Jess Wynn, to do the impossible

[Wayne23]

5/1: I see us having 8-10 really solid players this year. I’m excited about our prospects. We buy the National Gold Scouting Report.

6/5: Going for two, looking at several transfers.

6/12: Got one, Josh Benn PG.

6/26: 3 Scholarships to fill. We need guards. Looking at 16 players, 6 PG, 3 SG, 2 PF, 5 C.

7/11: Kid camps begin. Some pretty good crowds expected since dad will be here.

7/25: I really like my team. We saw some good kids here but this really is about seeing the team and I look forward to a great season.

8/21: We offer to 2 PGs and an SF.

9/4: Visits next week.

[Wayne23]

9/11: We make the visits. Hard to tell what effect we had.

9/18: We lose one but feel good about the 3 we are now offering to. We have a schedule. Definitely some challenges and no cupcakes.

10/2: Got one, Rick Jost PG #24.

First day of practice. Excited to start.

Picked to finish first. I agree.

11/3: First exhibition is with Longwood.

43-26 at the half.

Almost blew a big lead (26) but held on, 71-65. +8, -1, 43-48%.

Skif was a pleasant surprise.

11/6: Got Quin Cox #49 PG

11/8: 2nd exhibition is with Longwood.

38-15 at the half.

+7, +5, 40-17% (!). Lloyd is hot.

69-40 at the end. +22, even, 43-25%.

Lloyd, Skif, Fenn, Whit played esp. well. Skif will need to get PT.

[Wayne23]

Charlotte, from the A10 is in to start the season. Not much to go on but they seem guard oriented.

11/14: Oh my! 37-19 at the half and it wasn’t that close.

80-33 at the end. Whew! Could we possibly be this good?

+4, +12 (5 TOs), 45-24%. The D was stifling.

17, 8, 4 for Lloyd, 18, 2, 2, 1 for Skif, 8, 12, 2, 1 for Herr. I played everyone.

Missouri is here next. This is their debut so not much info. They seem to be an inside team.

11/17: A different story, 43-41 at the half.

This was a shoot out. Nothing resembling D was played by either side. I talk about that at halftime, loudly and clearly.

And we definitely play D in the 2nd, holding them to 19 points while scoring 35. 78-60.

+8, +4, 42-36%.

Skif had 28, 5, 1, 1 in 30 minutes. I don’t care whether he starts but he needs to get minutes. 15, 4, 2, 2 for Lloyd, 9, 3, 6, 1 for Brin.

At 1-1 Nevada. 2 and 5 score.

11/21: 39-34 at the half. Not much D.

I talk about D at the half.

So do they, evidently. We win the 2nd half 23-20. But it’s enough, 62-54.

+2, +6, 37-40%, fouls are 7-20 which is the difference.

14, 13, 1, 1 for Fenn, 11, 5, 6 for Brin, 13, 3, 3 for Lloyd, 10, 4 for Whit. Skif is held to 7, 2.

Dad says if we continue to show balance, good rebounding and great ball handling we’ll be tough to beat even on down days like the game with Nevada. He says to spend lots of practice time on D, which I intend to do. The tough part of the schedule lies ahead.

[Wayne23]

2-1 Xavier, A10, is in. They’ve played good D in all 3 games. Only the 2, 3 and 5 score.

11/24: 27-40 at the half. Another poor 1st half, especially on D.

Not happy and I am not shy about it. We’ve left ourselves with a big hill to climb. We need to stop their 2 and 3, 3 is scoring at will. Brin played 3 minutes due to fouls.

We played better but not a great deal, 63-71. Brin played 11 min. before fouling out.

+13, even, 40-49%. We lost this one on D.

16, 11 for Fenn, 11, 5 for Skif, 12, 2, 3 for Lloyd.

It occurs to me that we’ve played a little worse each game, from the 1st to the 4th. We need to stop the slide right now.

It won’t be easy, we’re at 2-2 Villanova from the Big East. The only good team they’ve played is #1 MD. They lost by 40. SG and SF are both banged up but they’ll play. They can be turned over. This will take some effort.

11/28: 29-27 at the half.

We’re working hard but these guys are tough.

It goes down to the wire. Up 2, 1:15 left. They score inside to tie, :58. Lloyd hits a 15 footer with a guy hanging on him. Should have been a foul called. Up 2, :33. They come down, miss, get the RB call time. :14. I want a hand in the face of any shooter. They set a double pick and free up their SF who hits a 3 at the buzzer, 66-67.

Tough loss, we played hard and well against a good team. The guys are down after the game.

+15, -4, 43-45%. Not much diff between the two teams, nothing stands out as a reason or a failure.

34, 4 for Lloyd. My starters all played well but we didn’t get much from the bench. Skif has had two poor games in a row.

It gets worse, at #14 UConn, 3-2. First time I’ve played my old school. This is the dream job for me. Dad won a bunch of titles there. They are very tough inside.

12/1: They lead by as many as 7. It’s 25-29 at the half.

We’re hanging in with a very good team. I am encouraging in the locker room. We need to work on passing, 15 TOs. We talk about continuing to play solid D. staying with our man.

We take the lead at 14:42 and build it to 13 with 4:22 left. Then UConn stages a furious comeback.

At 1:11 they are down 5 with the ball. I am going O/D at every opportunity.

They bring it down and hit a 3, :50.

We take the air out but miss a 10 footer. They RB with :19 left.

Brin steals it with :05 left and they foul. He hits the 1st, misses the 2nd, they RB but can only throw up a 50 footer which isn’t even close. 62-59. A GREAT win!

+13, -6 (but only 7 TOs in the 2nd), 43-39%. We hit 10 threes.

16, 2, 1 for Skif, 14, 4, 3, 1 for Lloyd, 13, 7, 1, 1, 1 for Fenn, 7, 11, 3 for Whit.

Winning on the UConn home court may be the highlight of my career.

[Wayne23]

4-2 Tennessee from the SEC is in. No cupcakes for us! Weak sched. They do some things well but we think we can score on them.

12/5: 36-28 at the half. We’re taking good care of the ball and our D is decent.

74-55. They never led.

Even, +5, 44-34%. 9 fouls called in the game- total, 5 on us.

23, 5, 4 for Lloyd, 14, 2, 5, 1 for Skif, 12, 10, 1 for Whit, 10, 6, 1 for Fenn, 9, 9, 5, 2, 1 for Herr, 6, 3, 6, 1, 3 for Brin. A good night.

At #22 Temple, 5-4. 1 bad loss, 1 good win, tough schedule. They are really good outside. This is a challenge.

12/8: They lead by as many as 7 and it’s 28-30 at the half.

Their guards are getting away from us, 7 threes. We talk about getting a hand in the shooter’s face.

We do a much better job in the second, holding them to 4 threes. We take the lead early and build it to 18 before winning 67-62.

-4, +2, 46-39%. Fouls were 5-17. Our free throw shooting was awful, 8-17.

15, 10, 1, 1, 1 for Herr, 14, 5, 1, 3 for Skif11, 2, 7, 1 for Lloyd. A good team effort and we’re 2-2 vs. ranked teams.

7-2 Rice is in. Won last 4, 6 of 7, against some decent teams. Not a bad team.

12/12: Great 1st, 41-26. Owning the boards.

We stay in charge, winning 71-53.

+17, +1, 38-29%. Fouls were 5-15. My guys simply don’t foul.

16, 8, 1, 1 for Skif, 17, 3, 2, 1 for Lloyd, 12, 3, 2 for Brin, 10, 6, 1 for Fenn, 6, 15, 2, 1, 3 for Whit, 8, 10, 2 for Herr. Good play for our big 6.

[Wayne23]

At 4-4 Utah. Lost their last 3. 1-4 vs. good teams. They’re better than they’ve been playing, which is worrisome.

12/15: We were awful early. They went up by as many as 18. Then, after my 2nd TO we started to play and their lead fell to 30-37 at the half.

Things changed when we got on their outside shooters and started boxing out and controlling the boards. Still lots of work to do but we know what works.

They fought us hard all the way in the 2nd. We kept chipping away, getting close, tying the game but never leading.

With 1:12 left we were down 5 with the ball. Skif hit a 3 at :48. They chewed clock and missed a 10 footer with :19 left. We grabbed the rebound and came down.

With :02 left Herr hit a 12 footer and it went to OT.

We took control in OT scoring the first 6 on three inside shots, and held on to win 79-73. Great game!

+12, -1, 36-37%. Fouls were 10-18. Their PG fouled out with 4:44 left in OT and that turned things our way. Brin had 4 but stayed in and played well.

21, 4, 1 for Skif, 16, 11 for Herr, 13, 13, 2 for Fenn, 15, 4, 1, 2 for Lloyd, 10, 6, 7 for Brin.

3-7 California is in to close out the pre-conf. season. Won their last 2 against nobodies. Sloppy.

12/19: 32-18 at the half. Terrific D.

We are a step slow on O and we’re standing around.

We play poorly in the 2nd but hang on to win 55-47.

+6, +2, 30-31%. Fouls are the diff again, 7-20. We made 13 more free throws.

15, 6 for Skif, 12, 7, 3, 1 for Lloyd, 13, 3, 3 for Brin. The front court rebounded well.

Not our best effort but we end the pre-conf. season 9-2.

12/25: Rick Barnes commits. We have all three in the fold.

I think we've outgrown our conference but we'll see.

[Wayne23]

At 6-5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Lost to 4 ranked teams, no quality wins. They do some things well. It’s a road game so we need to be on our toes.

12/29: 43-27 at the end of the 1st. In complete control.

More of the same, 76-61 at the end. They never led.

+11, +1, 39-40%, +6 in fouls.

18, 8, 1 for Skif, our 6th starter, 17, 5, 6 for Brin, his best game in a long time, 14, 3, 1, 1 for Lloyd, 13, 6 for Fenn.

My parents arrive. Mom will work at the hospital 2-3 days a week again. Dad will work with the team. They are both still in great shape but then they exercise every day.

5-7 Alabama A & M is in. They beat Alabama last week, the only highlight of their season. They are easy to score on.

1/1: Happy 2020!

1/2: 37-22 at the half.

Another game where we lead all the way and win easily, 75-60.

+8, +4, 51-38%.

23, 6, 5, 3 for Lloyd. Our Big 6 all played well.

At 8-5, 2-0 Jackson State, supposed to be our chief conf. rival. Frankly, they aren’t that good.

1/5: They battle us throughout the first. It’s 38-39 at the end. Maybe they’re better than I thought.

They’re doing a nice job of going inside/outside and scoring from both. We aren’t taking care of the ball, 13 TOs.

Much better in the second. We only have 5 TOs and we plug up the lanes on D, making it harder for them to move the ball to where they want it. 74-65 is the final.

+7, -1, 46-48%.

20, 2 for Skif, 15, 4, 2 for Lloyd, Brin, Herr, Fenn all in double figures and Whit had 4, 9, 3, 1.

Ranked! #23, RPI #17.

[Wayne23]

We’re alone in first already.

At 8-6, 2-1 Grambling. They’re up and down and not good with the ball.

1/9: Not at our best in the 1st. Down by as many as 9. 23-28 at the half.

14 TOs. I rant and rave about that then we talk about moving without the ball and being in position to receive a pass.

Much better in the 2nd, 7 TOs and great D. The final is 61-49.

+12, -10, 43-37%, fouls were 7-15.

15, 6, 3, 1 for Fenn, 17, 2, 2 for Lloyd. We’ll work on BH in practice.

Dad and I talk about ball handling and ways to teach it. He says it can be a difficult area to improve.

3-12, 0-4 Alabama State is in. Awful to start with and two guys out with broken bones.

1/12: On fire in the 1st, 51-24.

The competition had something to do with it but we were something!

We slept through the 2nd half, for which they’ll pay at practice. 77-60 at the end.

+17, +2 (12 TOs), 41-42%.

24, 4 for Skif, 16, 4, 1, 2 for Lloyd, 11, 11, 2, 1, 1 for Fenn, 10, 8 for Whit.

2 games up on the conf.

At 8-8, 2-3 New Orleans. They’re tough at home.

1/16: 37-24 at the half. We were up 19 at one point.

Doing just about everything well.

Even better! 79-41 at the end. Evryone played, even the walk ons.

+22, +2 (1o TOs), 48-30%, 8 fouls to 17.

24, 5, 2 for Skif, 20, 3, 4, 2 for Lloyd, 7, 17, 3 for Fenn. A solid win.

[Wayne23]

11-6, 4-2 Texas Southern is in. Won last 3, 4 of 5. LOTS of holes.

1/19: We had a HUGE first half, 49-19. Don’t know that we can p[lay any better.

We sort of relax in the 2nd but it’s to be expected. I played everybody. 71-49 at the end.

+7, +3, 45-41%.

19, 3, 2, 2 for Lloyd, 16, 4, 1 for Skif, 10, 3, 8 for Brin- my Big 6 all did well.

Three game lead in conf. after only 7 games. As I said, we’ve outgrown this conf.

11-7, 3-4 Southern is in. Lost their last 3. Starting SF out with a broken leg.

1/23: 44-20 at the half. We are at the top of our form these days.

We keep pushing in the 2nd and the final is 79-43.

+4, +7, 40-32%.

19, 5, 4, 1 for Lloyd, 13, 6, 3 for Herr, 11 each for Robb and Skif, 10, 2, 6 for Brin, 5, 12, 3, 1 for Fenn.

At 8-11, 2-6 Prairie View. Lost last 3, 5 of 6. Give up LOTS of points.

1/26: A challenge, 37-33 at the half.

Their PG is going off on us, 4 threes, 18 points. We talk about ways to stop him.

And we do! 80-60 at the end. Their PG had 1 three and 5 points in the 2nd.

+15, +1, 44-39%, 10 fouls to 22.

22, 5, 1, 3 for Skif, 12, 3, 10 for Brin, 13, 12, 1 for Whit, 16, 5 for Fenn, 5, 12, 2 for Herr, 8, 4, 4, 1 for Lloyd.

1/29: Ranked #18, RPI #13. Dad is at most of our practices but he’s taking more of a backseat than in other years. He says I don’t need him all that much. I agree that I’m a lot more comfortable in my 7th year, but our discussions are still vital to me.

[Wayne23]

8-12, 5-4 Mississippi Valley State is in. Winning lately but not often on the road. Lost a sub to grades and their starting C to a broken foot.

1/30: Down as many as 10 in the first and it’s 27-37 at the half. Unusual circumstance for us.

2nd game in a row where the other team’s PG has hurt us in the 1st but in this one the SG and SF helped and we aren’t rebounding (-7). They hit 9 threes.

I tell the guys we know what we need to do, get a hand in the shooter’s face and hit the boards, find the open man on O and move without the ball. I stay calm and analytical and at the end I tell them we’re the better team and I expect not only a win,. But a big win.

I get it, 80-56. We played the way we know how to in the 2nd, giving up only 2 threes, and +6 on the boards. We were great on O, finding every possible open shot and hitting for 53.

-1, +16 (!), 48-40%.

All of the Big 6 had big games- well, big 2nd halves,, as did Dove. 10 assists for Brin, for the 2nd game in a row.

4 game lead after 10 played.

At 2nd place East Tennessee State, who have been fading of late, 11-10, 6-4. They’re dangerous at home and no one is scoring many points against them. Pretty good front line.

2/2: 36-38 at the half. These guys can play some.

We were worried about the front but the outside game is causing the problems. Once again threes are hurting us, they’ve hit 8 of them. We work a plan to get out on the three point shooters without giving up easy layups.

Skif, Herr and Lloyd all get hot in the 2nd and it’s enough, although nearely. We never lead by more than 9. At the end it’s 74-67.

+2, +6, 36-40%.

23, 1, 3, 1 for Lloyd, 19, 6, 2, 1 for Skif, 16, 9, 1 for Herr.

It’s good for us to be challenged and we showed we could stand up to a good challenge.

13-9, 7-4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff is in. They’re alone in 2nd place. Won 4 of last 5.

2/6: 30-20 at the half.

If we were hitting shots we’d be up at least 20. Great D.

And we hit in the 2nd, 69-44.

Even, +8, 47-31%. We had a little foul trouble which is unusual for us.

16, 9, 2, 1, 1 for Fenn, 17, 5, 2 for Lloyd, 11, 8, 3, 2 for Herr.

We clinch, 5 up with 4 to play.

22-2, 12-0, #14, RPI #11.