Way Back When

[Wayne23]

9/18: We get our recruit.

Ted Baer has put together a fairly challenging schedule. We are still not invited to any tournaments. Disappointing.

10/2: 1st day of practice. I like this team!

Arthur has asked me to be his Best Man at his wedding next June. I am honored.

11/12: Here's the lineup:

Junior Sean Rich is back at PG.

Junior Art Post is back at SG. Frosh Ric Arch is our 1st guard off the bench, and he can play. Frosh Ty Bank is 2nd; he needs to work on his D. Frosh Bo Gore is 3rd, and he may wind up ahead of Bank on the depth chart. Last guard is frosh Jeb Moon.

Junior Ryan Malo, who started at Georgia last season and the season before, is at SF; he's very good.

Junior Sam Turn got much better over the off season and he starts at PF.

Dal Kent, a senior and probably our best player, is back at C.

Frosh Kurt Grun is first big off the bench and he may wind up starting at PF if Turn doesn't do the job. Soph Lang Robi started at Central FL last season, and he's good. Frosh Mic Mury is next. Finally there's frosh Ed Cone, who I probably should have red shirted.

[Wayne23]

11/13: We start tomorrow at #20 Iowa. This is a tough way to open the season. It's hard to know much so let's see what happens!

(Author's note: As I did last season I am going to sim the regular season, posting every 4 games or so.)

11/25: We lost our opener at #20 Iowa, 69-83. They won it at the line, +10, and on threes, 10-4. Their SF had 32. 23 TOs was a huge problem, and Ryan Malo was ineffective in stopping their SF, fouling out in 17 minutes. Returnees Kent, Rich, and Post played well, all in all.

Bench coach Jon Hart: We need to play better D, and our O isn't where it should be yet. We're working on it. And 23 turnovers is absolutely unacceptable!

Then we beat Kent State by 23 here. Kent, Rich, Post, and new starter Sam Turn, who barely played at all last year and the year before, all had good nights. Ryan Malo didn't have big numbers but was +26. 6th man C/F Kurt Grun also played well.

Bench coach Jon Hart: Only 9 TOs; that's great news. We worked on it in practice. It was a whole different team tonight! I liked what I saw.

Recruiting coach Scot Rigo: Our only recruit, Center Mike Reed signed. We have high hopes for him!

Our 3rd game was with Rhode Island, here, and we crushed them 87-58. This was a romp. Art Post had 23, 8, 4 at SG. All 5 starters looked good, but Kent battled foul trouble. We were +23 on the boards, and had only 12 TOs.

Last night's game was a big win against #24 Arkansas, there. We won 77-66. After a very close first half we went on an early 2nd half run and built a 21 point lead. They came back but never threatened us.

C/F Kurt Grun: I'm thrilled with the game I had last night, 17 points and 6 RBs. I feel like I'm playing well. I hope to be starting before too much longer. Just gotta keep doing my best!

A. D. Ted Baer: “Jed, you're looking good.”

“I'm not happy about the loss to Iowa- not the loss so much as the way we played.”

“And the 3 games after that one were a whole different story. Hell, you've only got one senior on the team. There are gonna be ups and downs. You and the staff are doing a good job. Keep it up.”

“Thanks Ted.”

Coach Last: I'm giving Kurt Grun more minutes. He, Malo, and Turn will all get about equal minutes. Kent will continue to get all the minutes he can handle.”

Late Fall in Rhode Island. It's crisp, nice weather for walking. I take advantage of it whenever I can. I also try to walk when we're away from home. A good constitutional helps to keep the body healthy! I must admit that I quietly sing as I walk. Even though I do not play a musical instrument I purchase sheet music in order to learn the lyrics. The tune is learned through listening to the songs sung at the concerts I attend- as often as I possibly can! I sing old songs and new.

My landlady, Mrs. O'Brien, suggested I learn to play the piano. When in the world would I find the time!

[Wayne23]

12/14: Disastrous times. Let me tell it as it happened.

First we easily beat Louisiana Tech, 85-61 here. 24, 5 for Kent, 15, 4, 8, 4 for Post, 13, 9 for Turn. +17 RBs. +36 in the paint.

Ric Arch was at the scorer's table, ready to come in for starting PG Sean Rich, when Rich strained a hamstring. He missed the next 2 games. Ric Arch started for him, at SG as Post moved to the Point, and Ty Bank was 1st guard off the bench. Not a disaster but not good.

Then we won 99-80 at Low Point playing awful defense. Arch was magnificent, getting 24, 2, 4, 3 steals, 4 blocks. 16, 12 for Kent, 10, 6, 10 for Post. Grun had 19, 4, 3.

We next went to Harvard. 5 minutes into the game Dal Kent broke his leg.

We went on to lose 79-90, again playing awful defense. Post and Arch had 15 each but our front line was outplayed.

Kent is until early February. Kurt Grun will start but we are very thin inside and we will have little to no bench strength inside. We'll go small when the bigs need rest.

The good news when Auburn, a decent team, came here and we beat them 83-51, playing wonderful defense and good offense. Sean Rich was back in the lineup at the point and Art Post scored 20, 6, 4 at his SG spot. We held our own inside and had only 10 turnovers. It was a win we needed.

A. D. Ted Baer: Tough times with these injuries. The one to Kent is really going to hurt.

Jake Last: Injuries are part of the game, Ted. We'll have to do the best that we can. Tonight we looked awfully good against a team that is not bad. Who knows what lies ahead, though.

Dal Kent: I'm devastated. I can't believe this happened to me, and in my senior year. All I can do is what the doctors tell me to do and hope to make a complete comeback by early February.

I still think of Alma many times each day. At the same time I'm lonely, and I consider looking for someone to court- not yet, it is far too soon, but eventually. I was so close to having the kind of life I wanted, and the thought of that kind of life is appealing to me. I do not reject the thought or attempt to drive it away. Perhaps after the end of the season I will speak with Mrs. O'Brien about all of this.

[Wayne23]

1/3/1906: Three home games but with Kent out of the lineup. We won 2 of them:

We beat UAB 81-73. 21, 3, 3 for Rich, 13, 5, 4 for post, 14, 6 for Turn. 11 TOs. Arch played well from the bench.

Bench coach Jon Hart: Jake, we beat a good team, and we came back from 10 down. I'll take that.

Jake: Yes. I think they played quite well tonight, especially our top 3 guards.

Hart: But the front line outplayed theirs.

Jake: Yes they did, and given where we are at, that's good. We're just so thin inside.

Then we lost to Temple 84-88. I rarely say the refs beat us, but the refs beat us. They were 26-35 from the line and we were 10-17. Grun fouled out and three others wound up with 4 each. It was outrageous. No one on the other team was ever in any foul trouble. And we played our normal defense, probably pressing less than we normally do. I received a technical foul. While that embarrasses me, I do not regret it. I did not curse, for the record. Ric Arch turned an ankle in the early minutes and did not play much on a night when both starting guards were in foul trouble all night. That really hurt us.

Our final pre-conference game was with Drake, and we were superb, 77-43. 21, 5, 4 for Rich, 14, 4, 4 for Post, 12, 10 for Turn.

We finish pre-conference play at 8-3, NET #102.

+13.8 PPG, #2 in points scored nationally. +10.4 RBs. -3.8 TOs but a poor 14.9. +4.4 assists.

Art Post leads us with 15.2 per game. Kent gets 13.6 and leads with 8.9 RBs, and we will miss those numbers for the next month! Sean Rich scores 12.6 and Sam Turn 10.6. Grun gets 9.9.

With Kent out no one gets more than 5.5 RBs, which is troubling.

Post averages 6.3 assists and Rich gets 5.0.

Bench coach Jon Hart: Well Jake, here we go. Can we compete in this conference in January?

Jake: I was not certain we could do so with Kent in the lineup. This certainly makes it problematic. 4 of the 7 games are away, and 3 are at teams predicted to do well. I would be overjoyed to go 4-3 in January but I don't know if that is possible.

Hart: We'll keep working hard in practice and teaching what they need to know for each game.

Jake: Yes. Fortunately, Josh Galt's scouting reports are usually very informative.”

Hart: And they've been quite accurate as to what the other team does on offense and defense.

[Wayne23]

1/20: Terrific start to conference play, 4-0.

First we beat Georgia here, 82-73. 13, 8, 10 for Rich and good play by the other starters. 8 TOs.

Jon Hart: Jake, I'm a little concerned with our forwards. They bith had 4 fouls tonight and they've been fouling.

Jake: Yes. Malo managed to play 28 minutes but Sam Turn played only 14, and that's a concern. We rely on him for points and rebounds, and he's a very good defender. I'll speak with Turn. You speak with Malo, you have a better relationship with him.

88-83 at New Mexico in a game that was close all the way; our biggest lead was 7, theirs, 5. 28 lead changes, 10 ties. Rich was excellent, 33, 3, 6. Post had
12, 5, 8, 3. Our #3 guard, Arch, had 12, so we definitely won it outside. -12 RBs.

Jon Hart: I guess rebounding will be an issue until Dal Kent returns.

Jake: Yes, but let's focus on it a bit more in practice.

It was 67-52 at a Colorado ST team that was picked to finish 2nd in conf. We won this one inside. 16, 9 for Grun, 12, 6, 2, 5 for Malo, 14 for Turn. +18 in the paint.

Coach Last: Jon, I guess we did the right things in practice.

Jon Hart: Yes, our inside players did very well! Post was very good, 13, 8, 11, 5.

Our last game was here vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 73-61. 17, 3, 7 for Rich. +14 in the paint.

We are 12-3, 4-0, alone in 1st place, but it is early.

[Wayne23]

2/3: In our first game we won at NC-Greensboro, 81-65, but starting PF Sam Turn badly sprained an ankle. Out 2 weeks. So 2 starters out for our next game.

We'll go small with SF Ryan Malo moving to PF, SG Rich Post moving to SF, and Ric Arch starting st SG.

In the Greensboro game 15, 5 for Grun, 14, 5 for sub F/C Mic Mury, 10, 4, 9, 4 for Post. +18 in the paint, +11 RBs, 11 fewer TOs.

Hart: These injuries are doing us in.

Last: One or two more games and Kent is back but it will be difficult until then.

83-48 vs. Illinois ST here. Not bad with 2 starters out! Our 3 guards were all excellent, 17, 3, 9 for Rich, 16 each for Arch and Post. +14 RBs and +8 in the paint, so the big men did well, too.

Last: The doctor says Kent needs to miss one more game.

84-65 at Eastern Washington. 17, 2, 6, 3 for Rich, 14, 4 for sub F/C Lang Robi. +10 RBs.

Ric Arch hurt his arm and is out for a game. The injuries won't stop. At least Dal Kent is back.

In the 4th game, at Bradley, we won 74-65. 14, 5, 8 for Rich, 16, 7 for Malo, 11, 8 for Kent in his return.

Hart: I don't know about you but I'm certainly surprised at how well we're doing.

Last: I am pleasantly mystified. 8-0 in conference with only one team one game behind us at the halfway point. 16-3 overall. All with injuries to key players.

Hart: Ric Arch will be back for our next game.

There is some wonderful music this year: a sad, sweet song called, “Nobody,” the delightful recitation of “Casey at the Bat,” “Wait Til the Sun Shines Nellie,” and many others.

[Wayne23]

2/17: Our next game was with Tulsa at home. Sam Turn was still out. We won it 99-66. 25, 14 for Kent14, 7 for Malo, 11, 3, 8, 4 for Post.

And we will be back at 100% health for our next game. We were amazingly good through the injury period.

87-59 at Drexel next. Kent had 19 and 10, another excellent game. 21, 5 for Post, 19, 1, 7 for Rich. +16 down low.

I'm glad it was a relatively short train ride. It was bumpy all the way there and all the way back.

75-54 over Loyola here. 18, 6, 4, 3 for SF Ryan Malo, 13, 2, 5 for Post. 10 TOs to 24.

Finally, a really close win over Santa Clara here, 74-68. 23 lead changes, 18 ties. We rallied at the end and finished on a 7-1 run. 20, 2, 4,
4 for Rich. +12 in the paint.

2/19: We're 20-3, 12-0, 4 game lead in conf. I and finally ranked, #24, but NET is only #38.

[Wayne23]

3/5: In our next game the 13 game winning streak ended as we lost at George Washington, 62-76. We were flat all night and shot 34.8%, 4-24 on threes, 12-
25 on free throws. 12, 11 for Kent but Rich shot 1-16, Post 1-12, Turn 2-9. Just an off night; they happen.

Then at Georgia, Art Post sprained a toe and will miss our last 2 regular season games. Ric Arch will start.

We won 93-79. As bad as we were offensively in our last game, we were that good tonight, 56.5%. 26, 13 for Kent, 19, 4, 3 for Turn, 17, 3 for Malo, 14, 4, 7 for Post. Very strong inside.

A remarkable 119 points vs. New Mexico (72) here. We shot 66.2%. 29, 3, 10 for Rich, 20, 4, 4 for Post, 18, 4, 4 for Malo. I don't ever remember scoring 119.

Our final regular season, at home vs. Colorado ST, was a completely different type of game, 78-35. Absolutely crippling defense. They shot 26%, 3-21 on threes. 15, 3, 9 for Rich. 9 TOs to 24.

3/5: We end the regular season at 23-4, 15-1, #22, NET #29. We win the conference by 4 over New Mexico, 5 over 2 teams.

+16.6 PPG, #1 in points scored. +7.3 RBs, -6.4 TOs. +6.3 assists, +3.6 steals.

Sean Rich leads us with 13.9, Kent gets 13.3, Post gets 12.6. Kent leads with 9.1 RBs. Rich gets 6.3 assists, Post 5.0.

(Author's Note: Evidently no one at all declared for the draft this year, at least according to an email I got- no not nobody on my team, nobody AT ALL.)

Bench coach Jon Hart: Can anyone beat us in the tourney?

Jake Last: Well, George Washington beat us.

Hart: We just had a bad night.

Last: So if we have a bad night in the tourney we can lose.

Hart: Let's keep hammering that point home in practice.

Last: Absolutely!

“Love Me and the World Is Mine” is suddenly playing everywhere.

President Roosevelt left the country to visit the Panama Canal. No President has ever left the country before. There was a good deal of tension with Vice President Fairbanks in charge; he is not nearly as well liked or as trusted as the President.

I'm reading a very disturbing new book, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

[Wayne23]

3/6: We start the tournament with #9 seed NC-Greensboro, 15-13, 8-8. We won by 16 there. They have difficulty scoring.

3/7: There is something very, very special about the post season. It is what we live for in basketball.

We score the first 8. We build the lead to 20. 47-19 at the half. Holding them under a point a minute. 13, 8 for Kent. +15 RBs, 4 TOs. It's over early.

84-46. 19, 10, 5 blocks for Kent, 13, 1, 7, 4 for Rich. +23 RBs, +22 in the paint. 10 TOs.

Bench Coach Jon Hart: I don't think we can play any better than we did tonight.

Coach Jake Last: Now let's see if we can keep it up!

[Wayne23]

3/8: It's #5 seed Eastern Washington, 16-13, 9-7, in the semifinals. We won by 19 there. We believe we are much the better team!

Game time: They're staying right with us early, then we go on a run midway through the 1st. 58-36 at halftime. We're scoring at will, 60%. 16 for Kent, but 3 fouls. 14 for Post. We're holding the 20+ point lead.

93-66. 19, 6, 5 for SG Art Post, 18, 6 for Kent, 12, 3, 8 for Rich, 21, 4 for 6th man Kurt Grun. +32 in the paint, 8 TOs.

Lang Robi, an F/C who doesn't play much, injured his shoulder. He'll miss the title game.

Jon Hart: We are on fire. It's quite a joy to see!

Jake Last: Yes it is. Now to do it one more time!