Solitary Man

Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Mon Aug 17, 2020 7:13 pm

Solitary Man

April 30, 2044: My name is Jackson Waldo Blake. I go by Jax. I'm 6'7, 245, 28 years old. I am in the Walpole, Massachusetts Penitentiary... for life... without possibility of parole.

I came home early one day. I saw my best friend Mike's car in the driveway and thought, "Cool! Mike's here. I'll have a beer with him."

I walked in and no one was in sight but I heard noise coming from the bedroom. Like the fool I was I still thought nothing of it, figured they were fixing that window that didn't close properly. I walked to the bedroom, opened the door, and found Mike and my wife, Belle, doing the nasty.

Mike was a cop. His pants were near the door with his weapon, well, his other weapon, holstered on his belt. I saw red, didn't think at all, picked up the weapon, shot him through the head, and shot my wife through the heart.

Soon as I fired the second shot I realized what an idiotic thing it was to do. I should have turned around, walked out, taken all the money from our bank accounts and hit the road. Oh well. Too late.

Justifiable homicide as far as I'm concerned but the jury called it double murder. I had a **** lawyer.

So here I've been for the past 4 1/2 years, and here I'll stay until they cart my dead body out of here.

Times have changed and Massachusetts always was a pretty liberal state. True, I'm in maximum security, but I get to work in the kitchen 8 hours a day, and get an hour of exercise in the yard or in the gym, and then I have time to myself from 7:00 until lights out at 10:00 every evening.

The food is mediocre, which I suppose is the best I could hope for. The cot I sleep on sucks, which is to be expected. The cell has a table and chair for my computer. And yes, they let me have a computer and an electronic reader, so my evenings aren't bad. I have very limited, very closely monitored internet use.

So I found this game on the web last week. Draft Day Sports College Basketball 2044. Looks interesting. I was a high school basketball star, and a starter at UMass-Lowell, well I started during my junior and senior years; I was a power forward. I've always loved college hoops. Anyway, this game is a game where you coach a college basketball team and try to do the best you can with it, maybe move up to a better team eventually, and then maybe an even better one. Looks deep; seems to have everything in the game that exists in real life. I got permission to buy it (We earn $1 an hour at our jobs, and can use it for most anything we want to, with permission. I always make sure to have some money saved up.).

There are a few ways to play the game and I decided to try the Promotion/Relegation thing. Looks like a fun way to play.

I'll tell you a little more starting tomorrow when my job starts, as head coach at my alma mater, UMass-Lowell, in Conference V, the lowest of the conferences.
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby PointGuard » Mon Aug 17, 2020 7:19 pm

Those damned poorly closing windows! :p
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:56 pm

5/1: #302 recruiting class. BUT, we've got some decent players for this level. Most of them are seniors.

A little about how I plan to do this: Offense against man to man: Princeton and Triangle, a little more Princeton. D: Man to man about 60%, 2-3 about 20%, 3-2 about 20%.

Press only when I need to, and full court man to man press then.

I've always believed in playing 7-8 guys, usually 3 guards and 4 bigs; the 8th guy, if I use one? That depends on the talent on the team.

Given my small budget my assistants aren't so great. My #1, Jay Moore will Scout. My #2, Marty Buck, will recruit. My #3, Marty Carter will be my bench/practice coach.

My ambition? I guess I want to coach at other New England schools, or at least stay in the Northeast. I can see going to Vermont, Rhode Island... My ideal would be to wind up at UMass or UConn. I'll probably coach at a few schools before I get to where I can stay someplace for the long haul. No hurry. I'm not going anywhere.

My A. D. wants us to win the Conference Tournament this year. I think that's too ambitious. Frankly, if we finish in the top half and above .500 I'll be happy. I mean our Team Prestige is 4, ya know?

I am buying the Atlantic East scouting report.

So yeah, I'm a jailbird, a lifer. That's not an easy thing to wrap your head around and I gotta say that when it first happened I was totally depressed and messed up for a long time. Some of the older guys made me see that I had to get it together or I'd make it a lot harder than it actually is. That made no sense to me at first. I mean how could it be anything but impossibly hard? I'm here for life. I'll never breathe free air, I'll never have a relationship or even have sex with a woman again, I'll never go out with the guys and have a couple beers. I'll never order a pizza or get Chinese take out. I'll never be able to do what I want when I want it.

But they were right. Take what you can get and make the best of it. Work is healthy. Do a good job and focus on that. Find a way to stay in shape during that hour outside or in the gym. Enjoy reading or playing on the computer in the evenings. Make some friends here on the inside.

I mentioned that Walpole is maximum security but that Massachusetts is a pretty liberal state. They run a tight ship here but all the prisoners are safe. If two guys want to get it on the guards "don't see it," but none of the inmates is going to get raped or anything. Once in a while someone gets beat up but if the guards find out who did it there's going to be big trouble.

There's a whole lot to tell about life inside, and I'll tell all of it in time, but a little at a time.

June 1: Ben Sims: I'm the starting Point Guard, or damn well expect to be, and one of the three co-captains of the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, or the Hawks, as we call ourselves; yes, I'm a Senior. I expect to be the best player on this team, or at the very least one of the 4 best. Too bad for coach but 3 of the 4 are seniors.

I have to say that I like what I see from Coach Blake, at least so far. Of course we haven't practiced or anything but he called me to tell me he really was glad to have me on the team and he thought I'd be a great leader. That kind of thing means a lot. He said he'd work us hard but he wanted it to be fun, too. Sounds good to me!

6/25: Going to the Big Apple Showcase in July. I think it's money well spent. Recruiting starts tomorrow.
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:24 pm

6/26: 4 scholarships. We'll probably go for 2 guards, 2 bigs, but 3 guards is possible.

Kit Nash here. I'm a Senior co-captain and I am definitely the best player on this team. I'm no world beater or I wouldn't be here, but I can rebound, play D, and I plan to score a lot of points. I know I sound like I'm bragging but that's not me. I'm an easy going guy and I get along with everybody. Coach said he wants me to be a leader and to me that means lead by example so I plan to work my butt off at every practice and every game.

7/11: We're making a little progress with recruiting but, as expected, nobody is wildly enthusiastic about coming here.

8/21: We offer to 2 PGs, a PF, and a C.

Mao Maxx here. At 6'10" I am the tallest player on the team and I think the best inside player. I'm a Power Forward but I expect to lead the team in rebounding and inside scoring. I'm a senior co-captain and I take that very seriously. I plan to keep the guys in line and keep them focused.
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 5:01 am

9/18: 8 road games and only 3 at home in the pre-conf portion of the schedule. I scheduled the easiest teams I could but it will still be tough.

No one has signed. A couple of guys are showing good interest.

9/25: We get the guy we wanted the most, #54 Brad Hook, from right here in MA, but we lose 2.

10/2: We get a PG, #279.

We're picked to win Conf. V. Maybe. Honestly, I think we have a good team. Unfortunately most of the best players are seniors.

Here's the lineup I'll start with: Senior Ben Sims at PG. We have high expectations for him, as a passer and a shooter.

Soph Reg Adam at SG. We need Reg to do some scoring and to defend.

Senior Kit Nash is at SF. He's a good rebounder and a good defender.

Senior Mao Maxx is at PF. He does a lot of things well- scoring, rebounding, passing... but his D is weak.

Junior Rob Perl is a PF playing C. He's a glass eater. We hope to get some scoring out of him.

Soph Loy Fole will sub at all three big man spots. Rebounding is his strength.

Frosh Mark Rily subs at the two guard positions. He's got a lot to learn but we're thin at guard. He is a good defender and a decent ball handler. We hope to see him improve as the season goes on.

After those 7 only C Ban Crow has much of a shot to get minutes. Ban is a junior.

I'm Troy Grin, PG/SG for the Hawks. I'm probably the end of the bench, the last guy Coach will put in a game. So why stay? Easy. I have a basketball scholarship. I'm a junior, and at the end of next year I'll have a B. A. That would never have happened without the scholarship. My grades were good, but nowhere near good enough to get an academic scholarship, and my family could never have afforded to send me to college. So I put in my time. Actually, I do more than that. I work like hell at every practice and follow all the rules. I don't want to lose this scholarship; it's my life line and really, my only shot at having a good life.

11/13: Heading into the season. First game is at Bryant and I have to say I'm pretty excited.

I've spoken a little about prison and the fact that I'm here for life. Let me tell you about my cell. As I said earlier, a narrow, uncomfortable cot to sleep on, a table and a straight back chair with a computer. A sink and a toilet. That's it, 8 x 12. We get to shower three times a week. For me the days are Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Ten minute shower; there's a warning at the one minute mark so we can rinse off. I'll tell you about my job, and other things as we move along.
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Serafino74 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:07 am

WOW, the next Chapter!!!
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:25 am

lol Love it!
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:39 am

11/16: 66-61 at Bryant. This was a good way to start the season. Nobody had an outstanding game but 8 guys played significant minutes and they all played well. SF Ken Nash led us with 15 points, 5 RBs. Center Rob Perl was solid with 10, 8, and 4 assists and held his man to 8 points. My #8 guy, Ban Crow, made a case for moving up the charts with 7 and 6. Too soon to change things up but I'm encouraging him to keep up the good work. Only 12 TOs, which really pleased me. Great debut game all around! Road wins are precious!

Marty Carter here. I'm the bench coach/game assistant for the Hawks. Bryant scored the first four points and Coach called a quick timeout. Unusual to pull the trigger that fast but it worked. He told the guys to settle down, just play their game, and remember their assignments on D, and then he said to go out there and "kick some ass." The guys cheered and went out and scored the next 12 points, eventually building to a 17 point lead. Bryant chipped away during the second half but the final score was as close as they got. I was impressed with Coach Blake's decision making and even more with his motivation. The guys really responded, both at the beginning and throughout. At the half Coach just reinforced what was going well, and told them to keep doing it.
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 1:25 pm

11/19: 67-77 at Alabama ST. 21 TOs and that was the story. Perl was terrific with 25 and 8, and PF Moe Maxx had 10 and 9, but our best polayer, Nash, was held to 7 and 4, and we didn't get much from our guards. Not a good night but we're 1-1 on the road. If we can play .500 on the road I'll be happy. Going to work on ball handling in practice- work HARD on it.

#3 guard Mark Rily sprained an ankle and is out for about 2 weeks.

Troy Grin: Well, the last guy on the bench, me, has his chance. While I am definitely the last guy, as I said a while ago, I am the #4 guard. With #3 Mark Rily hurt that means I'm the back up guard. I'm nervous but excited. I hope I can help the team.

Reg Adam: I let the guys down tonight. I'm the starting SG and my guy lit me up for 17 while I had only 7. Coach was nice about it and didn't give me a lot of grief, but I saw the way he looked at me. He would probably have taken me out if our #3 guard had not gotten hurt. All I can do is try harder, which I will.

11/20: Our two recruits both sign but we need to get 2 more.
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Re: Solitary Man

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 6:43 pm

11/23: 84-65 in the home opener vs. Monmouth. 19, 6 for Perl, 14, 11 for Nash, 11, 4, 8 for PG Ben Sims. Good D, 8 TOs. We were in command all the way.

The full house, 2,100 seats, helped. It's nice to hear the cheers.

Kit Nash: I was hot tonight. Really happy with my game. I gotta hustle though if I want to stay the best player on the team. My buddy Rob Perl is putting up some pretty good numbers!

Troy Grin: I didn't set the house on fire but I did okay. Played 12 minutes had 3 points, 4 assists. Doesn't sound like much but it's big to me. I did okay on D, too.

Moe Maxx: I'm a little pissed at coach. I had a good game tonight, 12, 3, 2 and I held my opponent to zero points, 2 rebounds. Not a word after the game.
Wondering how much I'm appreciated.
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