DDSCB23: Alone

[Wayne23]

DDSCB23: Alone

April 15, 2222: Alone. That’s the way to define me. No one in all of human history has ever been so alone. It’s kind of a long story and I’ll be telling it as we go along, but I’ll just give you a taste of it to start.

Back in early January we- all 64 of us, landed on Mars. The idea was to begin to terraform the planet. That would be a multi-generational project but a necessary one. Time was running out for life on the planet Earth, and if we could manage to successfully terraform Mars we could bring at least some people here to start fresh.

It didn’t happen, but lots of other things, mostly disasters, did happen.

Anyway, the ship reached Mars orbit successfully and we shuttled down to the planet with a Generation 12 3d printer, which would give us the materials to build a huge structure where we would live while doing the terraforming. Building the structure would prove to be a significant challenge but we were prepared.

As soon as we landed we had the 3d printer make 3 more 3d printer and then the four of them started printing out the building materials.

The plan was for a building with a holosuite on one end, then 8 bedrooms, then a 2nd holo, 8 more bedrooms, a 3rd holo, 8 more bedrooms, and finally a 4th holo and the final 8 bedrooms. There were 32 bedrooms because the 64 of us came as 32 couples living together and hopefully reproducing. Later, as the children grew, the building would be expanded to provide room for them.

There was no need for cafeteria, gym, or any other common rooms as all of these would be created as needed in the holosuites. On the rare occasion when all 64 of us needed to meet we could do that in holo #1, the largest of the 4.

So that was the plan, and the start. I’ll tell you how it all went wrong as we go along but now I want to tell you about my main… diversion. Being alone I have lots of diversions but the one that takes up the most of my time is coaching college basketball. That takes place in holo #1, which includes my college campus, the practice gym, the gym where we play our games, which also includes the athletic offices, and everything else needed.

Okay, you’re thinking this is all fantasy and I can set it up so my team never loses. I didn’t choose to do it that way. The holo program for all of this already existed on Earth and it was one of the hundreds of holo programs we brought with us to Mars. It was a fair, balanced program based on the 2222 college hoops season.

Just an interlude to tell you a little about me. My name is Jake Wynn. I’ll turn 28 on May 1. I was the group statistician/bookkeeper/record keeper/communications person. I had been an athlete, playing small forward for Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Then I’d gotten my job with NASA so my playing career ended but I loved hoops, and I coached a local high school team. I was and am a runner, an avid reader, and a bridge player. Bridge is the playing card equivalent of chess in that one can learn the basics in an hour, and spend a lifetime learning to play the game. I’ll tell you about my relationship later; it still hurts to think about it.

Anyway, the simulation started in April with me being contacted by the Athletic Director at CCSU about their head coaching job. I said yes.

[Wayne23]

5/1: A. D. Sam Sims, a football guy, set my goals as finishing in the top 3 in the Northeast Conference and winning at least 10 games. That seemed doable.

Our facilities weren’t great and our academic standards weren’t very high. We played in the Detrick Gym, with a seating capacity of 3,200.

The team had not been very successful in the past few years.

We’ll go with Motion and Flex on O, strictly man-to-man on D. We’ll press as needed.

My assistants are a little better than you’d expect.

Recruiting class #338. Not good!

We are able to meet our Expected to Spend figure.

We’ll go to the Big Apple Camp.

6/26: Recruiting: We have 3 scholarships. If recruiting goes well I may cut one player; we’ll see. At this point we want 2 big guys and a guard.

So we landed with our 3d printers and started building. Construction went well and quickly despite the fact we were working in space suits. By Feb. 15 the structure was complete. We then needed to get the environmental stuff printed and in place, the furniture in the bedrooms printed… All of that went well and we were finally able to live inside the building and outside of our space suits, which was really nice.

Then on Feb. 27 (We decided to stick with Earth dates) I flew up to the ship in the shuttle, alone. I had my pilot’s license and was one of many of us who was capable of flying the shuttle. Given my job description I was the logical person to go up to the ship for one last time to check everything to make sure we had not forgotten anything we needed or wanted on the ship. This would take several hours.

When I flew back down to the building I was met with a horrible surprise. A meteorite had struck the building. I hurried to the building, went inside, and noted that the atmosphere had all leaked out. The meteorite wasn’t all that big but it was big enough.

No one was able to do a space suit in time and all 63 of my companions were dead.

I was able to repair the hole in the building, though neither quickly nor easily, and was able to fix the other damage.

I spent days clearing dead bodies out of the building. These were the people I had expected to spend the rest of my life with.

I contacted Earth and reported the tragedy.

I was told to put a system in place to prevent other small meteorites from doing this again. In the vanishingly unlikely event that a large meteorite struck the building I was done for, but the small meteorites, which were also extremely unlikely to strike, would not kill me unless they hit me directly. This system was tricky to produce and install but I finally got it in place.

NASA said they would begin building another ship, and getting a crew to come up here. I was well aware that this would take time, probably years, if it happened at all, and worked on mentally preparing myself to live alone.

Fortunately, the holo suites and programs would provide me with companionship so that I was not completely alone. Yes, I suppose anything in the holo was not “real” but it seemed real, and it has been a huge factor for me.

Then on March 7 all communication with Earth stopped. I received one last message: “Accidental deployment of nuclear weapons due to suspected computer error. The bombs are headed toward Russia and China. Retaliation expected.”

I have heard nothing since, and I suspect that Earth’s population was wiped out. No doubt there were survivors but will they be able to communicate with me? Will they even think to do so? Time will tell but I suspect that I am very likely to be completely alone from now on. It’s a chilling prospect.

I’ll talk about day to day living as we move forward.

[Wayne23]

7/11: Recruiting is ongoing. We have some people interested. As I watch my guys playing pick up games during the summer they look pretty decent. I think we’ll be okay this season.

I require my players to take summer courses. That allows them to have a smaller course load during the season. We have tutors in place during the summer and hold mandatory study halls 5 days a week, as we do during the regular school year.

I run every day, usually for about 45 minutes, and once or twice a month, for a long run. I do the running in the holo, of course, and pick different courses and routes, sometimes along the roads, and sometimes on trails.

Bridge games occur in the holo with a regular foursome. I play 2-3 times a week, for about 3 hours each time. We play a form of duplicate bridge, which I don’t really need to explain.

Thank goodness for my electronic reader. It holds 15,000 books, and there’s no way for me ever to get any others, but I’ll never read anywhere that many anyway.

7/25: We offer to 2 PFs and a PG, all of whom have us at #1.

8/28: 2 of our 3 recruits have us at #1. The other one has us high on his list.

It’s been a busy summer. I’ve been getting to know about all of the things that a college hoops coach has to do and it keeps me busy, which is a very good thing. I don’t have a lot that I need to do here and so this is great.

Students are back on campus and classes are about to start. Practice won’t start until 10/2.

We have a few students with academic issues. I am BIG on keeping students on task academically so we hope to get all of that straightened out.

9/18: We get 2, lose 1. We get our #1, a JC PF, #61. We get another PF, #201. Hoping to land a very good looking PG.

I ask Sam Sims to get us as easy a schedule as possible. I want wins because they build confidence and they help with recruiting. We’ll look for challenges in future seasons.

9/25: We get the PG, #93. Great recruiting!

10/2: First day of practice. Very exciting!

Let’s talk about my day to day living:

I get up without an alarm at 5:30, go to the holo and take off on my run. More and more I run trails so I’m on dirt not pavement. I have hundreds of trails to choose from.

After the run I come back to my room and make breakfast. Every room has a microwave size 3d printer, mostly for printing food. I usually have a bowl of whole grain cereal and a piece of French toast or a waffle. Occasionally I have bacon and eggs with a muffin, bran or blueberry.

After breakfast I go back into the holo and check to see if there’s anything waiting for me in there- messages re the team, mostly, but sometimes messages related to other things.

Then I check the entire building. I am not very mechanically inclined so I want to stay on top of things, and make sure everything is running smoothly. If anything wasn’t I’d receive an alarm but I check anyway.

Just as an FYI, I have printed back ups for all of the important systems that could fail. That way, if and when one does, I’m ready to install a new one as quickly as possible. Relatedly, I have pressure suits in several locations throughout the building. Nothing should go wrong for a long time since everything is new, but you never know.

Next I read for about a half hour, just relax for awhile.

Then, at about 8:00, I head into my office in the holo and start my coaching day. I get together with my bench/practice assistant and we plan the day’s practice. Then I meet with my scouting assistant. It’s off season but I have him looking at other teams’ games from last season to pick up trends and to identify key players. After that I meet with my recruiter. During the hectic part of recruiting season we meet several times throughout the day. Now that we have our 3 recruits committed we’re looking at staying in contact with them, as well as identifying potential recruits for next year, and possible recruits for the Spring, just in case.

By then it’s lunch time so I walk over to the school cafeteria. I either have a bowl full of nuts and berries in the caf, or I have soup and a sandwich. I often eat alone but sometimes I’m joined by Sam Sims or one or more of the assistants. If I run into any of my players I usually sit with them.

I’m usually there for about 45 minutes. Then it’s back to the office.

During the offseason I’m able to watch some game video from last season, both of CCSU and of our conference opponents. I take notes and it’s really helpful in lots of ways.

Practice is from 3:30-5:30. Then it’s dinner, in the school caf again, and study hall is from 7:00-9:00. I don’t always go to study hall but I often do, and there’s always at least one coach there with the players and tutors.

At 9:00 I leave the holo and head to my room. I usually read for awhile, occasionally watch a video from the HUGE video library. I try to get to bed by midnight.

If I don’t go to study hall I usually get into a bridge game.

This schedule will change once we start playing games.

About my room. All of the rooms were designed as double occupancy, as I’ve mentioned. They contain either a queen size bed or two double beds, two desks with chairs, and two recliners. There’s a small table for 2 for eating in the room. I didn’t stay in the room I was assigned to. There were too many memories of my partner, Holly, in there. Even though the rooms are all pretty much alike I chose one with a mirror opposite layout and I bunk there. I still think of Holly, and of the others, often. We all trained together for a full year before we got on the ship to Mars so I knew all of them quite well and I miss them.

10/30: Practices are going well. We have 2 guys battling for the Point but the other 4 positions are pretty much decided.

[Wayne23]

11/15: We start at Delaware ST tomorrow. They’re 1-0. They play a lot of man and they’re pretty free style on O. At least that was the case in their opener. We’ll see.

Here’s our lineup:

Junior Ben Mury starts at PG. He’s looked good in practice. He’s really more and SG than a PG but we don’t have a pure PG that’s good enough to sit him down.

Senior Mark Lynn is at SG. He’s a scorer and may be our best defender. He moves the ball well, too.

#3 guard is junior Don Hemp. He’ll play both guard positions and may get more minutes at the Point if he shows us he deserves them. Our other guard is junior Adam Call. He’s decent but he doesn’t
figure to get a lot of playing time.

Senior Eric Setz is at SF. He is a veteran who we’re counting on to play steady ball.

Frosh Jim Wynn is at PF. He’s an excellent rebounder and he can score. He could be a leader for us.

Soph Geof Hall is in the middle. He’s a good rebounder and he definitely can score inside.

Our first big man off the bench is junior Phil Cary. He’s a very good rebounder. Senior Mel Froy is another rebounder but his D is weak. Junior Mick Poly won’t see much action unless we have a lot of injuries. Finally, there’s soph Mate Emma who is not ready. We may cut him at some point. He fully qualifies for a hardship scholarship so he won’t lose his education opportunity.

All of this may change as we move forward but this is my team for now.

[Wayne23]

11/16: 75-68 so we open with a win! They hit a three on their first possession. We came back with a three by Lynn and then took the lead. We were up by 7 at the half. They made several runs at us in the 2nd half but never got closer than 2 points. We led by as many as 15.

PG Ben Mury showed that he wants to keep his job, leading us with 15 points, 6 RBs, 6 assists. But he turned it over 6 times, which is not good. 11, 9, 3 steals for Hall, 12, 3, 4 for Lynn. Good bench play from #3 guard Don Hemp, 11, 3, 3. Great start!

We’re at 0-1 Central Arkansas next. Their forwards are both really good but their C is invisible. We’re better at guard.

11/19: 79-99. We just didn’t look good at all. We gave up 51 1st half points and trailed by 10 at the break. It didn’t get any better in the 2nd.

Hall went out after about 11 minutes and then PF Jim Wynn turned an ankle and was not effective. He’ll be fine for our next game though. Mury, Hall (in his 11 minutes) and Setz had 14 each.

We fouled WAY too much. They went to the line 39 times to our 22, and that was most of the difference. Lots of work to do!

A tough loss in lots of ways. C Geof Hall broke his wrist. He’s out for about 6-7 weeks.

Injuries are part of the game but this one hurts. We don’t have depth inside and it is bound to hurt us.

At 0-2 Kennesaw ST next. They score a lot of points and give up more than they score.

11/23: 86-79. This was a battle. They had us by 12 early. We came back and led by 2 at the half. There were a few lead changes in the 2nd. With 5 minutes left we went on a mini-run and led the rest of the way.

Our backcourt won this one for us. Lynn had 20 with 5 steals, Mury had 12 with 5 assists, and Hemp had 8 with 5 assists. Our big guys held their own. Froy was pretty awful at C but Phil Cary came up big from the bench. I’ll give Froy one more game before I change things up.

Finally our home opener is next vs. 3-1 Chicago ST. They have a very good SG, Lynn will be challenged.

11/26: 94-77. I’m glad we gave Froy one more chance, he had 23 and 12! We took the lead right out of the gate and never looked back. Up 18 at the half. 20, 4, 6 for Lynn, who out played their very good SG. 13, 6, 4 for SF Eric Setz. +12 from the line; no foul trouble for once.

Great crowd, more than 2500.

Back on the road with 0-4 Florida A & M. We’ll need a good inside game.

11/30: 68-67. Hell of a game! 20 lead changes, 10 ties. Neither team ever led by more than 8. We were up by 1 at halftime. Froy, who has been totally up and down, had foul trouble all night; Emma and Cary played well in reserve. At the end it came down to the last possession. We were down 1. Mury had been hot all night so we wanted him to take the shot. We set a double screen. He dribbled behind it, got free for an instant and buried a 16 footer for the win. He wound up with 24, 10, 3, and 3 blocks. Setz had 8 and 10, Wynn had 9 and 8. +18 RBs made the difference.

This was my first one possession game as a coach. It was very exciting. We kept our cool. I don’t want a time out in that situation. We’ve practiced what to do every day and I don’t want the other coach to have the time out and to be able to set his D, so we just run with it. It worked tonight!

When I chose to come to CCSU I have to confess that I went through the numbers very carefully. I rejected a few possible associations until I found a team that I thought could win. I seem to have found it, we’re 4-1.

+2.4 PPG+4.4 RBs, -2.2 turnovers but I’m not happy with 14.4 TOs per game.

PG Ben Mury leads us in points with 14.6, and assists with 3.8.SG Mark Lynn gets 13.4 and 3.2 assists. Geof Hall is our other scorer and our leading rebounder but he’s out for another month or more.

[Wayne23]

Florida Atlantic, 1-4, is here next. They have a very good backcourt but are weak inside.

12/3: 75-65. We led all the way, by as many as 19. Up 17 at the half and they never threatened us in the 2nd half. Froy spent the night in foul trouble again. He’s really had only one good game filling in for Hall. We had balanced scoring with 8 players getting between 6 and 12. 12, 5, 6, 3 for Lynn.

Post game press conference (excerpts): “Coach, did you see your team starting 5-1?”

“Well, I certainly felt like we had some talent. And by opening night I felt we were playing together really well. But when Geof Hall went down I honestly thought we’d struggle. We’ve only lost one game since he went out, the game when he got hurt.”

“Speaking of Hall, when do you expect him back?”

“He should be ready for our conference play opener, maybe before.”

“Your guards seem to be doing most of the heavy lifting for this team.”

“Again, having our leading rebounder and 3rd leading scorer out meant that the guards had to pick up the slack. They’ve done that very well so far.”

At 3-4 Coppin ST. They give up a lot of points and they don’t rebound well but road games can be tough.

12/7: 40-56. 40 points? In an entire game? Awful! We shot 24.2%. They weren’t very good either, 34.5%, but that was good enough. We actually led at the break, by 4. Then we scored all of 16 in the entire 2nd half. 14, 6 for Setz, 10, 10 for Lynn (3-18 shooting).

I’m not sure there’s anything to be learned from a night like this except work harder to get open. No fault with the D; when you give up 56 you should win.

4-3 Tennessee ST is here. They’re a decent team. We’ll need to play well.

12/10: 74-52. Great way to bounce back! We led for the last 37 minutes. Up by 9 at the half and we played a very strong 2nd half. 17, 4 for Setz, 14, 7 for little used F Mick Poly. Lynn is still cold, 4-14 tonight. +22 in the paint was the difference.

At 4-4 Bryant. They score inside but they don’t hit the boards very well.

12/13: 82-98. We just didn’t play D, they shot 57.9%. We were down only 4 at the half but we gave up 56 2nd half points. Our bench was -17. 23, 6, 5 for Lynn, whose shot was back tonight. 10 assists for Mury.

The good news is that Geof Hall has started working out. The other good news is that our next 3 are at home.

We're 6-3 after 9 games, NET #149.

I probably should explain more about the 12th generation holo. Holosuites have been around for more than 100 years. At first they were not much but as time went by they became more and more sophisticated and more and more lifelike. The 12th generation holo experience is indistinguishable from reality. It IS reality, within the holo, of course. Anything that can be done in the real world can be done in the holo and the experience is fully real in every detail. That led to some abuses on Earth but it is a life saver for me. I need the companionship I find in the holo, some of which I’ve told you about, some of which I haven’t.

When I’m coaching, it’s really coaching. The experience is 100% lifelike in every detail. Same for when I’m playing bridge, running- anything and everything else. Sometime I eat in the holo, surrounding myself with people in the school caf, or going to a restaurant. The food is real and it is processed within my body the same way that food outside the holo is processed.

It is truly amazing how sophisticated the holo experience is and again, it truly is a life saver for me, given how alone I am here on Mars.

[Wayne23]

2-5 Alabama A & M is here. They give up 8.7 more than they score. Their C is their best player.

12/17: 101-70. Our first blowout. We led all the way and ikt was never close after the first few minutes. 23, 6, 5 for Lynn whose shot is definitely back. 16, 10 for Froy, 18, 8, 3 blocks for Setz, 18, 4, 5 for Mury. We shot 50% and took 19 more shots than they did. +16 RBs.

4-5 Army is here. We feel like we have a big edge outside and we’re about even inside.

12/21: 97-72. Another blowout win. It was never a game. 23, 9 for Froy, 20 each for Lynn and Setz. +16 in the paint.

2-10 Hartford is here. This is a team that is really struggling.

12/24: 83-61. We’re really playing well right now. We led all the way again, by as many as 31. 23, 6, 5, 4 steals for Lynn, 16 for Mury, 15 for Hemp, so our 3 guards really lit it up.

Hall will start in our next game. My PG, Ben Mury is struggling academically. We’ve been giving him all the help we can but he’s still not doing well. He is still eligible and we want to keep him that way.

Our final pre-conference game is at 5-5 Texas A & M-Comm. We’ll need to play well, they are 4-0 at home. Let’s see if Hall is game ready.

12/28: 81-104. We didn’t play D. We trailed all the way and gave up 53 in the 1st half, 51 in the 2nd. They shot 67.8%, mostly because of our poor D. They had LOTS of open looks. Hall had 21 and 8 but was outplayed. Still, not bad for his first game back. 14, 4, 3 for Lynn. They beat us both inside and outside.

9-4 for pre-conf. play. +5.1 PPG, +3.5 RBs (mostly without Hall), -4 TOs, 12.5 per game.

Lynn leads us in scoring with 15.5. Hall gets 12.0 and 5.3 RBs. Setz gets 11.7, 5.4. 10.8, 4.9 assists for Mury.

NET is 136.

Just a word about the weather on Mars: warmer days and very cold nights, 70 to -225 F. Violent cyclones. Our building was constructed to withstand the storms. Only one has hit since I’m here and it was scary but the building held up just fine.

[Wayne23]

1/1/2223: Our first Northeast conference game is here vs. St Francis (NY), 7-6. They have good guards and a good C, but they don’t rebound well.

1/4: 84-60. Great start to conf. play! The first half was back and forth. They led by as many as 7 but the half ended with us up by 5. We started the 2nd with an 11-0 run and that was that. 13, 3, 2, 5 steals for Lynn, who continues to shoot well and play well. 10, 4, 7, 3 blocks for Mury. 12, 10 for Setz. 12, 6 for Hall but he was in foul trouble all night and played only 13 minutes; he’s obviously still not fully in game shape. Froy backed him up with 11 and 3. We were an amazing +26 in the paint.

At 4-11, 1-1 Merrimack next. They give up 7 more than they score but their SG and SF can light it up. We should beat them but road games can test you.

1/11: 77-67. They started fast, built an 8 point lead, and hung on. We were down 4 at the half. We turned it around in the 2nd, quickly taking the lead and hanging on to it. 22, 11 for Hall, a very solid game. 13, 5, 6, 5 steals for Lynn. Stez fouled out, playing only 8 minutes, but Froy and Cary played well from the bench.

9-8, 3-0 Wagner is here next. This could be a tough game, they can play.

We’ve sold out our last 4 home games. It’s great to have that kind of support.

1/14: 89-68. This one was easier than expected. We played well. We took a big early lead and it was never close. Up by 18 at halftime. 22 and 5 for Lynn, 16, 5 for Hall. Good bench play and good inside play. We’re happy with Hall’s last 2 games. He seems to be back to game shape.

At 7-10, 2-2 Scared Heart. They play well at home. They play a lot of 3-2 on D and we haven’t seen that much this year. We worked on it in practice.

1/18: 94-79. We took the lead in the first minute and never trailed after that. We were up by 9 at the break and led by as many as 21. 29, 6 for Hall. All 5 starters had 10 or more. 52 in the paint, which is terrific!

We’re 4-0, tied with Stonehill, 1 up on Wagner, 2 up on ST Francis (PA). It’s early.

Yet another word about the holo. When I enter I go to the computer screen. There are my programs and general programs. Some of mine are: JWW Hoops, JWW Bridge, JWW Running, JWW restaurants, JWW clubs, and a few others, and there are hundreds, maybe thousands of other programs stored in the holo computers. I select what I want, wait for it to load (less than a minute), then enter the holo proper and begin. Again, I don’t know what I’d do without the holo. Given the weather and the lack of atmosphere I certainly couldn’t exercise outside, and the only companionship I get is in the holo.

[Wayne23]

11-6, 4-0 Stonehill is here. This one will tell us something about how good we are. They have a very good C so Hall will need to be at his best. They also score outside.

1/21: 76-68. 19 lead changes, 5 ties. The first half is when most of those lead changes took place and we went into the locker room down 3. We came out for the 2nd and started with a 9-2 run, then shortly after we went on a 10-3 run. We got the lead to 20 and withstood a late charge for the win. 21, 9 for Hall, who outplayed their very good C. 15, 4, 4, 3 steals for Lynn, 13, 4, 4 for Musy. We won it inside, going +14 in the paint. We were +10 from the line.

Post game press conference (excerpts): “Joanie Webb, WCSU. Coach, does this win make you the class of the conference?”

“We’re playing well, and it was a big win, but there’s a long way to go and we have to play them at their place later on.”

“Mark Lynn and Geof Hall lead the way for your team. Are they your stars?”

“We don’t believe in stars. Those two are huge contributors but our other 3 starters, particularly Ben Mury at the Point, and our bench are all key to our success.”

“Mury has some problems academically. Can you keep him eligible?”

“We have a strong academic support program and I’m confident he’ll stay eligible.”

At 7-11, 3-2 ST Francis PA. They win at home so we’ll need to play well.

1/25: 86-77. We got out of the gate quickly and built a double digit lead early. We were up 18 at the half. We got it to 23 in the 2nd and I started subbing, which allowed St F to cut into the lead. The closest they got was the final score and the game was never in doubt. 24, 6, 2, 5 steals for Lynn, 21, 8 for Hall12, 6 for Wynn, 11, 5 for Froy. Good inside play. Both Lynn and Hall had foul problems but when they were in the game they produced.

7-12, 2-4 Long Island is here. They can be tough inside but this is a team we should beat.

I’m told that CCSU hoop is a hard ticket to get. We’re selling out every game,

1/28: 87-66. We thought that we’d be fine if we played well and we did play well. We led all the way, by 14 at the half, by as many as 25. 20, 4, 5 for Lynn, 18, 5 for Froy, 15, 2, 4 for Mury. Foul trouble up front but good bench play made up for it, and we were +12 from the line.

At 1-19, 1-6 Fairleigh Dickinson. They’re the worst team in the conference.

2/1: 94-78. Once again, we never trailed. We were up 8 at halftime. 21, 6 for Hall, 11, 3, 10, 5 steals for Lynn, 10, 8, 5 for Setz, 10, 7, 3, 3 for Wynn. Big edge inside.

Post game press conference (excerpts): “Joanie Webb WCSU. Coach, did you honestly think you’d be 8-0 at the halfway point in conference play?”

“We’re playing really well. No doubt about it. We’re really pleased with how things are going.”

“You’re up one on Stonehill, 3 or more on the rest. That must make you pretty happy.”

“It does. But we need to keep winning to stay ahead of Stonehill, they’re a good team.”

[Wayne23]

At ST Francis NY next. We beat them by 24 at home. They play well at home.

2/4: 64-67. The D wasn’t bad but we couldn’t score, especially late, when it counted most. We started fast and built a huge lead, as many as 21. We were up 12 at the half. Then the wheels fell off the bus in the 2nd. We just couldn’t make a shot and we didn’t defend well in the 2nd. They won it with a three with 7.1 to play. We had a chance, setting up a good look for Lynn, but he back rimmed the shot at the buzzer.

18, 6 for Hall, 11, 5 for Wynn, 10, 4, 2, 3 for Lynn. They had 13 2nd chance points to our 2, and that was the difference.

I don’t like to lose and I especially don’t like to blow a big lead in doing so.

We’re now tied for 1st with Stonehill.

6-17, 3-7 Merrimack is here. We won by 10 there. This is a team we should beat.

2/11: 91-89. They started fast and built a big early lead, as many as 13. We got it to down 5 by the break. I did a little yelling in the locker room, which I very rarely do. It seemed to work, at least somewhat. We got back into it and the lead went back and forth all the way to the end. Geof Hall fouled out in the last minute, which hurt, but Mark Lynn hit a 15 footer with 1.1 seconds to playu for the win. Close call though!

24, 4, 5 for Hall, 22 for Lynn. A huge +34 in the paint made up for a lot of other things. -23 from the line. I barely avoided a TY, which would NOT have been good, but the officiating was as bad as I’ve seen- they went to the line 34 times, we went 13. Outrageous!

Stonehill got beat so we’re alone in 1st place again.

At 12-13, 6-5 Wagner. We won by 21 at home. We’re the better team but we’re not sharp right now. Hopefully we can get back to playing our game.

2/15: 79-72. We’re still not as sharp as I’d like us to be. We took an early lead, as many as 10 and were up by 8 at the half. They made a couple of runs at us in the 2nd but never got closer than 3. 15,
6, 3 steals for Froy, who has been playing really well from the bench. 16, 3 for Hall, 14, 4, 3 for Mury, 11, 6 for Lynn. Good guard play, good bench play.

11-14, 6-6 Scared Heart is here. We won by 15 there. Their PF is out with a knee injury.

2/18: 70-71. I HATE home losses! It was close throughout the 1st half. We led by 1 at the break. They took over early in the 2nd and got the lead to 13. We worked hard to come back and got almost all the way back, but Ben Mury missed a 16 footer at the end. 14, 10 for Hall, 10, 12 for Wynn, 12, 3, 5 for Mury. +11 for the bench.

Tied with Stonehill again. Nobody else is close. We play there next. 4 games left in the regular season.