Alone

[Wayne23]

5/1: Recruit class #54. Really? I think my three are better than that. Of course one is a Juco and they don't count for the rankings.

Preseason #20. I think we're a top 10 team.

Everything checked out with the robotic workers. There is every reason to believe that all construction will be completed well before the arrival of the settlers.

6/5: Crap! Two good guards transfer out. No idea why. Never a sign.

Looking at transfers.

6/15: We get a good looking SG from Georgia Tech.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We want 3 guards.

Construction is galloping along flawlessly. I am spending lots of time with the Kree. They have me thinking about things I've never thought about and seeing
things I've never been aware of.

8/7: Kris Hern is #42 on the Norton list.

8/21: We offer to 3 PGs, an SG, and a PF.

"Mack Reed, we can help you to communicate with your incoming settlers."

"They're eleven years away from arriving."

"We can effect communication."

"The distance is so great."

"Nevertheless, we can effect communication."

"Let me think about it."

9/18: We get a PG, #32, lose 2.

Sunshine Shootout.
9/25: We get a PG, #13, a PF, #50. Lose 2.

10/2: We lose 3.

1st day of practice. We're picked to win the SEC.

10/9: We lose 2 more.

10/16: We lose another one.

I am still pondering whether I want Grol to connect me to the ship that is bringing settlers here. I suspect there is no harm. I'm sure he already knows where they are and has locked onto them.

10/30: Recruiting isn't working as far as getting the last 2 goes. I think we'll wait awhile.

We're going to see what the Kree can do as far as communications are concerned.

[Wayne23]

11/13: We start tomorrow.

11/14: 90-49 over a decent Akron team here. 44-19 at the half. 30, 4, 4 for Al Owes, who is at PG this season. 18, 2, 5 for SG Will Self, 9, 16 for PF Ron Fell. +36 RBs (!).

We reached the ship bringing settlers here. Needless to say they were surprised. How the Kree managed this I don't know. How they managed communication over vast distances without time delays and gaps in the conversation I have no idea. Evidently there are ways around the speed of light. More on the conversations- there have been several so far, later.

11/17: 88-55 over Dayton at our place. 46-21 at the half. 14, 9 for SF Al Scot, but it was a team effort with 10 players scoring 5 or more. Solid play on both ends.

#1 in the country Michigan ST here next.

11/20: All 3 recruits sign. Still chasing 2.

#12.

11/21: 77-59 over #1 Michigan ST here. Huge win! We had a big 2nd half, 47-33. 14, 10, 3 for Hern, 13, 10 for Scot, 15, 7 for Fell. +13 RBs.

11/24: 74-43 over Buffalo. 46-20 at the half. 17, 6, 7 for Owes, 14, 3, 8 for Self, 14, 7 for Hern. +19 RBs.

We are just steam rolling teams right now.

11/28: 80-61 over Kent ST here. We led by 20 at the half. 27, 4, 6 for Self, 17, 8 for Scot. +16 RBs.

We're #7.

The conversation with Captain Argo of the Magellan was difficult at best.

"How the hell are you doing this, Reed!"

I couldn't tell him because i didn't know.

"This happened because of a WHAT? From WHERE?"

"So this Grol from Kree killed the rest of your party?"

It kind of went like that. I had few explanations. The first conversation wasn't really productive but we arranged to speak again the next day.

12/1: 83-45 at Radford. Mismatch. 15, 3, 5 for Owes, 17, 9, 6 for 6th man F/C Dee Wall. 10 TOs.

6-0, #4 ranked. #1 in offensive rating, #1 in defensive rating, #1 in net rating.

My 2nd call with Captain Argo went better. He didn't like some of my explanations related to the Kree, but at least he now understood what was happening.

As it happens he'd had a rough journey. A terrible virus had hit his crew and passengers and it wiped out about 15% of the ship's population. Reproductive efforts had been sped up and the ship's population was now at 45,000 or so. They still expected to be here in the spring of 2246.

I'm still doing a lot of meditating, pondering the mysteries of the universe with the Kree, and just living in an intellectual, philosophical mindset.

[Wayne23]

12/5: 77-55 over UAB here. Easy win. 20, 10 for Hern, 21, 3, 4 for Owes. +13 RBs. We're turning it over too often but that is truly my only complaint. We're working on that.

Off to the Sunshine Shootout. We start with #4 seed Iowa ST, 6-1. We're the #5 seed.

Spent the day in thought and telepathic conversation again. I haven;t seen Mal and the others in quite some time.

12/9: 79-68. Up 20 at the half. We relaxed a little in the 2nd, which did not make me happy. 16, 15, 3 with 4 steals for Fell, 17, 2, 5 for Owes, 16, 7 for Hern. +16 RBs.

#8 seed UAB, who we just thrashed, shocked #1 seed Arizona so we meet them in the semis.

12/10: 74-52. Almost identical to the last time we played them. All 5 starters had 11-14 points. +19 RBs.

#2 seed, #15 ranked Ohio ST, 6-3, for the title. 74-64. Closest game of the year but we were never in danger of losing. 15, 3, 4 for Self, 13, 11 for Fell. +14 RBs.

We're #3.

12/12: 76-58 over a very good Baylor team. 22, 4, 3 for Self, 20, 5, 3 for Owes.

A week off.

Still philosophizing. Chatted about the blueness of blue for hours today.

Construction is moving along at a very satisfactory pace.

12/19: 75-59 over Cincinnati at home. 21, 2, 5 for Self, 15, 11 for Fell. +9 RBs.

Will Self sprained an ankle. Out for at least one game, maybe more. We're thin at guard so we'll go big for part of the time.

Another week off.

12/26: 70-58 in a rematch with #20 Ohio ST. 22, 8, 3, 4 steals for Hern, 17, 14 for Fell. 10 TOs with our bigger lineup.

1/1/2236: We end pre-conf play at 13-0, #3, RPI #1. I think we should be #1 ranked. +22.4 PPG, +13.6 RBs, -2.4 TOs (13.5). Self gets 14.8 PPG and Owes gets 14.4. Hern gets 9.9 RBs. 4.8 assists for Self, 4.5 for Owes.

Self is back.

[Wayne23]

1/2: 83-60 at LSU. 27, 4 for Owes, 16, 2, 4 for Self. +12 RBs.

1/5: 82-58 over Auburn here. 25, 4, 5 for Self, 18, 7 for Scot, 12, 12 for Fell, 15, 1, 5 for Owes.

Sub F/C Jude Rich sprained an ankle. Out for 2 weeks.

1/9: 81-56 over South Carolina. 24, 9 for Fell, 22, 4, 5 for Hern. 9 TOs.

#2.

Captain Argo seems to be about as paranoid as I was regarding Grol and the Kree.

"Suppose they're doing all this to control us?"

"Suppose they want to turn us into their slaves."

The Kree need slaves about as much as I need a third ear. But I understand. I was feeling the same way.

A conversation with Grol.

"Mack Reed, you are socializing only with the Kree. You have abandoned your holo friends."

"Not abandoned them, Grol. It's just that your people are so much more interesting."

"It is necessary to be with one's own kind, Mack Reed. You must visit with your friends."

"I will, eventually."

"No, Mack Reed. You should do so soon."

"Eventually the Magellan will be here and I will be with real humans, rather than holo people."

"That is far in the future, Mack Reed. This is unhealthy."

I promised him I'd go into the holo and meet with my friends.

1/12: 64-62 at Missouri. Our first one possession game. Never more than 7 points between the teams. We won it with a backdoor pass and a dunk by Fell, who had only 4 points all night. The last 90 seconds had a lead change or a tie with every possession. 17 for Owes, 11, 3, 5 for Self, 15, 6 for Hern. +10 RBs. The close ones are ulcer producers but they toughen up the team.

Al Owes hurts his shoulder. Out for a week. Again, we're short handed at guard. And with Rich also out the bench is short.

I spend a day on the boat with Mal, Jed, Len, and Emma. Frankly, it was boring.

1/16: 64-49 over Georgia. 18, 3, 4 fro Dan Pugh at PG, 10, 11 for Fell. Our D won this one. We held them to 30.4% shooting.

1/19: 81-59 at Kentucky. 33, 6 for Self, 22, 2, 12 for Pugh. 13, 11 for Fell. +15 RBs.

We're back at full strength.

19-0, 6-0, #2, RPI #1. Tied with Vanderbilt for 1st in the SEC. 2 teams one back, everyone else 3 or more back.

Captain Argo says he is considering ordering me to break contact with the Kree. I'm trying to convince him that that is a very bad idea.

"Mack Reed, you have truly abandoned your holo friends."

I have. The Kree are way more interesting.

"Perhaps you and I, together, just design new holo friends for you."

Fascinating idea!

[Wayne23]

1/23: 98-75 over #23 Florida here. We trailed by 3 at the half but the 2nd half was 59-33. 20, 1, 5 for Self, 15, 8, 6 for Hern, 17, 3, 6 for Owes.

Grol and I are creating some new friends for me.

"Mack Reed, these friends will be human in form and human in many aspects, but they will possess the Kree philosophy and approach to life. They will combine the best of both of our species."

This is a pretty exciting prospect for me.

"Shall we make them adaptations of your present friends or new beings?"

New. I definitely want new.

1/26: 58-64 at Arkansas. Our first loss. We couldn't get anything going on the offensive end. The D was fine. 39.6%, 2-14. 22 TOs was the biggest factor.

I never expected an undefeated season but I'm not happy when we play poorly.

1/30: 92-68 at Tennessee. Most of their best players graduated. Up 20 at the half. Balanced scoring, +16 RBs.

My new friends are being created. Grol and I are having long conversations regarding what I'm looking for and how to design these friends.

Captain Argo seems to have backed off on the threat of cutting me off from the Kree. I hope he's coming around to the benefits of my friendship with them.

"We could effect communication between the people of the Magellan and the Kree."

I hadn't considered that. I'll bring it up with Captain Argo, perhaps suggesting we start with him, or maybe the ship psychologist.

2/2: 81-49 over Mississippi ST at home. 22, 12 for Fell, 21, 5 for Hern, 15, 6, 5 for Self. +23 RBs.

Vanderbilt finally loses. We're tied for 1st with them, 2 up on Georgia, 3 or more on the rest. It's a 2 team race.

2/6: 70-56 at Auburn. Up 17 at the half. 13, 13 for Hern, 16, 4, 4 for Self, 13, 9 for Fell. +19 RBs.

Finally ranked #1!

Design of new friends is coming along.

Captain Argo has put the suggestion about interacting with the Kree "under advisement." He's unwilling to do the tour I started with. I think he's looking to assign that to a red shirt but hasn't chosen one yet.

2/9: 84-54 over Texas A & M at our place. 21, 6, 3 for Hern, 18, 12 for Fell, 19, 4 for Self. +15 RBs. 11 TOs.

24-1, 11-1, #1, RPI #2.

Vandy lost again so we're 1 up on them, but we play them there next. Up 3 or more on the rest.

Jude Rich reinjured his ankle. Out for 2 weeks. He doesn't play much but it shortens our bench.

[Wayne23]

2/13: 67-60 at #8 Vanderbilt! Huge win. Probably locks up 1st place in the SEC- 2 up with 5 to play. 21, 4, 8 for Owes, 18, 2, 3 for Self. 51 RBs (+21).

My new girlfriend is Arla. She's deeply into the great philosophers. She's a big reader and she loves to discuss the big ideas the great philosophers wrote about. She loves the boat, too- all of my new friends do, and they all enjoy hiking and volleyball.

Boyd is a gourmet cook. He's about "joie de vivre"- the good life and the joys it provides.

Leila is Boyd's significant other. She is a lover of the visual arts. She paints, but even more than that she loves discussing great paintings and sculptures, which, of course, we can bring to the holo to see for ourselves.

Joy is a yoga buff and she loves to meditate. She says these things bring out her inner being and help her to see hidden unities.

Raff is into physics, and the way the universe works, the very large, the very small, and everything in between. He feels understanding is arrived at through knowledge and he continually seeks new knowledge.

None of the five are poseurs, or oversimplify. They're not into the crazy ideas, phases, and passing fancies of the past couple of centuries. Their interests and beliefs are truly genuine, evidence based, deep, and meaningful.

All of them, like me, spend large amounts of time with the Kree with the objective of learning from them.

2/16: 76-52 over LSU here. We never trailed. 19, 9 for Fell, 12, 8 for Hern, 14, 2, 3 for Owes.

2/20: 80-65 over Mississippi here. 52-26 at the half. 21, 7, 3, 4 steals for Fell. +13 RBs.

Philosophizing with Arla. Mostly listening to her and making little suggestions regarding some of the things sh'e s read about and is talking about.

The Kree write. Writing and putting books together is the single technology in their society. It's all done electronically on a kind of electronic reader. They "think" the words into a document that can be revised and edited, and when it's ready it is published and available to all. They have made it available to us now.

2/23: 55-42 at South Carolina. 15, 17 for Fell, 15, 5, 2 for Self, 14, 4, 3 for Owes. +11 RBs, 11 TOs. Great D.

Leila and I discussed the nuances in Renoir's "Le Partie Bateau..." There is so much in the painting!

The Kree's written stuff is amazing. It's unbelievably deep but at the same time very easily understood.

2/27: 71-47 over Missouri here to clinch 1st place in the SEC. 46-19 at the half. 19, 13 for Fell, 15, 4, 3 for Self, 12, 2, 7 for Owes. +18 RBs.

TOs continue to be an issue but we're so good at everything else that it hasn't hurt us much.

3/2: 65-61 at Georgia. We led by 19 at the half. They kept chipping away but the final was as close as they got, and that was with a three with 1.1 to play. 31, 3, 3 for Owes.

3/5: 30-1, 17-1. We win the SEC by 4 games. #1, RPI #1. +19.5 PPG, +13.1 RBs, -1.6 TOs (13.9- awful). Self gets 15.3 PPG. Fell gets 10.0 RBs. Owes gets 4.3 assists, and Self gets 4.0.

The boat trips are so different. Yes, we still enjoy the water, and we still joke and laugh, as I did with my former friends. But now we enjoy Boyd's incredible cooking, and we involve ourselves with the arts, culture, philosophy... The experience is so much richer. Last weekend we all read and discussed a book by Mrok, one of the Kree. It was about aiming for immortality, whether it exists or not.

[Wayne23]

3/8: We play #9 seed Mississippi ST, 15-16, 8-10, in the quarters. Beat them by 32 at our place.

3/9: 61-77! I'm shocked! We were awful. By far our worst game of the season. They shot 51.8%, we shot 32.8%. We didn't rebound. We didn't take care of the ball.

I think we'll still be a #1 seed but there goes #1 overall.

3/12: #1 overall. We play #16 Georgia ST, 16-18. I'm surprised, but we were #1 in strength of schedule and had 3 fewer losses than any of the top contenders.

3/16: 76-62. We led all the way. 18, 7 for Hern and 10 or more for all starters. +13 RBs.

#9 seed New Mexico ST, 23-9, in the 2nd round.

3/18: 78-61. We led all the way. 21, 5, 7 for Owes, 22, 8 for Fell, 17 for Self, 10, 11 for Hern. +19 RBs but 20 TOs (They had 20, too).

#4 seed, #10 ranked Marquette, 26-10, in the Sweet Sixteen. We're heavily favored but they're a good team.

3/23: 66-56. 43-21 at the half. I was not happy with our 2nd half performance but we were never in danger. 22, 6, 3 for 6th man F/C Dee Wall. +12 RBs. But we need to play better.

#2 seed, #6 ranked Louisville, 31-6, in the Elite Eight. This is the 2nd year in a row we get to this level, and once again we're a huge favorite. Last year we didn't step up, which I am reminding my guys of constantly.

3/25: 70-60, and we're in the Final Four! 43-27 at the half. We didn't play very well in the 2nd half again. Not happy about that. 23, 5, 6 for Self, 18, 10 for Fell, 12, 11, 3 for Scot. +19 RBs but 18 TOs.

#1 Michigan State, 34-5, in the national semifinal. We beat them by 18 in November. We're favored by 2 1/2. On the other side it's #10 seed, unranked Kansas ST vs. #5 seed, #14 ranked Vanderbilt, from the SEC.

4/1: 51-50! Never more than an 8 point difference, 5 lead changes in the last 71 seconds. We won it on an Al Owes three with less than a second to play. Owes had 20. 8, 15 for Scot. But D was our strength in this one, and +11 RBs.

It's an all SEC final as #14 Vanderbilt, 29-9, made it to the title game. We beat them by 7 there, in our only meeting. We're a big favorite to repeat, but we need to play 40 minutes.

4/3: 73-76. Damn! Damn! Damn! We blew a 10 point lead. They won it on a 28 foot three at the buzzer, but as I've said in the past, we should not have been in that position. I truly believe we were the better team but we didn't play our best ball. A season high 25 TOs. 21, 4, 6 for Owes, 15, 8, 3 for Fell.

This one hurts. We're losing starter Al Owes and subs Dan Pugh, Dee Wall, and Pero Buga.

4/4: Awards: I am National COY. In the SEC Al Scot is Def. POY, Ron Fell is Frosh OY. Will Self makes the 1st team, Scot and Fell make 2nd. I'm kind of surprised that Al Owes wasn't honored.

Yes, I would move, despite how well this team did and is likely to do. Not really happy here. The holo sim is realistic enough to reflect the intense heat and humidity of the deep South, as well as the attitudes that never have changed after all this time. I'd love to get out of here. It would take a great offer though.

4/9: Going to Oklahoma. The goal is to get a title there within 5 years. I know Alabama may well win it all next year.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade.

No. Great season at Alabama, but disappointing, 35-3. After 14 years I'm 346-130, .727. On to a new challenge!

[Wayne23]

5/1: Preseason #21, recruit class #48 (Only one recruit).

A lot has been happening. First, construction is now on schedule. It didn't take long. We'll soon be ahead of schedule, and before a whole lot of time passes all needed structures will be in place. At that point we will look at ways to make the earlier structures as strong as the newest ones, and we will decide upon optional structures, something we did not expect to be able to do before the settlers arrived.

In my personal life I am greatly enjoying the time I spend with Arla and my new friends. It is deeply satisfying as well as being entertaining.

The Kree continue to fascinate me and I continue to learn from them.

Captain Argo has not yet allowed any contact between the ship and the Kree.

6/5: Room for a transfer.

6/12: We get a good looking C from New Mexico ST.

6/26: 5 scholarships. We need at least 3 guards.

8/7: SG Del Stow is #33 and PF Gem Burr #40 on the Norton list.

Captain Argo says he thinks I've been drugged by the Kree and that he doesn't trust anything I've relayed to him. Of course there's no real way to disprove that from this distance. I'll just keep trying to appear rational and reasonable.

8/21: We offer to 3 PGs, an SG, and a C.

9/18: We get 3, lose 2. We get a C, #18, 2 PGs, #33 and #36.

Golden ST Classic.

9/25: We get an SG, #12, lose one.

10/2: We lose another one.

1st day of practice. We're picked to win the Big 12.

Work, boating, hiking, volleyball, even coaching, seem unimportant. The universe and its workings are so fascinating to read about, discuss, and contemplate that I wonder why I bother with anything else...

10/9: We get a PG. If everyone hits our SAT score our recruiting is finished for the season.

11/1: Still working, still coaching. But the rest of my time is spent reading, pondering and discussing Kree "literature."

[Wayne23]

11/15: My first season here with the Sooners starts tomorrow. I have high expectations and hopes.

11/16: 69-57 over my old team, #14 Alabama here. I take that as a VERY good sign! 20, 3, 5 for SF Reg Tack, 17, 7 for C Gem Burr. Sloppy game, we had 20 TOs, they had 24.

The rainy season has been just short of torrential. We've lost a fair amount of construction time; can't fight the weather- not and win anyway. Flooding and flash floods everywhere.

11/19: 91-57 over Louisiana Tech at home. 52-30 at the half. 23, 7, 5 for Burr, 22, 4, 5 for SG Del Stow, 22, 4, 3 for PG Kin Fisk, 18, 6 for Tack. +11 RBs, 8 TOs.

#16. All 5 recruits sign.

Sub F/C Deek Rane hurt his shoulder. Out for a week but he doesn't play much.

Can't do anything about the weather, and it is stopping construction and causing a need for repairs at some of the older buildings, which aren't nearly as well built as those since the Kree enhanced my workers.

I hiked with "the gang"- my friends. I need the exercise and I really need to exercise more regularly. Living in my head is wonderful in many ways but my body
needs some attention. As usual, Grol was the one who pointed that out to me.

"Mack Reed, the Kree have bodies that require only normal movement to function well, but human bodies need regular exercise."

11/23: 92-64 over a good Buffalo team at our place. Very good 2nd half. 33, 6 for Burr, 20, 9, 6 for Tack, 14, 7, 8 for Stow, 13, 3, 8 for Fisk. +9 RBs.

Heading for the road for a game at Penn.

11/26: 98-73. 59-34 at the half. 43, 6, 3 for Tack, huge game! 17, 11, 5 for Burr, 13, 5, 10 for Fisk. +12 RBs, 10 TOs.

Rane is back.

I've gotten into a routine where I hike or play 3 person team volleyball just about every day.

About the Kree bodies. I've mentioned that they look like giant slugs with functioning arms near the top of the body. I didn't mention that there are four of the arms, and that the Kree use them with quite a lot of dexterity. They move about by crawling but they do it quickly. The arms allow them to climb, if need be.

They eat the plant life within reach but if they want or need to reach upward to get plants growing at a higher level they are easily able to do that. They build primitive "homes" out of dirt, mostly to keep the rain off. Their bodies are warm blooded but they generate enough heat to prevent discomfort from the extremes of temp on their planet, which doesn't really have extremes of temp. It stays moderate all year long.

The Kree are perfectly capable of building more sophisticated homes but they can't be bothered. Their homes suffice and that's all they care about. They are constructed so that even in the worst floods no rain gets in. They sleep directly on the floor and need no furniture of any kind.

The Kree do not need or wear clothing. They reproduce sexually and maintain their numbers at a steady rate. They live about ten times as long as humans; at the end of their lives they begin to fade rapidly and are dead within about a week. They suffer no illnesses at all until this final illness. They seem to be very philosophical about death. They have no religious or other superstitious beliefs. They do wonder about life after death and discuss it but since there is no way to know they do not unduly concern themselves about it, just use it as an interesting topic of conversation and thought.

Humans now live about 120 years, incidentally, and we tend to be healthy until the last few years. Advances in medical science, and an increase in knowledge regarding diet and exercise are responsible for the increase in longevity. At age 42 I can look forward to many more productive years. It truly is a tragedy that those who accompanied me here to Terra 2 died so young. They were robbed of nearly a century of life. So yes, accidents can kill us, but not much else does until we reach that 120 mark.

11/30: 82-50 over Central Florida here. Up 20 at the half. 22, 6, 4 for Stow, 14, 11 for PF Ray Tola, who really hasn't been pulling his weight, so this is a hopeful sign. 12, 11, 9 for Burr who just missed a triple double. +17 RBs.

5-0, #16. #6 in scoring, #17 in points allowed.

The rainy season should be coming to an end any time now. It's been a rough one.

[Wayne23]

12/3: 86-57 over Illinois ST here. Great 2nd half. 20, 8 for Burr, 19 for Tack, 17, 4 for Fisk. 10 TOs.

75-54 over Kentucky here. 14, 15, 4 for Burr, 15 for sub SG/SF Etan Wash. +9 RBs.

Heading to the Golden ST Classic. We're the #1 seed. We play #8 Louisiana Tech who we crushed in the 2nd game of the season.

The rainy season seems to be over. We're spending a lot of time on repair of older buildings. Plenty of time for new construction. It seems better to get the old buildings in top shape. Once we've done that it will be easy to keep them that way. Still thinking about optional buildings, and discussing that with Captain Argo, who still hasn't loosened up much. He will not be the head of the settlers once they get here. There's a council. But the council doesn't take power until they leave the ship. I am talking with the council head, Darma Rayne, and the members and they are far more open and far more interested in what the Kree can offer us, but again, they don't have any power yet.

12/9: 86-69 over La. Tech in the Golden ST opener. Easy win. 24, 5 for Tack, 14, 13, 5 for Burr.

#5 seed Provocation College, 7-1, in the semis.

12/10: 91-73. 19, 2, 5, 6 steals for Fisk, 18, 10 for Burr, 17, 6, 3 for Tola.

Tola hurt his knee. Out for at least the next game, probably one other. Rane will take his spot.

#2 seed, #24 ranked Miami, 7-1, for the title.

12/11: 80-62 and the title. 21, 7, 7 for Burr, 17, 5, 4 for Fisk. +9 RBs.

Starting SG Del Stow hurt his wrist. Out for a week. The injuries are piling up.

10-0, #8, RPI #19. #2 in Off. Rating, #1 in Net Rating.

Let's see how we do against #11 UCLA with 2 starters out with injuries.