keep Funk on my list but to put him on the back burner.

26-4, MT West regular season and tourney champs, #18, RPI #16. Hoping for a #4 seed.

3/12: #5 South. We play #12, Virginia, 19-11.

Mike Hick will be back from his broken toe. We’re going to give him some of Monk’s minutes, but Monk played well so he’ll get minutes, too.

3/17: 73-66. We didn’t play well. Fortunately we had a big talent edge. Joes led us with 14. 12 each for Wort and Geer. +14 RBs, but 20 TOs.

If we don’t play better we’ll be headed home soon.

#4 seed, #12 ranked Arkansas, 25-8, in the 2nd round. They have an outstanding outside game. We’ll go mostly 3-2. But this is a tough matchup for us and they are a big favorite.

3/19: 59-61. It was a game of poor shooting by both sides, and played at a slow pace. Not a lot to say about a very boring, poorly played game by both teams. In the end their PG, who was outplayed by ours, DIlo Wort (24), got the winning hoop. Wort fouled out with 22 seconds left. Mao Joes, who was off all night, brought it down court, and had a pass stolen by the PG who went full length and sank a layup with .3 left. That was that.

As a head coach I’ve never gotten past the 2nd round of the NCAAs.

4/3: #2 Michigan ST is the champ.

4/4: Awards: Soph C Jama Broz is MT West POY and 1st team. Soph guard Quin Geer and senior forward Will Mott make 2nd team. I am Conf. COY.

4/9: Mixed feelings. Going to a better school advances my career but I doubt I’ll ever find a school that is as good a fit.

Nebraska wants me. It’s tempting to go back home but not THAT tempting. I’m happy to be returning here to AFA!

Colonel Mize and I discuss moving to the Pac 12.

4/14: After a lot of discussion and at least as much research we decide we’ll stay in the MT West for another season.

4/23: I ask for money. No.

Great season, 27-5, #17, RPI #15, 2nd round of the NCAA tourney. Overall, after 8 seasons, 176-75, .701.

[Wayne23]

5/1: Recruiting class #161. Only 2 guys and one was a juco. We buy West Gold.

The mundane murders now only appeal to me when I’m stressed or frustrated. I need meaningful kills. That means there will be fewer of them, of course. They take some arranging.

6/5: Room for a transfer.

6/12: We chase a guy but no luck.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We need at least 3 guards.

8/21: I offer to 2 PGs, an SG, a PF, and a C.

9/11: We lose 2.

9/18: We get an SG, #97, and lose 2 others.

Memorial vs. Memphis.

9/25: We lose another one.

10/2: We lose another one but we think we’re close with a couple.

1st day of practice and we’re picked to win the MT West.

10/9: WE get a PG, #70, and a PF, #147. We lose the other 2.

11/6: 7 man rotation:

Senior Dilo Wort is back at PG. Senior Mao Joes is back starting at SG, subbing at PG.

Junior Quin Geer is back starting at SF, subbing at SG. Junior Mike Hick subs at SF.

Soph Tico Bala is at PF. Juco junior Jin Milt subs at PF and C.

Junior Jama Broz is back at C.

I was having lunch in the cafeteria, which I do every day that I’m on campus. This guy in a Major’s uniform came to my table to read me out. From what I could gather, and the guy was not all that coherent, he’s a math professor and he’s very upset (I GOT that part) that “basketball is getting to damn much attention!”

He went on to say that AFA should be about training future leaders, officers in the Air Force, and all this attention being paid to basketball was taking away from that. He went on for a LONG time. Finally, I just started eating again while trying to politely listen. He said he has written several letters to the Commandant and to others.

He finally left. I asked him for his business card but he declined.

[Wayne23]

11/20: 2-0. Easy wins at home vs. poor teams. Ball handling was very good in both games. I hope that’s a sign.

Off to the Memorial vs. #1 seed Memphis. We’re #8. We’re actually favored by 3 ½.

I am VERY frustrated. Our top recruit, by far, didn’t sign. That means he won’t hit our SAT score. Yes, he was a mild gamble, but I thought it was pretty likely he’d hit the score.

“Major Kinney? Oh yes, I am VERY familiar with the Major. He’s our house ‘Marine.’ Hard as nails, the toughest teacher here, and complains about everything, especially athletics related. He’s been on my case since I got the A. D. job. Oh, a big part of that is that he is completely anti-women. Doesn’t think we have any place in the military, or probably anywhere else except for the kitchen. His poor wife!”

That was Major Mize’s analysis.

11/21: 85-67. We led all the way, by as many as 23. 6 players scored between 10 and 15.

#5 seed NC ST, 3-0, in the semis. Good team, very good outside. We’re favored by 1 ½.

11/22: 67-60. Never more than an 8 point difference. We were down 2 with 2:18 left. Balanced scoring again, 7 players had between 11 and 7, and they were our only scorers.

#3 seed Pepperdine, 4-0, for the title. They look really good all over, and they have a deep bench. We’re favored by only a ½ point.

11/23: 66-73. We blew an 18 point lead, then fell behind by 16 and couldn’t catch up. Their SF lit us up for 29, with 9 threes. Our outside D didn’t get it done.

12/4: 7-1, RPI #86. Great D, #14 in PPG Allowed. Our 5 starters average between 12.5 and 10.9.

Major Kinney has really been stirring the pot. He’s writing letters to the Adjutant, to the A. D., to the AFA student newspaper, to the Colorado Springs newspaper. He’s appearing on local television and radio. He isn’t getting much support though. The school points out that graduation rates for my basketball players arew higher than for the total school population, and their GPA is slightly higher.

12/25: 10-3, RPI #83. +10.9 PPG (#140, #16), +6.6 RBs (#63), +4.4 TOs (#22). We lost 2 road games to weak teams, 1 of them in OT. We need to do better than that.

Nothing from Major Kinney lately. Maybe it’s the semester break, which is short here, but the rumor is that his superiors have told him to stop. We’ll see, I suppose.

I will say that Kinney doesn’t target my players, as some of the instructors here do. There’s one guy, Captain Mungo, who really seems to target them. I’m thinking he may need my … “attention…”

[Wayne23]

1/1/1979: 11-3, 1-0, RPI #62. A one point win at New Mexico ST on SF Quin Geer’s three in the final seconds. He led us with 23 and 6. C Jama Broz had 12, 10, 4.

1/15: 15-3, 5-0. RPI #65. We’re playing well!

We were all very saddened to hear that Captain Mungo was killed in a car crash on his way home from work last night. Police are uncertain as to what happened. His car left the road and smashed into a tree, killing him instantly.

Actually, I know exactly what happened. I used a fast acting poison. I slipped it into his water bottle late in the day and he must have taken a sip (that’s all it would have taken) as he was driving home. The grades he gave my players for fall semester were terrible, and I know for a fact they did all of the work in his classes. None of my guys failed his classes but the grades lowered their GPAs unfairly.

I won’t need to worry about his grades anymore, and neither will my players.

1/29: 18-4, 8-1, RPI #51. Tied for 1st with Fresno ST, who we play there next week. 2 up on 3rd place.

2/12: 22-4, 12-1, ranked #21, RPI #22. 2 game lead in the MT West with 3 to play. We beat Fresno ST by 3 there, then they lost a road game.

I’ve been wondering what it would feel like to kill someone I like. So far all of my victims have been either people I had a problem with or complete strangers. I need to test this theory. Thinking about who, though. NOT Col. Mize, she’s too valuable to me. Maybe Major Riley, the Assistant A. D. Maybe someone here in the offices.

Most of them are nice, and they treat me well.

2/26: 25-5, 14-2, #19, RPI #26. We win the MT West by 2 games. +11.7 PPG (#89, #8), +6.5 RBs (#50), +3.4 TOs (#24).

I got Major Riley yesterday. There’s an Olympic size pool in the Clune Arena, where our offices are, and where we play our games. There are group swim times that need to be reserved, and free swim times when anyone affiliated with AFA can swim. He likes to swim after lunch because there is almost never anyone else there.

There’s no lifeguard at the pool. I went in and asked him a question. He answered it. I turned to leave then turned back and fired a licorice missile into the back of his neck. Within seconds he went down to the bottom of the pool.

I walked out without anyone seeing me. When the 2:30 group swim people came in they found him at the bottom of the pool.

As I’ve said here, I don’t feel things the way most people do but I’ll tell you that I won’t repeat this experiment. It didn’t give me any satisfaction to kill a nice person who I liked. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel guilty, or even sad, but I didn’t get the usual rush this time. Oh well, live and learn, I suppose.