To Boldly Go

[Wayne23]

12/19: 80-73 over Charleston here. Back and forth all night. We sewed it up with about 90 seconds left. Maye led us with 15 and 5. Witt, Sona, and sub guard Cris Hart all had 12. Only 4 TOs. Fouls continue to plague us. Camm fouled out and Witt had 4. Maye has done a terrific job for us, except when he gets in foul trouble.

We end the pre-conf. season at 9-2, RPI #28. +8.4 PPG, only +0.6 RBs, but a fantastic -6.1 TOs (9.6 per game!). 16.1 PPG for Camm, and 15.2 for Sona. 10.5 RBs for Witt but no one else has more than 5.6. We play a 3 guard lineup, which may explain that, and we have an SF starting at PF. No one turns it over more than 2.1 times per.

A member of the PL asked me if I had a few minutes to hear the good news about Zlinga. I worked really hard at not rolling my eyes, and figuring knowledge is power I said yes.

It seems Zlinga appeared to Ran Morescona, ands engineer on the ship (Yeah, I know, that's pretty much a catch all phrase for the job) while we were orbiting this, our new home. Zlinga told Ran that we were all living in opposition to the "true laws of the universe." By making our lives so easy we were endangering our souls.

Zlinga and Ran cooked something up whereby they'd bide their time, wait until everything was fully set up and everyone was fully settled in before the PLs- they call themselves Zlingans, made their move. But they began recruiting immediately, before the ship even landed. They did this slowly, subtly, quietly, one on one, and interestingly enough, had little trouble getting converts. By the time they "went public" there were 227 of them.

[Wayne23]

12/28: 77-61 over a good FL ST team here. We led by as many as 23. 17, 3, 8 for Camm, 13, 3, 3 for Sona, 14 for little used sub C Dan Talo. Witt played 15 minutes before fouling out and Maye wasn't getting it done, so Talo was a big help.

12/30: 83-69 at Kona. We led for the final 36 minutes, by as many as 29. 19, 5, 3 for Sona, 15, 9 for Witt, 13, 7 for Maye.

1/1/2104: Ranked! #25.

The Zlingans continue to work really hard. Buildings go up slowly when you need to chop trees, cut them into lumber and build with them. They don't have the metals for indoor plumbing so they're living with outhouses and hauling water. I find it utterly ridiculous, but weirdly enough they seem happy.

[Wayne23]

1/4: 59-72 to #12 Pitt here. Damn! Another home loss. I have to admit they're a damn good team though. But it's weird, 3 losses so far, 2 on the road and one on a neutral court. NONE on the road. 20, 3, 4 for Sona, 13, 4, 3 for Camm, 11, 7 for Witt, 6, 11 for Maye, but absolutely nothing else from the bench except for Maye. -7 on the boards, and we shot 30.6%.

1/6: 60-49 over #20 Duke here. This is a tough conference. Best D we've played all season. Camm had a big game, 23, 3, 3. 12, 8, 3 for Witt. +7 RBs.

Evidently there are some more than weird policies or doctrines or whatever among the Zlingans. The food thing, of course has been mentioned. To continue with that, they all received a dispensation, which ends with the harvest in a couple of months. After that they can only eat what they grow. We carried frozen eggs for goats and chickens, and they asked for and received some of those. It seems that meat, eggs, and milk are mandated foods. Again, there's a dispensation until they can get numbers of animals up to the numbers they will need in order to consume them.

More on other policies as we move along, and as I learn about them. I meet regularly with members of the clan so that I can learn all that I can.

[Wayne23]

1/13: 66-75 at #10 Pitt. Glad we won't play them again in the regular season! We stayed close until late when Sona fouled out and Witt picked up #4 and had to be careful. 25, 2, 4 for Camm, 18, 5 for Sona. We didn't shoot well, 34.3% and 30.6% on threes.

1/18: 92-80 at Miami. Great road win over a good team. Most points scored all season. 25, 4, 4 for Camm, 14, 2, 11 for Sona, 17, 6, 4 for Will, 8, 7, 3 for Maye. Witt fouled out again, but he outplayed his opposite number. 9 TOs.

There's some ... "different" sexual stuff going on with the Zlingas. That's one thing they will NOT talk about, at least for now.

[Wayne23]

1/25: 93-78 over #16 Virginia here. We led all the way by as many as 23. 19, 8 for Witt, 16, 3, 7 for Sona, 17, 5 for Will. Other two starters had 12 each. +7 RBs, 8 TOs.
In a three way tie for 1st with another three within a game. Foul trouble again tonight.

1/27: 97-78 over Boston College. We're really scoring lately! Averaging 90.4 in last 5 games. 27, 13, 4 for Witt, 19, 3, 5 for Camm, 16, 5, 7 for Sona. 9 TOs.

1/29: Will Camm is #20 on the Norton list.

Ran, or Zlinga, I suppose, laid forth the following as the solution:
THE WAY
Part the First: The Holy Laws
1. The Masters of Creation are unknown and unknowable. Know only this: They know you not, and care not for you. You are as the dust beneath their feet.
2. Life is short. Eternity is long. A life without sin leads to the eternal bliss of total nothingness. Those who live lives of sin must live again. Each new life will be filled with more pain and sorrow than the last.
3. Every man must marry on his sixteenth birthday a woman who is fourteen, but not yet fifteen. When the woman's younger sisters reach their fourteenth birthday they are each to be taken by her husband as junior wives. A man who does not marry on his sixteenth birthday is doomed to a life of misery. He is to be shunned throughout all of his days. The same for a woman who does not marry before her fifteenth birthday.
4. A man who marries a woman without sisters is to find one, two, or three other women
without sisters to take as junior wives.
5. All married people are to share a single bed. The husband decrees what is to be done in this bed. His word is the law.
6. It is good and holy for a wife to pleasure a co-wife. The husband must permit this.
7. People of The Way use The System of measurement for liquid, weight, distance, and time, and words for the holy rites of our Way (explained elsewhere). Woe to he who gives our secrets to the infidel.
8. If you do follow the laws of The Way, that which strikes your neighbor, the infidel,
will never strike you, the faithful.

[Wayne23]

1/30: 50-64 at NC ST. Couldn't get anything going on O. Witt had 15, 16, the only guy to do much (No one else had more than 9., but he played with foul trouble a lot, yet again. We were +13 on the boards but had 22 TOs and shot an abyssmal 25.4%, 20.8% on threes. Awful.

2/3: 74-63 over Syracuse here. It stayed close most of the way. Camm was our only guy in foul trouble and he wasn't effective so I brought Burr in and he did better. 21, 10, 3 for Witt, 15, 4, 7 for Sona, 14, 8 for Maye. -11 RBs but only 10 TOs.

In a 2 way tie for 2nd, 1 back of #1 in the country Louisville. 8 to play but 5 on the road and one of those is against Louisville.

Part the Second: The Commandments (parenthetical phrases are mine)

1. You owe your life and all that you have to the Masters of Creation, and are to honor them throughout your days, even though they hear you not.

2. Every day is to begin at 3rT (6:00 a.m.) with 4 kleanis of glik (approx. 2 1/2 oz. of a very potent grain whiskey) for every adult male, 2 kleanis for every adult woman, and 1 kleani for each child above 17 brutis (6 years of age). At 6bW (noon) and again at 9dG (6:00 p.m.) the same amount of glik is to be taken.

3. The use of any intoxicating substance is forbidden at all times.

4. Prayers are said to the Masters of Creation for 1 frin (45 minutes) after glik is taken. The Karita: "Oh gods who do not hear and do not care, I thank thee for my life and for my hope of eternal nothingness. May my love of you bring me peace." is to be said at least fifty times each day. Count with care.

5. People of The Way eat only that which is clean. A member of The Way shall starve before he eats a fish, a nut, or any food that grows in a tree. Such things are unclean. All other foods are permitted.

6. The two meals of the day, ru (breakfast) and jhi (dinner) are taken after morning and evening frin.

7. On the sabbath, and on all holy days, only glik and water may be taken by mouth.

8. The first and the fifteenth day of every shoranu (28 day month) are holy onto the Masters of Creation.

9. Be fruitful and multiply. A happy man is he who sees that all of his wives are with child.

10. All children are to be loved by their father and by all of their mothers.

11. Children must obey their father and all of their mothers in all things while their parents yet live.

12. If a man does pleasure another man both are to be put to death by their neighbors at once.

13. A wife is to obey her husband and his senior wife in all things.

14. That which is owned by one is owned by all.

15. No man shall call himself more holy than any other. No man shall be a leader of others in "The Way." Any who try to do so shall be put to death by their neighbors at once. Each man must find his own way.

16. None can know if women have or have not souls.

[Wayne23]

2/8: 68-72 at NC ST. We could have and should have won this one. Witt fouled out with 2 1/2 minutes left and both starting guards played the last 7 minutes with 4 fouls. Foul trouble has been our biggest issue this season and it is frustrating the hell out of me that I can't seem to teach these guys how to play good D without fouling. Of course the usual utterly incompetent officiating doesn't help, but as the game progresses I tell my kids at every time out how the refs are calling them and about anything in particular that they seem to be calling. Doesn't seem to help.

2/10: 65-51 over Kona here. 15, 20 for Witt, who dominated inside. 19, 2, 4 for Sona. Maye fouled out. +13 RBs.

Those 16 "Commandments" are pretty wild. People of The Way spend every waking hour buzzed on glik despite the commandment banning intoxicating substances. The sexual practices are pretty wild. That's for sure! And #16? Wow!

[Wayne23]

2/13: 83-80 at #22 FL ST. Great road win! We never trailed but they mad a mad run at the end and almost caught us before running out of time. No one on our team had more than 3 fouls and I maintain that we won't lose any game where we avoid foul trouble. 20, 8, 7 for Will, 6 players in double figures. -11 RBs but only 11 TOs.

2/17: 64-63 at VA Tech. Whew! Our first one possession game of the season and we won it on Will Camm's three off a double screen with less than a second to go. 18 lead changes, 6 ties, never more than a 6 point differential. 17, 5 for Camm, 13, 8 for Will, 10, 10 for Witt. We didn't shoot well but we rarely do. We stayed out of foul trouble.

Alone in 2nd, one back of Louisville, 2 up on 3rd place, with 4 to play. We're at Louisville soon but they're #1 in the country so that's not going to be easy.
21-6, 12-4, #12, RPI #12.

People of The Way (Hereafter known as POTW) had to grant some dispensations here. The first was related to their truly weird rules about marriage. There is no penalty for marrying after the prescribed age if you convert after reaching that age. There is no penalty for not having the extra wives, due to the fact that the membership is small- this one is considered temporary. The dietary restrictions are waived until the first crop is harvested, and whenever there is a crop failure.

[Wayne23]

2/27: 70-64 over North Carolina here. We didn't play well but we got the win. They took an early 11 point lead and we scrambled most of the way, catching up, taking the lead, giving it back to them, taking it back... We finally took charge in the final couple of minutes. 14, 10, 3 for Maye. 14, 4 for Witt but he fouled out. 12 each for the starting guards. +11 RBs.

3/3: 85-65 at Syracuse. BIG win; it gives us 2nd place in the ACC at the end of regular season play. It was close for the 1st half; we led by 2 at the break. I reminded the kids of what was at stake and changed how we were guarding their SG, who lit us up for 21 in the 1st. We played much better in the 2nd and the SG got only 4. 22, 16 for Witt, 15, 12, 3 for Will. +10 RB.

24-7, 15-5, #12, RPI #8. Our starters average between 15.2 (Camm) and 9.2. Witt gets 10.3 RBs, #6 in the nation; not bad for a frosh! +8.3 PPG, +3.6 RBs, -3.0 TOs. Headed for the post season!

[Wayne23]

3/9: We play #25 ranked, #7 seed Virginia, 21-11, 11-9, in the quarters. We won by 15 at our place but this shapes up as a tough match up. Their SF can really catch fire, and they have a deep bench. The PF is solid, too. Our inside players need to stay out of foul trouble and our guards need to get open for shots.

3/10: 80-66. It was back and forth for most of the first half. A late run gave us a 6 point lead at the half and we led from then on. 21, 11, 3 for Witt; he had 4 fouls but didn't pick up #4 until the game had been decided. 18 for Maye. We played well and did the things we needed to do.