A New Tomorrow

[Wayne23]

3/9: We play #8 seed Xavier, 18-12, 7-9 in the quarters. We won by 9 there.

Not sure what to expect in the post season. We have a good team here but I'm not sure how good. We should win the Big East tourney. Anything less than Sweet Sixteen or even Elite Eight would be a disappointment in the big dance. If we play as we can the Final Four is definitely a possibility.

3/10: 89-84. We led all the way and were never really threatened but our 2nd half D was awful. 18, 5, 6 for Mann, 15, 5 for Undo. 10 TOs.

#4 seed, #9 ranked Villanova, 25-8, 10-6, in the semis. Beat them by 8 and 5. We need to be on top of our game tonight.

3/11: 72-61. We came out absolutely flat and got behind, WAY behind early, 21 points down, 19 at the half. I didn't yell and scream in the locker room. I pointed out what we were doing wrong on D and told them to work to get open on O. They did all of that and more. The 2nd half score was 56-26. Balanced scoring and 8 TOs.

#2 seed, #8 ranked Providence, 28-4, 13-3, for the title. They beat us by 16 at our place. We think that was just an off night and we definitely think we're the better team. But we need to play that way.

3/12: 67-66. HELL of a game! Again tonight we came out flat and went down early, by 14, 8 at the half. It stayed close throughout the 2nd, and went back and forth in the last two minutes. Both teams played tight D and the refs let us play. We had the final possession and we got Bart Mann open just enough to get a clear look at a 16 footer which he drained as time expired.

#1 Midwest. We play #16 St. Francis, 20-13.

It's a strange year. All of the top teams have at least 4 losses and it will be about the team that gets hot and/or catches a key break along the way; probably both. It's wide open.

3/16: 85-63. We led all the way. 26, 5 for Undo, 17, 5, 5 for Kinz. 8 TOs.

#9 seed Pitt, 22-10, in round 2.

3/18: 66-77. I'm not disappointed, I'm pissed. We shot 32.3%. -13 on the boards. We were awful. I'm thinking maybe it's time to move on. I'm tired of these underachievers.

3/27: Not a single #1 or #2 made the Final Four.

4/3: #3 seed, #8 ranked Purdue is the champ. They beat a #14 seed, Western Kentucky.

4/4: Awards: Bart Mann makes the Big East 1st team. Cal Undo and Kwaj Park make the 2nd team.

4/8: The right offer could get me to leave.

4/9: UConn has kind of fallen on hard times. Going there will be a rebuilding job. I'm taking it on.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade.

Yes. We go from B+ to A.

Overall coaching record: 419-89, .825. On to a new challenge.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #47 recruiting class but I think there are a couple of sleepers in there.

6/5: A big guy transfers out. He wasn't that good.

Looking at the transfer pool.

6/12: We land 3 transfers. VERY happy to get PG Jeb Kinz from Rider. We get another PG from Memphis, and a PF from FL ST.

6/26: 2 scholarships.

We've made great strides with all of the repairs, renovations, and new construction. Winter is coming so all of that will likely slow down. But with any luck everything will be up and running by October 1, which is also the target date for the start of the police force. The police officers are being trained already.

7/2: Snow and wind, yesterday and today.

7/12: Lots of snow, nearly every day.

7/22: The snows continue to be heavy but no blizzards so far.

8/4: First blizzard. Pretty bad.

8/16: And another blizzard. This one had a huge amount of snow and truly fierce winds.

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

9/2: End of the snowy season, thankfully.

9/18: Got my two recruits, a PG, #7, and a C, #27.

JAG Holiday and several ranked teams on the sched.

10/2: First day of practice.

10/3: The police force begins duty. Bars and liquor stores open on Friday. All construction and repairs have been completed.

10/7: Quiet opening of the liquor establishments.

10/15: First alcohol related arrests, three of them.

[Wayne23]

11/14: Season starts tomorrow. Not sure we're ready.

11/15: 88-70 over #23 Minnesota here. Great start! We led all the way. C Jay Wilk had 28, 12 and was a huge presence. +23 RBs.

11/18: 69-53 over Manhattan here. 28, 7 for SF Troy Gain, 11, 12 for PF Kyle Gebb. +17 RBs, 11 TOs. We look really good so far.

11/20: Ranked #16. Both of our recruits sign.

11/22: 68-56 over Mississippi here. 20, 7 for Wilk, 15, 5, 6 for SG Kit Oqua.

The alcohol business is booming. It's causing the police some headaches, as expected, but nothing major so far.

11/25: 94-76 over Texas Western. We're still at home. 18, 12 for Gain, 18, 9 for Gebb, 16, 5 for Wilk, 12, 1, 10 for Oqua. +14 RBs, 11 TOs.

11/29: 78-66 over Texas Tech here. Up 14 at the half. 22, 5, 4 for Wilk, 18, 5 for Gain, 13, 4, 7 for Oqua. 9 TOs.

We're 5-0 but our first 8 are at home and it's easier to win at home.

12/2: 81-61 over Southern Missouri ST. 26, 7 for Wilk, 16, 6, 3 for Gain.

Closest game so far is 12 points.

Very bad news. Dead body found behind one of the buildings way over in the northwest corner of the city. Very remote area. The police say it's murder. This is the first serious crime the police will have to deal with. The woman was stabbed with a carving knife, which was not found. The medics said the wound was consistent with a carving knife. Given all of the restaurants this is a fairly common item.

She lived alone, very quietly. Worked in a breakfast/lunch place in that area.

12/6: 97-82 over San Diego ST, who have fallen a long way since I was coaching there. 19, 10, 5 for Gebb, 17, 8 for Gain, 16, 6, 6 for Oqua, 16, 7 for Wilk.

We're 7-0, #18.

The police say the woman, Sage Bellows, age 29, lived quietly. No known romantic partner, no close friends. The people at the restaurant were all interviewed as were the customers who were known to be in the place on the day before her body was found. Regular customers were also interviewed. The police have no leads, and very little to go on. There are no carving knives missing from restaurants in the area.

Autopsy showed no signs of sexual activity, no wounds on the body other than the fatal stab wound. No drugs or alcohol in her system.

[Wayne23]

12/13: 65-73 to Kentucky here. The difference? We were 1-17 on threes. The other stats were all very close. This is the best team we faced and we were competitive. 21, 6, 4 for Wilk.

12/20: 83-63 at Merrimack. 20, 5, 5 for Oqua, 19, 7 for Wilk.

Headed to the JAG Holiday. We're the #3 seed. We play #6 Richmond, 7-2.

Nothing new on the murder of Sage Bellows.

12/23: 85-75. 23, 4, 3 for Oqua, 20, 9 for Gebb, 18, 8 for Gain.

#2 seed NC ST, 8-1, in the semis.

12/24: 81-78. Our first close game. We led most of the way but they hung in all night long. 21, 3, 4 for Oqua. Good inside play, 12 TOs.

#4 seed, #8 ranked Georgia, 11-0, for the title. Tough team.

12/25: 72-65. GREAT win! They led by 12 early, 9 at the half. We tightened up the D in the 2nd half. 19, 7 for Gain. +8 RBs.

Last pre-conf game is at home against #11 New Mexico ST.

12/27: 71-74. Back and forth all night. They hit 11 threes, including the winner in the last second. 19, 6 for Wilk, 16, 6 for Gebb, 13, 9 for Gain.

1/1/2192: 11-2, #19, RPI #8. Not bad for a rebuilding year. +10.8 PPG, +8.9 RB, -2.8 TOs, but 14.3 per, not good. Jay Wilk leads us with 18.2 PPG; 4 starters with 12.2 or more. Our PG dishes but doesn;t score much. Gain gets 7.2 RB. Oqia gets 5.6 assists.

The police are stumped and frustrated. Absolutely nothing to go on in Sage Bellows' murder.

[Wayne23]

1/3: 74-57 at Central FL to start AAC play. We held them to 19 in the 2nd half. 26, 4 for Wilk, 12, 10 for Gain, 15, 7 for 6th man Jed Jonn, and we really only play 6 most of the time. 11 TOs.

1/6: 74-54 over Tulane here. We led all the way. 23, 12 for Wilk. +16 RBs, 12 TOs.

1/7: Bartender Tammy Lace, 28, found dead behind the same building where Sage Bellows was found. Stabbed with a carving knife. Weapon not found.

1/10: 71-83 in OT at Houston. We played them even all night and then fell apart in OT. 29 for Wilk. I can't be too upset about this. We really played well for 40 minutes and only the fact that they hit a lucky shot at the end of regulation took it to overtime.

The police don't seem to be getting anywhere with the two murders. The words "serial killer" are being heard everywhere. Patrols are being increased at night in that part of town. That means if this is a serial killer he'll move to a different part of the city.

1/13: 77-65 over a very good Tulsa team here. 22, 9 for Wilk, 13, 6, 4 for Oqua.

1/17: 75-66 at East Carolina. We led by as many as 21. 17, 10 for Gebb, 15 for little used forward Bill Tray.

1/20: 82-78 over #5 Temple here. Big win! Close all the way. 22, 7 for Gain, 18 for Wilk, 16, 5, 3 for Gebb. 12 TOs. We were very determined tonight.

1/24: 61-44 at Memphis. Solid D! We never trailed. +12 Rbs, 10 TOs.

297 interviews conducted by the police in the two murders. Nothing to show for it.

1/27: 58-54 over Cincinnati here. This was a defensive war. Nothing came easy. +13 RB. We really gutted this one out.

1/29: 18-3, 7-1, #12, RPI #9, in a 2 way tie for 1st in the AAC with Temple. +10.1 PPG, +8.7 RBs, -2.8 TOs (but 14.1). Jay Wilk leads us with 18.3 PPG. Troy Gain gets 7.6 RB. Kit Oqua gets 4.9 assists.

No news regarding the murders. The police are telling the Council, in closed session, that they are completely stumped, and they feel sure that there will be more killings. They are publicly advising people, especially women, to travel in pairs at night.

[Wayne23]

1/31: 86-57 over Central Florida here. 43-20 at the half. 21, 11, 5 for Gain, 15, 7, 6 for Oqua, 17, 7, 3 for Wilk. +14 RBs, 6 TOs.

2/3: 80-69 at a tough Wichita ST team. We owned the 2nd half. Balanced scoring led by 6th man Jed Jonn with 15, 6. 9 TOs.

We and Temple remain tied for 1st. We're 3 up on 3rd place with 8 to play.

2/7: 77-64 at South Florida. We led all the way. 14, 11 for Gain. Great bench play (29 pts, 13 RBs).

2/10: 84-77 over Memphis here. Back and forth for the 1st 12-15 minutes, then we took over. 22, 7 for Wilk, 21, 6 for Gain.

2/12: Callie Rayne, 29, found dead behind a building not far from where the other two bodies were found. Stabbed with a carving knife. Callie was a police officer on patrol when she was killed.

2/14: 79-81 in OT at Tulane. Tough loss. We blew a 19 point lead, and lost on a buzzer beater. 18, 6, 4 for Gain, 17, 6, 5 for Oqua, 14, 7, 3 for Wilk.

Temple lost too, so we're still tied, 2 up on 2nd place.

Three women, all with similar backgrounds- lived alone, not in a relationship, few friends. All murdered with a knife, very likely the same knife.

2/17: 67-62 over Houston at home. We led all the way but never by more than 9. 18 for Wilk, 14, 9 for Gebb, 11, 11 for Gain.

We have 4 to play, 2 on the road against ranked teams.

2/21: 56-75 at #25 Tulsa. They ran up a huge early lead on us, 26. We never caught up, or even came close to catching up. 22, 6 for Wilk.

We're in 2nd place and we play #4 ranked Temple there next week.

Police are trying to find some person in common- in any capacity, among the three murdered women. So far, no one at all.

2/24: 77-55 over East Carolina here. Close for the entire 1st half but 48-28 in the 2nd. 31, 5 for Wilk, 15, 12 for Gain. +13 RBs, 10 TOs.

Temple lost on the road. 2 way tie, 3 up on 3rd place, 2 games to play.

At #5 Temple next.

2/28: 52-72. They were easily the better team tonight. But look, this is my first season here at Uconn and we're rebuilding. We have FAR exceeded my, and most people's expectations here.

3/3: 70-66 in OT over Southern Methodist in the regular season finale. Close call. We shot a miserable 33.3%, 0-16 on threes, and we missed 13 free throws. Oqua, 0-4 at the line, missed both free throws at the end of regulation to send it to OT. 19, 11 for Gebb. +10 RBs.

Temple lost. No idea whether they or we will be the #1 seed.

3/5: 25-6, 14-4, tied for 1st, #11, RPI #8. +8.4 PPG, +8.0 RB, -3.0 TO. 17.8 PPG for Wilk, 8.0 RB for Gain, 4.9 assists for Oqua, but 3.0 TOs.

[Wayne23]

3/9: We are the #1 seed. We play #9 South Florida, 12-18, 6-12, in the quarters. We won by 13 there.

3/10: 78-62 over South Florida. Easy win. 26, 5, 7 for Oqua, 15, 10 for Gain. +13 RBs.

#4 seed Wichita ST, 21-10, 12-6, in the semis. We won by 11 there, but they're a good team.

3/11: 73-62. 44-26 at the half. 17, 7 for Wilk, good play all around.

As expected we play #8 Temple, 26-6, for the title. We split a pair in the regular season. They're favored by 2 1/2, and we need to be at our best to win.

3/12: 64-87. Ouch! We got beat up. We were never in it. We let them shoot 57.1%. -12 RBs.

This will probably drop us to a #4 or even a #5 seed.

#2 seed. I'm delighted and shocked. We play #15 Mississippi Valley, 17-15, in the West bracket.

3/17: 87-76. We led by 23 early, 15 at the half. They never got close. 23, 12 for Gain, 21, 8 for Wilk. +12 RBs, 7 TOs.

Another murder. Alyce Hopkins, 27, a clothing shop employee. Stabbed with a carving knife which was not found. Body discovered just inside the building where the first two victims were found.

The police just announced that each murder took place a month and 5 days after the previous murder. That's calendar days, 12/2, 1/7, 2/12, 3/17, 4/22.

#10 seed Miami, 19-15, in the 2nd round.

3/19: 86-92 in our 4th OT game of the season; we're 1-3. No wonder I don't sleep well. We kept falling behind and catching back up all night, but we couldn't catch up in OT.

I'm happy with this 1st season at UConn.

4/3: #13 West Virginia wins it all.

4/4: Awards: Jay Wilk makes the AAC 1st team. Kit Oqua, Troy Gain, and Kyle Gebb make 2nd team. I am Conf COY.

4/9: I'm not going anywhere.

4/21: Heavy, heavy, HEAVY patrols tomorrow night. 4/22 would be a month and 5 days after the last murder, and that's been the pattern.

4/22: Unbelievable. The patrols were heavy. Everyone was out on patrol... Everyone except the dispatchers at the various police HQs. One of the dispatchers, Heather Morris, age 28, was killed in the ladies room of the Northwest region HQ. Stabbed with a carving knife which was not left at the scene.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade, but mostly just to be sure facilities don't go down.

Denied but still "A" level.

I think the hoops world will say "UConn is back" next season.

4/30: Police are looking under every rock. Working double shifts. Doing everything humanly possible to try to find this serial killer. Still not a clue. Still no person who seems to have even the slightest connection to all 4 victims. The city, particularly the Northwest section, where all 5 murders have occurred, is in a near panic.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #8 recruiting class. Preseason #19 ranked.

5/27: It happened again, right on schedule, but in the Northeast corner instead of the Northwest. Cindy Mason, 28, cafeteria worker. Stabbed with a carving knife which was not left at the scene.

6/5: Starter Kyle Gebb and sub Bill Tray, both forwards, transfer out. That will leave us thin up front.

6/16: We get a PF from Albany.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We'll go 2 and 3 either way.

7/2: Murder #7. In the Southeast corner. Mandy Fiori, 26, maintenance worker. Killed with a carving knife which was not found. The murderer is clearly taunting us. We know when he's going to strike and the gender and rough age of the victims and we still don't have anything to go on. We need him to slip up.

8/7: 2 Norton candidates: C Bart Hamp, #23, and PG Josh Pebb, #27.

Mahala M'Bito, 28, Chemist. Killed with a carving knife which was not found. It happened in the Southwest corner. He's taunting us again. The last four have been, in order, in the Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, then Southwest.

8/21: We offer to a PG, an SG, 3 PFs.

9/12: Winona Bland, 31, nurse, killed in the Northeast sector with a carving knife.

9/13: A clue! Small, but a clue. A footprint, almost complete, of a right shoe. Size 11. Type of shoe determined and it's one that was not government issue but bought at a clothing shop.

9/18: We get three recruits, SG Josh Sadd, #10, PG Lan Ells, #29, PF Lou Felt, #39.

9/22: All clothing shops checked. 27 pairs of size 11 shoes of that type sold. All 27 men will be watched.

9/25: We get the other two, PF Jab Robb. #7, PF Fred Pell, #53.

10/1: Background checks, surveillance, you name it on the 27 suspects. None stand out. None seem like killers. One of them is.

10/2: First day of practice. We're going to be good. We'll see how good.

10/17: Caught the bastard. Using every single police officer we had and most of the old militia we trailed all 27 suspects. We stopped one, Raymond Browning, age 27, a bartender, as he stalked his potential victim, Kelly Lane, over in the Northeast quadrant. The officer trailing him had called for back up and four officers took Browning down. In his possession was a carving knife. He is under arrest and is being interrogated.

10/19: Browning finally broke down and confessed. The trial will be in early November.

10/21: A petition was submitted to the Council asking to ban the death penalty as cruel and unusual punishment. The petition states that while we were on the hub we had little choice. The facilities and resources needed to house a prisoner on a long term basis simply did not exist. But here on Domus they do exist.

The Council formed a copy that will report back on December 1. No executions will take place before that date.

11/7: In a 3 day trial Browning was found guilty. Sentencing will be on Dec. 2.

11/11: Browning attempted suicide in his cell. He was unsuccessful but is in the hospital.

11/13: Browning is back in his cell.

[Wayne23]

11/15: The season begins tomorrow.

11/16: 82-54 over #10 Georgetown here. Great start to the season! 45-21 at the half. 23 for PG Josh Pebb, 18, 4, 6 for SG Jeb Kinz, 15, 14 for C Bart Hamp, 14, 9 for PF Cris Beem. +22 RBs.

Heading to the Hawaiian Shootout. We're the #3 seed. We play #6 Richmond.

11/18: 96-57. A real beating. 57-35 at the half. 34, 23 for Hamp, a monster game! 18, 6 for Pebb, 14, 3, 8 for Kinz, and it's so nice to be reunited with him; he transferred from Rider where I had coached him.

#4 ranked, #2 seed Kansas. This will tell us a lot about ourselves.

Sub forward Rod Dyse injured a calf. Out for two weeks.

11/19: 78-89. Not ready yet. I think we will be by March. 25, 8 for Hamp, 16, 9 for Beem, but their back court overpowered ours, and we were out rebounded (-6).

11/20: #10 in the rankings. All 5 recruits sign.

11/23: 85-49 over #21 Purdue here. 21, 11 for Hamp, 22, 6, 5 for Pebb, 15, 5 for Beem.

11/26: 113-78. Wow! That's a lot of points! 40, 8, 3 for Hamp, 27, 4, 11 for Pebb, 12, 12 for Beem. These three are the real thing. +23 RB, 10 TO.

11/30: 101-75 over #14 St Johns. We are exploding offensively right now. 24, 4, 11 for Pebb, 27, 6 for Hamp, 17, 3, 7 for Kinz, 15, 8 for Beem. 5 TOs.

12/1: The committee on the elimination of the death penalty reported to the council. There is a minority report from the committee as well. A 6-4 majority recommends elimination of the death penalty. The minority report recommends a city wide referendum. After LONG debate the Council approves a referendum to be held on January 5.

[Wayne23]

12/2: Browning's sentencing was postponed until Jan. 11.

12/3: 91-53 over Minnesota here. 24, 5, 6 for Pebb, 20, 4, 4 for Kinz. They doubled Hamp so we found the open man. +17 RBs.

We're #1 in the nation in PPG.

Lots of buzz about the upcoming referendum. People have very firm opinions- on both sides.

12/7: 91-69 at previously undefeated Creighton. 22, 8, 5 for Pebb19, 5 for Hamp, 14, 8 for Beem. +12 RB, 12 TO.

12/10: 87-51 over Ohio ST here. 26, 10 for Hamp, 22, 5, 10 for Pebb, perhaps the best PG I've ever coached, 20 for Beem.

Ranked #4.

12/14: 95-67 over Indiana here. 24, 8, 4 for Hamp, 20, 6, 6 for Kinz, 20, 5, 5 for Pebb.

12/21: 74-59 over #13 Oregon ST here. 47-24 at the half. 29, 7 for Hamp, 20, 4, 5 for Pebb. They held us to our lowest point total of the season but the game was not close.

Intense campaigning from both sides for the upcoming referendum.

12/28: 90-69 over #10 New Mexico ST here to close out the pre-conf season. 21, 6, 4 for Hamp, 15, 2, 10 for Pebb, 14, 9 for Beem.

11-1, #5, RPI #1. +26.1 PPG (Still #1), +11.3 RBs (#2), -5.3 TOs (10.1 per game), #1 in assists. 24.3 PPG for Bart Hamp (#3), 20.2 for Josh Pebb (#7). 9.3 RBs for Hamp. 6.3 assists for Pebb (#7). I believe this can be a Final Four team and has a shot at the national title.