DDSCB25: Superstar

Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Wed Apr 09, 2025 3:17 pm

1/21: 9-8, 3-5 Clemson is here. They’re good outside.

1/22: Early lead. Up 10 after 10. 41-34 at the half. 11, 3, 1, 3 for Brow. +9 for the bench. 3 TOs.

Holding our lead early. Down 2 with 10 left. Close late.

82-72. 17, 7, 3 for Aker, 15, 3, m5, 4 for Brow, 13, 8 for Fore. +11 for the bench.

1/24: 10-10, 4-5 Miami is here. We think we’re better.

1/25: Close early. They take the lead. Down 7 after 10. 30-34 at the half. We’re shooting poorly and getting beat inside.

Back and forth early. We take the lead. Up 12 with 10 to play. We lead late.

75-65. 19, 7, 4 for Aker, 18, 4, 2, 3 for Jeff, 13, 12 for Chap, 11, 10 for Batt, 10, 4, 7, 3 for Brow.

4 straight wins but the schedule is about to get more challenging.

Halfway through conf play we’re 12-7, 7-3, in a 4 way tie for 3rd.

Brow leads us with 14.6. 12.1, 8.5 for Batt, 12.1, 7.4 for Chap, 11.2, 6.7 for Aker, 10.4 for Jeff.

+0.9 PPG, +2.6 RBs, -3.5 TOs with 11.9.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Sat Apr 12, 2025 3:34 pm

1/29: An A+ recruit who had committed to us fails to hit our SAT score.

1/29: 15-6, 4-6 Florida ST is here.

1/30: We start fast. They come back. Down 2 after 10. 32-39 at halftime. Shooting poorly. 11, 7 for Chap. Only 4 TOs.

Back and forth early. Up 2 with 10 to play. It’s close late. Mini-run!

82-71 as we finish strong. 20, 13, 5, 3 for Chap. 20, 3, 6, 3 for Brow, 11, 11 for Aker. +22 in the paint.

1/31: At #21 NC ST, 17-5, 8-3. We’ll need to play well, especially inside.

2/1: Close early. We take the lead. Up 6 after 10. 48-43 at the half. 15 for Brow. The refs are killing us, NC ST has gone to the line 25 times to our 10. I’m letting the refs know.

11 point lead early. They come back. Up 4 with 10 to go. We get the lead back to 11.

91-80. HUGE win! 20, 6 for Aker, 17, 3, 3 for Brow, 11, 4, 3 for Batt. The calls evened out. NC ST changed up their D at the half and really leaned on Brow so we took it in side, which worked.

We’re in a 3 way tie for 1st in the ACC.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Sun Apr 13, 2025 11:50 am

2/5: At #10 North Carolina, 16-5, 9-3. They’re solid both inside and outside.

We’ve won 6 in a row.

2/6: Both teams start slow. Down 4 after 10. 24-32 at the half. 10, 3, 4 for Aker.

They hold their lead early. Down 14 with 10 to go.

49-62. Our offense was pathetic. 15, 6, 6 for Aker, 11, 5 for Chap.

“Von Gray, EPSN here with Coach Wynn. Tough night, Coach.”

“We just couldn’t get anything going on offense.”

“Was that you or was it North Carolina’s D?”

“No doubt it was some of both.”

“Thanks Coach. Back to you, Gary.”

“You’re new with EPSN?”

“Just started this week.”

“Could I buy you a coffee or something?”

I was very much taken with Von. We went for coffee. I found out her name was Javonda but she went by Von. When we left I told her I’d like to see her again.

“Well, distance might be a problem. I’m working out of Bristol, CT, and you’re in North Carolina, but if we can work it out I’d like to see you, too.”

Believe me, I’ll find a way to work it out. She’s stunning.

2/7: 12-10, 7-6 Pitt is here. If we play our game we should beat these guys.

2/8: We score the first 9 then stretch out the lead. Up 14 after 10. 53-39 at the break. 17 for Brow. Only 3 TOs. We worked hard on the O in practice and it helped.

Big lead early. It goes to 20. Up 19 with 10 left.

90-77. 22, 5, 5, 3 for Brow, 15, 7, 3 for Fore, 13, 3 for Chap. Only 4 TOs.

We’re alone in 3rd place, 1 back of 1st.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Sun Apr 13, 2025 3:08 pm

2/12: 12-11, 4-10 Louisville is here. This is a team we should beat.

I haven’t seen Von again but we’ve talked on the phone a couple of times. I’m more than interested and she seems to be but long distance relationships are difficult. I found out she was a slum kid from Detroit. Her teachers realized early on that she was very bright, gifted even, and that got her a better education than most of her peers.

2/13: They take a quick lead but we come back. Up 6 after 10. 43-33 at halftime. 11, 3 for Fore, 9, 4 for Aker, 8, 3 for Brow. 3 TOs, +12 in the paint.

Holding our lead early. Up 10 with 10 to play. Good lead late.

84-73. 22, 4, 3 for Brow, 16, 13, 4 for Batt, 15, 4, for Fore, 13, 11, 3 for Aker. Only 5 TOs. +18 inside.

2/14: At 11-14, 4-11 VA. Tech. If we play well we should be okay.

2/15: We score the first 10. Up 3 after 10. We go on a run. 44-30 at the half. 10, 0, 4 for Jeff, 8, 4, 3 for Brow.

Big lead early. Up 22 with 10 to go. They’re closing the gap but it’s too late.

76-68 but it was never in doubt. 17, 2, 6 for Jeff, 15, 1, 6, 4 for Brow, 13, 9 for Chap, 11, 9, 3 blocks for Aker.

Still alone in 3rd, 1 game back.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Sun Apr 13, 2025 5:49 pm

2/19: At #24 Virginia, 18-8, 9-7. They play good D.

2/20: Close early. Tied after 10. 37-37 at halftime. 10, 4 for Aker, 9, 5 for Batt. Only 3 TOs.

Close early. Up 11 with 10 to play.

84-73. 20, 9 for Batt, 18, 9 for Aker, 14, 7, 3 for Chap, 10, 3, 10 for Brow. Only 7 TOs while they had 20. +22 in the paint.

In a scheduling quirk we play Virginia back to back. So they’re here next. Nothing much to say since we just played them.

2/22: The good news is that Von is doing the game for EPSN.

Back and forth early. Up 1 after 10. 28-30 at the half. We shot poorly. 9, 1, 4 for Brow.

Close early. Then we get hot. Up 11 with 10 to play.

63-55. 17, 13, 3 for Batt, 14, 6, 6, 5 blocks for Brow.

Tied for 2nd, 1 back of 1st.

Von and I had a late dinner after the game.

“So when I was in third grade they decided I was gifted. They transferred me to a special school for gifted kids. Everybody else there, students and adults, was either white or Asian. I thought that would be tough but it wasn’t. I was accepted and I fit in easily.

“I stayed in that school through 8th grade and then went to a prep school which was very highly rated academically. Same thing, everybody else was white or Asian, but again, I fit in.

“I played some basketball in prep school but I wasn’t very good, and really, I was a lot more interested in announcing the game than in playing.

“They tried to get me into physics but all I wanted to do was be an announcer. I knew I had to learn to “talk white” and I worked hard on that. I did really well in all my classes and I won an all expenses scholarship to Michigan State.”

“I got involved with the school’s radio station right away and by my sophomore year I was doing some announcing.

“By my senior year I was doing play by play for all the sports. EPSN discovered me somehow, and when I graduated they sent me to a local radio station for awhile to polish my style. I’ve been here at EPSN for about a month now, doing just what I want to do.”

“Do you do all the sports?”

“No. I do college hoops and I’ll do football, but that’s it.”

“How will you make a living the rest of the year?”

“They pay me enough for the football and basketball that money won’t be a problem.”

“Nice!”

We talked about some other things and had a really comfortable time with each other. I have to say I was falling HARD. I think Von was falling too, but who knows how hard? Anyway, we agreed to see each other when we could, and to speak and text when we were apart.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Sun Apr 13, 2025 6:23 pm

2/26: Last regular season road game is at 12-17, 6-12 Miami. They’re good outside.

2/27: They take the lead early. Down 4 after 10. We’re shooting poorly. They go on a run. 37-51. Lousy O, lousy D. We’re shooting 31.4% to their 58.6%. 10, 1, 3 for Brow, 8, 5 for Aker. Chap has 3 fouls.

We just can’t make shots. Down 11 with 10 to go. Still not hitting shots.

77-82 but it wasn’t that close. 23, 3, 6, 3 for Brow, 16, 13 for Chap, 14, 12 for Aker.

We missed a golden opportunity as both of the other top teams in the ACC lost.

2/28: We end the regular season with #20 NC ST, 22-8, 13-6, here. We won by 11 there. If we play well we should be fine.

3/1: Back and forth early. Up 2 after 10. 48-44 at the break. 15, 3 for Aker, 10 for Jeff. 2 TOs.

We lead early but it’s close. 10 point lead. Up 4 with 10 to play. Close late.

85-79. 24, 8 for Aker, 21, 4, 3 for Brow, 18, 3 for Jeff.

We finish the regular season at 20-9, 15-5, ranked #23, tied for 2nd, #3 seed.

Brow leads us with 15.3 PPG and gets 4.9 assists. 12.2, 7.3 for Aker, 11.7, 7.3 for Chap, 11.4, 8.3 for Batt, 10.0 for Jeff.

+2.7 PPG, +2.5 RBs, -4.8 TOs, averaging 11.0 per game.

On to the post season!
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Apr 18, 2025 10:40 am

3/5: Cris Kata goes pro. He doesn’t play much.

3/9: We play #6 seed Virginia, 21-10, in the quarter finals. We beat them twice in the regular season.

3/10: “Von Gray, EPSN, courtside with Duke Coach Jess Wynn. It’s about an hour before game time. Coach, there’s something very special about the post season.”

“There sure is! As a coach you work all year to get your players ready for this.”

“Are your players ready?”

“Well, we’ve won 12 of our last 14. Before that we were 8-7. I think we ARE ready.”

“You were a player, some say the best ever. What’s it like for a player?”

“I think the best players really look forward to the post season. They want to show the world what they can do and the postseason gives them that opportunity.”

“But it can be tough on the other players.”

“Yes. The lesser players don’t always rise to the occasion.”

“Good luck, Coach.”

We miss our first 7 shots. Tied after 10. We’re shooting poorly. They go on a run. 29-37 at the half. Shooting 34.5%. We’re getting very little inside.

We tie it early, then take a lead. We’re shooting better. Up 10 with 10 to play. Big lead late.

84-72. 18, 5, 4 for Brow, 19, 7 for Aker, 16 for Jeff, 12, 12 for Chap. +10 RBs.

#5 ranked, #2 seed Kona, 26-6, 15-5, in the semis. They won by 20 at their place. We’ll need to be sharp.

3/11: Back and forth early. Up 2 after 10. 43-42 at the break. 9 each for Aker and Chap. They’ve gone to the line 17 times to our 9.

Early lead but it’s close. Tied with 10 to play. Close late.

80-85. 17, 9 for Chap, 16, 7 for4 Aker, 18 for Brow but 7 TOs, 13, 11, 3 for Batt.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Apr 18, 2025 5:33 pm

3/12: Hoping for a #5 seed but a #6 is more likely.

#5 South. We play #12 seed Bowling Green, 23-9. This is a team we should beat.

Von and I got to spend lots of time together at the ACC tournament. It was nice and it brought us even closer together. I think we have a future.

3/16: Back and forth early. They go on a run. Down 11 after 10. We catch up late. 36-47 at the half as they finish with a run.

“You realize it’s win or go home, right? You do understand that?”

We start strong but we’re playing catch up. Down 4 with 10 to play. We trail late.

83-86. They hit a 25 footer at the buzzer. 21 for Brow. 14, 9 for Chap, 14, 6, 3, 4 for Aker, 12, 13, 3 for Batt. We didn’t play good D letting them shoot 49.3%, and they beat us on the boards.

I called Von late that night.

“This was a really disappointing loss, but we played lousy ball, really.”

“I watched and it was painful. They led just about all the way.”

We flew back home and it was a very quiet flight. Oh well, I have some time off. Hopefully I’ll get to spend some of it with Von.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Fri Apr 18, 2025 5:43 pm

4/3: #3 ranked Kentucky is the champ.

4/4: Awards: We get shut out.

4/9: I’m not going anywhere. There’s only one place I would go from here and that’s UConn.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade.

No.

21-11. Overall, after 8 seasons, I’m 210-69, .753.
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Re: DDSCB25: Superstar

Postby Wayne23 » Sat Apr 19, 2025 5:02 pm

5/1: #15 recruit class.

5/22: I encouraged 4 guys to transfer out. 3 of them did. We’re looking for 2 guards and 3 bigs.

I’ve been spending time with Von. It’s her slow season as well as mine. She’s come here a few times and we plan to have her come here a few more times before her work schedule heats up in the Fall.

5/26: We offer to 5.

5/29: No luck. We offer to 5, some of them the same ones.

6/2: We get 3 bigs. We offer to a guard.

6/5: No. We’re done.

6/25: Going to Indy and to all 5 regional camps.

6/26: Recruiting starts today. We need 3 guards and 4 bigs.

Von and I are starting to talk about long range plans. We haven’t mentioned marriage yet but we’re headed in that direction, at least I hope we are.

7/7: Von and I just spent 5 days in Paris. It was great! Naturally I was in contact with my assistants every day but I barely worked at all. First vacation since I started coaching.
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