DDSCB23: Alone

[Wayne23]

5/1: #20 preseason.

#211 recruiting class. We’ll do a lot better next year!

We exceed the Expected to Spend number.

A new coach can mean some players transfer out. Let’s see what happens.

5/29: We lose a guard. He wouldn’t have played much.

We’d like a guard, but we’ll take the best player we can get.

We offer to a PG.

6/2: We don’t get him. He’s still available so we offer again. He has us in his top 5 now.

6/5: We get him. He’ll start.

6/25: We’ll go to Indy and to all of the regional camps.

6/26: 4 scholarships. We need 1 guard and the rest big men.

The fetuses are growing. Everything is going well and there have been no further hang ups.

It’s great to be back home in CT!

7/11: Lots of interest from some great looking recruits.

7/31: We offer to a PG, a PF, and 2 Cs. All of them have very high interest in us.

8/7: Guard Ray Barr is #40 on the Norton list. We just picked him up in the transfer pool.

9/11: We get 2 Cs, #30 and #38, lose a guard.

9/18: We get our #1, a PG, #5, and a PF, #29.

We’re going to the Mil Mem tourney. Almost all ranked teams in the preseason schedule.

10/2: 1st day of practice. I think we’re going to be good.

11/15: The season starts tomorrow with #11 Syracuse here. Too early to know much but they can play.

Here’s our lineup:

Senior Ali Wins is at the Point. He’s a 4 year starter.

Junior Ray Barr, a transfer from Michigan, is at SG. He may be our best player.

#3 guard is frosh Don Flin, who would start on a lot of teams. Junior Bri Prao is next. He is decent but not great. Juco junior Ric Agba is next. Meh. Senior Aron Alan has never played much. He won’t this season either.

Senior Malo Gari is at SF. He has looked really good in practice.

Senior Ted Arms is a 4 year starter and can do it all.

Junior Ike Long is a 3 year starter. His only weakness is in ball handling and passing.

1st big man off the bench is junior Sean Dark. We lose nothing when he comes in. Frosh Art Daws has a lot to learn. We’re very thin up front and injuries would really cause trouble.

[Wayne23]

11/16: 83-66. Up 13 at halftime. They never led. 27, 11 for Ted Arms, 15, 12 for Ike Long, 18 for Ray Barr. +22 Rbs.

Baby time is coming soon. Everything is still going smoothly. The artificial wombs are kind of weird but they work. The robot parents are getting close to their prospective children. Research indicates the bond begins before birth. Each robotic parent will raise 2 kids. Their not genetic twins but there’s no need for one parent per child. The robots can easily handle 2.

#8 UCLA is here. They have very good forwards.

11/19: 81-62. We never trailed. Up 16 at the half. 23, 9, 4 blocks for Arms, 18, 4, 5 for Barr, 10, 11 for Malo Gari. +16 in the paint.

At Ohio ST. They have trouble scoring.

11/23: 69-62. They defended well and kept the score down. We trailed by as many as 7 early and by 1 at the break. We held them to 26 in the 2nd. 13, 18 for Long, 14, 7 for Arms, 16, 3 for Barr. +26 inside.

#20 Louisville is here. They’re good outside.

11/26: 75-54. Close early. We were up 3 at the half. We dominated in the 2nd. 21, 3, 3, 4 for Barr, 15, 4 for Arms, 12, 6 for Long.

This team has a lot of weapons.

4-0, #12, NET #2.

[Wayne23]

At 0-3 Arizona next. They’re off to a rocky start.

11/30: 64-76. We didn’t play very well. Down 15 at halftime. We never got closer than 7 in the 2nd. 26, 5 for Arms, 13, 14 for Long.

Michigan is here next. They’re good at PG and very good at PF.

12/3: 76-58. Very good D. Up 5 after a close 1st half. 25, 3, 2, 3 for Arms, 20, 9 for Long. We definitely won this one up front. +24 in the lane.

#24 Florida is here. They’re good, especially outside, and they play tough D.

12/7: 56-37 at halftime and we never looked back. 43, 8 for Arms, 21, 6 for Long. +38 in the paint, +13 RBs.

12/10: The babies have arrived- all 64 of them. They are being wheeled from the holo to the rooms in the building as I write this. Lots of crying babies and I’m as uncomfortable as hell.

#19 Memphis is here. They have a lot of individual talent but they give up more points than they score.

12/11: 78-58. It was close for 5 or 6 minutes then we went on a run. Up 12 at the half. 15, 6, 3 for Arms, 16, 8 for Long, 12, 4 for Barr. +27 for the bench. +36 in the paint, +14 RBs.

7-1, #12, NET #1.

I’m staying in the holo as much as possible with all the crying babies. Don’t get me wrong, they’re getting excellent care, but babies cry and it annoys the hell out of me.

[Wayne23]

#24 Ga. Tech, 6-3, is here. Very good outside and good inside. This should be a challenge.

12/14: 84-82. 17 lead changes, 10 ties, never more than an 8 point spread. Up 3 at halftime. At the end they banged a three to tie it and we got it back with plenty of time, 7.2 seconds. We worked it, faked getting it to Long and got it back door to Gari who put it in with .3 seconds left. They couldn’t get off a shot.

17, 10, 4 for Gari, 15, 0, 6, 6 for Barr, 17, 3 for sub F Sean Dark. +12 in the lane. We won it inside, and I expect that’s where we’ll win most of our games.

Oregon is here next.

12/17: 80-61. We never trailed. Up 10 at the half. 21, 3 steals for Barr, 18, 5 for Arms, 10, 3, 4, 3 for sub C/F Art Daws, 10, 5 for Long. +40 in the paint.

#15 Washington is here.

12/21: 83-66. Once again, we never trailed. Up 16 at the break. 17, 4 for Barr, 14,11 for Long, 13, 6 for Arms, 12, 6 for Dark. PG Ali Wins has been quietly very effective in dishing the ball and he’s an excellent defender.

We’re 10-1, #9, NET #1.

[Wayne23]

Off to the Mil. Mem. We’re the #1 seed and we play #8 seed Western Illinois, 5-3.

12/23: 60-45 in a defensive battle. We held them to 16 in the 1st, led by 10 at the break. 14, 8, 3 for Barr, 11, 14 for Long, 13, 4 for Arms. +12 inside.

#5 seed ST Louis in the semifinals. They’re 6-4. We have a big edge inside and they have trouble scoring.

12/24: 57-40 with another fantastic defensive performance. We were up 14 at the half. 18, 7 for Arms, 8, 13, 3 blocks for Long, 10, 5 for Gari. +22 in the paint.

It’s #23 ranked, #2 seed Purdue, 9-1, in the title game. They’re very good outside, they play tough D, and they rebound. This could be a challenge.

12/25: 77-74 and the title. We led most of the way but never by much. Up 9 at halftime. They took the lead several times in the 2nd. Then we went on a 9-0 run late. At the end we made our free throws. They had the last possession but couldn’t get of a good shot.

26, 15 for Long, 14, 16 for Arms. +22 RBs.

Our last pre-conf game is at home vs. 6-4 Florida ST, our old ACC rival. N paper ry good but they’re not winning games.

12/28: 82-59. I expected more trouble. 56-35 at halftime. 26, 9 for Arms, 17, 14 for Long against a very good C. Good bench play. +12 RBs, +24 in the lane.

1/1/2230: 14-1, #4, NET #1. +13.4 PPG, +8.8 RBs, -2.5 turnovers, 11.7 per game, which is fine. I like TOs to be less than 12 per.

20.7 PPG for Ted Arms, with 6.9 RBs. 14.1, 10.7 for Long, leading in RBs. 12.5 for Ray Barr.

Wins has been a little disappointing.

Off to Big East play. We’re picked to finish 4th. We hope to do better than that but 10 of our 16 conference games are against Top 25 teams. .
Stopped in to see a few babies. They’re not very interesting yet.

[Wayne23]

We start conf. play at 11-4 Vermont. They’ve looked good but they haven’t played anybody.

1/7: 71-64. This was a battle. We led by 1 at halftime and it stayed close until the final minutes. They put up a fight.

20 and 8 for Arms, 18, 10 for Long, 12 for Barr. +20 RBs, +20 in the paint so as usual, we won it inside.

St Johns is her next. We think we’re a lot better.

1/11: They were tough inside but we won easily. 27, 5 for Arms, 12, 11 for long, 11, 9 for Gari, 12, 5 for Barr, 11 assists for Wins. +20 in the lane, +11 RBs.

#4 Seton Hall is here. They’re very good, especially outside.

1/14: 17 lead changes, 7 ties. We broke it open late but they fought hard.

18, 5, 2, 3 for Arms, 12, 8, 2, 4 for Gari, 12, 10 for Long, 10, 4, 3, 4 for Dark.

At #7 Villanova next. They play stifling D so this figures to be a tough road game.

1/18: 76-55. Much easier than expected. We played great D. 29, 14, 3 blocks for Arms, 13 for Daws. +20 inside.

18-1, 4-0, in a 3 way tie for 1st in the early going. #3, NET #1.

8 of the 12 Big East teams are ranked. I’d call this a tough conference!

[Wayne23]

#20 Georgetown is here. They play good D and they rebound.

1/21: 80-68. It was close for 30 minutes. Up 2 at halftime. 27, 9 for Arms, 17, 13, 1, 3 for Long. +23 RBs, +16 in the paint, +17 on 2nd chances.

#6 Marquette is here. 3-3 vs, ranked teams. Not sure their D is up to containing us.

1/25: 87-69. We never trailed. Up 10 at the half. 16, 2, 6, 3 for Barr, 18, 5 for Long, 16, 4 for Arms, 15, 3 for Daws. +38 in the paint.

At Butler. We think we’re a lot better.

1/28: 66-50. Great D. Up only 4 after a tight 1st half. We held them to 22 in the 2nd. 18, 7, 3 blocks for Gari, 16, 10, 2, 4 for Long, 13, 3, 1, 3 for Barr. We were sloppy, 18 TOs. +24 inside.

At #22 Creighton. 0-5 vs. ranked teams.

2/1: 85-78. We never trailed and led by as many as 20. They closed the gap late. Up 10 at halftime. Fouls hurt, Long fouled out in 15 minutes, Gari and Dark wound up with 4.

23, 5 for Arms, 15, 7, 1, 4 for Gari. 16 TOs, which did not please me. +30 in the lane.

Halfway through the Big East season we’re 22-1, 8-0, 2 game lead in the Big East. #1 ranked, #1 NET. +13.5 PPG, +8.6 RBs, -3 TOs, but 12.8 is too many.

20.7, 7.0 for Arms. 13, 9, 10.1 for Long. 12.0 for Barr.

Dear Jake,

We’re very happy to hear that the babies have arrived. So exciting. Sadly, news isn’t so great here. We’re down to 5 people, Maggie, me, and 3 others. The other three all have advanced cancer so soon
it will be just Maggie and me. Neither of us is showing any signs of cancer. The thing that is keeping us going the most is getting your reports. We’re so pleased that the terraforming continues to make progress and even more that the babies are thriving.

Reggie (and Maggie)

[Wayne23]

At Providence. I don’t think they can stay with us.

2/4: 89-72. Easy win. Up 13 at halftime. 16, 7 for Arms, 15, 6 for Long, 14, 3 for Dark, 12, 3 for Barr. +17 for the bench. +38 in the paint.

DePaul is here. 1-7 vs. ranked teams. This looks like a mismatch.

2/8: 102-60. It was never a game. 52-34 at the break. 25, 11 for Arms, 17, 8, 3, 3 blocks for Gari, 16, 9 for Long. Our front court was unstoppable. +32 RBs, +44 in the lane.

#2 ranked Xavier is here. 6-3 vs. ranked teams. On paper it’s their outside vs. our inside.

2/11: This was a romp. We led by as many as 27. Up 21 at halftime. 33, 12 for Long, 16, 7, 3 blocks for Arms, 3 guys had 10 each. +13 RBs, +42 in the paint.

Vermont is here. We won by 7 there. This is a mismatch.

2/15: 80-63. Up by 9 at halftime. 19, 8, 4 blocks for Arms, 17, 11 for Long, 10, 5, 5 for Wins.

26-1, 12-0, 3 game lead with 4 to play. #1, NET #1.

The babies take notice of me when I visit now. They’re a little over 2 months old so still not very interesting. No issues with the robot parents taking care of them.

[Wayne23]

At ST Johns. We won by 17 at home. 2-7 vs. Top 25 teams.

2/18: 90-64. It was close for awhile. Up 10 at the half. We owned the 2nd half. 22, 10 for Long, 18, 9 for Arms, 17, 7 for Gari, 16, 4 for Daws. +48 in the paint.

At #4 Seton Hall. We won by 11 at home. 6-3 vs. ranked teams. They have a strong back court.

2/22: Up only 3 at the break, and never by more than 11, but we finished strong. 24, 6 for Arms, 11, 9, 3 for Gari, 12, 3, 7 for Wins. +13 RBs, +20 inside.

The refs called way too many fouls but it hurt them more than us. Not happy with 18 TOs.

#20 Villanova is here. We won by 21 there. 2-7 vs. Top 25 teams.

2/25: 78-48 on senior night. 23, 5 for Barr, 18, 10 for Long, 12, 7 for Arms. +19 RBs, +22 in the lane.

We honored seniors Ali Wins, Ted Arms, Malo Gari, all starters, and little used Aron Alan.

At #8 Georgetown. We won by 12 at home. 4-5 vs. ranked teams.

3/1: We never trailed. Up 8 at halftime. 21, 16 for Long, 14, 9 for Arms, 16, 4 for Gari, 13, 3, 8 for Barr.

Post game press conference (excerpts): “Luke Bows, EPSN. We’re here with Coach Jake Wynn of the UConn Huskies. Coach, did your team exceed expectations this season?”

“Absolutely. I expected us to be competitive, and to have a shot at winning the Big East, but I didn’t expect to win the conference by 4 games or to run the table.”

“Only 1 loss all season. How are things shaping up for the post season?”

“We’re playing well and we’re healthy so I’m optimistic.”

“You won it all twice at NC ST. Can you do it in your first year in Storrs?”

“I always say that it’s a very difficult thing to do. We’ll give it our best shot though.”

3/5: We end the regular season at 30-1, 16-0, losing only at Arizona. #1 ranked, #1 NET.

+15.7 PPG, +9.9 RBs, -3.3 TOs but 12.4 is too many.

20.3, 7.3 for Arms, 15.2, 10.1 for Long, 11.6 for Barr.

Great news! No one declared for the draft!

I decided to eyeball all 64 babies. We wound up with 32 males and 32 females. What surprised me most was how much variety there was among the kids. Lots of different looks, and all sizes. Didn’t expect that considering that they all came from me, but it’s definitely a good thing.

On to the post season!

[Wayne23]

3/9: We play #8 seed providence, 18-14, 5-11. We won by 19 at home.

Their starting C is out with a back injury. We would have to play terribly for them to have a chance.

3/10: 81-66. We played well enough to win but I wasn’t impressed. We’ll need to do better moving forward.

It was tied at half time and I was fit to be tied. I really raised the roof. It helped. We came out fast and dominated the 2nd half. But we could have been sharper.

25, 11, 4, 3 blocks for Arms, who was excellent. 20, 8 for Long, who was also very good. Our guards were lackluster. +15 RBs, +36 in the paint.

#10 ranked, #5 seed Georgetown, 25-8, 11-5, upset #2 ranked Xavier. We play them in the semifinal. We beat them by 12, and last week by 18 there. If we play well we should be fine. But I’m pushing the guys to play hard and smart.

3/11: 80-65. We came out flat and stayed that way throughout the 1st half. Down 4 at the break. I chose to go silent. Stepped into the coach’s office at the beginning of halftime and stayed there until we took the floor for the 2nd half. It worked. 45-26 in the 2nd, starting with an 11-0 run.

22, 10 for Arms, 18, 3, 3 steals for Gari, 12, 5 for Long who played only 13 minutes due to fouls. 16, 1, 4 for #3 guard Don Flin.+28 in the lane.

6th man Sean Dark hurt his hand but he’ll play.

As expected it’s #2 seed, #3 ranked Seton Hall, 27-6, 12-4, in the title game. We beat them by 11 and 10. 7-3 vs. ranked teams. They’re very good outside and they play good D.

3/12: “You can’t give away the first half. Start fast!”

90-82. Great O, poor D.

We started fast, building an early 20 point lead. Then we lost focus a little and were up 9 at the half. The 2nd half was even. They got as close as 4 a couple of times, but no closer. I liked how we buckled down when it got close late, and I told my guys that in the locker room after the game. I also told them they needed to play better if they hoped to go all the way.

30, 13, 3 blocks for Arms, who has been excellent all season. 19, 7 for Long, 12, 6, 5, 3 for Gari, 10, 1, 8, 3 for Wins.+30 in the paint. As usual, we won it inside.

Sean Dark will likely miss a game with a hand injury. Little used guard Bri Prao is out for maybe 2 weeks with a wrist injury.

Post game press conference (excerpts): “Luke Bows, EPSN. Coach Wynn, 29 game win streak. Can you be beaten in the big dance?”

“Absolutely. If we don’t play better we WILL be beaten. I think we have the talent to make a real run at the national title, but not the way we played in the Big East tournament.”

“So winning isn’t enough?”

“No it isn’t. Not when you’re looking to the future and going for the gold.”