Way Back When

[Wayne23]

3/11: #5 seed, #17 ranked Memphis in the semifinals. We beat them by 19 at home and then two weeks ago lost by our biggest margin of the season, 25, there. They are favored to beat us again. I think we're the better team but we need to stop their SG, Luis Wheat, who had 30, 12, 5 last time.

Game time: It's back and forth early on. Up 2 after 10. 40-42 at the half. 9 for Mass, 8 for Grun. Losing the battle inside.

“You need to be more aggressive on defense!”

Still close early in the 2nd half. Up by 5 with 10 to go.

86-78 but it was still a contest with 2 minutes to play. 16, 17, 3 blocks for Grun, 13 each for Snee and Dori, 12, 5, 3 for Arch. +8 from the foul line, +7 rebounds. We have been challenged in this tournament!

[Wayne23]

3/12: #12 ranked Michigan, 24-6, 13-3, for the title. We did not play them in the regular season. It will be their back court versus our inside game. The benches could be the difference.

Game time: They take the lead quickly. Down 11 after 10. We're struggling. 33-34 at halftime. They led by as many as 13. Their C is killing us, 15 and 4. Laws has 8, 4, 3. No one else has more than 5. They're winning inside but we have 5 fewer turnovers. Defensive battle early in the 2nd half. We edge out to a 10 point lead with 10 to play. Then we get the lead to 17 with 5 to play.

71-60 and the title! Great D, especially in the 2nd half when we held them to 26. No one stood out offensively. 2 players had 11, 2 had 10,
2 had 8. 9 turnovers to 17. We took 9 more shots and made 5 of them. Great win!

We're #8, NET #8, 29-3, 14-2. We won both the regular season and the Conf. C tournament. We're hoping for a #2 seed.

[Wayne23]

3/12: #2 South! We play #15 Miami (OH), 18-12. We're heavily favored.

3/16: We take the lead right away. Up 5 after 10. We started quick but then we kind of lost our way. Last media time out and I do a bit of shouting. It helps a little. 41-33 at the half. We have 2 players with 3 fouls, Grun and Laws; not good! +14 inside. Good start to the 2nd half. We quickly get the lead to 15. Then it's 20. The subs are in early.

80-57. 24, 12, 3 blocks for Daws. 9, 4, 1, 3 for Arch. Only 9 turnovers.

As the weather begins to grow milder I am seeing, and HEARING something new, motorcycles. They are two wheeled motorized bicycles.

They go too fast and make too much noise!

[Wayne23]

3/17: #7 seed Tennessee, 18-14, in the second round. They are heavily favored, which I do not understand. They are 3-7 vs. ranked teams.

We score more and give up fewer. I feel confident about this game and I have told my players so!

3/18: We take the lead very quickly. They come back. Down 8 after 10, we're asleep. 33-38 at halftime. 11 for Grun but no one else has more than 4. 12 turnovers, which is outrageous! We need to play better in the second half.

“You are sluggish on defense and standing still on offense. Wake up or our season will end tonight!”

We are doing no better early in the second half. Down 5 with 10 to play. We are chasing them but not catching up. Down 10 with 5 to play.

I concede with 2 minutes left and put the subs in.

71-86. We simply did not play well tonight. We gave up 12 threes on 24 attempts! 16, 4, 3 for Arch in his final collegiate game, 15, 7 for Grun in his last. Mass and Dori also graduate.

[Wayne23]

4/3: #1 ranked Kentucky is the national champion.

4/4: Awards: Kurt Grun makes Conference C 2nd team. I am conference COY. We won this conference, regular season and tournament. I feel we were snubbed regarding awards.

4/9: Our Team Prestige goes from 33 to 39.

I expect to remain here at Bryant as we move up to conference B.

UConn wants me. I would love to coach there, but I am staying here.

4/23: I ask for $.

No.

30-4, we win the conference. Ranked #7, NET #6. Disappointingly early exit from the big tournament. But the most wins in our history and tied for the fewest losses. After 8 seasons my record is 223-39, .851. On to conference B!

Mr. Ford's Model T grows more and more popular, sadly.

[Wayne23]

5/1: Recruit class #31. I feel we should be ranked in the preseason poll. We are not.

5/29: We lose Rod Brey, who would have been the first big off the bench.

Round 1: We offer to an SG. No.

Round 2: We offer to a PG who is a B. No.

Round 3: We offer to an SG who is a B.

6/25: East Coast Jam and Big Apple again.

6/26: 3 scholarships. We want 2 bigs and a guard.

Apparently Robert Peary and his men have made it to the North Pole. My question is, why?

Lovely song, “I Remember You,” is being played at all of the popular music concerts.

Mrs. O'Shaughnessy made a delicious pot roast for dinner this evening.

In Providence they are selling something called a “fan.” You place it in a room and it blows the air around, gives a sensation of cooling. It is electric, of course. I bought one for my room. When I mentioned it at work the secretary said that Ted Baer had purchased fans for every athletic office.

Mrs. O'Brien called all of her boarders together:

"I shall allow fans in your rooms, and I shall have them in all of the common rooms. But there is a very, very strict rule. The fans must be turned off whenever you leave your room- even for only a moment. I do not want my house to be burning down and anything electrical carries the danger of fire. This rule is very, very important and I expect compliance 100% of the time."

8/21: We offer to a PG, a PF, and a C, all of whom are showing some interest but not a lot.

Mrs. O'Shaughnessy showed me the new ice box.

“Mrs. O'Brien finally agreed to purchase one, Mr. last. It will be ever so handy!”

“In what ways, Mrs. O'Shaughnessy?”

“It will save me time. I can shop for perishables every second or third day rather than every day as the ice box will keep food fresh.”

“But we have the cellar for that.”

“No, no, Mr. Last. The cellar is wonderful for root vegetables, apples, and a few other things, but those things are not perishables. I'm speaking of milk, cream, butter, meat, and other things that go bad quickly. They will keep in the ice box for several days, which is wonderful!”

“But the ice melts and makes a mess.”

“Easiest thing in the world, Mr. Last. I simply empty the tray beneath the ice box and there is no mess. I must remember to do it upon my arrival every morning, and when I leave in the evening. Mrs. O'Brien must do it on my day off. Believe me, Mr. Last, this is a modern day wonder!”

“Is it a brand new contraption?”

“They have been around for a couple of years but the price was prohibitive. It has now become more reasonable.”

“Well, I am very happy for you, Mrs. O'Shaughnessy.”

[Wayne23]

9/4: Making arrangements to visit the three recruits we've offered to, and one other. We will do that next week.

Wonderful new song. I am humming it or singing it constantly, “Shine on, Harvest Moon.”

9/18: We lose 2. I offer to 2 others.

We're going to the Tip-Off in Paradise. It is difficult to get good teams to play us but we did what we could.

9/25: We get 2 recruits, lose 1. We get a PF, #68, and a C, #93. We NEED a guard!

10/2: We lose another guard.

First day of practice. Lots of open slots. The only guy who is absolutely set at his position is Center Deon Daws.

10/16: We lose the guard we have been recruiting very hard.

The “fan” season is over. A few people left fans on but they are noisy. Mrs. O'Brien made it a habit to go upstairs after everyone had left for work for the day, and when a fan had been left on she turned it off and left a note on the person's door. Fortunately for me, I never forgot to turn it off!

11/12: The lineup is FAR from settled. We have 4 guards equally sharing minutes at PG, SG, and SF, and 2 bigs equally sharing minutes at PF. Only C is settled:

Soph Tom Laws starts at PG, as he did last season. He averaged 22.5 minutes a game last season and that's about what he'll get now, at least to start.

Senior Adam Wray, who started at Texas A & M the last three seasons, starts at SG.

Junior Aki Snee starts at Sf, backs up at SG.

Junior Colt Reed is the 4th guard. He will get minutes at both guard spots.

2nd guard off the bench is juco junior Mal Spen.

Frosh Ike Rond starts at PF. Junior Jam Sear will battle him for minutes.

Our best player is senior Deon Daws, who starts in the middle.

2nd big man off the bench is frosh Ben Lend who has lots of potential, and is not bad even now. Next is Hui He, a senior who has never gotten many minutes. Last man on the bench is frosh Coy Zimm, who is not ready.

[Wayne23]

11/16: 83-67 over Pitt here to start the season. We led all the way, by as many as 28. 15, 5, 4 for PG Tom Laws, 17, 1, 3 for Aki Snee, 11, 6, 3, 3 for Deon Daws, 4, 3, 12 for Colt Reed. Big control inside and 11 turnovers.

I'm still walking, and as I walk I usually think about any number of things. I must admit that I am feeling lonely. More and more I am disappointed that my marriage didn't work out and I feel that I was cheated out of a very important part of life, a family. I don't blame Emma, in that I don't believe she could have acted in any way other than the way she di act. While she knew of her fears regarding childbirth she could bot have known how severe they were.

Still, my life is a lonely one. I see no solution to the problem. Divorce is simply out of the question and there is no possibility that Emma and I will re-unite.

[Wayne23]

11/17: We're off to the Tip-Off. #5 seed. We play #4 Vanderbilt. This is their debut so we know very little.

11/18: It's close early. We heat up a bit late and it's 37-30 at the half. We take control early in the 2nd.

80-70. They never quit! 16, 4 for 6th man Jam Sear, 13 each for starting guards Laws and Wray. +18 in the paint, +10 from the line.

[Wayne23]

11/19: #1 seed Stanford in the semifinals. We're a big favorite but I'm not so sure. They looked very good in their opener. Admittedly it was against a not very good #8 seed.

Game time: We take an early lead. Up 8 after 10. 39-27 at the half. 11 for sub guard Colt Reed. +13 for the bench. Up 22 with 10 to play. They make a late comeback and get it to 8 but no closer.

74-65. 14, 12, 4, 3 for Daws, 13, 7, 7 for Reed, 14, 6 for Sear, 13 for Wray. Great bench play, +17. +14 inside, +13 RBs.