Wayne23

February 1967 25th amendment (Presidential Disability and Succession) is ratified Largest U. S. offensive of Vietnam war February 5 “Dick Hertz with Coach Clark on 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! Another great week, Coach.” “A VERY good week. We beat the #1 team in Conf., MD Eastern Shore, 76-70. Our 3 guards, Port, Silk, and Wood all had good games. Lan Wood had 16, 1 and 3 with 2 steals. Clay Toll had 17. We were +10 in TOs. The only down side was -5 on the boards. We need rebounders and that’s who we’re after in recruiting. “Then we went to Samford and beat them 66-60. Tim had 23, and again, our three guards had really good games. 12 TOs, and +5 on the boards.” “You’re alone in 2nd, one back of the leader with 6 to play.” “That’s a good spot to be in, especially considering how long it’s taken us to start playing good, consistent ball. We’ve won our last 4 and 8 of 9.” “This week?” “Prairie View at home. They’re 10-11, 5-5. We think we can beat them outside. We need to do that and at least play them even inside where they’re stronger. “Then we go to 14-7, 6-4 Inane Word. That should be a challenge. They’re very tough at the 2, 3, and 4 spots.” “Let’s hope for another good week, Coach. We’re out of time.” February 12 “Dick Hertz with the coach. A good win then a very tough loss this week. Tell us about it, Coach.” “We never trailed against Prairie View. I thought we needed to win the game outside but that’s not how it turned out. Our guards played in foul trouble all night and theirs definitely beat ours, but our bigs more than made up for it. 19 and 9 for Tim May, 13 and 8 for Web Monk, and Mark Witt gave us some good minutes. We were +8 on the boards. “Then we lost a heartbreaker at Inane Word. We didn’t play well, and we perhaps didn’t deserve to win, but losing on a 28 footer at the buzzer is tough. Tim was the only guy who really had a good game for us. We shot really poorly. That shows in the fact that we took 17 more shots than they did and made only one more field goal.” “That puts you in a 2 way tie for 2nd, 2 back, with 4 to play. Who’s up this week?” “Two home games this week, first is then comes Central Arkansas, 11-12, 6-6. They are yet another team that looks better inside than out. Then it’s No. KY., who beat us by 10 at their place. They beat us outside, especially with their bench, and they forced 19 TOs on us. We need to do better with the ball to beat them, and every game is big right now.” “Should be an exciting week, Coach. Good luck.” February 19 “’Sportstalk’ here with the coach on the line. Great week, Coach.” “2-0, back to only 1 back of the leader.” “Tell us.” “Well, we beat Central Ark. 61-49. Tim and Dee led us. 11 TOs and really good D . “Then we had a terrific game against No. KY. 4 starters plus Mark Witt in double figures, and Dee had a really good game at the Point. 11 TOs and +10 rebounds.” “2 games to go in the regular season.” “Yep. So. Dakota ST is here. We beat them by 10 at their place. Tim and Dee had really big games that night and we got 35 rebounds. “Then we travel to Miss. Valley ST for what could be a tough finish. We won by 8 here but these guys are 15-10, 9-5 and in 4th place. They can play. Their guards really lit it up against us. We need to do a better job of guarding them.” “Keep it going, Coach. 2 in a row, 7 of 8, 11 of 13.” February 26 “’Sportstalk’ with the coach. Interesting week, Coach.” “That it was, Dick. We started off with a 67-39 win over South Dakota ST. We pretty much did everything right in that game. Tim led us with 16, 11, 4. We got a season high 42 rebounds. “Then we went to Miss. Valley ST and lost yet another heart breaker, 64-66. They jumped out to an early lead and we had to play catch up. We caught them late and went up 4 and it looked good, but then they scored the last 8 to beat us, including two threes in the last minute. Their guards and their bench beat us. We knew guard play was key and we really focused on it in practice, but we couldn’t solve the problem.” “#2 seed in the tournament, which means it will be hosted by MD Eastern Shore.” “That’s right. No idea who we’ll play in the round of eight.” “We’ll be on every night that you play and we’ll talk with you after the games. Let’s let the fans talk. Tom in Dudley.” “Coach, the guard situation still seems up in the air. Wood’s been playin’ much better since you benched him.” “Yes he has. I think he’s more comfortable coming in from the bench and I’m not about to change that.” “Mary in Dorchester.” “Coach, rebounding is still a problem most nights. Why haven’t you been able to fix it?” “Mary, we address rebounding, and spend time on it, ion every practice. Believe me, we’re trying. Tim May is really our only consistent rebounder. We’re disappointed in Clay Toll’s rebounding but there’s really nobody behind him on the depth chart who’s doing any better.” “Murray in Braintree.” “Coach, I think Jon Dark is the answer.” “Murray, both last year and this year we’ve given Jon every opportunity. He simply hasn’t shown us that he’s ready to step up. I am very much hoping that he will, and soon.” “We’re out of time, Coach. Talk to you before and after your first game in the tourney.”

January 1967 Green Bay wins the NFL championship. Lester Maddox inaugurated as Governor of Georgia. “Boston Strangler” Albert DeSalvo sentenced to life. January 1 “Happy new year, Coach. Another road loss.” “Yes. 59-67 to Albany. May and Toll were in foul trouble from start to finish and they only played 16 minutes each. As a result we were -9 on the boards and that, as well as poor shot selection, did it.” “Still sticking with the lineup?” “We’re going to make Sam Fry our first big guy off the bench. He’s been working hard in practice, and he looked good when we put him in against Albany.” “So you’re giving up on Jon Dark?” “Not at all. I’m hoping this will challenge him to work harder and to earn minutes.” “Let’s go to the phone. Fred from Hadley.” “Coach, Port is a solid, experienced player who did a good job for ya last year. I don’t understand why he doesn’t start.” “Good question, Fred. I’m giving him more minutes starting now. He’s not starting, but he may soon.” “Grace from Cambridge.” “Heading for conf. play, Coach. Your thoughts?” “Well, I think all these tough teams we’ve played will make us really ready for conf. play. I’m not happy about having our first 2 and 3 of 4 on the road, but we’ll deal with it. I’d very much like to be at least 3-1 after these 1st 4.” “Let’s talk about those 1st 2 opponents.” “Northern KY is 3-8. Their strength is inside. South Dakota State is 4-7. They’re probably a little stringer inside than out as well.” “Okay Coach. Good luck this week.” January 8 “’Sportstalk’ here with the coach on the line. 1-1 start to conf. play, Coach.” “Lost by 10 to No. KY. 19 TOs and poor shot selection did us in. “Then we were much better against So. Dakota ST, 70-60. Tim May and Dee Port both had big games.” “And speaking of Dee, I understand there’s news.” “Dee Port is my starting Point from now on. Lan and Curt will split the rest of the guard minutes. I need Dee’s experience. We gave the other guys every chance, but it’s time to make this change.” “Let’s hear from the fans. Bobby here on campus.” “Good call, Coach. Hope about the 3 spot?” “I think Web Monk has gotten better as the season’s gone along. I don’t anticipate any big changes up front. We need to give Sam Fry a little time. If he can get it done for us great. If not, we’ll try something else.” “Jeff in Boston.” “About time! I’m thinkin’ Dee will really turn it around for us.” “That’s what we’re hoping, Jeff.” “This week?” “Finally a home game. Miss. Valley ST is 8-5, 2-0, one of the best teams in the conf. They’re good at all 5 spots. This would be a big win for us. “Then we’re back on the road with 7-6, 1-1 Longwood. They’re better in than out, especially at Center.” “Okay Coach, talk to you next week.” January 15 “88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO. Dick Hertz with Coach Clark. Great week, Coach!” “Yes it was, Dick. We beat Miss. Valley ST at home, 72-64. Interestingly enough Dee didn’t have a very good game but Lan had 13, 3, and 4 from the bench. Tim had 23. We were +7 on TOs and +5 on boards. “Then at Longwood we won 73-62. Dee and Curt each had 11 points and 4 assists, and Web Monk had 22 and 9 boards.” “So you’re where you want to be?” “Hardly! We still need to rebound better, and our shot selection isn’t what I want it to be. We’re at 12.8 TOs a game and I want that below 12. Lots of improvement still needed.” “You’re 9-6, 3-1 in conf. Who’s up this week?” “10-5, 3-1 Eastern Wash. here. They’ve looked good, especially inside. Then we travel to Southeast LA. They’ve struggled, 4-11, but they’re 2-2 in conf. play. Their shooting guard can really score points.” “We’re out of time. Talk to you next week, Coach.” January 22 “Dick Hertz here. We have coach on the line. Tell us about the week, Coach.” “Well, we beat Eastern Wash. 62-41. Our D was terrific, our front court controlled the inside and we only had 8 TOs. Unfortunately Sam Fry went down with an ankle injury and he’s out for about 2 weeks. We’re giving Mark Witt a try as our first big off the bench. “Then we went to SE LA. And got beat 67-74, and the D was as bad as it was good in the previous game. We got only 22 rebounds and had 16 TOs. I will say that Witt looked very good, as did Web Monk.” “This is a tough team to figure out, Coach.” “Yes, it is. There doesn’t seem to be any way to tell which team is going to show up. This is the most frustrating season I’ve encountered as a coach. I do still have hope that the team will find itself. I think we have plenty of talent.” “Who’s up this week?” “8-9, 5-1 Morgan ST comes to us. They’re a good inside team. “Then we travel to South Fork. They’re 6-11, 2-4, and they’re a little stronger inside than out. We need a road win, badly, and of course we need to win at home, too.” “Let’s hope we get that 2-0 week. We’re out of time.” January 29 ”’We’re back from break and we have the Coach on the line. Coach, it’s unusual to call a 2-0 week, which vaulted you to 2nd in the conf. disastrous but that term applies. Tell us about it.” “Well Dick, you’re right. We had commitments from 3 recruits and all 3 failed to make our SAT score. So it’s back to square one. We’ve offered to a PG but we’re going to spend the week analyzing the situation before we make any other offers. There are still lots of good players available. I think we’ll be okay.” “Tell us about the week.” “We beat Morgan ST 74-58. Mark Witt had a great game, 14, 2 and great D. We actually got 31 from our bench. Our 2 starting bigs were in foul trouble from the start and we only got 18 rebounds, which is a nightmare, but 8 TOs and really good ball movement and shot selection made up for it. “Then we beat South Fork, there, 58-50. Our guards dominated theirs, and that was the difference. Mark Witt had another good game. We had 33 boards and only 10 TOs, so except for poor shooting this was a well played game.” “Let’s go to the phones. Mike in Leicester.” “Coach, Witt is showin’ what givin’ kids a chance kin do. Ya need ta do more of that.” “That’s a fair criticism, Mike. I probably waited too long to shake things up. I’m really pleased with the way Mark has played.” “Jim in Hudson, New Hampshire.” “Coach, any thought of starting Witt?” “No, Web Monk is playing really well.” “No, I mean for either Toll or the walk on.” “Well, Tim May is our leading scorer and our leading rebounder so he’s safe. As to Clay Toll, I’m not ready to make that change yet. If Mark continues to play the way he’s been playing we will definitely increase his minutes.” “Eddie in Southbridge.” “Coach, I was on a while ago and I tole ya the team would do better with Port at the point. Glad you made the change.” “I am too, Eddie. Thanks for the heads up.” (Laughs) “Coach, who’s on tap this week?” “We start off hosting 17-2, 8-0 MD Eastern Shore. Those guys can play. They do a lot of scoring inside and they take care of the ball. This will give us a good idea of whether we have a chance to win the conf. “Then we travel to Samford. They’re 9-10, 2-6. They’re tough inside. This is an important game for us. If we beat MD we need this win to keep it going, and if we don’t, we need it to get back on track.” “Halfway through conf. play and you’re 12-7, 6-2. Is that about where you expected to be?” “Well, I thought we’d do better in the pre-conf. games. Given that we’ve moved up 2 conferences in 2 years I guess 6-2 is okay, but how we got there is more a concern that the record itself.” “Thanks Coach.”

December 1966 U. S. bombs Hanoi for the 1st time December 4 “’Sportstalk’ has Coach Clark on the line. Coach, 2-0 this week against good teams.” “Yes, I was definitely pleased. We beat Houston by 21. Web Monk had his best game of the season for us, 25, 4, 3. 7 TOs, 35 rebounds. 18 and 9 for Tim May, good bench play, 9 assists, only 1 TO for Wood. “Then we beat Canisius by 14. 9 TOs, 31 RBs. Tim had 20 and 8, Clay 13 and 9, Monk 14, 5, 2. Great bench play.” “Tough one this week.” “Toughest on the schedule, #14 Virginia, there. Then it’s La. Tech at home.” “Time for one question. Eddie in Haverhill.” “Coach, I’m with ya for sticking with the new guys, at least for awhile. I think both Monk and Wood are starting to get it done, and having Port and Dark to come in off the bench means ya don’t lose a thing when ya sub.” “That’s the plan, Eddie. I’ve said before that I have confidence in the two new starters. If they continue to improve we’re going to be a very tough team.” “Thanks Coach.” December 11 “We’re back. Coach is on the line. Not a good week, Coach.” “To say the least. I wasn’t shocked to lose to Virginia, they’re a very tough team. I didn’t think we played badly. Lan and Dee played well, actually. They just had more firepower. I was definitely disappointed to lose to La. Tech in OT. Their guards killed us. Curt played fairly well but Lan and Dee were invisible. It’s still December, and we have work to do, but we’ll get better.” “Any lineup adjustments on the horizon?” “We discuss the lineup every day at the coaches’ meeting, and we’re always open, but for now we’re keeping things the way they are.” “Coach, you’re on the road for the next five. Talk to us about that.” “It’s awful, and I’m not happy about it. We don’t play at home again until January 9. We’ll come home a couple of times between games but this is going to be difficult.” “Who’s up this week?” “Only one game, Appalachian State, from conf. L. They will test us inside.” “Thanks Coach. Talk with you next week.” December 18 “’Sportstalk’ with the Coach on the phone. Coach, a 9 point loss at Appalachian State.” “We’re a little frustrated right now, Dick. We only scored 46. Curt’s really been in a slump and he shot 0-8. Our D was fine, we rebounded fairly well, we had 13 TOs, which isn’t great but it isn’t awful either. We simply couldn’t score points.” “Let’s take a question or two. Tom in East Hampton.” “Coach, when things are going bad lots of teams shake up the lineup. Any thoughts of that?” “Well Tom, we are definitely thinking along those lines. The only problem is that our starters are putting up better numbers than our subs. I’ll very likely find a way to give Dee more minutes but Jon Dark hasn’t shown me enough yet.” “Joe in Swansea.” “You’re in a rut, Coach, shake it up. Sit Silk and Monk, and see what happens. Whatta ya got ta lose?” “Thanks Joe. I think I answered that with the last caller but we’re keeping changes in mind.” “Next week?” “Only one game, Stephen F. Austin from L. They’ve got a Point who really lights it up. I’m hoping we’ll come to play and start to turn things around.” “Good luck, Coach, See you next week.” December 24 “We’re back and we have the coach on the line. The losing streak ended at three, Coach.” “Yes it did. We beat Stephen F. Austin by 3. It was close all the way but we hung tough and just refused to lose at the end. I’m particularly happy that we scored some points. 71 is more than we put up in any of the 3 recent losses. Our three bigs all played really well. We knew their Point was tough but I have to say that Lan matched him almost evenly. I thought he played his best game of the season, given the competition. Curt was a little better than he’s been, too. Hopefully we’ve turned a corner.” “And this week?” “One game, against Albany from K. We scheduled lots of teams in conferences quite a bit higher than ours. We’ve lost some games because of that but I think it’s going to make us really tough when we get to conf. play. They’re strong inside.” “No time for calls tonight. See you on new year’s day, Coach.”

November 6 “Dick Hertz with Coach Clark here on ‘Sportstalk.’ Coach, what’s the starting lineup look like?” “We’ve got Lan Wood at Point, Curt Silk is still at SG, Web Monk is at 3, and the inside guys are the same as last year. Clay Toll and Tim May.” “So the walk on kept his job?” “He looked better than anyone else at Center.” “What about Dee Port?” “First guy off the bench, getting lots of minutes, and he may start before it’s all said and done.” “Jon Dark?” “First big guy off the bench. We gave him every opportunity to earn a starting spot, but it didn’t happen- at least not yet.” “Thanks Coach. We’ll start talking to Coach most every week, on Sunday nights this year.” November 20 “’Sportstalk’ with the Coach on the line. Coach, tell us about the first week.” “A little disappointing. We started off beating Wofford, but only by 5. Curt Silk had a big game and Dee Port had a really good game from the bench. We had only 11 TOs but we were -3 on the boards. “Then we had a very frustrating OT loss to North Carolina Central. We had several chances to put it away in regulation and didn’t. This game we had 34 rebounds but wer turned it over 23 times. I guess it really shows that it’s early season.” “And this week?” “Northeastern at home and then Navy on the road.” “Okay Coach, talk to you on Sunday.” November 27 “Dick Hertz here with the Coach on the line. Better week this week, Coach.” “Yes it was. We beat Northeastern at home by 12. 12 TOs, -1 RB. Tim had 18 and 9, and Clay had 18. Good bench minutes from Port and Dark. “Then we went to Navy and beat them by 4 in a thriller. It was close all the way, and we scored the last 6 points. 8 TOs made me really happy, but -9 RBs didn’t. Silk and Wood led us, and we got good minutes from Port. Our inside players both got in early foul trouble and were hampered for the whole game. That nearly caught us.” “So you’re 3-1 after 4. This week?” “Two real challenges, both at home, Houston from conf. F, and Canisius from J.” “Let’s take a call or two. Bert in Chelsea.” “Coach, I don’t get why Port isn’t starting. Wood’s having a lot of trouble and Port’s looked real good.” “Bert, I want to give Lan Wood a little time. I think he has tremendous potential. It’s possible he’s not quite ready but I think he will be very soon, and when he is I think he’ll do a great job for us.” “Marty, here in Lowell.” “Coach, from what I’m reading those three recruits who committed, all of them are lousy students. What happens if they don’t hit the SAT score?” “We recognize that it’s a possibility. If it happens we’ll go get some other people. But these three are top notch and we think it’s worth the gamble. We’re doing all we can to encourage them to prepare for the test.” “Thanks Coach. Talk to you next week.”

September 1966 Star Trek premieres LBJ proposes gun control legislation Jimmy Hendrix changes name to Jimi Hendrix September 18 ‘Dick Hertz back on ‘Sportstalk.’ We have Coach Clark. Coach, any recruits commit yet?” “Not yet, but we have kids showing interest.” “Tell us about the schedule.” “Well, it’s a bit stronger than last year’s. Nothing tremendous but one ranked team and a few others up the line from conf. T.” Thanks Coach. Talk to you soon.” October 1966 LSD is first declared illegal Rolling Stones record their 1st LP Black Panther Party created National Organization of (later "for") Women formed October 2 “We’re back. Coach Clark, first day of practice.” “Yes. I can’t wait to work with this group. It looks like I have 9 or 10 guys who can play this game. I’m excited.” “That’s great. Recruiting?” “We have 3 that I feel we are very close with, and a few others almost as close.” “Great. We’ll check back soon.” October 23 “’Sportstalk’ with Dick Hertz. We have the coach on the line. Coach, some recruiting news.” “Yes, we have commitments from 2 PGs and an SF. Hoping to grab a big guy.” “Some questions though?” “Well, all three are borderline as to whether they’ll hit our SAT score but they’re very solid players o we’re gambling.” “How’s practice going?” “Really well. I think we’re going to have a very good year.” “Thanks Coach.” November 1966 Edward Brooke, of Massachusetts, becomes first black U. S. Senator. NYC smog attack kills 400.

May 1966 Buddhist monk self immolates in South Vietnam 300 U. S. planes bomb North Vietnam June 1966 Civil rights activist James Meredith wounded by sniper Stokely Carmichael launches “Black Power” movement Miranda decision by Supreme Court June 26 “Dick Hertz here on ‘Sportstalk’ with UML head basketball coach Kip Clark. Welcome back Coach. How does the recruiting scene look?” “Well, Dick, first of all, Tod Mack decided not to play this year. He’s taking a heavy course load as a senior and he felt he needed to concentrate on academics. He’ll be missed. Our other walk on, Tim May, will continue to be with us. We have 4 scholarships. “ July 1966 LBJ signs Freedom of Information act NYC transit fare rises from 15 to 20 cents Race riots in several U. S. cities Bob Dylan hurt badly in a motorcycle accident U. S. airplanes bomb demilitarized zone in Vietnam August 1966 Anti-Vietnam, and pro-civil rights marches proliferate in U. S. Beatles last public concert August 14 “’Sportstalk’ back after the break. We have Coach Clark on the line. Coach, how’s recruiting going?” “We’re talking to a whole bunch of kids and quite a few are showing interest. This program has shown it knows how to win and that helps.” “Thanks Coach. We’ll talk again soon”

April 1966 Bill Russell becomes first black coach in NBA Leonid Brezhnev becomes head of communist party in USSR April 4 “Welcome to ‘Sportstalk.’ Dick Hertz with the Coach. We said he’d be in the studio tonight but plans changed and he’s in the middle of some meetings so this will be quick. Awards were announced today. How’d you do, Coach?” “We did well. Clay Toll was named conf. Player of the Year and 1st team along with Curt Silk. I thought we might get one or two guys on the second team, but it didn’t happen.” “And the Coach was awarded Coach of the Year. We’ll be back with the coach in late April to wrap up the season and talk about next year.” April 23 “Dick Hertz on ‘Sportstalk. We have Coach Kip Clark in the studio and the lines are open. Coach, pretty good season, 23-8, 12-4, won the tourney. Moving up to conf. T.” “Yes, I think we did well, all in all.” “Positives?” “We played well together, as a team. We took good care of the ball in most games. We were +3.8 in turnovers. I thought we could have rebounded better but we were +1.8 there. We outscored our opponents by 7.2 per game. Individually, first we’re losing only Debro and Jamm. We’ll miss those guys but we have some terrific recruits coming in. Our entire starting 5 and our 6th man and 7th are all back. Rather than go player by player I’d just say I am thrilled to have them all back and I think we’ll be a real contender in T.” “And overall?” “Team Prestige is now 11. My record for three seasons is 61-30, .670. My ratings all started at 1, but now, off.- 10, Def.-16, Recruit- 41, Scout- 2, Player Development- 13, and Reputation- 14.” “Coach, did you get any head coaching offers?” “I’m not interested in moving but there were some calls. Oh, we got a $2,000 budget increase. It’s not a lot but we’ll take it.” “And you got a $4,000 salary increase.” “I’ll take that too!” “Let’s go to the phones, Rob in Chelsea.” “Coach, do you think you’ll still be playing the two walk ons next year?” “Rob, we’ll play whoever earns minutes. Mack and May have worked hard for us, and they’ve earned playing time. If some guys come along and show that they deserve those minutes, they’ll get them. Otherwise, my walk ons will keep playing.” “Joe, here on campus.” “Coach, if you’re gonna play the walk ons why not give them scholarships.” “Never thought of that. I’ll check into it, see if either of them needs it. Actually I think Tim May is on an academic scholarship so he’s probably okay.” “Steve from Dorchester.” “Any staff changes?” “As of now the entire staff is back. We’ve gotten to know each other and we work well together. Assistant coaches want to move up, and I support that, but it’s nice to keep the staff together.” “Grace from Cambridge.” “Coach, how long can UML expect to keep you? A young, successful coach is in demand. I’m guessing if you haven’t already, you soon will be getting offers from schools a lot higher up than T.” “Thanks, Grace. I’m not going to comment on offers I may or may not have gotten, but I’ve said regularly that Lowell is my town and UML is my school. I don’t see myself leaving here for a long time, if ever.” “We’re out of time. Looking forward to another great season, Coach.”

March 1966 215,000 U. S. troops in Vietnam. Supreme Court rules poll tax unconstitutional Anti-war demonstrations in several countries March 1 “’Sportstalk.’ We host the Conf. U tournament and there are 4 play in games today. We have Coach Clark on tape.” “Heck of a finish to the regular season. We beat Kennesaw State by 3 and Longwood lost by 2 so we ended up alone in first place. “Clay had 22 and 13 to lead us. Tim had a good first game back, and Dee and Curt played well but we survived a horrible 28 TOs, most in any game I’ve ever coached. The other team had 24, which helped.” “Okay, tonight will determine who UML plays first. We’ll be here every night as long as UML is in it, and we’ll have the Coach on live post game.” March 2 “Dick Hertz here. All the play in games were upsets so UML plays #9 seed, 14-14, 9-7 North Alabama. Here’s the coach on tape.” “We played there and they crushed us by 18. We need to be a lot better tonight.Their bench got 41, and that’s what did it.” … “Dick Hertz here post game. Narrow escape, Coach.” “Man! Oh well, the important thing is to win and move on.” “66-64 over North Alabama.” “Threes almost sank us, they got 11 of them, but in the end our big guys pulled us through, 18, 8, and 4 for Clay, 15 for Tim, 12 and 4 for Jon, and then 12, 5, 3 for Curt. They never led in the 2nd half but if that 3 point shot at the end had gone we’d be watching.” And tomorrow?” “All the favorites won so it’s Inane Word. We won by 10 at their place. Their starting Point broke his arm last week. He was their leading scorer. They’re 1-1 since but they aren’t the same team.” March 3 Dick Hertz here following the game between UML and Inane word. Good win, Coach, 69-58.” “Well, yes and no. I thought we played pretty well and I’m happy with the win but Curt Silk sprained his wrist. He’ll probably play tomorrow but he won’t be at 100%. Clay was unbelievable, 34 and 7. Dee had a good night and Tod was really good from the bench.” “So how will you adjust?” “We’ll give Craig Jain some of Curt’s minutes, Tod Mack some, and Craig will play a little.” “MD Eastern Shore upset Longwood.” “Yes, so they’re who we play for the title. We beat them by 12 at our place. They’ve won 5 of 6 and 7 of 9. We feel like we need to control the boards to win.” “Talk to you after the game, Coach.” March 4 “Dick Hertz here following the title game for conf. U. 62-54 and UML wins the title. Coach?” “We did a lot of things right, 10 TOs, 34 rebounds, our big guys scored lots of points. 16, 4, 2 for Clay, 12 for Tim, 6, 10, 2 for Tod Mack. Dee had 11 points and no TOs.” SO now we wait for Selection Sunday. How high can you go?” “It’s hard to say. I’m hoping for a 14 or even a 13, but the committee generally isn’t kind to schools from low conferences. We’ll see.” “And we’ll be here for a special edition of ‘Sportstalk’ a week from today. Coach is not available this Wednesday so we’ll talk to him in a week.” March 12 “Dick Hertz here for the NCAA selection show. UML’s EPI is 38 so hopes are high. “Not in the East.” … “Not in the Midwest.” … “#15 in the South and we’ll face #2 Michigan State, 23-5, ranked #7. Tough match up Coach.” “It’s disappointing. I thought we had a real chance at a #14 or a #13. Oh well, we’ll prepare for the game. It is what it is.” “How’s Curt Silk?” “Oh he’s fine. He’ll be 100% for the game, is now, really.” March 15 “’Sportstalk’ with Dick Hertz. We have Coach on the line. Coach, this the first time you’ll face a team from conf. A.” “First time with anyone above D. We hung in with Minnesota but A is a lot higher than D.” “Tell us about Michigan State.” “They play the high post, and on D they play mostly man, pressing from time to time. They would likely have been a #1 but they lost in the first round of their tournament, a big upset to #14 seed Syracuse. They have very good guards who score and who take care of the ball. They’re thin up front, but the guys they do have are good. Still, they are essentially an outside team. If we can manage to get their bigs in foul trouble we have a chance.” “Talk to you after the game, Coach. Good luck.” March 17 “Dick Hertz here after the UML-MSU game. 70-74. Coach, you did us proud.” “Thanks, Dick. We got behind early and had to play catch up all night. We never quite got there but we never gave up. That is one fine team we lost to tonight. Clay Toll had 20, 4, and 5 and he never quit, but I could say the same for all the guys.” “We’ll have Coach in the studio on Wednesday, April 4, to wrap up the season and talk about awards, then we’ll have him back again at the end of April. Thanks Coach.”

February 1966 1st operational weather satellite Dow hits all time high of 955 February 1 “’Sportstalk’ with Dick Hertz. We have the coach on the line. What a week, Coach. 2 wins and you’re in a 5 way tie for 1st.” “We beat 2 tough teams by 10 points each. With Portland State we knew outside play was the key and our guard play was incredible. 6 TOs and we forced 20. We didn’t rebound, yet again, but it didn’t matter. Our big guys scored. At Inane Word Dee had 24 with 4 steals. Tod had 19, 7, Clay had 14, 7. We had 18 TOs but we forced 25, and we were +5 on the boards. Like the Portland State game this one was never as close as the final score.” “Next week?” “9-11, 6-3 Delaware State at our place. They’ve won 5 of 6. They play a lot of people. No one stands out but everyone is steady so they’re hard to defend. “Then we travel to Northern Colorado, 8-12, 4-5. They’ve been very up and down. They’re good outside but only one decent big.” “Let’s take a call. Max in Leominster.” “How long until Tim May is back?” “He’s making good progress. The docs tell us about 3 weeks if things continue to go well. Looks like he’ll miss the regular season but he’ll be back for the conf. tournament.” “Agnes in Hudson, New Hampshire.” “Did you get that fourth recruit yet?” “Not yet. We’re still waiting on the guy we want and talking to a bunch of other guys.” “Thanks Coach.” February 8 “We’re back. Coach, great week again.” “It was. Clay Toll had a fantastic week. We beat Delaware State 67-43, and Clay had 20 and 10. 11, 6, 3 for Tod, and 7 and 9 for Jon. And the big guys got 41 boards, our best rebounding since we lost Tim. Curt had 19, 9, 4 outside. Then we beat Northern Colorado 65-57 there and Clay had 20, 8, and 2. That game was never as close as the final score indicates.” “5 wins in a row.” “We’re playing well. It took time to adjust but we’re there now.” “Next week?” “We start at 6-16, 5-6 Savannah State. They lost their C, who was probably their best player, for the season. They really struggled. Lately they’re playing better. “Then we host 8-14, 3-8 Abilene Central. Their starting PG is out with a broken foot.” “Sounds like 2 cupcakes.” “Last time we played a cupcake they beat us if you recall.” “Good point. Let’s take a call. Mo from Franklin.” “Coach, how’s the Ph. D. work coming?” “Thanks for asking. I had a great semester in the fall but I really got my brain stretched. This semester it’s only one course, but it’s ‘Symbolism in the Modern Novel.’ A lot of reading and more analysis and interpretation, and a whole lot of writing. Loving it though.” “Lou in Foxboro.” “Coach, you’re 16-6, 8-3. Looks like you’re headed for Conf. T.” “That’s the goal, Lou, but there’s a lot of teams bunched at the top.” “Thanks Coach.” February 15 “Dick Hertz, ‘Sportstalk,’ here with the Coach. Coach Clark, a 2-0 week and you’re alone in 1st with 3 to play. Looking good!” “I’ll take it. Just as a reminder, 2 of our last 3 are on the road and there are a lot of teams within striking distance.” “True enough. Tell us about the week.” “Well, we started at Savannah State and it was no contest, 72-56. Clay Toll had a field day, 31, 5, and 2. Jon and Dee, and Alex Jamm from the bench also had good games. 7 TOs. “Then Abilene Central came to us and we won 63-39, best defensive performance of the season. Curt Silk led the way with 18 and 9. Tod Mack had an off night but our other starters all played well. 34 rebounds, 11 turnovers.” “And next week?” “We start at Texas State. We beat them by 19 at our place. They’re 11-13, 7-6. They score mostly inside but they have trouble with the ball. “Libber Tea comes to us. We won by 19 there the night Tim May broke his hand. They’re 11-13, 6-7. They’re an inside team.” “You could use Tim May in that game.” “We could, but if we win at Texas State I definitely won’t. And if we lose there it will depend how the game is going. The final week I could use Tim and likely will.” “Okay, no questions tonight.” February 22 “’Sportstalk,” Dick Hertz. Coach Clark, tied for 1st with 1 to play!” “We lost 54-68 at Texas State, which hurt, but we survived it. Clay had 20 and 7, Craig Jain had 14, 5, 2 from the bench and no one else did much. “Then the game with Libber Tea became a must win. We started strong and won it 66-50. 21 and 9 for Clay, good backcourt work and lots of bench help. 10 TOs didn’t hurt.” “You wind up at Kennesaw State.” “Beat them by 20 at home, without Tim May, and Tim will be back. He’s been practicing with us, going full bore, and looking good.” “Best of luck, Coach.”

January 1966 Green Bay beats Cleveland for the NFL title. 12 transit strike closes NYC subways. “Rubber Soul” hits #1 January 4 “’Sportstalk with the coach on the line. Happy New Year, Coach. Tell us about the Texas State game.” “Happy New Year, Dick. Well, I thought if we played our game we wouldn’t have trouble, and that’s the way it turned out, 66-47. We never trailed after the first few minutes. Tod Mack had a really big game. Tim May was off, for the 2nd game in a row but Tod was more than ready to get it done. 10 TOs and +6 on the boards.” “Who’s coming up?” “We’re at Libber Tea first. They’re 5-7. Probably stronger inside than out. This is a team we should be. Then Kennesaw State comes here. They’re 6-6 and they’ve beaten some good teams. They’re stronger outside than in. they could challenge us if we’re not on our toes.” “We’re out of time. See you next week, Coach.” January 6 “Let’s open ‘Sportstalk’ with some bad news. While UML won their game easily last night they lost Center Tim May for about a month and a half with a broken hand. Coach is on the line. What can you tell us?” “All we know is that it’s a simple fracture to his non-shooting hand. First estimates are a month and a half but we’ll know more in a few days.” “Who’s coming in?” “We’re going to shift Clay Toll to Center, bring Tod Mack in at the 4 spot, and give more minutes to Alex Jamm.” “We’ll talk more about it with Coach Clark when he’s with us on Wednesday.” January 11 “Dick Hertz on ‘Sportstalk’ with Coach Clark. Coach, we usually start by reviewing the games, and we’ll get to that but first, Tim May.” “Doctors still say about a month and a half, which would get him back to us in time for the post season.” “And the adjustments?” “Well, we won by 20 last night.” “Okay, a two win week.” “We led Libber Tea throughout and won 65-46. Except for the injury things went well, 11 TOs. Tim had 17, 6, 3, and 4 steals when he went down with about 11 minutes left. Curt had 18 and 7. We had 2 practices with the new lineup before facing Kennesaw State but we beat them 66-46, so I guess we were ready. Tod stepped right in with 6, 10, and 4. Toll and Dark got 14 each.” “And coming up?” “We’re at 5-9, 1-2 North Alabama next. They’re stronger outside than in, and they play man. “Then comes Longwood, here. They’re 8-6, 3-0, tied for 1st with us. They’ve won their last 4 easily so they’re hot. Their strength is at guard, both of their guards can light it up.” “Question time. Marty from here in Lowell.” “Does the injury open up a chance for Alex Jamm?” “We’re going to need minutes from Alex so yes, this is a chance for him to shine.” “Bob from Milton.” “Any changes to what you do on either offense or D?” “Not really. Both Tod and Alex know our system, and they have the skills needed to continue with what we do.” “Rich in Saugus.” “Is this injury going to hurt your chances to win the conf.?” “Sure. Tim was our 2nd leading scorer and our leading rebounder, and he played good D. We’re deep enough not to have a huge problem, but we’re losing a lot while he’s out.” “Okay, thanks Coach. Talk to you next week.” January 18 “’Sportstalk.’ We’re back from break. Thanks to Northeastern wrestling coach Bammer Lee for visiting with us. Now we have Coach Clark on the line. Tough week, Coach, 0-2.” “Very tough week.” “I guess you’re missing Tim May.” “We are, but we really didn’t play very well in either game. It may be a question of confidence. We’re working on that. The staff really believes we can do fine with our lineup.” “Tell us about the games.” “Sure. North Alabama just cleaned our clock, 63-81. And they did most of it with their bench, 41 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists. Tod and Clay were fine inside, but our outside D wasn’t there. We gave up 11 threes.” “But you were out rebounded.” “Yes, by 5. That was a factor.” “And Longwood?” “Fouls killed us, Dee, Clay and Curt all fouled out. We were up 3 with 4 ½ left. Then within a minute all 3 guys were gone, and we lost 62-67. Clay had 19. We’ll be better, you can count on it. Bumps in the road happen.” “And this week?” “We start at 2-14, 0-5 Howard. They won their first 2 and have lost 14 straight. Their Point broke his leg in their third game and they haven’t made the adjustment. He’ll be back in a couple of weeks but until then they’re in trouble. “Then we’re home against 11-5, 3-2 MD Eastern Shore. That should be a real test as to whether we can compete for the conf. title. We feel like we need to beat them inside to win.” “Good luck Coach. We’re out of time, folks.” January 25 “Dick Hertz here with Coach Clark. Not the week you expected, Coach.” “Not surprised we went 1-1, but it was kind of upside down. I didn’t expect to lose to Howard.” “50-56.” “You don’t often win when you score 50. We didn’t shoot well and we didn’t rebound at all, -11. Our two starting guards both fouled out. It was nightmare.” “But you bounced back.” “We did. We were not exactly sweet and cuddly in practice and I guess the guys got the message. 80-68 over MD Eastern Shore. We still didn’t rebound but they didn’t either and Clay had 25 points and Curt had 19. We thought the key was winning the inside game and it was. We won that battle easily.” “And your next two opponents?” “2nd place, then 1st. We play Portland State here. They’re 10-8, 5-2. Good team, better outside than inside but not awful inside. “Then it’s 1st place Inane Word. 10-8, 6-1. 6 game winning streak right now. They are really good outside, as good as anyone in the conf. Oh, Dee hurt his ankle. He’s day to day and we think he’ll play, but he may not be 100%” “It never rains! Questions. Pete in Boston.” “Coach, you’re not getting’ the rebounds. Alex Jamm is though. Don’t ya think he should be getting’ more minutes?” “Alex is doing a great job on the boards, and I hope he does earn more minutes. To be completely honest, Tod is a better scorer and a much better defender. We’re working with Alex on D. When he gets there he’ll play more.” “Ken in Salem.” “I can’t believe Craig Jain isn’t getting more minutes. Dark has tailed off.” “Jon is in a little slump. We want him to work his way out of it. Craig is a good player. We’ll get him more minutes when we can.” “Tough week coming up, Coach. Good luck.”

December 1965 Gemini 6. First rendezvous in space. Gale Sayers scores 6 touchdowns. December 7 “Dick Hertz on ‘Sportstalk.’ Good week, Coach.” “Yes, 2-0. We played our strongest game of the year against Niagara, 83-56. Tim May had 24 and 13, Curt Silk 18, 5, 5, and our other 3 starters plus Tod Mack and Alex Jamm also played well. 11 TOs. “It was closer at Bryant but we finally took charge to win 66-61. May had another big game, 12, 8. 8 TOs.” “You’ve been good with the ball almost every game.” “Yes, we’re averaging 12.6 TOs. I’d like to get it down to 12 even but not bad.” “The next two games?” “Both at home. Buffalo is in N. They run motion, play man, and pretty much press all night. They’re 2-3 with a win against Washington. They turn it over a lot, and their best player is their Center. “Appalachian State is in L. They play 5 out but their bigs do the scoring. They play 1-3-1 and press now and then. They use a 3 guard lineup.” “We’re running late so no questions tonight.” December 14 ‘Back on ‘Sportstalk.’ Thanks to BU hockey coach Jeff Moore. Now we have Coach Clark on the line. Tell us about your week, Coach.” “1-1. You like to win at home but I guess that’s not going to happen every night. Buffalo beat us 53-56. We didn’t play at all badly, especially on D, but we simply didn’t score enough. May had 17, Dark had 11, and no one else did much. “Then we were really good against Appalachian State, 56-46, but never as close as the final score. Again, we didn’t show much offense but our D was terrific. Curt Silk had an excellent game, 18, 4, 8, and always steady Tim May had 11 and 7. 9 and 11 for Jon Dark. 10 TOs and 38 rebounds.” “So you’re 6-3 with 2 non-conf. games to play. Tell us about next week.” “Only one game, At home with FL Atlantic, in P. They use the flex and play 2-3, and they press occasionally. They’re 4-3 against decent competition. Their 2 and 3 put up a lot of points.” “Grace in Cambridge.” “Hi Coach. You’ve got 7 guys really getting the job done. Do you ever look at the 'Net' stat?” “That’s one I look at a lot but it can be deceptive regarding guys who don’t play a lot of minutes. If you track Jon Dark his rating his steadily risen as his playing time has. Tod Mack’s has fallen as he has played fewer minutes.” “Yes, but it indicates that you’re definitely playing the right guys.” “I don’t anticipate too many lineup changes at this point although I don’t rule it out.” “Thanks Coach. Time’s up.” December 21 “Dick Hertz here on 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! Here’s the Coach.” “Good win this week. We beat FL ATL 64-47. Curt Silk lit it up, 25, 5, 2, and Dee Port had 13, 6, 5. Our big guys had a battle on their hands but they held their own. 17 TOs, which did not make me happy. Our D has been very strong the past few games.” “Yes it has, Coach. Your last pre-conf. game is at Fairleigh Dickinson. Tell us about them.” “Well, they’re in Q, they play man and don’t press much, and they run the triangle. They’re 4-6, but they’ve lost 6 of their last 7. They play 10 guys so they always have fresh bodies on the floor. The scoring is spread out so you can’t key on 1 or 2 guys.” “Mickey in Haverhill.” “Coach, did you forget that Debro’s on the team?” “No I didn’t, Mickey. Jon’s in a tough spot. There are three guards ahead of him who are all playing really well. If I get a chance I’ll definitely use him; he works hard.” “George in Worcester.” “Coach, ya gotta score more points.” “I agree, George.” “Ya oughta put yerself in. You’re the best scorer UML ever had!” “Thanks Mickey. The toughest part of coaching for a young coach is you still want to go in there. I don’t think I’d get away with it though. We work on freeing guys up for the open shot, and making cuts for layups. It can be a long process. We’re averaging 6.8 points per game more than our opponents so it could be worse.” “See you next week, Coach.” December 28 “Dick Hertz, ‘Sportstalk.’ Quite the game last night, Coach.” “Took a year off my life!” “Talk about that amazing ending.” “Well, we were up 67-66, with 36 seconds left. They worked it for the last shot. Our D stayed patient and stayed in their faces and they couldn’t get the shot they wanted. Finally, with 5 or 6 seconds left they took a three with our guy in their face. It went in off the glass. So now we’re down 69-67 with just a few ticks left. Dee brings it down, Jon sets a pick for Curt, Dee gets him the ball and he drains a three right at the buzzer for a 70-69 win.” “There was some controversy though.” “The other coach was screaming that the shot got off too late, but it really wasn’t all that close. The horn went just before the shot got to the rim.” “Good game for Curt?” “He had 20, 4, 3 including the game winner. Dee had a terrific game, and Clay played well. Tim had a very rare off night. He was in foul trouble all night long and didn’t play much. Fortunately Tod Mack and Alex Jamm did a great job filling in. I was unhappy with 21 TOs, and we’ll work hard on that, but otherwise we played well.” “8-3 for the pre-conf. season.” “I’m really happy with that. Looking forward to the start of conference play.” You start with Texas State at home.” “Motion on O, man to man, press now and then. 4-7. This is a team we should beat, especially at home." “We have time for one question. Dave in Dedham.” “Coach, at some point you’re gonna hafta face the fact that Tod Mack needs to be in there.” “Tod is playing well, but remember, every time you put somebody in you need to take somebody out. What we’re doing is working pretty well. If we have difficulty we’ll change the lineup, but only then.” “Thanks Coach.”

November 16 “’Sportstalk’ and we’re here with Coach Clark. Great start to the season, Coach, a 63-52 win over Campbell.” “There were a lot of things to be happy about. When you hold the opponent to 52 you know you played good D. We had only 10 TOs, we had good shot selection, we distributed the ball well, we got good bench play. On the down side we could have rebounded better, and I expected more from Curt Silk, although he played good D.” “Tell us about Jacksonville.” ‘They’re in V. They moved down when we moved up. They play 2-3, and they press now and then. They run 5 out on O. They open tonight so no other info.” “Then you’re at Northern Kentucky.” “Yes, they go with shuffle on O, and play mostly man to man. They’re in T, and they lost to Jacksonville State. Their Point and their Small Forward look good.” “Let’s take a call. Joe in Yarmouth.” “Coach, Jon Dark looked real good. Any thought of starting him?” “It’s a little soon to make changes but I can see him working his way into the lineup if he continues to play well. Playing well earns minutes.” “Johnny in Barnstable.” “Any thought of going to more man?” “I think about it all the time. My guys do better in a zone most of the time. We work the man defense in practice every day though.” “See you next week.” November 23 “’Sportstalk’ with Dick Hertz here. We have Coach Clark on the line. Coach, 1-1 since we last talked.” “Two road games so I guess 1-1 is good. We lost 63-67 to Jacksonville. 19 turnovers, which was very disappointing. Silk had 22 points, May had 10, 8, and 4. “Then we beat Northern Kentucky 58-53. 14 TOs which was better but more than I want. Curt Silk had another good game, 17, and Time May had 13 and 10. Jon Dark needs more minutes, he’s playing really well. The staff is planning on giving him more time.” “Upcoming games?” “Back home with Northeastern. They’re in O. They play shuffle, use man on D and press now and then. They’re 3-0 but they haven’t played anybody. They could be a challenge.” “Then on the road for our toughest game on the schedule, Minnesota in D. Triangle on O, 2-3 on D, and they press at times. They lost by only 2 to Indiana. They have a good Point and they are tough inside.” “Recruiting?” “Still chasing that last recruit.” “Let’s here from Jed in Lexington.” “Coach, I can’t believe you’re still playing walk ons.” “I can’t either, Jed, but they outplay our scholarship guys in practice and they perform in games. Tim May is our 2nd best player and Tod Mack is doing a great job.” “Cal in Danvers.” “I’m with the last guy. Jon Dark needs more time and so do Jamm and Debro.” “I don’t hear a question but I’ll address the concern. Jon Dark’s minutes will increase. I keep expecting Jon to reach the level we want him at. He’s making progress. Same for Alex.” “That’s it for today. Talk to you next week, Coach.” November 30 “’Sportstalk,’ we’re back from break with the Coach. Sometimes life is just weird. Two game two results, 2 identical scores. You beat Northeastern 56-52, and lost to Minnesota by the same score.” “Never realized it until you said it. Great comeback in the Northeastern game. We never led until late. Jon Dark’s first start and he had 11 and 5. Tim May and Clay Toll also played well. “I think it speaks well for our chances that we hung in with a team from D. 12 TOs and +9 on the boards. If we hadn’t shot so poorly we could have won. 11 more for Dark.” “And the next couple of games?” “Home against 2-1 Niagara from O. They play motion and man and they press sometimes. They beat Villanova so they can play. They have 4 guys who score but only one who rebounds, and they’re very thin at guard. “Then we’re at Bryant in T conf. They’re 3-2 against nobodies. Very good at the guard spots but no inside game. They run the shuffle and play 3-2.” “Mark in Fall River.” “Coach, the stat sheet shows that Tod Mack and Craig Jain are playing better than a couple of your starters.” “The stat sheet doesn’t show how well people defend, and it doesn’t show hustle or heart. We look at the stat sheet all the time, and we use that info. But it doesn’t rule us. If only it were so simple that the stat sheet could tell us who to play.” “Good luck next week, Coach.”

October 1965 Beatles receive MBE Gateway Arch completed in St. Louis October 5 “Dick Hertz here on ‘Sportstalk’ and we have Coach Clark on the line. Coach, how’s practice going?” “I like what I’m seeing. It’s early but I think we’re better than we were last year. All in all I think we’ll play more defense, and at least so far we’re moving the ball pretty well. Oh, we’re picked to win Conf. U.” “How do you feel about that?” “It seems like a stretch given that we’ve just moved up to this division, but if we stay healthy and if we develop the way I think we can, it’s an attainable goal.” “Sounds good. Just a note to the fans. When the season starts Coach will be on with us once a week, usually on Wednesdays, and always by phone. We won’t have as much time with him as in past years but we’ll try to get a question or two in most weeks. He’ll talk about the previous week’s games and he’ll break down the games being played over the next week or so. We’ll have Coach on the line at least once more before the games start.” November 1965 The great Northeast Blackout Marcos elected President of Philippines U. S. sends 90,000 more troops to Vietnam November 9 “Dick Hertz here on ‘Sportstalk.’ We have Coach Clark. Coach, you won your two exhibition games.” “Yes we did. Dee Port is our Point again this year. Curt Silk will be in the other guard spot and Clay Toll will play up front. The other two spots are still in contention. Tim May, Jon Dark, and Tod Mack will play lots of minutes, but Craig Jain, Alex Jamm, and Jon Debro are standing by waiting for their chance.” “Recruiting?” Almost finished. We have commitments from a PG a Small Forward and a Power Forward. Looking to fill one more slot.” “Who do you play next week?” “We start at home against Campbell from R. They play 5 out, and 3-2, and they press now and then. Don’t know much else.” “Sound good Coach. See you next week.”

August 1965 Morley Safer reports that we are losing the war in Vietnam India invades Pakistan LBJ signs the Voting Rights Act Watts riots in L.A. last 6 days August 24 “Dick Hertz here on ‘Sportstalk’ with Coach Clark on the phone. Coach, did you offer scholarships yet?” “As a matter of fact we did. We offered to 2 bigs and 2 guards, and all 4 are showing some interest.” “Great news. Classes start on Monday. Any concerns about that one guy who’s having difficulty?” “I’m confident he will be eligible by the end of the semester.” “Thanks Coach, we’ll call again when the schedule is out.” September 1965 More U. S. troops sent to Vietnam India-Pakistan war reaches a cease fire agreement “I Dream of Jeannie” premieres September 21 “’Sportstalk’ with Dick Hertz. Coach Clark is on the line. Coach, what’s going on with recruiting?” “I’m very encouraged. We feel we’re getting really close with 2-3 guys.” “So nothing yet. Tell us about the schedule.” “We’ve beefed it up a little, Dick. We’re not playing UCLA by any means but there are some teams from middle level conferences, and I wanted our guys to play against one top flight team so we’re traveling to Minnesota in late November. I think there are things to be learned by playing a team at that level.” “Sounds good, Coach. The start of practice is right around the corner.” “Yes it is, and I can’t wait to get started.” “We’ll call again during that first week of practice. Thanks Coach.”

May 1965 First use of satellite TV. Cambodia cuts off diplomatic relations with the U. S. Thousands of more U. S. ground troops arrive in Vietnam. Rolling Stones record “Satisfaction” SpaghettiOs hit the market Muhammed Ali knocks out Sonny Liston in 1 round June 1965 Sony introduces 1st home video tape recorder Supreme Court ruling legalizes use of contraception by married couples Bob Dylan records “Like a Rolling Stone” June 22 “Dick Hertz, ‘Sportstalk’ 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO. First appearance of the preseason with Coach Kip Clark of the UMass Lowell River Hawks. Coach.” “Hi Dick, what happened to Spike?” “Spike is no longer a student here at UML.” “Welcome. So are you a local boy?” “Actually, I’m from Holden, MA.” “Okay, Dick Hertz from Holden, glad to be with you.” “Thanks Coach. So what’s going on?” “Lots of new faces. We have 2 freshmen and we signed 2 very good looking Point Guard transfers. Oh, and guard Curt Silk, who we expect great things from, is eligible. He transferred to us last year.” “Great. So what are you looking for in recruiting?” ‘Well, probably the best players we can get. We have 4 scholarships.” “You have all of your assistant coaches back.” “Yes we do, so everyone knows the system as well as the way we operate, and we’re all comfortable with each other.” “Any predictions for the season?” “Well Dick, since I can’t even begin practice until October it’s a bit early for that, but I can tell your listeners that we’ll play the same scrappy, tenacious, never give up basketball that they’re used to.” “Thanks Coach. We’ll catch up with you in a few weeks.” July 1965 Mariner 4 sends back 1st pictures of Mars Health warnings 1st printed on packs of cigarettes LBJ signs Medicare bill July 28 “Dick Hertz here on ‘Sportstalk.’ We have Coach Kip Clark on the phone. Coach, how’s recruiting coming?” “Still early, Dick, but we’re very encouraged. We’re getting positive responses from several recruits.” “Are all of your players academically eligible?” “Yes they are. One of our transfers isn’t quite, but we’re working on that. He has a year to work on grades before he can play, and we’re making sure he does.” “How do you keep track of your students’ academic progress?” “We are all over that. First, we have mandatory study hall seven days a week. Once the season starts we skip it on game days. Next, each student/athlete is assigned an academic adviser who communicates with the student and with all of his instructors on a regular basis. Third, we have tutors available in all subject areas.” “There are a lot of subject areas, Coach.” “Good point, but we don’t need to get completely specific. A math tutor can help with all math classes, an English tutor can help with writing all papers, a History tutor can help in times and places that are not his or her specialty.” “Thanks Coach. Talk to you again soon.”

April 1965 Boston Celtics win NBA title. Casey Stengel wins his 3000th game. Marines invade Dominican Republic April 5 Spike McGee here with Coach Clark. Awards were announced yesterday, Coach.” “Yes, Clay Toll was conf. freshman of the year. Dee Port made first team. Clay and Gene Beck made second team.” “You left one out coach.” “I was named coach of the year.” “Congratulations Coach. Any job offers?” “I’m not interested in moving, Spike.” “Great, but were there offers?” “There were calls.” April 23 “Last visit of the season with Coach Clark. What’s new?” “Well, we signed Jack Doff, and Rob Berry, both PFs. Rob looks really good. I asked for more recruiting dollars. We got $4,000. I’ll take it.” “Thanks Coach. Let me read some numbers for you. After two seasons UML has gone from Team prestige of 2 to 10. Your record is 38-22, for .633. When you started all of the following were at 1, now? Offense is 7, Defense- 11, Recruiting- 25, Scouting is still at 1, Player Development is 9, and Reputation is up to 10. I’d say we’ve got a pretty good young coach!” “Thank you, Spike.” “Let’s take a call or two.” “Barry in Chelsea.” “Coach, it looks like you nabbed some recruits right at the end of the season.” “We did, and I think some will definitely help us. The best pick up was the transfer, Curt Silk. I think he’s that outside scoring threat we’ve been looking for. Actually, I think we’re going to be a lot better next year.” “Lou in Barnstable.” “You moved up one conf. How’s that going to work out?” “I think we’ll be competitive. There’s not all that much difference at this level, and I think we’re going to be pretty good. The goal will be to move up to T and I think it’s attainable.” “One more, our old friend Grace from Cambridge.” “First, I wanted to thank WLOW for bringing us the games. I’m a UML alum and I get to the games when I can but when I can’t I listen. Spike, you do a great job.” “Thanks Grace!” “And Coach, you were one of the best players ever at UML, and I think you’re going to grow into the best coach we’ve ever had. I hope you stick around.” “Thank you, Grace. I keep saying this, but I have no plans to move, at least not for a very long time. This is home, I love UML, and I’m very happy here.” “Okay, that wraps it up. We’ll be in touch in May or June, Coach.”

March 1965 Civil rights protests in Selma, Alabama Both U. S. and USSR test nuclear weapons First combat ground troops arrive in Vietnam Aleksei Leonov becomes the first person to walk in space U. S. uses chemical warfare against the Vietcong March 1 “Spike McGee here courtside at Tsongas for the first round of the V conf. tournament. This will be a short edition of ‘All about Sports.’ Coach, what are you seeing so far?” “Some pretty exciting basketball. The game between #8 Nebraska-Omaha and #9 South Dakota, which determines who plays us tomorrow, happens later on, so no way to know who we’ll play.” “Tell us about the shuffle offense.” “Okay. Continuous movement, using both a high post and a low post, quick cuts, passes and ball reversals. You need a good passing team and guards who are comfortable in the post.” “Coach, you’re at 18-9, 11-5. Great season.” “Well, only if we do well in this tournament but so far, yes, I’m happy with the season. We’ve had our ups and downs but we’re a gritty team that doesn’t give up.” “Thanks Coach. Tune in tomorrow for the UML game. Coverage starts at 7:45.” March 2 “Spike McGee. Tonight UML plays Nebraska-Omaha. This is a rematch of last week’s game which we won by 5. Earlier in the year we beat them by 7, here. Coach, what do you need to do to advance to the semifinal?” “We need to not let their guards and their bench beat us. We did a really good job of that last week. It really is as simple as that.” “Thanks Coach.” … “Spike McGee back after the game. It was a night of upsets. Every game was an upset except ours. Another 5 point win over UNO. Coach?” “It’s unusual for us to say this but our bench won this game. Ours outscored theirs 22-13. We had 13 TOs to their 19. We didn’t really shut down their SG and SF but Dee neutralized them by getting 20. It was a good win.” “we tur5 seed NJIT tomorrow. We beat them by 3 there and then 13 here.” “Yes. In the second game we turned them over all night long and took care of the ball. That’s what we need to do tomorrow, along with not letting their outside shooters go crazy.” “Coach, this win assures that you move up to conf. U.” “Yes it does, and I look forward to it. I thing we’re ready.” “Talk to you after the game tomorrow Coach. Good luck.” March 3 “Spike McGee courtside after the NJIT-UML game. 60-50 and we’re in the final. Coach?” “6 turnovers. I want to shout that from the housetops! Dee was terrific, Clay was back, with 13, 5, 3, Tim had 9, 2 and 2 from the bench, Gene had 6 and 9. They stayed with us for about 30 minutes but we kept fighting and pulled away in the last 10.” “Bench play?” “Their bench was tough but ours did pretty well, too.” “#11 seed Savannah State for the title. You won by 4 at their place.” “The thing about this conference is that we’re all about the same strength. It’s usually about who comes to play on a given night.” “Okay, we’ll talk about Savannah State on the pregame show tomorrow. Good luck, Coach.” March 4 “Spike McGee here before the title game between #11 seed Savannah State, 15-15, 8-8, and UML. Here’s what Coach had to say.” “They’re really good at Center and at Shooting Guard. They like to get the ball inside. They play man. Essentially if we stop their inside game, especially their Center, we’ll probably win. Last time we turned them over 22 times and that was a huge factor, and Clay Toll outplayed their big guy.” … “Spike McGee here post game. 50-54. So near and yet so far. Coach?” “It was a very tough loss. The officials were a factor. First, they just called way too many fouls, and second, they called too many on us. Savannah State went to the line 35 times and we went 20. When you consider that they played man just about all night and we played zone most of the time it simply doesn’t add up. But, some of it was our fault. We didn’t turn them over enough, our bigs didn’t play all that well, and we shot poorly, especially from three point range, 2-15.” “Do you think you’ll be invited to one of the tournaments?” “I doubt it very much. Our RPI is under 100 but we’re in the lowest conference. We’re allowed to keep practicing right through April 3, but I don’t think we’ll play again.” “Okay Coach, we’ll wrap up the season on Wednesday, and we’ll talk from time to time after that.” March 8 “Spike McGee, ‘All about Sports.’ We’re here with Coach Clark. Coach, 20-10, 11-5, made it to the title game of the conf. Not a bad season!” “No, not bad at all. We would have liked to win the title and that still burns, but truly, we did okay. The only player we’re losing is Gene Beck. Gene has been a big part of our success, but still, losing one guy gives me reason to be optimistic about next year.” “Let’s stay with this year. What were your biggest plusses?” “I’ve said it before but I think we played hard, and we just didn’t give up. Individually, Dee Port did a terrific job at the Point. I’m thrilled that he’ll be back for three more years. Guys like Clay Toll, Craig Jain really grew into their roles. And our walk ons, Tod Mack and Tim May, gave us a lot more than we could have expected.” And disappointments?” “We need to defend the outside shot better, but we made great strides late in the season after making some changes. We definitely need to rebound better and losing Gene won’t help with that. And we need top score more points. There were a few guys we hoped to get more from. Hopefully those guys will be ready to contribute more next year.” “Let’s try to work down the list of offenses. Shuffle.” “We already talked about that one.” “Oh, yeah, I guess we did. 5 out?” “It’s an offense for teams that shoot well outside but don’t have much of an inside game. It works really well by keeping at least 4, and maybe even all 5 players outside, and getting the ball to them for open shots. We put the 3-2 in to work against that offense.” “Okay, talk to you in a couple of weeks, Coach. Thanks.” March 13 “Spike McGee here on ‘All about Sports.’ We’re trying to reach Coach Kip Clark. I’m sure he already knows that UML was invited to the CHI tournament, so their season continues. What? Good. I’m told we have Coach Clark on the line. Coach, congratulations!” “Thanks Spike. This was a terrific surprise.” “Why do you think you were invited?” “Well, our RPI went up to 85, mainly because a lot of teams ahead of us lost in early rounds. That and I think the tournament committee saw us as a fun team to watch.” “Were your guys surprised?” “Oh yeah. I’d been telling them at practice that there was an outside chance but not to get their hopes up. I got the call this morning and kept the news to myself until our 4:00 practice. I gathered everyone together at the start opf practice and told them. It got a little crazy for awhile.” “You’re the #5 seed in the West, playing in Great Falls, Montana. You play #4 seed Drexel. What do you know about them?” “Well they’re way up in H. We haven’t played anyone from that high a conference in my two years here. They play Princeton and do a lot of damage outside. They play 1-3-1, which we don’t do well against but which we have a couple of days to prepare for. Again, their strength is outside. We really need to pound it inside all night long, and we need to control the boards. They’re from a high conf., so they’ve played much better teams than we have, so we need to be at our best.” “When are we flying out there?” “6:00 a.m. flight tomorrow morning.” “Okay Coach, best of luck and we’ll talk again after the game.” March 15 “Spike McGee here courtside after the game. Tough, tough loss, 59-63. You certainly belonged out there with a team from H coach.” “Yes, I think we did. We never trailed by more than 7, there were 19 lead changes. We did a lot of the things we wanted to do. We turned them over 19 times, we had a rebounding edge, Dee had 24, 2, and 5. On the other hand they killed us from Shooting Guard and Small Forward. Those two positions, counting the first guy off the bench, had 45 points. Still, I’m proud of my guys. If a couple of things had gone just a little differently we’d still be playing.” “Thanks Coach. “ March 29 “Spike McGee, ‘All about Sports.’ I have Coach Clark on the line. Coach, news on the recruiting front.” “Yes, Marv Ellis, a Point Guard, just committed.” “Still no big guys.” “Not yet, but we’re working on it.” “Thanks Coach.”

February 1965 Malcolm X is shot and killed. U. S. begins regular bombing of North Vietnam February 1 “’All about Sports.’ We’re back from break with the Coach. The lines are open. 3 in a row, 7 of 9, all 9 in the 60s after averaging 59.4 before that. Things are looking up!” “We’ve played well lately. We seem to have the right guys on the floor, we’re generally keeping our opponents at or below 60 a game, and we’re scoring in the low to mid 60s. We’re taking care of the ball and we’re usually staying out of foul trouble.” “7 to play. Tough games?” “4 are road games and those are always tough. No games with teams in the top 3 though. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. Well, that and rebound a little better.” “You’ve been giving Tim May more minutes to help with that. Yes, and he’s played well. We plan to give him even more minutes, even to go with only one guard at times.” “Isn’t that dangerous?” “Well, Tod Mack handles the ball well. We think he can play a little Shooting Guard. That gives us a really big lineup and hey, if it doesn’t work we just stop doing it.” “What’s the offense of the week?” “Lots of teams play Flex. I thought I’d go with that. The objective is to keep the ball moving with quick passes until someone is open for either a lay up or a shot close in. You need to have at least 4, and ideally all 5 good ball players to run flex. When it works you get a lot of open looks real close to the basket.” “How do you stop it?” “Go 2-3 and keep the 3 in the paint or real close to it. This offense gets the other team out of man to man real quick when it’s working properly.” “Let’s go to the phones. Eddie, here on campus.” “Coach, I can’t get into the games any more.” “Sorry about that, Eddie. We’ve made sure to keep 50% of the tickets available to students. We may need to go to a lottery system or something like that for next year. Our A. D., Jack Lacy, and I have been talking. We think we might be able to add about 500 seats if the demand keeps up. That would help. We’re working on it, Eddie.” “Oscar in Weymouth.” “Keep up the good work, Coach. We’ve got season tickets. Hey, we want to go to the conference tournament. Where’s it gonna be?” “We hope it will be here. The way it works in the lower conferences is that the team that gets the #1 seed hosts the tournament. If it’s us, season ticket holders get first shot at tickets. If it’s away that’s still true but we don’t get as many tickets.” “Coach, Kennesaw State is in next. Talk about that game.” “Okay, Spike. They’re a pretty good team, 12-8, 5-4, but they’re awful on the road, 1-8. Everybody scores except the Power Forward. Like most teams in V they don’t handle the ball all that well. “That’s it, folks. See you next time.” February 2 “Spike McGee courtside at Tsongas after the game. 59-40, and now you and Houston are 2 or more games ahead of the rest with 6 to go. Coach?” “No trouble tonight. We held them to 12 in the first half. We had 12 TOs, and we were +11 on the boards. Tim May came up big with 8 and 7 in just 22 minutes. 17 and 14 for Gene Beck and 19, 4 for Clay Tool. The big lineup may not work every night but it certainly worked tonight.” “Thanks Coach.” “Spike McGee in Jacksonville awaiting the start of the game with 10-11, 4-6 North Florida. Coach?” “They run motion on O and play man to man. They tend to be streaky. Right now they’ve lost 2 in a row, They don’t score many points. The points they do score are mostly inside. They have one rebounder and they turn it over. They’re tough at home.” … “Spike McGee here with the post game report. Not a good night, 48-69.” “This is as bad a game as we’ve had all year. Tod Mack had 13, 8, 2 and that was the only positive. I mean 6-20 from the line? Outrageous! Dee was in foul trouble all night. Best thing to do is forget this one.” “The only good news is that Houston lost too, so you’re still tied for 1st. Two teams are one back.” February 8 Spike McGee, ‘All about Sports.’ The lines are open. Coach is going to talk about the motion offense today. Coach?” “The most important thing is… motion. Players without the ball keep moving to get open. The big guys stay near the basket so the guards and the small forward can roam around outside or cut to the basket.” “5 to play and you’re at the top of the heap, Coach.” “True but there’s a big pile up, two teams one back of us and Houston, and 6 more teams 2 back.” “So you need to keep winning. Do you think you need to win all 5 remaining games?” “I’d take 4-1. I think that would put us in really good shape.” “3 on the road.” “That’s true. I’m hoping we can win our 2 home games and win 2 out of 3 on the road.” “You’re at Lamar next. Tell us about them. 15-7, 6-5. They play triangle and play the 2-3 zone. Very tough at home, 10-2. They score more outside than in, and they sometimes have trouble with ball handling. It’s a tough road game.” “Let’s go to the phones. Gary in Salem.” “You still don’t have that outside shooter.” “Well, Dee Port is a pretty good outside shooter but no, we don’t have a Shooting Guard or a Small Forward who can light it up. Of course my offense is more inside oriented. Dee can bang in an outside shot which keeps the D honest but yes, if I had that hot shooter it would help. But, I can’t make a trade to get one.” “Bob from Malden.” “Coach, any luck with recruiting?” “Still working on it every day. We hope to grab a couple more guys.” “Okay, thanks coach. See you in Texas.” February 9 “Spike McGee here after the UML vs. Lamar game. 54-60. Tough loss, Coach.” “Yes it was. I’m not one to blame the refs but they sure didn’t help tonight. We went to the line 5 times, they went 19. By the same token Lamar did a great job of containing Clay and Gene, holding them to a combined 8 points. That’s the way to beat us, and it worked.” “The good news is that you’re still tied for 1st. The bad news is there are three other teams tied with you.” “And another 2 teams one back. Our next 2 are at home and we need to win them both.” “Thanks Coach.” February 13 “Spike McGee. Tonight UML is at home vs. 9-14, 6-6 UL Monroe. Here’s the coach’s breakdown.” “They play man, run the triangle, and their Center can really score points. They lost their starting Power Forward to grades. Stopping their Center is key. He’s their big scorer and their big rebounder.” … “Spike McGee back with the post game report. 72-67, and now it’s back to only 2 teams at the top, UML and Houston. Coach?” “Clay had foul trouble all night long, but our other four plus Tim May all did a great job. 9 TOs to 17, was also a big factor. A good win but we need to keep winning.” “Thanks Coach.” February 15 “’All about Sports.’ The Coach is on the phone. He only has a moment tonight so no calls. Coach, you beat NJIT by 3 there, to start conference play.” “That’s right, Spike. They can be pesky. They run Princeton on O and play man. Their Point and Small Forward did the damage last time. They’re 10-14, 7-6, so this is a really important game for them as well as for us. We need to turn them over more and rebound better than last time. Gotta go.” “Thanks Coach.” February 16 Spike McGee here at Tsongas after the game. 51-38. Incredible defense, Coach.” “Definitely. We held them under 25%. Only turning it over 8 times helped, too. Dee had a terrific game, 15, 5, 4 and he shut down the NJIT Point. Tod, Gene and Tim also had good nights. Clay has been struggling. He struggled again tonight.” “You’re still tied with Houston, but now there’s only 1 team one game back. 2 to play, both on the road. Good luck, Coach.” February 20 Spike McGee in Phoenix just before the start of the game with 9-16, 4-10 Grand Canyon. Here’s what Coach Clark had to say.” “We only won by 7 at home. They play shuffle, and use a pesky 1-2-2 on D. Their bench nearly did us in last time. This is a must win for us if we hope to finish first.” … Spike McGee here with the wrap up. 55-68. A disappointing night, Coach.” “Yes it was. Last time their bench nearly beat us. Tonight their bench did beat us. Well, that and the 17 turnovers and the fact that they completely shut us down inside, except for Tim May.” “The good news is that Houston lost as well. You go Nebraska-Omaha in a 3 way tie for 1st, with only one team 1 game back.” February 22 “On the road for this edition of ‘All about Sports.’ Coach, I guess tomorrow’s game is the definition of a big game.” “To say the least!” “Tell us about Nebraska-Omaha.” “Well, we only beat them by 7 at our place. The bench was the problem. Theirs outscored ours by 12, outrebounded ours by 6. They score outside. We stopped their starters but their guards off the bench almost did us in. They’ve won 3 of 4, 6 of 9, so they’re playing well, especially at home. We need to turn them over, take care of the ball, and we need Clay Toll to snap out of his funk.” “Should be interesting. We can’t go to the phones tonight because of our remote set up. Coach, we’ve been describing offensive sets. Let’s talk about the high post offense.” ‘”Okay. You bring your Center up to the free throw line to create room under the basket, then you try to get your guards to post up low, or get the ball to them and have them drive against their man. This works well if you have a size advantage at either or both guard positions, or if your guards are quicker than theirs. It hurts the chances for offense rebounds.” “Okay, good luck tomorrow Coach.” February 23 “Spike McGee here courtside after the game. It’s a great night. We won 50-45, Houston lost, so we finish in a two way tie for 1st place with Inane Word, and we get the #1 seed and host the tournament. Coach?” “It was a nail biter, Spike. We were down 7 with about 5 minutes left. From then on we took charge. Tod’s scoring and Gene’s rebounding did it for us, and Clay had a really good game. He had 7 and 7 but he shut down the other Center, holding him to 1 and 3.” “Post season time. Good luck, Coach.”

January 1965 T. S. Eliot dies. Winston Churchill dies. January 2 “Spike McGee here in Newark after the game with NJIT. Great start to conf. play, 69-66 road win. Coach?” “Definitely! Close all the way and we managed to pull it out at the end. 12 TOs makes me happy. I also liked that we got good bench play. If we’d made free throws it wouldn’t have been as close as it was.” January 4 “’All about Sports.’ Coach Clark, how did speeding up the offense work?” “Too soon to judge but we got more points and we had only 12 turnovers so that’s a good sign.” “Coach, your supporters talk about how flexible and innovative you are. Your detractors say you’re out of control and never stay with anything. Your comments?” “I have intelligent supporters. Seriously, in coaching you need to be constantly monitoring, and you need to be willing to make adjustments. When you try something you need to give it a few games. I try to do all of that.” “Beverly in Beverly.” “Coach, you still don’t seem to be getting recruits to commit.” “That’s my greatest frustration, Beverly. Believe me we’re working on it.” “Clark in Medford.” “Coach, I think you brought in some real good players this year.” “Thanks, Craig, yes we did. Port is doing great at the Point, Clay Toll is doing great work inside, Craig Jain is starting at the 2 spot, and Jon Debro gives us good minutes from the bench. So I guess we did okay recruiting last year. And we got most of those guys late. I feel like that can happen again this year.” “Talk about Grand Canyon, they’re next.” “They’re 6-6. They play 1-2-2, which we don’t see much. Their 2 and 4 score points. They lost their 1st big guy off the bench to grades and they’re real thin inside. We need to exploit that.” “Thanks Coach.” January 5 “We’re back to the post game wrap here at Tsongas. 63-56 for UML. Coach?” “We knew we needed to dominate inside and we did. +9 on the boards and 36 points by our bigs. Their bench almost did us in; we’re just not getting much from ours. Our starters all played well though and that was enough.” “Thanks Coach.” January 9 “Spike McGee court side here at UML. 7-6, 1-1 Nebraska-Omaha is here. Coach?” “Strong outside, not much inside. They can play on the road. That’s about it.” “Talk to you after the game.” … “Spike McGee back with the post game report. Another win, Coach, 67-60.” “3 straight games scoring in the 60’s, only 9 TOs. I guess I should have picked up the pace earlier! Dee Port was terrific tonight. He shut down the other team’s Point, who’s normally their best player, and he scored 22. Our 4 other starters all played well on both ends.” “Keep it going, Coach. See you on Wednesday.” “’All about Sports.’ 3-0 start in conference, Coach.” “Yes. We’re at SIU-Edwardsville next and they are really struggling, 1-13, 0-3.” “Tell us more.” “Their numbers are pretty awful in all areas. It always scares me to play a team that’s doing this poorly. It’s too easy for my team to be complacent. I’ve worked on that in practice and I hope they were listening.” “Grace in Cambridge. Hi Grace.” “Hi Spike, Coach. It seems to me that if you can score 60 you should win, coach. The other team almost never gets that many.” “That’s my thought as well, Grace.” “Keep that speed up on O, Coach. The numbers have been great since you started doing that. That and putting Mack in the lineup have really seemed to help.” “You know, I was looking at the stat sheet. We keep a chart that shows the stats game by game so I can compare, and yes, the numbers are all improving since we made those changes.” “Thanks Coach. See you in Illinois.” January 12 “Spike McGee post game. 65-55 to keep it going. Coach?” “Scoring the first 11 of the game put us in a good position. They never quite caught us. Tod had a great game, 12 and 7. All 5 starters played well and we got a little something from our bench. The only down spot was 18 turnovers, more than we’ve committed in a long time. Didn’t hurt us though.” January 16 “Spike McGee 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! We’re here at sold out Tsongas for the pregame. Tonight it’s 9-6, 3-1 Texas Pan American. Coach, you’re 4-0, in a 2 way tie for first. What do you need to do to win tonight?” “Their Point, and their bigs do the scoring. They play decent D. If we can turn them over and not let their Center get too many rebounds we should be okay.” “See you after the game, Coach.” … “Tough one, Coach. 64-65.” “The tough part was blowing a 13 point lead in the last 8 minutes. I am NOT happy!” Having your two bigs in foul trouble all night had to hurt.” “No doubt, and when Clay went out with #5 with 3 and ½ to play that seemed to do us in. I thought Alex Jamm did a great job subbing for him but it wasn’t the same. Gene had a great game, 14 and 13. And you’d think you’d win when you only commit 7 TOs, and are only -3 on the boards. But, once again, their bench was deeper than ours, 24 points to 15, and we shot 30%.” “Still, it took a lucky shot to beat you. That 35 footer at the buzzer had no business going in.” “Spike, when something like that happens I always feel we should never gotten ourselves into a position where that could happen. In the last minute we rushed two shots, and missed three free throws.” “Hang in there coach. Talk to you, on Wednesday.” January 18 “Welcome back to ‘All about Sports.’ Thanks to referee Art Baker for being our guest before the break. Now we’re with the Coach. The lines are open. Coach, despite the loss on Monday you’re 11-5, 4-1. Pretty good season so far.” “Never tell a coach he’s having a good season right after a loss. Actually, we’re doing well, all in all. But there’s a long way to go and we need to stay focused. We play the team in 1st place next, there. Still, Gene and Clay have done really well up front and Dee has been really solid at the point. Craig Jain is fine at Shooting Guard, and now that Tod Mack is at Small Forward the lineup seems pretty solid. I’d like to get more from our bench. We’re going to give Tim May more minutes up front, just to see what we see.” “Coach, since speeding up the pace on O you’re scoring several points more each game, getting a bout one less turnover per game, and getting more steals. Seems like that was a good idea.” “We think so, at least so far. We’re hoping it will continue.” “So what do you need to do to be Houston Bullfest?” “Well, remember, they’re 5-0 in conf., but only 7-9 overall. When teams keep the score down they’re in trouble. They can turn it over and we need to make that happen. Then if we can win the battle of the boards, or at least keep it close to even, that should do it. That may be asking a lot but we think we have a chance.” “Dave in Framingham.” “Hey Coach, was it a bad idea for Spike to have a coach and a referee that close together?” “Ha! Actually, I try to stay away from having an antagonistic relationship with them. I only complain when there’s a really good reason to. I think they are more likely to listen with that approach.” “Hazel in Concord.” “Coach, I hear you talk about all these offenses, 5 out, flex, Princeton, but I don’t really understand. Could you explain?” “Hazel, this is Spike. That’s a great question. We’re planning to have coach explain one offense per week. Let’s start now, Coach.” “Okay. One of the offenses we play is Princeton. In that formation the offensive team tries to get as many layups as possible. Look for a lot of back door cuts- that means someone is being over-played by the defender- played too closely, you take 2 steps toward the player with the ball then, when the defender follows, cut quickly to the basket or to an open area. This gets a lot of layups or open shots. It takes a really quick pass because you won’t stay open for long. The secondary benefit is that the defender, after getting burned a time or two, will back off, giving the player more room to get a shot off. So again, in practice you work on making quick, sharp passes, and you work on making quick cuts to the right spot. Quickness is vital.” “Okay, that’s it Coach. See you in Houston. We’ll be right back folks.” January 19 “Spike McGee here in Houston following UML’s 62-71 loss. Coach?” “We talked about a bunch of things that needed to happen for us to win. Most of them didn’t happen. We didn’t keep the score down, we didn’t rebound, we didn’t turn them over often enough. Big factor yet again though, was bench play. Their bench got 28, ours got 11.” “Thanks Coach.” January 23 Spike McGee hare in Lowell before the start of the game between UML and 7-10, 3-3 South Dakota. Here’s what the Coach had to say.” “They play Princeton and man. After an 8 game losing streak they’ve won 4 of 5. They get a lot of points inside. They can rebound but they turn it over.” … Spike McGee here with the post game report. Back on the winning track, 65-56. Coach, you’ve been in the 60s for the last 7 games.” “Yes we have, ever since we decided to pick up the offensive pace. We’re turning it over less and turning the other team over more.” “10 TOs tonight, and +9 on the boards.” Those things are huge factors in whether you win or lose.” “Talk about Dee Port and Tod Mack.” “Dee has been a solid, solid Point for us. 17, 4, 4 tonight, and that’s not at all unusual. Tod has really made a difference since being placed in the starting lineup. His numbers aren’t spectacular but they’re steady, and he gives us a lot on D.” “Tim May has been playing more.” “Yes, and he’s playing well. His minutes will continue to increase.” “Thanks Coach. Back in a minute with the stat sheet.” January 25 “’All about Sports.’ Our next guest is Coach Clark. The lines are open. What’s new, Coach?” “We’re going to give Tim May more minutes. Other than that we’re staying with what’s been working for us.” “You’re in a 3 way tie for 2nd, 1 back of Houston Bullfest.” “Yes, but teams are bunched. There are 5 just one game behind us, and 4 more 2 back. We need to keep winning.” “Let’s go to the phones. Will in Dedham.” “Coach, you play an awful lot of zone. Why?” “We play 3-2 about ¼ of the time, 2-3 about ½. Why? Well, lots of reasons. Theoretically I’m a man to man guy but my players do better in a zone. You go with what works- at least I do. We play man about ¼ of the time. I like mixing up the defense to keep the other team on their toes. If I have the personnel to play man I will. Right now I don’t.” “Ray in Pittsfield.” “Coach, you’ve about given everybody a try out there except for Jon Debro. Why not him?” “Well Ray, Jon started three games for us. He got a minor injury and we went to Craig Jain. Craig’s done really well. Jon plays about 14 minutes a game and he gives us good minutes. If the circumstances allow it he may get more time at some point.” “Okay, last week we started explaining one offensive set each week. Which one this week, coach?” “We play two, primarily. We talked about Princeton. Let’s talk about triangle. In that set you overload one side of the floor in an attempt to clog up the D and get the ball to a big guy inside. It involves setting picks in the crowd and springing someone who cuts to the hoop. It’s really that simple- well, plus the fact that, as always in basketball, that ball needs to get to the open guy really quickly. You never stay open for long. I like the pass to come from Dee because he is easily our best passer. We’ve gotten lots of points for Gene and Clay out of this formation.” “Then why don’t you use it all the time?” “Great question. The general rule is you stay with something until the other team makes adjustments to stop it. Then you go with something else. That’s how I do it. Basketball is a chess game. You adjust, they adjust, you readjust, they readjust. The fascination for a coach is in recognizing what the other guys are doing and coming up with a way to beat it.” “I have about a thousand follow up questions but we’re running short on time and I want to talk about your next opponent, Cal. ST Bakersfield, coming here for a game tomorrow night. They’re 4-14 and 0-7 in conf. play.” “Yes. Not one of the better teams. They run the high post and play man on D. They’ve lost 11 of 12, most by a wide margin but only 1 point in their last game. Their starting Point Guard broke his wrist at the very end of their last game and they have a big guy out as well. This is a team we need to beat and if we play our game we will beat them.” “Thanks Coach. Back in a minute.” January 26 “Spike McGee here after the game. 67-55, but it was never in doubt. Another sellout, Coach.” “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the fan support. 6 turnovers tonight. That’s fantastic. Dee had 20, 6, 5, Clay had 17 and 8, and our bench played well. Craig Jain was in foul trouble for most of the night and Jon Debro did a great job filling in for him.” “Halfway through the conf. season and you’re 13-6, 6-2, in a 2 way tie for 2nd.” “So far so good. I just hope we can keep it up, and if we stay healthy I see no reason why we shouldn’t. 5 of our last 8 are on the road and that will make it a bit tougher. That’s my biggest concern, really.” “Thanks Coach.” January 30 “Spike McGee in Savannah, Georgia before the game with 9-10, 5-3 Savannah State. Here’s what Coach said.” “They play man and run Princeton. Hard to beat at home. Very good Center. They cough it up easily. We need to pressure the ball. … We’re back after a 64-60 win that put UML in a 2 way tie for 1st in conference. Congratulations Coach!” “Thanks Spike.” “Dee Port seemed to bang up his knee.” “He did, late in the game. Docs say he’s day to day and probably won’t miss a game.” “So break it down for us.” “Close all the way. Our stats guy said there were 19 lead changes, 17 ties, nobody ever led by more than 5. Clay was our go to guy all night long. He had 23, including our last 4. We had 15 turnovers but we forced 22. Tim May gave us some great minutes from the bench. Craig and gene had some foul difficulties so the bench was important. A great win!” “Thanks Coach.”

December 1964 The U.S. begins bombing North Vietnam. Singer Sam Cooke is murdered. Lenny Bruce is convicted of obscenity. The Cleveland Browns win the NFL championship December 1 “Spike McGee post game here at Tsongas. Another win, 75-64 over Mercer. The River Hawks are now 5-1. Coach?” “5 players in double figures, we took good care of the ball, we turned them over 18 times, we scored some points. A good win!” “Thanks Coach.” December 5 “We’re in Dover for the game between 5-1 UML and 2-4 Delaware State. Here’s what the coach said.” “Their Point is their best player. He’s banged up but we think he’ll play. He’s the key. No one else has looked very good for them. They play man and they press now and then.” … Post game with Spike McGee. 39-58 loss. Coach, UML didn’t look very good tonight.” “That’s too kind. We weren’t bad on defense but we were terrible on O. 17 turnovers, 34.9% shooting, not working to get open. I am NOT happy and the guys are going to know about it at practice.” “We’ll be back in a moment.” Wednesday, December 7 “Welcome to ‘All about Sports.’ The lines are open. Coach Clark, BU is next.” “They’re in conf. M. They play flex, and are good outside. Man to man D. 3-4 with a good win against ODU but 4 bad losses. We think we can turn them over often.” “How are the new facilities?” “Well, now that the work is finished they’re terrific. Everything is shiny and new, there’s a little more room, and the showers are great. It’s nice to have our own locker room and the visitors’ side is just as nice.” “Let’s go to the phones. Jim in Bridgewater.” “Hi Coach. Any solutions to the scoring problems?” “The staff discusses the issue at every meeting, and we’re working on it at practice. We have some guys who are good shooters but who don’t seem to be dropping shots. We’re hoping it will turn itself around.” “Gary, here on campus.” “Coach, we don’t get many rebounds. What’s the story?” “No, Gary, we don’t, but we average 1.7 more than the other team. I’d like to increase that margin. But really, the issue is scoring.” “Harry on the North Shore.” “The Drifters or the Four Seasons?” “I like the Four Seasons but The Drifters, definitely.” “Who else do you like, Coach?” “I really like The Supremes, the Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, the Kinks, and of course The Beatles, oh, and Bob Dylan.” “We’re out of time. Thanks Coach.” December 8 “Spike McGee postgame at the Tsongas Center. Good win tonight, 71-54. Coach?” “Only 7 TOs, 50% shooting. +3 on the boards. Clay Toll had 20 and 9, Gene Beck 19 and 11. Pretty happy, all in all.” “Thanks Coach. Back in a minute with out of town games.” December 13 “Spike McGee here in Boone, NC. Tonight UML plays 6-1 Appalachian State. Tough team, Coach?” “They’ve beaten some pretty good teams and they’re very tough at home. They’re really good inside but they can make the outside shot, too. They’re not bad with the ball, and they can rebound. They play 1-3-1, which usually gives us trouble. We need to be sharp tonight.” “Good luck, Coach. We’ll be right back.” … “We’re here with the post game report. Tough one tonight, Coach, 57-65.” “They beat us inside, but 19 turnovers didn’t help. And SF is killing us. We need to get creative there.” “Thanks Coach.” December 14 “’All about Sports.’ This segment is with Coach Clark. The lines are open. So Coach, did you make that change at SF?” “We did, Spike. We’re going to give Tod Mack a try there. Tod’s a walk on but he’s worked hard and we think he might get the job done.” “You’ve really had trouble getting a lineup together this year, Coach.” “Well, I’m not sure that’s how I’d put it. This is a process. We’re not Michigan State. Those guys an d teams at that level have lots of good players. I really like all of my guys but none of them are going to play professionally. So we need to patch things together. Hey, we’re 6-3 at this point. I’d say we’re patching pretty well.” “Grace in Cambridge.” “Hi Coach, do you think Mack will help with rebounding?” “Hi Grace. Yes, we do. He’s not afraid to go after the rebounds. That and scoring are what we’re looking for from him. He’s a decent defender too.” “Benny in Pittsfield.” “Hey Coach, you’re trying everybody except Jake Dirk. I’d try him before a walk on.” “Thanks for the advice, Benny. Jake has been getting more than 20 minutes a game. If Mack doesn’t work out Jake is my next option.” “Carl in Danvers.” “How’s the Ph.D. coming, Coach?” “Thanks for asking. It’s really challenging but I need the stimulation. I’m glad I decided to do it.” “Okay, that’s it for tonight.” December 19 “Spike McGee here at Tsongas. Tonight the 6-3 River Hawks face 5-4 Iona from conf. L. Here’s Coach.” “They’re good at Shooting Guard and Small Forward, and they play man on D. They’ve beaten some very good teams and lost to some lousy ones. They don’t play great D, and they’re sloppy with the ball.” … “We’re back with the post game report. Another win, Coach, 76-63.” “And a sell out, our first here at UML.” “And Tod Mack had 8, 7, and 2.” “Yes he did. Having another threat makes us really hard to defend. We had only 10 TOs, we were +7 on the boards, and our bench got 23 points. And this was a team that beat some people. Our key will always be the inside play of Beck and Toll, but everyone did their part tonight.” “Thanks Coach.” December 21 “All about Sports.’ Coach Clark can only give us a few minutes tonight so no calls. Sorry. Coach, 6-3 with one more to play before the conference season begins. Your thoughts?” “I like this team. It’s taken some time to find the right mix but I’m hopeful we’re there. We’ll be keeping our eyes open and further adjustments are always possible, but we have 8 guys we’re comfortable putting on the floor. Last year it was six.” “You end the preconference season at Southern.” “Q conference, good outside shooters, they play man an d press once in awhile. They have 2 more to play before they get to us but they’re 6-2 now, no quality wins, both losses to nobodies, undefeated at home. We should, and need to own the boards. If we can turn them over we’ll be okay.” “Thanks Coach.” December 26 We’re here in Baton Rouge after the UML-Southern game. Not a good night, Coach, 51-61.” “Same old story, not enough offense. When you give up 61 you should win. But 18 turnovers didn’t help, and we got nothing from the bench. I thought our starters played well but not a single point from the subs.” “Back in a minute.” December 28 “Our last ‘All about Sports’ for 1964. It’s been quite a year. The lines are open. Coach Clark, are you where you want to be as we head into 1965?” “I think we’re in fairly good shape, actually. I like our lineup, we generally get decent bench play, and we do a lot of things well. We need to score more points. We’re going to try a slightly faster paced offense to see if that will help. It will either increase our point total or increase our turnovers, or maybe both, I suppose.” “Let’s go right to the phones. Elton in Concord.” “Coach, do you think Mack is the answer at Small Forward?” “He’s had two games where he’s put up good numbers. We’re hoping it continues.” “Joey from Brighton.” “Coach, how’d ya spend XMas?” “I had dinner with my family. My folks are right here in Lowell so I didn’t need to travel far.” “Did you bring your girlfriend?” “Ha! Nice try, Joey, but the Coach never talks about his private life.” “That’s right, Spike.” “Coach, you open at NJIT. Break it down for us.” “They were picked #6 in conf. They’re 3-8 right now, and lost their last 6. They have even more trouble scoring points than we do. They are not impressive, BUT they’re 3-3 at home, and the road is never easy.” “One more call. Cliff in Dorchester.” “Hey Coach. How’s the 3-2 workin’?” “We want to stay with it awhile longer. I think it’s having some effect. But remember, our problems have a lot more to do with offense than with defense.” “Okay, we’ll be here tomorrow night at 7:00 and we’ll talk with the coach after the NJIT game on the 2nd.”

November 14 “Spike McGee here in Greeley, Colorado post game. UML got off to a great start with a 72-59 win. Here’s Coach Clark. Keys to victory?” “+19 rebounds. That was huge. We completely dominated inside. And we got great bench play, 29 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists. We never got anything like that last year.” “Problem areas?” “Fouls, but the refs were calling everything. The other team was hurt by it as much as we were. No one fouled out for us but I had to sit guys more than I would have liked, but again, the bench came through.” “Thanks Coach. I know you want to get to the locker room.” November 16 “Spike McGee here on ‘All about Sports.’ The lines are open. Coach Clark is with us. Tell us about VMI, Coach.” “They’re in O conference so they are much higher up than we are. They play the triangle. They play 3-2 on D-” “I see you use that at times this year. That’s new, isn’t it?” “Yes, we wanted to try to cut down on the number of threes we gave up last year. We’ll see how it works out.” “Go ahead with your analysis of VMI.” “They lost their opener but to a ranked team. They showed a balanced offense. Their D wasn’t that impressive but again, they played #19 Virginia. They had 22 TOs. We think if we take care of business we’ll be okay.” “Let’s take some calls. Victor in Dudley.” “Beatles or Beach Boys?” “Beatles, not even close.” “Didn’t expect that, Coach. So you like the new sound.” “Absolutely! It was time. I wasn’t even listening to music much. I think these guys are really going to do some exciting things.” “Okay, as long as we’re on the topic of entertainment, what are you reading?” “Well, I’m reading for my two Ph. D. courses. I’m taking a course on how to do research, and then a seminar on the Shakespearean history plays.” “Heavy duty stuff. Do you have time to see any movies?” “I loved ‘The Pink Panther’ so I had to see ‘A Shot in the Dark.’ If they make 50 more Pink Panther movies I’ll see them all. I think Peter Sellers is the funniest guy since Groucho Marx.” “Favorite film of all time?” “Casablanca. No contest.” Grace in Cambridge. Welcome back, Grace.” “Thanks, Spike. Coach, what’s the biggest difference between last year and this year?” “I could go on forever, and I could answer it in lots of different ways. The biggest difference personally is that I’m doing everything for the second time, not the first. That is incredibly different. I never felt lost last year, but everything was new learning. This year I have a much better sense of how to budget my time, and a clear idea of how to do nearly everything that I need to do. That’s gigantic. As to the team, it’s early but I really think the biggest difference is that we’ll get a lot more from our bench. I’m really comfortable putting Craig Jain and Jake Dirk in, and Tod Mack sure looked comfortable out there. That allows me to rest my starters more, which leads to all sorts of benefits. Thanks for calling, Grace. You always have great questions. Call again.” “Okay, thanks foi being with us, Coach. Stay tuned listeners. We’ll talk about that Bruins trade next.” November 17 Spike McGee here with the post game report. UML won 61-50 tonight before an almost full house. Coach, I know you want to get into the locker room so give us your thoughts.” “+14 on the boards, only 10 TOs. We stayed out of foul trouble. We gave up too many threes. Clay Toll and Gene Beck are a very tough combo inside.” “I notice you switch them up, both on O and on D.” “Yes, they can both play either spot, Center or Power Forward, and switching it up confuses the opposition. Dee Port played a great game at the Point.” “Thanks Coach. We’ll be back with the stats sheet.” November 21 “Spike McGee courtside at the Tsongas Center for tonight’s game between 2-0 UML and 0-2 Troy. Coach Clark had this to say earlier this evening.” “This is a better team than they’ve shown so far. They’re in conference O, they’ve lost to #17 UConn and a good Oral Roberts team. They rebound really well. They press often and effectively. Their weakness is ball handling and we need to exploit that.” … “Spike McGee here with the post game report. This was one of the strangest college basketball games I’ve ever seen. A win is a win but no one expects a final score of 44-40. Coach?” “They play slow but they really slowed it down tonight. We knew we needed to turn them over and we managed to do it 18 times while only having 12 TOs. They won the inside battle for two reasons, first, Clay Toll was in foul trouble all night, and second, their backup Power Forward gave us fits. We got good bench play too, and that saved us.” Coach, Shooting Guard Jon Debro went down with a hand injury. Any news?” ”Looks like a few days. We’ll start Craig Jain, who’s been playing really well.” “Thanks Coach, see you on Wednesday.” November 23 “Spike McGee, ‘All about Sports.’ It’s Wednesday so Coach Clark is here. Coach, how’s Jon Debro?” “We’re going to sit him on Thursday, and maybe for the following game as well. Craig Jain has been playing well, and we think we’ll be fine.” “The River Hawks are off to a great start!” “It’s early and the road is just ahead, we play our next two away from home, 3 out of 4, and 4 out of 6. Let’s see what that does.” “You expected good inside play. How has that been?” “So far, so good. I’d like us to rebound a bit better but we’re +9 so I guess I can’t complain.” “Let’s go to the phones. Leo in Danvers.” “Coach, is the lineup pretty well set, except for the injury to Debro?” “Glad you asked. As a matter of fact we’re going to give Jake Dirk more minutes up front. Alex Jamm hasn’t given us what we need. He’ll still start but we hope this will motivate him. We’ll see.” “Barbara in Leicester.” “Coach, How’s the 3-2 working out?” “It’s really early, and we only use it maybe 25% of the time, but we’re giving up fewer threes. Let’s see if that holds up.” “Mark, here on campus.” “Coach, it’s starting to get tough for students to get tickets.” “We’re drawing pretty good crowds these days, Mark. I want us to adopt a policy where half the total amount of tickets are allotted to students. I’m working on that these days. I want our students at the games. You cheer louder, and that’s a huge help.” “Thanks, Coach. I hope it works. I love going to the games.” “Happy to hear that, Mark.” “Okay, we’re out of time. Thanks to Coach Clark and tune in tomorrow when we interview Bill Russell of the Celtics via telephone.” November 24 Spike McGee courtside in Conway, Arkansas for the pregame show before the game between 3-0 UML and 3-0 Central Arkansas. Coach, something’s got to give!” “Yes it does, Spike. Central Arkansas has a win against a pretty good Akron team. Their shooting Guard, Watkins, can really put up points. We’ll need to make that difficult for him. They rebound well, too. We think their 1-3-1 D is a step slow and we hope to exploit that. We’ll need to make quick, crisp passes for that to happen, and it’s really key. We’re hoping for no more than a dozen turnovers. We’ve got a starter out and we’re trying some lineup changes so who knows what will happen, but as always, the River Hawks will play hard.” “Spike McGee back from break. We’ll continue the post game report with Coach Clark. Coach, things didn’t go well tonight. 41-56.” “No, they sure didn’t. 41 points after 44 last time. I think I know where the problem is.” “Do you have a solution?” “I think we’re pushing it inside too often. We’ve lost our balance. I want the ball to go inside but we’re going to need to show an outside threat so that the other team can’t just pack the paint. We’ll work on it. It’s still November so there’s time.” Thanks Coach. Be right back, folks.” November 28 Spike McGee here for the pregame show. We’re in Florence to face 1-2 North Alabama. They beat a poor team by 1 and lost to 2 really good teams. What can we expect, Coach Clark?” “We can expect lots of outside shots. They’re decent on the boards but their offense is mostly outside. On D they play a decent man to man. This could be a tough game.” “No lineup changes?” “No, but we’re keeping our options open.” “Thanks Coach.” … “Spike McGee post game. Quite the battle coach, 66-64.” “Whew! We got behind by 9 early and played catch up until the last 5 minutes. Then we got the lead up to 7 and almost gave it away. If they’d made that 3 at the buzzer- but they didn’t. I’ll take the win!” “What went well?” “Our inside game. +7 rebounds, 20 and 7 for Beck, 12 for Toll, 6 for May, all inside. Dee Port did a nice job at the point.” “What didn’t go well?” “I’m still not getting enough at Shooting Guard. We’re going to evaluate that on the plane ride home.” “Great game to watch. Thanks Coach.” November 30 Spike McGee, 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! We’re the campus radio station for the University of Massachusetts Lowell. It’s Wednesday so we’re on ‘All about Sports’ with head basketball coach Kip Craig. The lines are open. Coach, last time we spoke you were contemplating the shooting guard spot. Did you come up with anything?” “We’re 4-1. It’s not time to panic. We want to give the most recent changes a couple of games.” “Mercer up next. What can you tell us?” “They’re way up in conference J. Score more outside than in. Run Princeton, play man, press now and then. 2-3, beating three good to very good teams, but losing to 2 nobodies on the road. Good balance without an outstanding scorer or rebounder, and they don’t handle the ball well.” “Let’s take some calls. Bob in Fitchburg.” “Coach, what about your walk ons?” “I’ll use them when I need to but they’re walk ons for a reason.” Mike, right here in Lowell.” “Tod Mack is better than you think. Play him.” “Thanks for the advice, Mike. I’ll keep it in mind.” “George in Methuen.” “How’s the Ph.D. work coming?” “It’s coming well, actually. I’m really enjoying my classes. They’re challenging and they really make me think.” “Well I think a head coach should be a full time head coach, and you’re not.”’ “Hey George, don’t be-” “No, I’ll answer the question. George, If I thought this was taking away from my coaching I’d drop it. It isn’t. First, I’m a guy who doesn’t need much sleep, maybe 4, 4 ½ hours a night and I’m fine. Second, I don’t have a wife and kids. Coaches who do give up a lot more time than I’m giving up and I doubt that you’re suggesting that all coaches take a vow of chastity.” "Ha! Good answer, Coach. See you at the game.”

May 1964 Jawaharlal Nehru, 1st prime minister of India, dies. LBJ announces the “Great Society” The Pink Panther is an enormous hit for Peter Sellers. “You Don’t Own Me” by Leslie Gore almost breaks through to #1 but the Beatles continue their strangle hold on the top spot. June 1964 Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment. Sen. Ted Kennedy is seriously injured in a plane crash in which the pilot is killed. Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney are murdered in Mississippi. Jim Bunning pitches a perfect game. The first in the National League since 1880. June 5 “Spike McGee, ‘All about Sports.’ We haven’t had Coach Clark on for awhile. He’s with us tonight by phone. Hi Coach, Did you get any vacation time?” “Hello Spike. Thanks for asking. Not really. I went to a Sox game and that was about it. Busy.” “What’s going on?” “Unfortunately, Dan Tayn decided to transfer leaving us with 8 scholarship athletes. We’ll definitely be playing some walk ons.” “So you looking at the transfer pool?” “Definitely. Staff and I are going through the list today.” “I notice you’re still in conference V.” “Yes, as it turned out we would have needed one more win in the conference tourney to move up. It’s okay. I don’t think we’re ready for U. We will be next year, and the goal is to get there.” “And is that attainable?” “We think so, yes.” “Coach, I meant to ask how that 20th century lit course went.” “Ask me next time the exam is next week! Seriously, it was great. The instructor is terrific.” “Any plans to take other courses?” “As a matter of fact my dream has been to get a Ph. D. in Literature. I just applied. It will take me awhile since I can only take 2 courses fall semester, one spring, but hey, I’m not going anywhere.” “Kind of tough to make classes with your schedule.” “The department head felt like I could work all of that out.” “Okay, sounds good, Coach. We’ll be checking back in from time to time. Once the season starts we’ll be with coach just about every week right here on 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO!” June 26 “Spike McGee here with Coach Clark. How’d it go with transfers?” “We only got one but he looks like a good one, Curt Silk, a Shooting Guard.” “So lots of scholarships?” “Oh yes, 6, and we need some of everything so we’ll take the best players we can get.” “You didn’t have a lot of luck last year, Coach. Will this year be different?” “We hope so. I love my new recruiting coach, Cameron Bills. He really knows how to talk to kids.” “Okay Coach, we’ll be checking in again soon. We’ll be right back, folks.” July 1964 LBJ signs the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. The war in Vietnam continues to escalate. August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is passed August 21 “Spike McGee ‘All about Sports.’ We’re here with Coach Clark. Coach, how’s recruiting going?” “Well Spike, we’re in the very early stages. A few kids are showing some interest.” “Have you offered any scholarships?” “We’ve made offers to 3 guards and 3 bigs.” “Good luck with that, Coach. How are the facilities renovations coming, Coach?” “Almost finished, Spike. The place has a new look specially the locker rooms. They’re ready to put the new lockers in and then all they’ll need to do is paint. New showers, new dressing area. That sweat sock smell is gone. New lighting really brightened the place up.” “New coach’s office?” “Actually, no, but they completely redid the room. It looks great!” “Thanks Coach. Let’s take a break.” September 1964 The Beatles refuse to play to a segregated audience in Jacksonville, FL. The Warren Report is released. Fiddler on the Roof opens Harpo Marx dies September 18 “Spike McGee here with Coach Kip Clark. Coach, tell us about the schedule.” “Well, as was the case last year, everyone in the preconference schedule comes from a higher conference, but we looked for games we had a chance to win. No North Carolina or Duke on this schedule.” “And recruiting?” “I think we’re doing a little better than last year. I’m optimistic.” “Thanks Coach. Back in a minute.” October 1964 Nikita Khrushchev is deposed as leader of the USSR. Martin Luther king Jr., wins the Nobel Peace Prize. The St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series Cole Porter dies. Herbert Hoover dies. October 2 “Spike McGee. Coach, how’d the guys look at practice today?” “First practice so it’s a little soon, but all in all, they got her in shape, and they hustled. Gene Beck is still looking like our go to guy, but Freshman Dee Port looked good at the Point. Everything in between is up for grabs.” “And recruiting?” Ted Rose, a Point Guard, committed, and a couple of big seem ready to commit. We’re working on it.” “I notice you’re picked 4th in conference.” “I’m hoping we can do at least that well. Our #1 goal this year is to move up to U.” “Thanks Coach.” November 1964 LBJ defeats Sen. Barry Goldwater Great Britain abolishes the death penalty November 16 “Spike McGee, 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! Welcome to ‘All about Sports.’ Tonight begins our weekly Wednesday night at 7:00 interview with UML head basketball coach Kip Clark. Coach, what did the exhibition games tell you?” “Well Spike, they told us quite a bit. First, I think we’re going to be really strong inside. We already knew about Gene Beck but Clay Tool is one of those kids who doesn’t show you all that much in practice but then kicks butt in games. Port is our Point, no doubt, but Jon Debro surprised us at the other guard spot, as did Craig Jain. Alex Jamm will start at 3. Jake Dirk will get minutes up front. After that it’s all walk ons, but those first seven I’m comfortable with. If we stay healthy we’ll be competitive in conference.” “Gotta ask again. Recruits?” “Well, that battle never seems to end. We’re looking a t a lot of guys and Cameron Bills and I are talking to them. I’m hopeful. We have a transfer and one commitment but they’re both guards. We need some big guys.” “You start off at Northern Colorado. What do you know about them?” “They’re in U, just above us. They run the shuffle on O. They play man. Their Shooting Guard is their best player. That’s about what we know.” “Okay. We’ll take questions starting next week. Thanks Coach. Stay with us listeners. We’ll talk about the Patriots after this break.

April 1964 Arnold Palmer wins the Masters. 1st baseball game is played at Shea Stadium. Boston Celtics win the NBA championship. Beatles hold the top 5 spots on the Billboard top 40. First time that has ever happened. The Rolling Stones release their first album The New York World’s Fair opens. April 4 Spike McGee, ‘All about Sports,’ We have Coach Clark with us. Welcome back, Coach, it’s been awhile.” “Nice to be back, Spike.” “Let’s talk about awards.” “Sure. Gene Beck was conference player of the year, defensive player of the year and he made the first team. Roy Green made the 2nd team. Gene will be back but Roy graduates.” “How’s recruiting going?” “We feel like we’re close with a couple of guys.” “Thanks, Coach.” April 23 “’All about Sports’ welcomes back Coach Kip Clark for the end of the season wrap. You have some new assistants.” “Yes, and I’m really happy to sign them. We have #1 Cameron Mills, an experienced recruiter. At #2 is John Jones, who will scout for us. At #3 will be my practice/bench coach, John Holmes. I think this staff will do really well.” “Recruiting?” “We signed two more recruits, Point Guard Craig Jann, and Center Clay Todd.” “What did you ask the A. D. for help with?” “Much as we need more recruiting money we need a facilities upgrade more. We’re at C-. I asked for that.” “And?” “Got it! We’ll be at B- as soon as they make the renovations. I think that will really help with recruiting next year.” “Speaking of next year…” “Well, we’ve got one really good player and 4 maybes coming back and we’ve recruited three guards and a Center. We’ll see what happens but we’ll be playing a walk on or two is my guess.” “We just signed a contract to broadcast all your games again so we’ll be with you all the way. Best of luck Coach.” “Thanks Spike.” “That’s it for tonight folks. See you next week on 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO!”

March 1964 The first Ford Mustang is produced. LBJ proclaims war on poverty. UCLA wins the NCAA championship over Duke, undefeated. The Kennedy half dollar is issued. March 1 “’All about Sports.’ Spike McGee here with Coach Clark. Coach, #12 seed Siu-Edwardsville upset #5 Inane Word so you’ll play them tomorrow. Your thoughts?” “We beat them by 6 on the road, and the other guys by 9 at our place, but Inane Word is the better team so this is a break for us. They play solid D and run the motion offense. They’ve lost 8 of the last 11. They are tough inside but we feel like we can turn them over. As usual we need to play outside D and not let them have too many open looks. If we play well we can win this one.” March 2 “Spike McGee back for more of the post game show here on 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! 77-70 win to advance to the round of 4. Coach?” “We opened up an early 21 point lead and never trailed. They kept trying to come back but the final margin of 7 was as close as they ever got during the last 30 minutes. Steve Colt was on fire, 21, 6, 3, with only 1 TO. 11 and 8 for Gene, and 17, 3, 3 for Roy. I was able to use a lot of bench tonight so my guys will be fairly fresh tomorrow.” “Coach, all three of the other quarter final games ended in upsets. #7 Kennesaw State plays #12 Houston Backrest, and you play #9 North Alabama, 14-15, 8-8.” “Strange, to say the least. We lost to those guys by 7 at their place but we’re happy to play them again. They play man, run the flex, and are stronger outside than in. They don’t rebound particularly well and we think we can turn them over. With all the upsets, this tournament is up for grabs and we’d love to do the grabbing.” “And you’ll be moving up next year.” “Yes, we’ll be in Conference U, I think. But no time to think about that yet. We have work to do.” “Thanks Coach. Back after this.” … March 3 Spike McGee back here after the game. UML suffered what was very likely a season ending defeat, 52-70. Coach?” “Yes, being in the lowest division, and having an RPI of 103 probably means we won’t be invited anywhere.” “Tough loss.” “Well, yes and no. We never led, we never threatened to lead, we were never really in it. If I HAVE to lose I’d rather lose that way in some respects. At least I won’t stay up all night thinking about how I could have done things differently. Didn’t much matter what I did in this one.” “You gave up 15 threes and were -8 on the boards. We’ve had a problem with threes all year but the rebounding was disappointing.” “Thanks Coach. We’ll have you on ‘All about Sports’ on Wednesday to do a retrospective on the season, and then after that we’ll have you back from time to time to discuss next season. I really do want to thank you for being so generous with your time this year.” “My pleasure, Spike.” March 4 “Spike McGee on ‘All about Sports.’ North Alabama won the conference V title by 2 points. Back in a minute.” March 8 “’All about Sports,’ Spike McGee with Coach Kip Clark. We’re here to wrap up Coach Clark’s first season as head coach of the UMass Lowell River Hawks. The lines are open. Coach, let’s talk about the positives.” “Well Spike, there were lots of them, really. First our record, 18-11, 10-6. We outrebounded our opponents by 5.2 a game. We had 2.3 fewer turnovers a game. We outscored our opponents by 5.9 a game despite not being a high scoring team. We didn’t foul a great deal. We worked hard as a team and we never gave up. We were in good shape and we stayed that way all year. We all, every single student, got good to very gopod grades. We had no trouble makers. Individually, Gene Beck was simply terrific, 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds, and he defended well. Steve Colt and Mike Gear were forced to play the Point, Shooting Guard and Small Forward, usually all three in the same game, and they did that really well. Roy Green is a Small Forward who had to play Power Forward for the last half of the season and he rose to the challenge.” “And on the down side?” “The injury to Marv Joab. We struggled all year with outside defense, especially defense against the three point shot. We simply didn’t have enough guards. We didn’t score enough points. We didn’t play all that well on the road. We didn’t have much of a bench, especially after Marv went down. We didn’t have a real vocal leader. Gene led by example but we didn’t have that cheerleader type who fires his teammates up.” “And how about the head coach, evaluate him.” (Laughs) “That’s a tough task! I certainly worked hard. I think I was a good motivator and I had the respect of my players. I was willing to listen and I tried new things. I delegated to my assistants. On the downside I’m a new coach and that showed sometimes. I probably should have played my #7, 8 and 9 guys more. I could have been even more open to changes.” “Let’s go to the phones. First we have our old friend, Grace from Cambridge.” “Hi Coach, congratulations on a great season. I’ve been reading the NCAA rules on Promotion/Relegation. The Promotion part is perfectly clear. Finish 13-16 and you move down. Promotion is anything but clear. Can you explain it, and do you know whether or not your team is actually moving up to conference U.” “Now that’s a great question, Grace. I’ll try, but no guarantees. First, it’s supposed to be the teams that finish in the top four. But, I know at times that’s complicated by the conference tournament. If a team is the #4 seed, as we were, but goes out in the first round, and an other team tied for fourth does not, that other team moves up. Now what you do when a #9 seed wins- that’s a mystery. Given that Kennesaw State, which was tied with us for 4th, also went further in the tournament I just don’t know whether we’re moving up or not. I probably won’t know until May 1.” “George from Barnstable.” “How about recruiting, Coach?” “Still working on it. We hope to make some progress soon.” “Jim from Brockton.” “What’s next year look like, Coach?” “Well, we have Gene Beck, our best player, back. Toward the end of the season Alex Jamm and Daryl Wall began to show signs that they might help us. We’ve got two Point Guards coming in, and we’re hopeful we’ll sign a few more recruits. But really, it’s too soon to say.” “Okay, our time is up. We’ll have the coach in from time to time, especially right after the final four and the award presentations, but at least one or two other times. Thanks once more for your cooperation all season, Coach.” “Thanks to you as well, Spike.” “Tune in tomorrow and every weeknight at 7:00 to ‘All about Sports,’ right here at 88.1 FM, how LOW can you GO!”

February 15 “Back from break with Coach Clark here on ‘All about Sports.’ Coach, 3 to play and you’re one game out of 1st place. Talk about that.” “It’s amazing. I never expected this. At the start of the season I hoped to finish in the middle of the pack.” “When did you start to think you could be better than that.” “A couple of times. First was when we started winning lots of games in the pre-conference season. Then when we lost Marv and kept winning I really thought we were better than I had figured us to be.” “How do you explain it, Coach? This is basically the same team that went 8-20 last season, without Marv. You don’t really play your freshmen much.” “Two things, attitude and conditioning. As to the first, we believe in ourselves and we refuse to give up. The staff has worked very hard on that. If you believe and if you don’t quit, good things can happen. As to the 2nd, conditioning is vital. We didn’t know we’d lose Marv, and now Mike, at least temporarily, but being in excellent shape allows us to play lots of minutes and to still have something left late in the game.” “Let’s go to the phones. Ron in Hudson, New Hampshire.” “Hi coach. You guys are sure exciting this year. Is Mike Gear going to play tomorrow?” “Very little. I can put him in for a minute or two to give guys a breather but that’s about it. That leaves us with two guards. It’s not going to be easy.” “Al in Leominster.” “Coach, how did you end up with three guards. You must have had walk ons who wanted to play.” “I have walk ons that we use in practice but none of them are at a level where I can put them in a game.” “Not even for a minute to give guys a breather?” “Not in my view, no.” “I’m shaking my head here, coach.” “Yes, I think I can hear it.” “Ouch! Good one, Coach. Okay, tomorrow we’re at NJIT. We beat them by 15 at our place.” “We did. But we had Mike that night and he had a really good game. They’re 11-13, 6-7. They play man, and on offense they like to bring it inside. They’re 4-2 in the last 6, and they play well at home. They’re not good with the ball but I can’t really pressure them, unless it’s late in the game and we’re not in foul trouble. We need to control the boards and stop the inside game. Frankly, we’re awfully short handed. This one will be tough. We’ll give it all we have, though.” “Thanks Coach. Back in a minute.” February 16 “Spike McGee here after the game. UML went down 58-63. Coach?” “We just didn’t have enough bodies tonight. When Steve Colt got into foul trouble I almost had to put the team trainer in. I’m proud of my guys for hanging tough. Mike should be able to give us minutes in our next game.” February 20 Spike McGee, 88.1 FM, WLOW, how LOW can you GO! We’re at courtside here for the home finale against Texas Pan American. They beat us by 5 at their place and they’re 9-16, 4-10. UML is in a 4 way tie for 4th so this is a very big game. Coach is here in a recorded interview.” “They go all man on D and flex on O. they are definitely an outside team. They’ve lost their last 3.” “What’s the word on Mike Gear?” “He’s not quite 100% but he’ll play. I’m going to try to give him frequent breaks if I can.” … “We’re back after the game, and what a game it was! 77-48, biggest margin of victory all year. Coach?” “We played really good basketball tonight. Steve Colt was amazing, 20 points, 8 rebounds. Pete Ross had his best game of the season, 19, 7, 3. Gene had 12, 7, and 3, and Roy Green 11, 7, 2. Mike was able to give us 21 good minutes, and Alex had 7 and 3 from the bench. +10 rebounding and +10 on turnovers. I’d take this kind of performance any time I can get it. Gotta go.” “Thanks Coach. He can’t hear me, but the Hawks are in a 5 way tie for 2nd with one game to play, a tough road game at Northern Kentucky.” February 22 “’All about Sports’ with our guest Coach Clark on the telephone. He only has a few minutes tonight. First, congratulations. 17-9, 10-5, tied for 2nd with one game to play. Tell us about the Northern Kentucky game.” “Thanks Spike. We beat them by 19 at our place but they are a very different team at home. They use the shuffle offense and get more points outside than in. On D they play mostly man. They just had a 5 game win streak snapped when they lost at home in OT to NJIT. As always we’ll need to play good D, take care of the ball, rebound, and find the open man on O. It should be a good game, and there’s an awful lot at stake.” “Thanks Coach. See you at the airport.” “Thanks Spike.” “We’ll be right back.” February 23 “Spike McGee here after the game. UML put up a good fight but couldn’t quite get the job done. Final score was 70-75. Coach?” “The thing that bothers me is that we blew a 15 point lead. That isn’t like us. It’s also the most point we gave up all year, tying the total for the Stetson game. Our fatal flaw all year has been defending the outside shot. We gave up 17 threes tonight and that’s what did us in. We led in every other category. The final telling statistic? Our bench got 2 points 4 rebounds, no assists. Their bench got 29, 9, and 8.” “That’s amazing, Coach.” “On the plus side we should get the #4 seed. Also, Gene had 19 and 15, Roy had 15 and 5, and Mike Gear had 16, 4, 3.” “Thanks Coach. Back in a minute.”