Solitary Man

[Wayne23]

3/29: 69-78. Damn! We blew an early 11 point lead, up by 6 at the half. Our guards didn't get it done. We actually won the inside game and lost the outside game. They had 12 threes and their starting guards lit us up for 28, with the back ups getting another dozen. We knew what we had to do and we couldn't do it. 15, 9, 3 for junior C Rob Perl, who was definitely our best player this year. I'm very happy to have him back. 14, 8 for sub F/C Mo Maxx, 11, 7 for Nash.

Disappointing not to win the CHI title but we made it to the title game so that's something.

[Wayne23]

4/3: #16 ranked Villanova is the national champ.

We get a PF, #245. So we have our 4 recruits.

4/4: Awards: Junior Rob Perl is Conf. V POY and 1st team. Kit Nash makes the 2nd team. Frankly, it should have been Sims not Nash.

4/9: Will I get coaching offers? No idea. I doubt I'd accept anyway. I want to stay here for a few years and build something.

Only one offer. Not interested, and I'm excited to come back to UMass-Lowell.

Team Prestige is up to 10.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. Our facilities are pretty awful.

Approved! Up from D to C-.

Great first season even if we didn't get to the NCAAs. 22-12, .647. 11-5 in Conf., solid post season play. We have some good players coming back- Perl, Crow, and Fole up front, Adam and Rily in the backcourt, and I have hopes for our recruits.

Rob Perl: My goal for the off season is to get stronger. I want my senior year to be something I can tell my grandchildren about someday.

Loy Fole: I'm going to do all I can to get a starting job next year and that starts right now.

Ban Crow: I loved starting and I want to keep starting. I'm going to workout with Rob Perl all summer. He's our best player and he's bound to make me better.

Mark Rily: My goal is to be the starting Point Guard next year and I plan to achieve that goal.

Reg Adam: I hope Coach gives me a shot at getting the SG starting spot. Not sure he likes me and I don't feel I was given a fair chance. I'm going to do what I can to get him to notice me once practices start.

#1 assistant Jab Moore: I feel like when Coach paid attention to my scouting reports we usually won. To be honest, as the season went on he gave them more and more credit. So I'd say we have a good relationship. I'm hoping to spend one more year here and then get my own head coaching position.

#2 assistant Marty Buck: Coach told me he's very pleased with the guys we recruited. It was a LOT of work. I think the fact that we had a good season and we're in position to have another one will help, but we're still a low rated school so I can't slack off.

#3 assistant Marty Carr: Coach was willing to share some of the game coaching with me but not much. I'd like to have more of a voice. But I was really pleased about practices. He and I designed them and ran them together and I felt appreciated.

A. D. Ray Wray: I feel like I made a real good choice when I picked Jax Blake as our head coach. He did a very good job this year and I look forward to another one next year.

Coach Blake: I finish up my hour outside or in the gym at about 4:15 and the rest of the day is mine. I usually read until dinner time. I'm finished with dinner at 6:15 and in my cell until lights out at 10:00. The evening is when I coach the team, sometimes for the entire time but usually for about two hours. The rest of the time I read, write, and think. I've said that I read a lot of philosophy, and I do, and I think and write about what I read. It's great for my mental health, which is an important thing to someone facing what I'm facing. I've studied Buddhism and other Eastern religions and philosophies and I've tried meditating, but it didn't do much for me.

I've been thinking about studying law since I got here. I was railroaded, because Mike was a cop. In truth I should not have been convicted of first degree murder. What I did was not premeditated; it happened on the spur of the moment. I should have gotten twenty years for manslaughter, or maybe second degree murder. But Mike WAS a cop, and the prosecutors threw everything at me. The jury bought it and that was that.

I'll talk about the other prisoners and the guards at some point.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #83 recruiting class. That's excellent and Marty Buck should be proud!

We buy the Atlantic East Scouting report, the basic one.

6/5: One spot for a transfer. We're looking at some guards.

6/9: We offer to a PG from UAB.

6/12: Got him. He'll take some time to develop but could be worth the shot.

6/25: We're not going to any camps. Can't afford it.

6/26: 4 scholarships. I need at least two guards.

Recruiting assistant Marty Buck: Coach and I really pored over the list of Atlantic East recruits. Sadly there's no one from MA in the top 300 but we did look at a couple of big guys in the 300s. Altogether we're looking at LOTS of guys but focusing on 10 for now. We'll add to and subtract from that list as time passes. Of the top 10 four are PGs and the rest are big guys.

[Wayne23]

7/25: Recruiting assistant Marty Buck: A few recruits are showing a little interest but it's slow going.

8/7: Seems like it must be a mistake but F/C Loy Fole is listed as #1 on the Norton list. He did bulk up a lot in the off season and he looked great at our summer camp but #1? Hm...

8/21: Recruiting assistant Marty Buck: We offer to 2 PGs, 2 PFs.

9/18: No commitments. 3 guys seem like real possibilities, but only 1 is a guard.

Soft schedule.

9/25: Got 2, lost 2. Got a PF, #161, and a PG, #704, but we think he's a lot better than that. No hot prospects for the other two scholarships. We may wait until Spring, not sure.

10/2: We lose another recruit and still no real interest. We're done until Spring barring the unforeseen.

1st day of practice.

Practice Coach Marty Carr: We have our lineup. It may change as we move along, of course, and we have 2 guys fighting for the starting Center spot and a 3rd guy in the mix.

11/6: Lost another recruit. Truth is we weren't going after him very aggressively.

11/13: Practice Coach Marty Carr: Here's the lineup:

At PG it's senior Troy Grin. He clearly worked his butt off in the off season. He's a whole different player.

Junior Reg Adam is at SG. Reg started the season here but lost the starting job. He wasn't very effective. He has been in practice; let's see what happens.

Back up guard is soph Mark Rily, who started for most of last season at SG. We think he'll fight to get that job back. Our #4 guard is juco junior Kris Mari. He hasn't shown us much.

At SF is senior Dar Matt; he has been a glass eater and a very good defender in practice. He saw almost no PT last season.

Our PF is junior Loy Fole, rated #1 on the Norton list, which still makes no sense to me. Don't get me wrong, he's GOOD, but THAT good? I guess we'll see.

The C spot and the back up big man minutes are being split three ways- seniors Rob Perl and Ban Crow, and junior Ray Peke will battle it out.

Troy Grin: Hard work pays off! I went from the end of the bench to starting and it's all because I never took a day off from the end of last season until today. I plan to make Coach happy he gave me my chance.

Loy Fole: I am SO ready for the season to start. I feel like I'm going to make some very big noise this year.

Rob Perl: Until someone proves otherwise this is my team.I'm the Captain, I'm the leader, and I plan to live up to that.

Coach Blake: I don't really try to make friends with any of the other inmates, but I try to stay on everyone's good side. I'd rather go my own way. We don't have anything like gangs in Walpole, but there are groups of guys who hang together. I talk to everybody and hang with nobody.

In the kitchen I know all of my co-workers' names and I stay friendly but distant.

As for the guards, almost all of them are hard asses but they don't really give anyone trouble unless the guy is looking for it. We all get a reputation in here. Mine, among the guards, is as a guy who keeps to himself and keeps out of trouble. I want to keep it that way.

[Wayne23]

11/15: Season starts tomorrow!

11/16: 97-62. I guess Fole is for real, 41 and 12, held his man to 2 and 0. 11, 13, 6 for Crow, 10, 5, 3 for Peke, 11, 4 for Perl.

Loy Fole: In case you were wondering, this is the kind of game I plan to have most nights- all nights if possible.

Rob Perl: Damn! We got some good big men. I'm going to need to work harder.

[Wayne23]

11/19: 74-59 at Hartford. 40, 11 for Fole. 7 TOs.

Coach Blake: Fole is scary good.

11/20: Our 2 recruits sign.

Scouting Coach Jab Moore: Maybe all my scouting reports need to say is get it to Fole. He's been amazing in our first two games.

Troy Grin: I don't think I'm setting the world on fire but I'm not turning the ball over much and I'm finding the open man, who is usually Loy Fole. I'm having fun!

[Wayne23]

11/23: 102-81 over Tennessee ST here. Fole had 46 and 11. 10, 4 for Perl, 8, 6 for Crow, 11 for Peke. +11 RBs, 8 TOs.

(Author's Note: No idea how Fole, a sub last season, got so incredibly good this season. Then I found out. Went to Commissioner and looked him up. For whatever reason his scoring rating is 161. I assume it was meant to be a little lower than that [lol] so I adjusted it.)

Bench Coach Marty Carr: Fole is making things easy. We sure are a powerhouse!

Coach Blake: No resolution to who to play inside other than Fole. All of the guys are playing well.

[Wayne23]

11/26: 95-81 at Maryland-Eastern Shore. 35, 9 for Fole, 11, 7 for SF Dar Matt, 12, 4 for Perl. 11 TOs.

We're 4-0 so I'm reluctant to make changes but I want to sort out the situation in the front court at some point. It's down to Perl and Crow; Peke is out of
the rotation. I'll give it another game or two to decide, or maybe I'll leave it like this, not sure.

Troy Grin: I'm happy with my game. I'm not turning it over, 1.5 per game. That's really good. I'm not scoring much but I'm playing good D.

[Wayne23]

11/30: 67-55. Fole had 26, 7, Matt 12 and 11.

SF Dar Matt: I feel like the forgotten man here. I'm playing well, good numbers on O, good D, but I never hear anything from Coach. It would be nice to get a compliment, or even some advice from time to time.

Rob Perl: I'm frustrated with my minutes. I know Ban Crow is playing well and of course Fole is playing insanely well, but I want more minutes. Keep working hard, I guess. That's all I can do.

[Wayne23]

12/3: 98-80 at California Batfest. 31, 16 for Fole, 10, 12 for Perl, 12, 9, 7 for Crow, 12, 4 for Matt. +26 RBs.

How can I change up the front court? Everything's working. I know Perl and Crow both want more minutes but there's no way to fix that. Hopefully it won't affect their play. It hasn't so far.

Loy Fole: I've never had so much fun in my life. I feel like a world beater- because I AM a world beater! If I can keep this up I should be 1st team All American and maybe national POY. If that happens I'm headed for the pros even though I'm only a junior.