Wayne23
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DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Indiana plays man all the way but they do not press much. Real good back court anâ their C can play. Weâll need ta be at our best. March 16: 69-55. Easier than I thought. Real balance for us tonight. 16, 6, 1 for Jode from the bench, 11 each fro Brel anâ Barr, 10 each for Fram. Thatâs balance! 12 TOs, 10 less fouls, +9 RB. We really controlled the game. 24-7 Florida A & M upset #3 seed Arkansas so we play a #14 in the second round. These guys can play but they didnât face the level of competition some other teams did. Startinâ C tore his ACL in the win over Ark. Thatâs gotta hurt them a lot. Theyâre real good with the ball. We think we were a little better inside with their C, now itâs a lot. Lucy is with me here in Boston. She got her assistants ta take care a the business. If we move on sheâll come with us again. March 18: 82-70 anâ the Sweet Sixteen again this year! It stayed a game for a little better than 30 min. Then we went on a 12-0 run anâ kinda held onta that margin the rest a the way. 28 anâ 5 for Fram, 16, 7 for Brel, 12, 10 for Barr, 7, 8 for Jode. 8, 2, 3 for Morr but he fouled out late. It was settled by then though. 11 TOs. +11 RBs, 8 less fouls. Great win. #6 ranked, #2 seed, 27-6 Georgia Tech. Great team. They have the best back court weâve seen all year anâ a good inside game too. They play man, donât press much. This one will be a challenge. They won their last 12 in the tough ACC. First time coachinâ in Madison Square Garden. Thatâs excitinâ! March 23: 77-66. Amazinâ!!! GT went up early and got it out ta 15 anâ I thought we were done. But I didnât let my kids see that. It took a couple time outs but we finally came up with a D that slowed âem down. Still down 9 at the half but I thought I saw what we had ta do. We doubled the PG all through the 2nd anâ he cracked under it. We got TOs anâ made âem pay. We worked it inta Brel over anâ over anâ they didnât have an answer. When they did we popped it back out anâ the guards hit open shots from 12-17 feet. By the end we were in complete control. 26, 11 for Brel. Great game in a huge situation. 10, 3, 8 for Morr. The assists were huge. 9, 9 for Barr, 11 each for Black anâ Fram. What a win! Elite eight vs. #5 seed, #17 ranked, 23-10 Duke. So a #5 vs. a #6. Theyâre big anâ tough inside. They play man anâ donât press much. 4-4 in the last 8. Startinâ C out with a broken finger. He was a huge rebounder. The PF is too, but now heâs the only one. Canât believe weâre one win away from the Final Four! March 25: 64-73. We made it a game. Down 2 at the half. Foul trouble did us in as Brel, Fram anâ Jode fouled out, Barr anâ Wats got 4. I got my first T as a coach. 19, 7 for Black on a tough night. My 3 freshmen, one sophomore, one Junior starting lineup had one h*ll of a season! 29-7. Nothinâ but proud! On the way back home Lucy and I discussed the very real possibility of my getting an offer too good to refuse. âWell, letâs see what happens.â âBut if it does?â âThen weâll deal with it.â âThat ainât good enough.â âMack, Iâm not about to lose you any more than youâre about to lose me. Donât worry, weâll figure it out.â Good enough. Thatâs what I needed ta hear. I go to the Final Four. It will be good ta meet anâ; talk ta the âright people.â 4/3: Anâ Ohio State beats Duke for the title. Anâ I talked ta a lotta people. 4/4: Awards: Brel did not get POY. Thatâs an outrage! He got Freshman OY but still. I got the coach award again. 1st team: Brel anâ Fram. 2nd team: Morr anâ Barr. 4/9: Job Offers: This is what we been waitinâ for. Iâm staying. Iowa is tempting but not tempting enough. This gives me anâ Lucy time ta plan for the future without pressure. Sheâs real glad when I tell her. Team Prestige up ta 53. My ratings are now: Off.- 24, Def.- 33, Recruit- 83, Scout- still 90, Player Dev.- 31. Reputation- 49. No staff ta hire. April 23: Again this year I want $. Got $5,000. We deserved $10,000 but Iâll take it. What a year! And my first six players are all back plus a great recruitinâ class. And, Iâm in love. Canât beat it! April 24: Off for our cruise. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Feb. 26: #18, RPI #19. Some time ta rest achy legs, anâ then prep for the tourney. We didnât finish as strong as I woulda liked but my assistants are sayinâ that was probâly cua the games didnât mean a lot, anâ because itâs jusâ a time when ya played so many games itâs tough ta get up. They figger weâll be focused anâ ready when we need ta be. Hope theyâre right but Len anâ Ed both been arounâ a LONG time. I got a lotta respecâ for both of âem, so I guess Iâm buyinâ it. Really lucky to have âem. Joey too. We play Des Moines, here, in the round a eight. Beat âem by 20 at home but losâ by 7 there. They can play some but we really jusâ need ta play our game. March 4: 62-57. Survive and advance. We led all the way but never by a lot. Ed Brel was huge, 18, 12, 2 anâ holdinâ the other guy down. 14, 2, 2 for Fram, 11, 5, 2 for Barr, 7, 8 for Black. 9 TOs, 7 less fouls. 16-13, 10-8 Missouri State in the semis. Beat them by 11 anâ 8. They play man. Their guards hurt us in both games so we gotta do what gives us such trouble, get out on the shooters. Theyâre 5-1 in the lasâ six. March 5: 91-73. Most we scored all year. 25, 7, 3 for Brel. 18, 2, 8 for Morr. 16, 1, 4 for Fram. 11 TOs. +8 RB. It was a shoot out anâ we had the big guns. Itâs great havinâ the tourney here. Lucy anâ my family get ta see us play anâ the guys get ta sleep in their own beds. Do not underestimate that. Itâs North Chicago, 13-16 for the title. I guess I thought it would be Wichita State but No. Chi caught fire late anâ itâs them. They just beat us lasâ week. They won their last 5, 6 outta 7. None of âem was real close. Balanced scorinâ from lotsa guys. They donât rebound all that great anâ they can be turned over so thatâs where we focus. March 6: 75-71. We were up 4 at the half after a lotta back anâ forth. Then the 2nd played real even. They took the lead three times, the last time with 2:17 left. After that we outscored âem 11-5. We just banged it inta Brel anâ he finished or got fouled. He wound up with 22, 10, 2. The rest all did good stuff on O but it was Brel, tourney MVP anâ shoulda been. 7 TOs, +12 RB. 6 less fouls. Big win. Weâre 26-6, #18, RPI #15.12.1 TOs per game. Iâm hopinâ for a 4 seed. We better not get shafted like lasâ year! What a great year so far. If we can win a couple in the NCAA it will be even better. March 12: Todayâs the day. Weâre all gathered together to watch. Weâre now #17, RPI #14. #6 East vs. 17-12 Indiana. I thought we deserved better, at least a #5 anâ not in the toughest bracket. Weâll take it. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
9-13, 5-8 Southern Illinois is in. We won by only 6 there. They have a real good C. They play man anâ press a lot. Feb. 9: 74-52. We pretty much led all the way. All 5 starters in doubles anâ Jode had 9, 5, 2. 9 TOs. 5 game lead with 4 to play so we clinched. 20-4, 13-1. At 8-15, 7-7 Indiana State next. Beat âem by onây 11 at our place. They play man anâ they press a lot. We got better players but their SG anâ C give us fits lasâ time so we canât take this for granted. It might be hard ta get the guys up when they know the conf. is a wrap but if I see lack of focus, lack of hustle, guys will sit ANâ theyâll get a ear full! Feb. 13: 66-74. Not happy! We were passive on D. They were mad bombers, chuckinâ up 27 threes. Too many were uncontested so 12 went in anâ that was the diff. I sat people anâ wound up with the end a the bench in. Practice will NOT be pleasant for a while. This sh*t will NOT continue! 19, 10 for Brel who played hard. We won by 15 there. Practice has been very physical in short bursts. I DEMAND total focus and total hustle for a few minutes at a time in drills designed to get guys out on shooters, fight through picks, work to get open on O anâ stuff like that. I get their tongues dragginâ then give âem a break. Jusâ enough to make the point, to teach what I want. Not enough ta kill their legs. They are gettingâ my message. We will WORK. 14-11, 8-7 Illinois State is in. Feb. 16: 69-51. Thatâs more like it. Held âem ta 19 in the 1st half. 22, 9, 3 for Brel. 15, 5 for Barr. 19, 3, 2 for Fram. 8 TOs. 12.4 TOs per game, right where I want it. Bracket Breaker with 15-11 Valparaiso here. Itâs a Sunday 1:00 game so plenty a time for birthday stuff later. Val play man anâ they donât press much. We think we got more talent but they got guys who can play. Feb. 19: 67-60. Slow start anâ down as many as 13, 6 at the half. Canât seem ta permanently fix the slow start thing. We climbed the hill all night anâ really onây took charge real late. The 7 point margin was our biggest lead anâ a three in the last minute got it there. So it was close. 21, 7 for Barr who has really responded ta startinâ. Three guys with 9, two with 7, one with 5 so real balance. 5 TOs which is kinda amazinâ. Still want more energy. Itâs a long season though. I guess thereâs bound ta be lulls. BUT, post season is right arounâ the corner now. Great birthday. The four of us went ta dinner at a real nice place. Then my foster parents went home anâ me anâ Lucy went ta her place. She loved all the gifts, maybe the handbag the most anâ that really pleased me since I had took a big chance with that. I gotta say it. I flat out love this woman. Itâs been three months, four days anâ the happiest time a my life. Back ta back games on back ta back days. At least theyâre both at home. 2nd place Wichita State, 12-14, 9-7 is in. Won by 1 point there. They play that annoyinâ 1-2-2. We need ta get ta the key. Thatâs the weak spot in that D. Ya can shoot open 12-15 footers all night if ya move the ball there real quick. Their 1, 2 anâ 5 had good nights against us last time. We gotta stop at least 2 of the three. Feb. 20: 60-54. These guys are plain tough. Nobody ever led by more than 8 anâ we never led by more than 6 anâ that was onây at the end when we hit a three. We hadta battle for evârything. They did not let Brel score. He had 2. 9 RBs though. They beat us inside. Our guards saved us. 16 for Morr, 14 for Fram anâ 12 for Mark Call from the bench. He picked the right night for it. +5 TOs but -11 RB. I mean they beat us up inside. That donât happen often to our front line. None of our 4 had a good game. Itâs a win. Wâell probâly play these guys in the tourney title game. We close it out at 10-16, 9-8, 2nd place (with two other teams) North Chicago. We won by 19 at home. Theyâre good at SG anâ not bad at all at C anâ PG. This is no gimme, weâre gonna need ta work. Feb. 23: 71-77. I did not wanta go inta the post season with a loss. D*mn! They hammered us the whole 1st half. I was so p*ssed I didnât dare say much. We went in down 17 anâ it was too much. We didnât rebound anâ we didnât play enough D. Barr was great on O, 25, 9. Brel had 16, 4, 2. But again, ya gotta play D. I didnât say a word after the game. We usually have a brief team meeting. I had Joey tell âem ta hit the showers, didnât even say that myself. Hope it sent a message cuz from now on ya lose ya go home. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
6-12, 4-5 Northern Iowa is here. Beat âem by 24 there so⊠They play 2-3. Not that many teams play zone any more but we practice against it every day. Jan. 26: 58-42. We fell behind early again. That ainât a habit I want us gettingâ inta. Down 13, 3 at the half. One a these nights we wonât be able ta get back in it. Held âem ta 15 in the 2nd half ta win easy. 18 for Fram, 17 for Morr. 11 TOs. We been gettingâ so much ink in Peoria anâ really in most a Illinois. Long winninâ streak, big wins, dominatinâ most games. I feel like somebodyâs always got a microphone or a notepad in my face lately. The home crowds have been jammed in, standing room, anâ LOUD! Lots a fun right now. Jan. 29: SAT scores are in anâ evârybody hit the score. 4 game lead with 8 ta play. At 7-12, 3-7 Des Moines. We beat âem by 20 at our place. Lost the lasâ 5. Strong at 2 anâ 5. They play man. Again, play our game anâ weâll be fine but remember weâre on the road. Jan. 30: 65-72. I suppose the streak had ta end someplace. We were pretty flat tonight. 8 fouls more than them, 13 less RBs. Stood arounâ on D. We had 5 in double figures but ya gotta RB anâ ya gotta play D. Weâll work on it in practice. No panic jusâ work. I did most a the birthday shoppinâ already. Booked a 5 day cruise hoppin' aroun' in the islands in the Atlantic. Bought her what I think is a real nice handbag. Sheâs got about 3 or 4 but she likes âem anâ I think this oneâs her style. Got turquoise earrings, or thatâs what the lady said, anâ a pin, necklace anâ bracelet ta match. Anâ books a course. Still one or two more books ta buy but thatâs it. We worked hard in practice- not physically cuz by this time a year ya really donât wanta do that. The long season takes a toll. But we worked mentally hard. Gettin' guys ta focus on some little stuff they been lettinâ slide. Joey anâ me spent a lot a time figgerinâ what ta work on anâ how ta structure practices. I think itâll pay off. He's a great assistant. All three are. 11-9, 7-4 Missouri State is in, one a two teams 3 games back. Beat âem by 11 there. They play man and they ainât bad at the guard positions. Feb. 2: 67-59. Close for a long time. We finally opened it up real late but we had ta work all the way. 18, 4, 1 for Barr. 11 TOs. Lead back ta 4 games. Feb. 5: Ranked, finally. #24, RPI #24. Frankly itâs a h*ll of a thrill to have my team ranked for the first time in my coaching career. If I can free up any roster space there are guys Iâd love to recruit. That wonât happen âtil we play our last game, if then. At 9-13, 3-9 Evansville, last in the conf. We won by 21 at our place. Their starting C is hurt. Feb. 6: 71-59. Down at the half again. Never down more than 5 and it was 3 then. 17 for Morr, 15, 4 for Fram, 11, 9 for Brel, 11, 6, 2 for Barr. We make the change. Barr will start, Jode will sit. Not huge changes in PT but I want Barr in there in clutch situations. Lucy and I are, in some ways settling in to patterns. In other ways we try to avoid that. I spend all of my free time there, and manufacture free time. I think it helps my coaching. Having another focus keeps me fresher in some ways. When I was all but one dimensional I may have been too tightly focused. Stepping away, having hoops off my mind now and then may be a really good thing. It feels that way. Lucy and I laugh. I am more relaxed now. Not exactly confident but definitely relaxed. I just love being with her, doing things with her. Our book discussions remain a huge part of our relationship but there are so many other things. We run together. She's a runner too. My ten minute miles are about the pace she ran so that works out. Iâve told about cooking together. We play cribbage. We watch the occasional movie. She watches hoops games with me- I need to do that. She occasionally asks a really good question about something in the game and that can lead me to insights I may have otherwise missed. We eat out, do some shopping together, spoil Tail. All kinds of things. Oh, and yeah, we do some of that lovey dovey stuff I wonât tell you about. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
At 6-7, 2-2 Southern Illinois. They have a monster in the middle at C but not a lot else. Jan. 9: 66-60. They scored the last 8 so it wasnât as close as it seemed. Quiet kind of a game. We werenât the force weâve been in the last few. 16, 4 for Black, 13, 6, 3 for Brel, 12, 3, 1 for Barr. 2 game lead after 5. Thatâs kinda amazinâ! 4-10, 3-2 Indiana State is here. Theyâve played way better in conf. than before. Strong at SG and C. They play man. Jan. 12: 75-64. 40-22 at the half. It was never a contest. 18-5 for Brel, 15, 5, 2 for Barr, 14, 2, 4 for Morr, 11 each fro Fram anâ Black. 8 game win streak! 13.0 TOs per game. + 5.5 RBs. At 9-7, 3-3 Illinois State. This could be our first in conf. challenge. These guys can play some, esp. at home. Strong pretty much evârywhere except PF and not much bench. They play man and they press some. Lost their startinâ PF ta grades an' that hurt âem. Not good with the ball. Still, they find a way. Jan. 16: 65-50. This one did not start well. Down as many as 10 in the first, 6 at the half. We gave up open look after open look in the first. At the half I read the riot act, put in some defensive changes and we held them to 13 points in the 2nd half. 18, 9 for Jode, 14, 5, 3 for Fram, 12, 6 for Barr, 10, 5 for Black. I suppose a bit of a challenge is a good thing but better was the way they followed instructions in the 2nd half. This is a two game swing and the longest Iâve been away from Lucy since we met. Only five days but it feels like forever. At 8-8, 5-2 Wichita State next, the only team still within two games of us. Theyâre good at C, not bad at PG, SG. Play 1-2-2, which we donât see a lot. Theyâve won 4 in a row anâ 5 of 6. Job one is stop the C. After that, disrupt the flow of their O and get some steals. Jan. 19: 66-65. H*ll of a game from start ta finish. No one ever led by more than 7. They got Ed Brel in early foul trouble anâ he never got out of it. Heâs our best so that really made it tough. He played onây 19 min., with 2 anâ 7. Nobody in our front line played that well. But our guards did, 19, 6, 5 for Fram anâ 26 for Morr, includinâ the winner, a three from 30 feet at the buzzer. We had 12 TOs. Not bad but they had 5! We made 4 more fouls. But we were +10 on the boards, mostly because a 7 by Barr anâ 6 by little used Carl Wats. Wouldnât want ta go through this kinda game evâry day but the fans sure got their moneyâs worth! 3 game lead after 8, which is weird, but weâre in great position. It was great ta get back home ta Lucy. Tail missed me too, anâ rubbed against me, followed me evârywhere I went. Pretty funny. 5-12, 4-4 North Chicago is here. They play man. SG isnât bad anâ C anâ PG are next best. They turn it over a lot. Jan. 23: 79-60. They jumped on us early, went up 12. We whittled it ta 2 at the half. I went in feelinâ like the worst was over anâ weâd take control. We did, right away. Barr went wild with 25, 6, 2. 16, 4 for Brel, 11, 3, 3 for Fram anâ evârybody else chipped in. 9 TOs. 11 straight, most of âem easy. 16-3, 9-0. RPI #26. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Anâ we fly out late that night ta start conf. play at 2-7 Northern Iowa. On paper this is no contest but thatâs never true with a road game. Dec. 26: 72-48. They stayed with us for about 23 min., then we went on a 27-5 run. 23, 6, 8 for Morr, a huge game. 12, 12 for Brel. 11 each for Black and Fram, 8, 5, 1 for Barr. 5-5, 1-0 Des Moines is here. They play man. SG is their player but I donât think they can stay with us. Dec. 29: 70-50. And again, they stayed with us through the early going in the 2nd and we went on a run and put it away. 16 each for Fram and Morr, 13, 9, 4 for Brel. 7, 11 for Jode, 11, 3 for Barr, 7, 7, 2 for Black. We are hitting on all cylinders right now. Six guys playing just the way I want them to. Iâd like a little more from back up guard Mark Call and weâre pushing to get it. Itâs so great to see Lucy in the stands for these games. We went out to celebrate New Yearâs Eve. Nothing fancy and we were at Lucyâs place by 10:30. We donât drink so we wanted to be inside before the drunks started driving around. We actually watched a silly little movie on TV. It was a comedy and we laughed. Happy 1976! At 5-6, 1-1 Missouri State next. They play man. Stronger at guard than inside. If we play weâll be okay but again, itâs a road game. Jan. 2: 62-51. We got out to a great start anâ it was never really as close as the final score. 12, 10 for Brel who jusâ seems ta be there evâry game, 13, 5, 3 for Fram, 12, 4, 1 for Black, 13, 3, 2 for Barr. Weâre in a groove. Hope we stay there. 6-7, 0-3 Evansville is here. This should not be pretty, esp. lookinâ at the two inside games. Jan. 5: 74-53. 19, 8 for Brel, 17, 3, 1 for Black, 13, 2, 5 but 7 TOs for Morr, 12, 7, 2 for Barr. Barr is outplayinâ Jode but weâre reluctant ta break up a winninâ combo. Wait and see for a while I guess. Colt Fram hurt his calf but it donât look bad. Day ta day. 11-3, 4-0. âMack, not that Iâm surprised but youâve never asked about my birthday.â âOh crap! I didnât miss it, did I?â She laughed. âNo, silly. Itâs February 19.â âThank goodness!â âSo, I turn 30.â âI donât need help this time. I know what ta do.â âI like that! A quick learner.â âWell, you made it easy for me anâ I wrote it all down anâ put it in a file.â She laughed again. âSo no hints? No ideas?â âWell⊠Should I?â âYou are getting smarter by the day.â âDonât know âbout that.â âI want a vacation.â âLucy, I canât take a vacation durinâ the season! You know that.â âI do know that. But we can book one, take it that last week of April when everything slows down for a little bit.â âI been meaninâ ta talk about that.â âOh?â âYeahâŠâ âWell?â âDonât know how ta say itâŠâ âJust say it, Mack.â âWell⊠I donât know that this will happen, probâly wonât this year, but likely nextâŠâ âGo on.â âWell⊠you know I wanta end up at a place like Michigan State, Connecticut, Stanford, Oregon, Michigan- big time school.â âYes, I know that. You think it could happen this soon.â âNo, but I think thereâs gonna be one move before that one, ta a school in a bigger conference, a school where I can get more visibility.â âYes, I know youâre ambitious and I think itâs great. Not a doubt you can be successful all the way to the top.â âWell⊠before you came along it was easy, but nowâŠâ âOh, how sweet!â âI wouldnât leave without you, Lucy.â She gave me a big hug. Still in the hug she said, "Itâs too soon, Mack. It hasnât even been two months.â âI donât care how long itâs been-â âSlow down, cowboy. Slow down. Letâs see what happens in April. Thatâs when the offer would come, right?â âYeah but I ainât-â âStop!â âDonât you ever think about⊠us, I mean⊠the futureâŠ?â âAs a matter of fact that line of thought has crossed my mind.â She smiled. âBut I push it away. Itâs too soon.â âI think about it all the time.â âGood. But Iâm the sensible one. Weâre doing great- really, really great. Letâs keep that going. Long term will take care of itself.â âOkay, but I ainât leavinâ without you.â âPeoria will be happy to hear that. They wonât want to lose you. Now about my birthday.â âWhere do ya wanta go? Iâl take ya anywhere at all.â âGood! Howâs the moon?â âSilly.â âJust like a five day cruise. I like the ocean and there certainly isnât one anywhere near here.â âDone. Iâll get on it right away.â âOh, it would be okay if you got me just one or two little things for my actual birthday too.â âI knew that, Lucy. I told you. You already taught me about that stuff.â âAnd people say thereâs no hope for the male of the species!â -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
At 2-3 Wright State. On paper this oneâs close but lookinâ at tape with Ed I think weâre about even inside but way deeper, anâ better outside. Still, itâs a road game. They play man. Dec. 6: 72-82. Ugh. Their bench beat ours anâ that was the diff. Didnât see that cominâ. It really wasnât that close in the 2nd. 24, 8 for Brel, 24, 1, 4 for Fram. Morr was in foul trouble all night anâ onây played 21 min. Mark Call did not have it replacinâ him. We got beat BAD at PG. The big diff was threes. We didnât get out on the shooter, esp. the PG, anâ they got 10 threes. Back ta work. Always somethinâ ta fix. Weâre a way better team than we were in this game, anâ I gotta convince my guys a that. Carl Wats isnât playinâ much this year but he hurt his back. Out about a week. We got a week between games. Thatâs great for two reasons: 1. Time ta work on the stuff that didnât work last game. 2. More time with Lucy. 3-5 Idaho is in. They play man anâ donât press much. They played 2 good teams anâ it wasnât pretty. Dec. 13: 64-41. We took charge early anâ stayed in charge. 18, 5 for Brel, 14, 5 for Morr, 10, 2, 9 for Fram with some great dishes, 8, 6 for Barr, 7, 5 for both Jode anâ Black. 10 TOs (They had 24), 11 less fouls. Another week between games. âOkay, youâre a guy so you need to listen again. Christmas-â âI ainât religious. I donât celebrate-â âOkay, youâre a guy so you need to listen again.â So I shut up and listened. âOkay. Itâs Dec. 14. You have given not a single thought to what youâre going to get me for Christmas.â She could tell by the way I was squirming that she was right. âGirls like pretty things. That scares the h*ll out of guys and they feel like they have no clue and theyâll screw it up.â Another squirm. âHereâs what you do. Donât worry about clothing sizes and stuff. You need to know the colors I like, which you donât. You need to know my ears are pierced, which you probably donât. You need to know I love necklaces, bracelets, ear rings, which you donât. You need to remember all of that. You need to get me three presents- not 23, not one, three. One, ear rings, pretty ones. Ask the girl at the jewelry counter- after I tell you about my colors, which Iâm about to do. Listen and remember. I like soft earth tones, pastel greens, golds, browns, tans- soft. Not Crayola green. Got it?â I nodded, working hard to put it in memory. "If you just say âearth tones, pastelsâ sheâll do the rest. Next you go to the sweater section. You tell the girl Iâm 5â3â 112. I like, what?â âUh⊠pastels, earth tones.â âGood boy! Sheâll get a sweater I love. Now the hard part because you are NOT allowed to get help with this. Books- a bunch, anywhere from 3 to 10 but no more than that. You have to do this part alone because you can. You know what I love. I want some of them to be books you love too. Weâve talked about some of those that I want to read but havenât. Then weâve talked about the books I like that you donât. I want a few of those too, because that will show me that you really care about me- which I know you do. Can you handle it?â â⊠I guess so.â âOkay. If you wait until December 24 youâll frig it up and Iâll be really disappointed. Donât do that. Youâre home for a few more days. Do it before you go back on the road. Weâll have dinner here on the 25th and weâll exchange gifts and it will be the most fun weâve had together. So donât frig it up, Mack.â She said that last part real soft anâ vulnerable like anâ it just melted me. Then she kissed me. I went out the next day. She was right about the jewelry anâ sweater. But I got two sweaters, two pairs of ear rings anâ a bracelet. I sure didnât pick any of it out though. Them sales girls are the best! The books I had ta think about. I started a list. The last day before the road game I went ta the best book store in town anâ I bought a dozen books. Eight of âem were things we talked about that I read but she hadnât anâ wanted to. The hard part was the other four but I wracked my brains anâ remembered the authors she liked that I didnât cuz they werenât real serious an' I only read serious stuff. When I was at her place I had snooped so I knew what she didnât have. The four I got she donât have. I think itâll be okay. For a crazy, stupid minute I stopped anâ thought about a ring⊠you know what kind. Then I came ta my senses. WAY too soon. But yeah, thatâs how Iâm thinkinâ. Last pre-conf. game. At #20 Arkansas, 8-2. Theyâre 2-2 vs. ranked teams. This will be a real challenge. They have the best back court weâve seen. They play man and press all night long, anâ theyâre good at it. PG is awesome with the ball and SG lights it up. We can rebound with them but stopping the guards will be real tough. Dec. 19: 63-61! WOOOO!!! Their startinâ back court outscored ours- 24-22. What a job I got from Fram anâ esp. Tony Morr! 17, 4, 2 for Tony. HUGE game for Ed Brel, 16, 11. Barr, Black anâ Jode did great, nice anâ steady. -3 TOs which I will take against that team, +2 RB. Evârythinâ was pretty even. It came down ta one possession like it does in this kinda game, anâ Morr made it look like he was gonna go ta Brel like evârybody in the place thought. Instead he went right ta the hole anâ put in a turn arounâ lay up over a dazed PF who reacted too late. It was beautiful! And it was the WIN! Biggest win since lasâ yearâs NCAA tourney. We wind up pre-conf. at 7-3. XMas was magic. We went to my foster familyâs for lunch anâ that was nice. There was presents. Then we headed for Lucyâs anâ cooked dinner. Lots of it was started or cooked up the night before or that morninâ but we had a leg a lamb, my favorite. That had cooked all day while we were gone but it needed ta be seasoned a little more than it already was, anâ finished. Lucy also baked a blueberry pie, another big favorite. When dinner was ready Lucy changed from casual cookin' clothes ta a little black dress that made her look so good I swear I almost fainted. After we ate we took a little walk ta digest. There was a real light snow anâ it was jusâ beautiful. Then came the presents. She got me some âCoach clothes.â Said I looked like a unmade bed on the sidelines, anâ that hadta change. Donât know what she spent but she got three outfits. She made me try âem on anâ they all fit jusâ right. She got me a bunch a books. All stuff I really want to read. âOkay. Mack. Impress me!â I actually think I did. She loved the jewelry anâ put on a pair a the ear rings anâ the bracelet right away anâ with a big smile. I think she liked the sweaters even more. And I got the books exactly right. I did somethinâ silly anâ got a present for Tails, anâ Lucy jusâ loved that. This mighta been the best day a my life. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Weâre the #6 seed in a 8 team tourney. We play 1-1 Iowa, the #3. On paper we look pretty even. They play man, donât press much. They do almosâ all their scorinâ outside anâ theyâre not that great on the boards. PG can handle the ball but the rest are sloppy. If we play better than we been we can win this one. Nov. 25: 74-65. Tony Morr had a great game, 24, 3, 5. 19, 8, 2 for Ed Brel. Black, Jode anâ Barr did what I wanted âem ta do at 3 anâ 4 anâ they did it about equal. 13, 4 for Fram. +10 RB anâ they committed 16 more fouls than us. Next is #12 in the country NC State, 4-0. They have two big time players, PG anâ C. Not much else but they ainât needed much else. If we can keep them two guys reasonable we got a shot but it wonât be easy. They play 3-2 which we donât see much so that can be confusinâ too, but thereâs ways ta beat that D anâ we know âem. Letâs see what happens. Nov. 26: 75-79. D*mn! We played real good against a REAL good team. 16 lead changes, 9 ties, nobody ever led by more than 8, anâ it was tied with 1:02 lefâ. Morr fouled out then anâ they sunk both free throws. We came down anâ couldnât get a good look. Settled for a bad shot, they rebounded, we fouled, they made both. We got it again but missed a three anâ that was that. 24, 2, 3 for Fram, 19, 4, 4 for Morr. Mark Call had 17 at back up guard. They were tough inside anâ that was the diff. -7 RB, anâ we made 9 more fouls. But change one or two little things anâ it coulda been different. Nobody hates ta lose more than me but this one encourages me. I think weâre gettingâ better anâ WILL get better. Onây good thing is weâre back home a day early anâ I spenâ part of it with Lucy. 4-0 Chicago is in. Their PG sets evârythinâ up. Control him ya control them. Anâ I think Tony Morr is better than that guy anyways. Weâre bigger anâ better inside too. They really ainât played anybody. This is our first home game since Lucy anâ me started seeinâ each other. Sheâll be at the game with my ticket, in the front row across the way. Right near my old foster family- the good one that comes to most evâry game. I called anâ told âem that the girl on the aisle was Lucy. They was pretty amazed anâ actually excited to meet her. Hope they get along. Anâ I really hope we win. I want Lucy ta see me at my best. I still donât believe this or even much trust it but I sure do like it when I ainât too scared ta. Nov. 28: 82-74. We had a big first half, 43. Onây up 12 at the break but felt like we were in charge. I was right anâ Morr was owninâ their PG, anâ that continued in the 2nd. We got it ta 14 then they chipped away, got as close as 2 three times, once with the ball. Then we pulled back out by 11 anâ it was over. 25 for Morr, 15, 9, 4 for Brel, 13, 10, 2 for Black, 12, 3, 3 for Fram. Nice ta beat an undefeated team! After the game the four of us went out for coffee but it wasnât for long cuz after a game Iâm tied up for a long time so by the time I got free it was pretty late. We said next weekend afternoon game weâd all have dinner after anâ that feels so weird anâ so good I got no idea what ta do with it. The Black, Jode, Barr combo at SF anâ PF is workinâ out real good. Feels like I always got fresh legs anâ their numbers are all about the same. Brel is a force inside anâ I know one a the other three can spell him when he needs it anâ we donât really lose much. Mark Call is playinâ real good at back up guard. Iâd like ta get him a few more minutes, maybe for Fram, but itâs still in the thinkinâ about it stage. 3-1 Alabama is in. They got a real good back court but I think we should kill âem inside. So good D anâ get out on the outside shooters. They play man anâ press once in a while. Onây good team they played was Texas what killed âem. Again, itâs real simple. Donât let the PG anâ the SG beat us. Lucy anâ my family will be here again. Dec. 1: 76-74 OT. We blew a 12 point lead in the 2nd, came back ta go up 4, anâ they got the last 4 in regulation to send it ta OT. OT was amazinâ. We got a 2, they got a 3. We got a 3, they got a 2. We got a 2, they got a 2. We got a 3, they got a 3. We got two free throws, they got a 2 with 4.9 left. Morr brought it down ta half court anâ somehow looped a pass over the D ta Brel who laid it in with .6 left for the win. I seen the replay about a dozen times now anâ I still do not know how he got that pass to Brel. Most amazinâ thing I ever seen on a basketball court. 20, 8 for Brel, 19, 6 for Black, 8, 12 for Jode, 10, 7 for Barr. I knew we hadta do it inside anâ all 4 bigs really came through. Our back court got outscored 13-37 but the big guys made up for it. -3 TOs, +9 RBs, they got 24 fouls we got 11. So we won at the line but still, we won inside cuz the bigs took the free throws- 12-13 for Brel. Great win. Felt like a million bucks cuz we beat a real good team. Lucy wonât come to my place. She says it smells like feet. She knew how ta fix it though. âCan you afford two pairs of sneakers?â âSure. Why?â âYour feet stink to high heaven. The secret is, and I really do need you to remember this, is you get two pairs of shoes. The ones youâre wearing now are worn out and thatâs bad for your feet and your back. Tomorrow go buy two new pairs. Go late in the day. Throw these out. Now listen. You alternate. Wear one pair one day, the other pair the next. Do it that way every single day and bring both pair on the road. The shoes air out on the off day and your feet and shoes wonât stink.â How do people get to know stuff like that. I did it right away, a course. She still wonât come ta my place cuz she says the smell will take forever ta leave, anâ she donât like my clutter. Okay, so we go to hers. Itâs nice. Neat, tidy, books evârywhere but not in a messy way. Her cat, Tail, likes me. Jumps in my lap when I sit. I never had a pet, foster kids donât. If she had a dog that wouldnât be good. I had a family that had a mean dog anâ they⊠never mind but it wasnât good for me. I like the cat. Lucy knows a lot about my background. I never told her the real bad stuff anâ I wonât, but she knows that too somehow, you know, in general. Sheâs the smartest person I ever knew. Figures things out like it was a book anâ she already read it. What do we do? Well we still talk books. We got past Moby Dick a while ago now but ya never run outta books. She likes science as much as me anâ agrees that ya gotta get most of it from the library. We jus' each got a copy a somethinâ, read anâ discussed it tagether. I love that. We go out ta eat or cook tagether- well she cooks anâ I chop stuff up, hand her stuff, clean up after. Itâs fun. We go ta a movie once in a while but we both like books better. We go ta music concerts anâ theater. I mean I ainât got a lot a time for goinâ out anâ we might do it once a week except dinner maybe three times, or lunch, or even once in a while breakfast but not usually. Anâ yeah, if it sounds like Iâm there evâry free minute, itâs cuz I am. I know, I met her onây like three weeks ago but we donât care about that. Oh, anâ the lovey dovey stuff? You ainât gonna hear about that so just forget it. We're 5-2. Goin' good! -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Bronx is in ta start the season. We know they play man anâ press some, anâ they run a balanced O. The rest weâll find out by playinâ âem. Nov. 14: 68-56. They have one terrific Point. He hit us for 30. Nobody else did anything for them though. Our PG, Tony Morr, had 17, 5, 7, so we didnât get hurt bad at the position. Ed Brel at C had 18 anâ 8, Nick Jode at PF 12, 9 anâ Dave Black at Sf 12, 8. Didnât get much from SG or bench. 5 TOs, +5 RBs, 12 less fouls. We were pretty much in control mosta the way. A good start. It was Wednesday afternoon anâ I was runninâ a little low on readinâ material. Thereâs a used book store on campus I really like, âOld Friendsâ itâs called. Nothinâ but used books, mostly paperbacks, and some comics anâ stuff, but a real good selection of what I like. Classic literature, philosophy. Some science, but I go to the school library for that cuz ya really gotta get the newest stuff. Anyway, I always just look through the shelfs, wind up with a heaping armload a stuff, go pay for it anâ leave. Not this time. âCoach, you are a man of few words.â âMaâam?â âYouâre one of our best customers, in here often. You buy great reading material. But I canât get more than a âThanksâ out of you.â âIâm a quiet guy outside a the gym, maâam.â âLucyâŠ. Lucy Rhodes.â âHi. Mack Jones.â âUm, I knew that. Everyone on campus does.â âYes, maâam.â âLucy.â âHm?â âCall me Lucy.â âUm, Iâm really not any good at thisâŠâ âTry.â âHm?â âJust try. Look, we both love books. We actually like a lot of the same kinds of books. I like basketball. We could be friends.â âYes maâam.â âTry harder.â âLook. Iâm really-â âCoach, come on. You are the lonesomest looking guy in the world, I swear. Gotta be somebody in there. Iâd love to try to get to know who it is. Wouldnât you like to have someone to discuss all of these fascinating books with?â â⊠WellâŠâ âYou WOULD! I can tell. You hunger for that. You probably take notes, have internal discussions, spend time mulling it all over. But somethingâs missing. The human element. The other perspective. The point of view that expands your own.â âIâŠâ âTell me Iâm wrong.â âWhat?â âTell me you donât want to discuss these books with anyone.â âThatâs not exactly so, but Iâm no good-â âSo what?â âWell it would be-â âNo. Coach, letâs have coffee. Letâs decide on a book we both love, letâs decide to discuss it over coffee.â âIâŠâ âAm I so ugly you donât want to be seen with me?â âNO! Youâre real pret-⊠no maâam. You sure ainât ugly.â âWell? What have you got to lose? My part timer is due in any minute. Letâs have coffee.â And Iâll be d*mned but we did. Lucy⊠Man. I felt like the biggest a$$h*le on the planet. Tongue tied. No idea what to say. We talked about Moby Dick, which happens to be maybe my all time favorite novel, anâ one she said she really loved. We talked, well, she talked about themes. I could barely grunt anâ nod. She stayed with it, asked me good questions, eventually questions I got comfortable enough ta answer. Seems kinda stupid in a way, but we really got inta the themes, anâ I kinda lost track a beinâ stupid anâ we had a great discussion. When I happened ta look at the clock I saw weâd been at it for more than two hours anâ I was late for a meetinâ. âOkay Coach, Iâll let you go. But only if you tell me when we can do this again.â I got shy again but she made a time and a place, Sunday evening after my practice, same coffee place. âI wonât call it a date because youâll run away and never come back.â Boy was she right! She got up, thanked me, smiled, anâ kissed me on the cheek. I was stunned. Almost couldnât get up and walk back ta the gym. That night I was up mosta the night replayinâ it anâ thinkinâ about her. Sheâs 29 she said, about 5â3â and slim, maybe 110. Great big brown eyes anâ long brown hair. Great smile. No idea what ta do about this. I want ta see Lucy again so bad it hurts but I am scared sh*tless. I never even been on a date- well maybe this afternoon was, sorta. See what happens, I guess but itâs weird. At 0-1 Coastal Carolina. On paper this is no contest but itâs a road game. They play man. Nov. 17: 66-68. We blew a 13 point lead. We shoulda won this one. Ed Brel fouled out late anâ that hurt. He had 7, 9, 2 but he was containinâ their C. The sub couldnât anâ the C got the last two baskets for them. On the other hand Jim Barr had 16 anâ 5 fillinâ in. I guess weâre still findinâ ourselves but I hate ta lose a game we shoulda won. Nov. 20: All four recruits sign so weâre all set with recruitinâ unless we free somethinâ up real late. Len Wood did great. After practice I made my way ta the coffee shop. Lucy wasnât there. I almost panicked but I saw I was early. I just sat at a table, didnât get a coffee or anything. Said I was waitin' for someone anâ they left me alone. She came in about ten minutes late. âHi Coach. You tell me youâre new at this. The rule is the guy gets there on time and the girl shows up late. Donât panic, thatâs just the way it works.â No clue what to say but I somehow managed to nod. âSo, Ahab? Queequeg? The whale?â And we were off. We had sandwiches anâ coffee, anâ then more coffee, anâ then still more coffee. They finally kicked us out at 10:00. The conversation was great anâ I think I almosâ relaxed a couple a times. âWalk me home?â â... Sure.â We continued the discussion on the walk. I donât know if it was 20 degrees or 120. âCome in for a minute? Iâd say coffee but I think weâve had enough of that!â I did go in. We sat and talked some more and then she surprised- shocked me. She simply leaned over and kissed me, drawing me into a hug. Wow! âI know girls arenât supposed to do that but I think if I wait for you to do it weâll both be in a nursing home.â I nodded, then paused with I guess a quizzical look. She laughed and then kissed me again. She then snuggled inside my arm, real close. âI like you, Coach. You are 100% genuine. There arenât many out there like that.â I nodded. âYouâre supposed to say you like me too,,, if you do.â âOh yeah! I mean, I do⊠I do like you, Lucy.â âIâm glad.â Then we snuggled a little more. âOkay, Coach. I need to open the store at 7:30 and itâs almost midnight. When will I see you again?â We worked that out anâ I got another kiss. I walked home real confused but real happy. On the road to 0-2 Georgia State. They play man anâ press just about all the time but they arenât too good. We need a win here after last game. Nov. 21: 63-60. 13 lead changes, 9 ties. I think weâre better than we been playinâ. Hope so anyways. We finally woke up with about 6 min. left anâ we took charge from then on but we never led by more than 4. 16, 3, 2 for PG Morr, 12, 5 for PF Jode, 10, 6, 2 for C Brel but foul trouble again, most evârybody else too. 12, 5, 1 for Jim Barr, our first big off the bench. Coachâs meetinâ on the plane to see if we can get him more minutes. We decide on equal minutes among Black, Jode anâ Barr at SF anâ PF. Letâs see what happens. Barrâs minutes jump from about 12 ta about 28 per game. The other two go down from about 36 ta about 28. Home for two days then off ta Alaska for the Classic. I see Lucy twice. Iâm confused, awkward, probâly stupid, but she seems ta like me. She laughs when I get too dumb but it donât feel like laughinâ at me, itâs kind anâ even⊠I donât know, carinâ I guess. Scared ta death but I ainât gonna let myself run away. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
May 1: I didnât take a day off. Why would I? We buy the Midwest Gold and the National and International Basic scouting reports. June 5: In the transfer market. Looking for guards anâ findinâ bigs. We strike out. No big deal. June 26: It begins. We need guards. 4 scholarships, I want ta go 3 anâ 1 big. Jon Kurl got picked #55 in the draft. I think heâll make it anâ be considered a steal later on. Looking at 25 to start, mostly guards. Aug. 7: Still working the recruits. Weâve dropped quite a few, added some new ones. Aug. 21: Today we can offer. And we do, to three PGs and an SF. Sept. 18: Mike White, PG #253 commits. And we have a schedule. Weâre going to the Alaskan Classic. Weâve bumped up the sched. a bit. Sept. 25: We got two more, Neil Wait, #124 SF, and Erik Walt, #234 PG. One more to go. Oct. 2: Our last recruit commits, Erik James, #617 right now, PG. First day a practice. Nov. 6: Final ratings changes. Two exhibitions this week. The season sure got here fast! Lotsa changes ta the lineup based on the 2 games, way more than usual. Anâ weâre ready ta start the 2nd season! -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
April 4: Awards: Jon Kurl got conf. POY. Well deserved. Anâ Mark Miln got Freshman OY. I got the Coach award anâ it feels great. Take THAT all you schools that wouldnât hire me. Kurl on 1st team, Lynn and Arms on second. We did good! April 9: Met our goals went from Team Prestige of 41 ta 49. Real good! My #s go up: Off.- 20, Def.- 27, Recruit- 70, Scout- 90, Player Dev.- 26. Reputation- 42. No job offers. Didnât expect any. Wouldnât a taken any. April 16: I gotta hire a new staff. I get some really good assistants. #1, my recruiter will be Len Wood. Len is 65, retired, had been for five years. He came to some games, we got friendly. He recruited for Ohio State and was world class. He finally admitted that he missed it and was itching to get back in. He was my first call and we came to terms for a five year deal. He said weâd see if he made the whole five but Iâll take what I can get. #2, Ed Allen, was a similar case. 63, retired for 2 years, missed it like crazy. Len led me to Ed, who will be my scout. He did that for Illinois and was regarded as top flight. Ed signed for three years. #3 is 43 year old Joey Broer. Heâs been the bench/practice coach at Duquesne and was ready for a move up. This is lateral but up in that weâre a bigger, better school. I think I have a great staff here. Joey signed for two years with the understanding that if he gets a chance to become a #2 or #1 he will go with my support. Tony Iven signs. And we sign Jim Barn, #156, PF. April 23: Iâm asking for budget money. We sold out almost every game after a few years of low attendance. I want a piece of that. We get $10,000. Iâll take it. Anâ thatâs it for my first season as a head coach. Donât see how it coulda been better! -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
March 12: Todayâs the day. Play in game? PLAY IN GAME!!! I canât believe it. RPI is 31! 16-12 New Brunswick. P*SSED!!! March 14: 69-55. We were not about to lose this one. They stayed with us but we led almost all the way and in the last 10 min. whenever they got close we stretched out the lead. 29, 8, 4 for Kurl, 15, 3, 6 for Lynn. #5 North Carolina State from the tough ACC. They went 22-9, 11-7, lost in the 2nd round. Very tough outside. March 17: 69-68 in my first OT game as a coach. Great win! They took an early 11 point lead and were up 8 at the half. 6 threes did it. We got out on the three in the second and they made only two of them. But we were down 5 with 45 seconds left. Lynn got a back door lay up and we managed a steal with 22 left. We worked it and Kurl banged the three at the buzzer to send it to OT. Dish fouled out in the first min. of OT. The whole 5 minutes was defensive. Nobody scored until 1:22 left when they got a 2. We matched it, they got another one with the shot clock running down. It was our ball, down 2, 14 sec. left. Evârybody knew it was gonna be Kurl. I wanted a three and thatâs what he took. It went in with 1.7 left. They threw up a prayer but it wasnât close. 24, 2, 3 for Kurl with 6 threes. 15 for Dish before he fouled out. 18, 3, 6 for Lynn. 8,3 for Wats. 14 TOs but they had 18. -16 RB. But we did what we had ta do anâ we get ta play again! 26-5, 4 seed Milwaukee is next. On paper we got a shot. Theyâre better at C, maybe better at PG, but weâre better evâry place else. They play a tough man anâ they got weapons, but startinâ PF is out with a broken ankle an' they ain't been as good in the last five games since he left. We gotta play disciplined anâ smart but we can do this. March 19: 67-65, OT again! WOOOOO!!!!! Back anâ forth from beginninâ ta enâ. Dish fouled out again, but this time onây played 18 min. Mark Call had some trouble but he never panicked anâ he hung in. They got a buzzer beater at the end a regulation ta send it ta OT anâ nobody could score. I mean really. They got the first hoop with 59 sec. left. We came down quick cuz I wanted a shot before the 35 sec. mark so wed get the ball again. Kurl, who else, hit a 15 footer ta tie it with 40 sec. left. They held, shot with 9 sec. left anâ missed. Miln got the board, shot it out ta Call who threw to Kurl who hit a 16 footer with a hand in his face. They had 2.3 but couldnât get a good shot off. 24 TOs but +11 RBs. Stick that play in in yer butts committee. Weâre in the Sweet Sixteen! 26-8. The dream probâly ends here, we play #1 seed Louisville, 32-3, #5 RPI, but who cares? Look how far we got! On paper theyâre better evârywhere except PF. They play a very tight man. They score more outside anâ theyâre real good with the ball. Front line is good but not great. March 24: 61-78. They were just better. We stayed in it mosta the way but they were too good. 24, 9, 1 for Kurl in his last game. 21, 4, 4 for Lynn in his last game. What a year! 26-9. I never woulda figgered that. April 1: Final Four, two #1 seeds, a #2 anâ a #3. No. Carolina vs. Michigan for the title. Brad Graham, #71 PG signs. Tony Iven is the onây one unsigned, #102, PG. April 3: Michigan wins in a BIG upset. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Southern Illinois, 11-17, 8-20 won their play in to they play us in the round a eight. We beat âem by 2 then by 23. Jusâ play our game an; weâll be fine. I remind my guys that itâs March. If ya lose ya donât get ta play the next round. March 7: No danger, 80-56. It was never a game. 22, 7, 7 for Kurl, 22, 3,3 for Lynn. 7 guys played a lot an' they all played well. 16-12, 9-9 Indiana State is in the semis. We lost by eight there, won by 10 at our place. Again, we think weâre better anâ if we play smart weâll be okay. March 8: 69-62. Lotsa lead changes but we came on at the end again. No big games for anybody but evârybody pitched in. 10 TOs, +17 RB, they had 10 more fouls. It sets up the title match with #1 Missouri State. We lost by 16 there then won by 12 at our place. They play a tight man but rarely press. Theyâre tough outside. We can win this thing but we gotta play. March 9: 50-57. 10 lead changes, 8 ties. This time we didnât get it at the end. Kurl fouled out with 4 min. left anâ us up by 4, anâ Dish had 4 so he had ta be careful. We lost it at the line, they took 9 more free throws anâ made 10 more. I was yippin; at the refs all night. Didnât get Tâd up but it was close a few times. Mighta been better if I had. I gotta say weâre in the big dance, maybe a 9 or 10 seed. Coulda been a 6, 7 or 8 if weâda won. Wait anâ see. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
12-11, 6-8 Indiana State is in. They beat us by 8 there. We feel like weâre way better than them. Play our game anâ weâll be okay. Feb. 14: 76-66. Another one of those close almost all the way games where we pulled away at the end. All that conditioning seems ta be workinâ. We got our legs at the end. 9 TOs. 25, 5 for Kurl, 12, 7 for Kebu Ablew who usually doesnât play much. I put him in, he was feelinâ it so I gave him minutes. Miln was in foul trouble all night so I needed another body. Three left tied for first, evârybody else two or more back so itâs startinâ ta decide itself. At 9-15, 6-9 Evansville. Another road game we gotta anâ should win. Beat âem by 21 at our place. Feb. 17: 67-51. Big win! Same story as the last few, close for at least 30 minutes then we pulled away. 15 TOs hurt but we forced 21. +9 RB. 21, 4, 2 for our go to guy Kurl, 16 for Miln, 9, 6, 2 for Wats. At about 7 min. left we went on a 15-3 run ta break it open. Down ta two of us, Missouri State is the other one. Bracket Breaker next, Wright State, 15-9, 6-7, here. We should beat âem but tell the truth Iâd rather not play this game. Rather save the legs for the last two conf. games. Oh well. Feb. 19: 80-63. We never trailed. 24, 8, 4 for Kurl but all five looked good. 9 TOs. Last home game anâ senior night. 13-13, 8-8 North Chicago. Lost by 4 in a very frustratinâ game there. Control their PG anâ we win. Heâs the key. Feb. 21: 68-58. This team gives us trouble. Kurl had 34, huge! 8 anâ 8 for Arms. We controlled the PG in the second anâ that did it for us. We are tied for first, canât be worse than second. We finish on the road vs. a tough Des Moines team, 15-12, 10-7. We won by 17 at our place but we ainât kiddinâ ourself. We do feel weâre way better in the back court anâ about as good up front but home court will help them a lot. Feb. 24: 63-78. We gave up anâ unbelievable 51 in the first half. I had no words at halftime. They made shots but we didnât get out on the shooter. When we did they got it inside anâ beat us there. As bad as we looked all year. 2nd was better but it was too late. Enough said. Jusâ work ta get ready for the conf. tourney. 21-7, 12-6. RPI #32. Nick Jones, C, #111, signed. One to go unless we find ways to free up something after the season ends, which is a possibility. We got about a week ta prepare. Weâll rest legs for 2-3 days then get back ta regâler practice. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
At 12-7, 7-3 Wichita State. We won by 21 at home but these guys are tough at their place. We gotta stop their inside game. If we can we can beat âem.. They play 1-2-2 anâ theyâre the onây ones that do so itâs tough. Jan. 31: 55-68. Thought this would be a tough one anâ it was. A course 19 TOs made it tougher than it had ta be. 14, 8, 3 for Miln anâ not much from anybody else. Kurl was 4-12. Them bad shootinâ nights happen though. Nothinâ ta do about it. Keep workinâ weâre onây one back. Lotsa games left. 13-7, 7-4 Missouri State is in, tied for 2nd with us anâ one other team so itâs a big game. They kicked our butts by 16 at their place. This one will be another battle. We think weâre better at SG anâ got a better bench but after that itâs close at the other spots, anâ PG anâ SF could do us in if we ainât careful. I need good D tonight. Feb. 3: 80-68, but onây cuz we pulled away in the last couple min. It was real close mosta the way. Kurl had 19, 2, 3, anâ Arms had his best game in a LONG time, 22 anâ 9. Dish had 8 dishes, anâ the rest all did their part. Sure enough their PG anâ SF did some damage but not enough anâ they didnât really get much help. 10 TOs. Tied with Wichita St. for #1 but the sched. will make it real tough for us to end up at the top. One a the new recruits looks real good. If we can get him interested weâll find a scholarship for him. At 13-8, 6-6 Illinois State. We won by 7 at our place. On paper this should be a war. They play man and press only once in a while. Home court advantage will be tough to overcome. We gotta play our very best. Feb. 7: 54-63. We were movinâ uphill all night anâ we jusâ couldnât get over the top. 17 TOs didnât help. 8 more fouls didnât either. 26, 7, 3 for Kurl, 12, 5 for Arms, 8 anâ 8 for Miln. Didnât hurt us a whole lot. Weâre in a four way tie for the lead with five ta play. Two teams one back. What a dog fight. Schedule is still against us though. At 4-18, 2-11 Northern Iowa. This is a must win. They are the bottom of the conf. Just focus anâ play our game. Feb. 10: 53-48. It wasnât pretty but I guess it didnât need ta be. They went up early, as much as 17. Then we came back, got it ta minus 4 at the half. Tough part was it wasnât one guy beatinâ us, it was a little of evârythinâ. I decided ta go all 2-3 in the second anâ that worked. We held âem ta 19. 11 TOs. 16, 7, 2 for Lynn, 11, 9 for Miln, 17 for Kurl. Dish was off anâ he didnât get much help from the bench but we managed. Three tied for first anâ two one game back of us three. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
At 7-7, 1-4 Indiana State. They play man and press a lot. We feel like weâre much stronger at SG anâ PF, anâ our bench is better than theirs. If we stay focused we should be okay but road games can get ya. Jan. 13: 71-79. We were awful in the first half. Gave up 46 points. We were down as many as 17 but got it ta 12 at the half anâ I thought we had a chance. We got as close as 3 twice, but no closer. We let âem shoot 25 threes anâ they made 13. We jusâ, again, didnât get out there. Believe me weâll be workinâ on that. -12 RB didnât help either. Jusâ an awful night. 25 for Kurl, anâ Arms had 15 anâ 4. Miln fouled out in 9 min. Then ta make it worse Greg Herr, who never plays threw a whole pile a sh*t at Cris Arms. Coach Wall saw the whole thing. I brought Herr in anâ read him out big time. Fortunately for him he took responsibility or he woulda been in a world a trouble. He knows it better not happen again. Freakinâ nightmare, the whole day. Now itâs a five way tie at the top a the conf. Two teams one back. 4-11, 1-5 Evansville is in. Bottom a the conf. Jan. 17: 65-44. Milnâs best game ever, 18, 6, 2. Kurl had 20, 3, 1, anâ Lynn 16, 7, 1. 9 TOs. At 9-7, 4-3 North Chicago. We look ta be better at every position anâ we got a better bench. Itâs the road so I gotta keep âem focused. Jan. 20: 49-53. Frustratinâ as h*ll! We blew a 15 point lead in the second. Miln anâ Dish got in big time foul trouble. Wats did good but Call got in foul trouble too anâ I jusâ didnât have a PG. 10 TOs in the second half anâ that was that. Plus we shot 19% in the second. Wats was the onây guy who played good, 13, 9, 2. Iâll be bitinâ my own forehead over this one. 9-8, 5-3 Des Moines is in. Tied with us and a couple others one back a Wichita State. They got some strength inside but we are way better outside. Again, jusâ play our game anâ we should be fine. January 24: 63-46. Close all through the first. I kicked some serious a$$ in the locker room anâ they woke up in the second. We were standinâ around on O in the first. In the second we attacked all the way anâ they got in foul trouble. Lynn had 16, 7, 3. Nobody else put up big numbers but they all contributed. The D was fine, all the way through. 7-11, 5-4 Southern Illinois is in. We won by 2 there. These guys can sneak up on ya. More talent inside than out. Jan. 27: 76-53. Never a game. 20, 7, 1 for Miln, 17, 3, 3 for Lynn, 14, 9, 1 for Arms. 9 TOs. TOs down to a d*mn good 12.3! Jan. 29: Everybody hit the SAT score. I read Morris wrong, heâs a Juco. Lookinâ at a few new recruits because why not? Jon Kurl is #26 on the Norton List. He deserves it, heâs havinâ a great year. Too bad heâs a senior. Four starters are. Eight ta play in the conf. sched. anâ weâre in a three way tie for first. One team a game back, two more two games back. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
First conf. game at 2-7 Southern Illinois. Theyâre strugglinâ but losinâ close games. They play man and they press a lot. This one is not ta be taken lightly. Dec. 27: 55-53. Whew! First real close game Iâve coached anâ we won it. I been wonderinâ how Iâd do in this situation. We led mosta the way but they hung right in, never lettinâ it get outta reach. At the end, it was 53-53 anâ we had it with about 10-11 seconds. My guys know what ta do so Dish brought it down, lookinâ for either Kurl or Miln. Arms was havinâ a bad night or weâd a looked for him. With 2-3 left Dish got it ta Kurl who real quick worked through a pick anâ drained a 14 footer at the buzzer. He had 22, 4 anâ 4 but 7 TOs. Weâll talk about that! 8 anâ 5 for Miln, 4 anâ 8 for Wats, so the C position really got it done for us. Dish had 10, 4, 4, 1 TO, a real good game for him. 13 TOs, 10 less fouls than them which was the diff. Iâll take it! 6-4 Wichita State is in. They are big and tough inside. Arms has been strugglinâ a little but I need him ta step up for this one. We think weâre better outside but we better come ta play. The crowds have been great, full house, lotsa noise. Our only loss was at home but they never gave up on us. Dec. 30: 61-40. Biggest margin a victory yet. 26 anâ 4 for Kurl, 14 for Miln, 9 RBs each for Arms anâ Lynn, Dish was solid, 4, 5, 6. Onây 9 TOs. Iâd like to put this one someplace where I can bring it out anâ use it again! Oh, anâ yeah, the crowd was rockinâ! At 7-4, 1-1 Missouri State next. This looks pretty even. Theyâre strong outside, not so much inside. They play man anâ donât press less they need ta. We gotta get on the outside shooters tonight. Jan. 3: Bad news all around, 55-71 is bad enough but on top a that Carl Wats banged up an ankle. Out about a week anâ a half. 21 TOs anâ we didnât get out on the outside shooters, PG had 23, SG had 18, SF 13. We thought weâd prepared for that but it jusâ didnât happen. Miln had a good game, 10, 8, 2. Lynn had 14, 4, 1. Arms is still off his game. With Wats out for a couple games we canât have that. Home for two, first time we stop alternating home anâ road. Bad news is 4 of last 6 will be on the road. First in is 9-3, 2-1 Illinois State. We feel like weâre better at 2, 3, 4, about even at PG, anâ not as good at C, esp. with Wats out. Miln will pick up some minutes anâ Carl Able the rest. Jan. 6: 58-51. Under the circumstances Iâll take it. Back anâ forth for 10-12 min., then we took the lead. Never let it go, but they got it to 1 or 2 a few times, even late. After the last media time out we took over. 28, 4 for Kurl, 11, 5 for Miln, anâ he pretty much matched the other C while he was in there, which unfortunately was onây 21 minutes due to fouls. Able did okay when we needed him. 5, 9 for Arms, which was better. Iâm encouraginâ not yellinâ at him. When it ainât goinâ good yellinâ just kills any confidence that might be left. Itâs jusâ plain dumb. Next up is Northern Iowa, 2-11, 0-4. Cup cake. Just play our game. Jan. 10: 68-47. 27, 6, 3 for Kurl who is really feelinâ it lately. 10, 5, 2 for Miln. Dish was the only starter who didnât play well so he sat. Call did fine in the PG spot. 10 TOs. Weâre in a three way tie for first with Des Moines anâ North Chicago. We ain;t played either of âem yet so those games will tell a lot. I like that weâre at 13.4 TOs a game. Iâd like 12 better but TOs are above that all through the conf. Wats will be 100% for our nex' game. Life is still quiet, basketball, readinâ anâ runninâ in the morninâ. Quiet is good. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Next in is 4-1 Malibu, off to a good start. They are strong at PG, SF, C. They play man and press often. If we play well we should be okay. Nov. 29: 56-64. We just could not make a shot in the first half, 19 points on 23% shooting. We went in down 15, and it was too much ta make up. Only 11 TOs, +5 RBs, fouls even. It was the shooting. It got better in the second but not quite good enough. Miln played well while he was in but got in foul trouble and stayed there. Fouled out in 22 min. Wats was effective in his place though. 8, 5. Kurl shot 1-12. Lynn and Arms did fine. Hate ta lose, esp. at home, but I didnât figger ta win âem all. Keep workinâ. At 4-1 Northern Illinois next. This should be a mismatch. They play 2-3. Dec. 2: 49-39. Defensive battle. They tried to slow down all the way and it kept them close but we mostly led. Dish was off so his back up, Mark Call got a lotta minutes anâ he responded, 14, 4, 3. We are quick to shake it up, and that can help. 11, 5, 1 for Lynn, 12, 2, 2 for Kurl. Didnât get as much as we want from PF and C, but we got enough ta win. 14 TOs, but -5 RB. Again anâ always, keep workinâ. 2-4 Charlotte is in. Theyâre struggling anâ at least on paper weâre better at jusâ about evâry position. They play man and press a little. If theyâre strong any place itâs inside. Dec. 6: 62-52. Arms, 14, 8, Lynn, 12, 9, and Kurl, 14, 4, 2 led us. Our two Cs combined for 12, 6, 2. 14 TOs, +9 RB, +6 fouls. A week between games so weâll rest legs just a bit and work on some things. At 2-6 Idaho. Another mismatch on paper but itâs a road game. Never any guarantees there. They play man and donât press much. Stronger inside than out. Dec. 13: 71-58. Strong games from all 5 starters. 18 each for Arms anâ Kurl. 14 TOs. In control all the way. Another week between games then another real challenge. 9-3, #25 Oregon State is here. They are very good outside, particularly at PG and SF. They play man and they donât press. We been sellinâ out at home anâ that big crowd behind us will help but we gotta play. Dec. 20: 75-68. A real battle. We pulled away in the last few minutes. 8 TOs, +3 RB, +4 fouls. Huge game for Kurl, 31 anâ 4. 16, 8, 4 for Lynn, 11, 7 for Arms, 9, 5, 2 for Miln. A great way to end the pre-conf. sched. Weâre 8-1, way better than I woulda thought. Dec. 25: Thought we mighta been ranked but no. RPI is 33. Evârybody done good with grades. Holidays donât mean much ta me since I do not have a family and am not religious. I make room for people who do love them ta do their thing though. I know itâs important. I am settled in pretty well in the community. I know it for a long time so I know the places I like. It was not hard ta adjust. Evârythingâs good. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Alabama State is here to start our season. Itâs hard to know much. Last year they played almost all zone, 2-3 and 1-3-1, so thatâs what weâve been practicing against. November 15: 55-46. We were never really threatened and led by as much as 20, but it felt like the first game all right. Only 11 TOs, but -6 RBs and too many fouls. Kurl at SG anâ Arms at PF did the most on O. Bill Dish at PG did. Need more from our C, Carl Wats. In practice I thought heâd be big time. Maybe he will but not tonight. Lots to work on but not a bad first effort. We go home then road then home then road all the way âtil January. Off ta Hartford. They got a good C so letâs see if Wats steps up. Nov. 18: 53-47. Almosâ the same score as lasâ time. This time we never led by more than 10 but we mosâly led. 23 TOs which is awful. We WILL work on that, unacceptable. But +19 RBs and we fouled less. Wats did not get a point but 8 RBs. He was overmatched and their C had 18, 5. Back up, Mark Miln looked better, 6 anâ 8. Too soon ta shake up the lineup but Miln can earn minutes, maybe even the startinâ spot if he keeps it up. Kurl, 13, 7, 1 anâ Arms, 10, 12, 1 had good games again. Dish kicked it away too often, but outplayed the other PG. Nov. 20: Ranked! #23. I didnât expect that! Five recruits came in and signed. PG Tony Morris, #65, did not. Too bad, I was counting on him. When they donât sign on Nov. 20, unless theyâre a Juco, they wonât hit the SAT score and you lose them. But you canât dump them and canât offer to anyone else until 1/29. He was my highest rated PG. Miami of Ohio is in next. PG and SF seem to be their best players. They play man and press a little. Nov. 22: 67-50. 7 TOs, MUCH better. 17, 5, 4 for Jay Lynn at SF. 15, 6, 1 for Cris Arms at PF, 12, 4, 1 for Jon Kurl at SG, and Dish dished. Post game meeting. Weâre making the change at C. Mark Miln has been producing more than Wats so why wait. At #22 Memphis for maybe the most challenging game on our schedule. A test will be good. They have a very powerful front line, but I think we have the edge in the back court. They play more 2-3 than man. Nov. 25: 57-45. Great win! We led by as many as 20 after some early back and forth. Miln really rose to the promotion, 9, 7, 2, and outplayed a very good C. 11, 8, 6 for Jay Lynn, 18, 4, 3 for Kurl. Dish played well. Wats got 6 RBs. 18 TOs but +14 RB. Nov. 27: And somehow we drop out of the top 25? Explain that! -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
June 26: Recruiting. We have eight to fill and thatâs a load. Weâll need more guards than bigs. Lookinâ at lotsa guys. Weâre seeing some interest. I probâly shoulda talked about a coupla things. First I settled right inta a small apartment. In deciding whether ta buy a place right away I thought, no. Get a cheap apartment anâ save for a down payment. I knew I wouldnât spend hardly any time at home anyways so it didnât matter. Thatâs what I did, tiny, cheap place, bought an air conditioner for the bedroom. My office is in the Peoria Center, where the athletic offices are, anâ where we play anâ practice. The office isnât big but itâs big enough. Thereâs a table big enough for staff meetings, my desk, anâ a couch. Thatâs good cuz I knew Iâd sleep here some nights. Turned out ta be lotsa nights so far. Harry Bates is not a fan but I donât think heâll try ta knife me in the back either. Heâs a football guy. Iâll need ta fight ta get much from him. All I want right now is ta be included in the process when we make out our schedule. Later on things will come up where I need him. Hopefully heâll watch me. If he does heâll see that I know what Iâm doinâ, anâ hopefully that will get him on my side. His secretary, Betty Mills, is the one I see when I need stuff. I am surprised I donât have at least a shared secretary but I donât. Football coach has one, full time, nobody else even a part time secretary. Whatever, I got an answering machine. Betty will run off stuff for me. Iâll be okay. Anâ a little more about me. I have exactly two interests outside of college basketball. I am a reader, and I mean a serious reader. I read philosophy, all of the philosophers from the ancient Greeks forward to modern times. I highlight, take notes, read the notes. I really like the effect. It gets me thinking. I read classic literature, all kinds. Some I like, some I donât but I finish the book either way and here too, I take notes, highlight, think about what Iâm reading. More and more I read science. It is the world, the universe, how everything works. I struggle with lots of it, especially the physics, which is my favorite, but it fascinates me. My second interest is fitness. Even though I eat out too much Iâm careful what I eat. I run five miles every day. I am too much of a wide body to run fast so it takes 50 minutes. I do it outdoors if there is any way at all. When the wind chill is too low, itâs raining a real downpour, or the heat is dangerous I use a treadmill. We have plenty here in the Peoria Center. I do my running early in the a.m. I am not a sports fan. College hoops is my only sports interest. Itâs also the only thing I watch on TV except the news, and I wish there was a better way to get the news. I read the NY Times and the Christian Science Monitor. They are the most honest newspapers. I am not religious. It makes no sense to me, and it explains nothing. I donât care if other people are religious. I DO care when they try to force it on others, esp. children, in any way at all. August 7: We have a nominee for the Norton Award. Jon Kurl, SG. Heâs #50 but Iâll take it! August 21: We can make offers. And we do. September 11: Home visits. Weâll visit four of our eight. September 18: We get two commitments. Eddie Brewer, #35 PF, he was our highest rated, and Colt Frahm, #137 PG, a great ball handler. And we have a schedule. No tournament but nice and balanced for home vs. road, which I like. Probâly a little weak but I want my guys ta have time ta figger things out anâ Iâd like âem ta have a chance ta win while theyâre doinâ that. September 25: We get another one. Tony Morris, #61, PG. We think he will get minutes next year. We lose one, a PF, but we expected that. We wonât get all of them. As to the rating numbers they will go up and down twice more. We know what weâre looking for and that matters more than the numbers. October 2: No new commitments. Today is the first day of practice which is very exciting. The staff meetings have been more and more about well structured practices. I am a strong believer in that. We donât want a minute wasted. It wonât be. There are all kinds of drills, some for everyone, but at other times guards are at one end, forwards at the other. There are game situation things to practice, we scrimmage, we do lots of conditioning- you name it but itâs organized, itâs timed, and we keep things moving. October 9: Two more commitments and we lose one. Dave Black, #199 C, and Jay Coop, #290 SG, are in. So we have three guards and two bigs right now, three to go. October 30: We get another one, Roq Gehr, PG #129 from Brazil. Itâs hard ta say with international guys but he looks good. We got just under $20,000 left but it should be plenty. November 6: We donât fare too bad with the last rating # change. Still chasinâ a couple recruits and still a good size list. We got two exhibition games and that will tell us a lot. Anâ it did. A few changes to the lineup and lots of tweaks ta how much time guys will get. This will continue to be monitored and changed. Anâ just like that itâs time ta start the season. Weâre excited ta see how we do but I like this team right now. -
DDS:CB3 Dynasty: Mack Jones- The Hard Way
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
May 1: First order a business is hirinâ assistants. I wanta move quickly and I do. I start with George Kitt who will recruit. He did it at Western Illinois and pretty d*mn well but he wanted to move up. Iâm lucky to have him, even though itâs only for a year. He will assist me in my search for the other two assistants. We catch a break when Joe Pruitt who worked with George at Western Ill. decides heâd like to come here. Heâll scout and George says he was amazing at it, very analytical and saw everythinâ. They help me to find my #3, Kareem Wall, Western Michigan. Heâll be my practice/bench coach and he has decades of experience. I think we made a good start here. I will spend the month visiting my players. They all live here in Ill., so it wonât be that hard. I wanta meet âem with their families, let âem know what weâre going to be about, what I expect, all a that. What do I expect? First, hard work- every practice, every game, every study hall, every class. Second, cooperation. This is a team. We help each other. We donât look for personal glory. We accept our role but itâs okay ta work ta impress the staff and convince âem the role should grow. Finally, Iâm the boss. The assistants are right below me. You do what we say. If you got a problem you make an appointment ta come see me. You do NOT bring it public, or bring it ta your teammates. I buy the Gold Midwest and basic National and International scouting reports. That leaves me with more than $50,000 for recruiting which should be plenty. Not going ta any camps. Thatâs a luxury for the rich teams. I failed ta go inta numbers. Offense 15, Defense 20, Recruit 60, Scout 90 (cuz it donât ever change), Player Development 20. For a total a 205 outta 500. Reputation is 37. Philosophy: Rotation 10, Preference 5, Offense boards 8, Offensive pace 6, defensive intensity 5, Defense boards 10, Full court 2, Zone 5. We play Princeton anâ Triangle about 55-45, man ta man, 2-3 about 50-50. Donât press much but when we do itâs about 50-50 man and 1-2-1-1. -
DDS:CB3 Mack Jones (Author's Note: DDS:CB3 continues to go through changes and relatively frequent upgrades. This thread, like Temporary Like Achilles", will be short lived, ending when DDS releases version 1.4.) They tell me I gotta block out swears. Fine. Expect a lotta block outs. I had a rough life but I worked hard and I got through everything. Never caught a break neither. I was born 44 years ago, in 1930. My mother was a street wh*re in Chicago during the Depression. She managed to keep me for a while but when I was eight one of her Johns beat her and me up so bad that we had to be put in the hospital. Well, they reported her to child services and I was taken away from her. That began a series of hellish placements you really donât want to hear about. The sh*t that happened to me happens to a lotta kids in that situation, probâly most of âem. What I had going for me was I was big, wide, and not stupid. I was a bad kid in school but I could do all the work, and bad as I was I usually did it. Even got a lotta As, and just about all the rest Bs except when the teacher was a real a$$h*le. Then I got Ds and Fs cuz f*ck him, or her. When I was a h.s. freshman in 1944 I played football. I liked hittinâ people a lot but wasnât all that crazy about the game and the military type stuff involved. Never liked that. The basketball coach, Spike Martin, was the gym teacher and he had took a likinâ ta me early in the year. He wanted me ta try hoops so I did. Iâd never even held a basketball in my hands. Still, Coach Martin didnât cut me. He taught me- lotsa times keepinâ me for an hour after regâler practice. I played strictly j.v. my first year and committed about a foul a minute, but he kept workinâ, and stayed positive. He was really the first guy that ever treated me right. I didnât know how ta handle that. I had learned ta be cautious because sooner or later everybody turned on me, usually beat me up, raped me, or both until I got big enough ta fight 'em off. And hey, if ya canât handle ugly truth itâs probâly best if you donât read this. Anyway Coach was smart enough ta never say anythinâ like, âTrust me.â I guess he knew Iâd a run away from him if he did. But he never changed, never stopped beinâ patient, never stopped beinâ the best thing in my life. By my sophâmore year I was not foulinâ as much but still too much but I was playinâ pretty good D, and reboundinâ even better. I knew how ta get inside position anâ I was so strong nobody could move me outta that position. I couldnât shoot anâ never really learned but I could make lay ups, esp. on put backs. Coach worked that for about a million hours. Thatâs all the scorinâ I needed. Toward the end of that year I was playinâ a little varsity anâ holdinâ my own. Coach told me at the end of the season that I would be his startinâ varsity PF junior year. I kept my grades up anâ put up with a real a$$h*le history teacher name Trevani. He was a cut off, arrogant squirt, and he had that little man thing where he hated big guys anâ really went after âem. Back in them days they could get away with that. He even had fist fights with a couple a the big football players. If you was big he hated you. Anâ he was quick anâ a good fighter. I didnât do nothinâ to set him off anâ when he tried ta get me to, anâ man did he know how, I didnât go for it, just said, âYes sirâ in my politest voice. I got through the class with nothingâ ugly happeninâ. He gave me a C for doinâ A work anâ I just shut up and took it. Coach was helpinâ me stay cool all through this and when the class was over he told me how proud he was of me. That meant a lot even if I couldnât deal with compliments. I had found a decent family ta live with in high school. They didnât really treat me bad at all compared to just about all the others and they told me they wanted ta keep me all the way through h.s. cuz they knew that was a good situation for me. I actuâlly still see them anâ they go to lotsa my games. Iâm sure they will again in the new job, I'm glad it's right near 'em, anâ theyâll never pay fer a ticket. So okay maybe I did catch a couple breaks at that. Junior year I did start at PF anâ I guess I done okay. I was named third team all state even only scorinâ 5.8 a game. I got 9.5 RBs though. Senior year I done real good, 14.2 RBs, 9.8 points, and made the all state first team. Iâll always keep that trophy in my office. University of Illinois and some other places scouted me. I got offers for full scholarships from a bunch a schools but I wanted ta stay not so far from Peoria so I went ta U. of Illinois. Plus, the head coach there I liked more than the other head coaches. My grades were good but they wanted me ta take two courses in the summer so I did. They said it would be a big adjustment anâ it was, but varsity athletes had mandatory study hall- I woulda studied anyways, anâ tutors, anâ all a that really helped me a lot. I figgered Iâd wind up a gym teacher/coach like Coach Martin if I was lucky. Oh, my mom. They let me see her from time ta time after they took me away but she had a real tough time. She wound up on heroin, and she died when I was a junior in h.s. But donât never say nothinâ against her. She was still my mom anâ she loved me- moreân anybody else ever did. She just couldnât do nothinâ for me cuz her life was so f*cked up. Never a clue who my father was, anâ she didnât have any other kids so I donât have a family. So college was good. I ainât the friendly type. They made me see head docs all the way through high school anâ they said I had trust issues- no sh*t! I wasnât unfriendly but I went my own way. I was okay with college roommates but I didnât hang out with âem. I just said, âDonât give me sh*t I wonât give you sh*t.â It worked out. The last two years I roomed with the startinâ C for the team anâ he was a loner too. I played a little as a soph, anâ started as a junior anâ senior. Never made any all star teams but I did okay. I graduated anâ got a job teachinâ P.E. at Morton h.s. back in Peoria. I was way better with kids than grown ups anâ it was good. Stayed 10 years, won a lot a games, had a lot a kids that liked me anâ lots a them confided in me. I always made time. Letâs see, that brings us to 1962 anâ I was 32. That year Coach Jake Snow took me on as his assistant at Chicago. I stayed there for 12 years until I got the job Iâm about ta tell ya about. Oh, girls. Well, there were a few but I didnât know how ta act anâ nothinâ ever lasted very long. I could never go ta a wh*re, because a my mom, so- well, enough about that. I lived alone all these years. Itâs okay. Itâs safe anâ itâs easy. I cook a little but mostly eat out, anâ my apartmentâs a mess but I seen worse. Okay, after 5 years at Chicago I was ready ta be a head coach anâ I shoulda been one WAY before now. Maybe because Iâm so rough around the edges I didnât impress nobody in interviews but d*mmit they shoulda seen how good I was with kids anâ how well I knew the game, and how good my references were. I got rejected for over 100 head coaching jobs I applied for. Finally, in March Peoria fired their coach. I actuâlly got an interview. It was down ta two of us. I got the second interview. I read the next day that the other guy accepted a job at another school. I waited a whole week before Peoria finally called. The A. D., Harry Bates, said, âMack, if ya still want the job come on down and sign a contract.â Great! Sounded like he was sorry. I found out he wanted ta reopen the search but the university said they spent enough. Just hire me. If I didnât work out theyâd dump me after the first year even though I signed for 3, at a salary that seemed huge to me. It wasnât, they got me on the cheap, but it was way more than I needed, anâ I knew Iâd save most of it. Iâm real serious about that. I donât ever want ta end up a bum. As soon as it makes sense Iâll buy a little house somewhere cuz thatâs the way ta have somethinâ. I look inta stocks anâ bonds anâ stuff anâ put money there too. Okay, here I am. Iâll tell it right from day one, May 1.
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Temporary Like Achilles [DDSCB3] [Retired]
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Author's note: Unfortunately, I was back in the hospital for a few days (Same issue, third stay, not convinced it's fixed yet but it ain't fatal and docs say it won't be.) so Achilles won't get the ending I had hoped for. I always do the full install because I've never once successfully done the "Link to updated files only". Don't bother to send instructions, you have, I've used them, they don't work for me. We always knew that Achilles would be temporary but I grew to like him quite a bit. I will probably, at some point down the line, revive him, from the beginning of a new association. Since Update 1.3 of DDS:CB2 will no doubt also be short lived my next association will also be a temp. But I like playing more when I'm documenting, so document I shall! Goodbye Achilles. -
Temporary Like Achilles [DDSCB3] [Retired]
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
We travel to 2-2 SE Missouri State. They have a very good C. They are not good with the ball. December 3: 65-55. Marr had 23 and 5. Once again the change to the starting lineup showed benefits. Bell had 16, 5, 2 and Dye had 10, 5, 1. This is far more than we were getting from those two positions. Gray Hart had an off night (foul trouble) but Dye and Bell made up for it. December 4: Ranked! #23. Iâm not sure this will last but itâs nice. At 2-3 Georgia Tech. They arenât playing up to their normal standards but make no mistake, this is a great program and this will be our biggest challenge of the season so far. They score form all five positions and they rebound. We feel we can turn them over and we will need to. December 7: 53-62. We stayed with them for most of the way, never quite able to catch up but never far back. They pulled away just a little at the end. 21 TOs was the biggest problem, but we were not getting defensive stops when we needed them. Again, this was a good team. They moved the ball better than we had thought they would, and they defended us well. 17 each for Marr and Hart. At 2-5 Knoxville next. Theyâve lost five straight, to weak teams, mostly. We need to control their inside game. December 10: 70-57. 25 for Marr, who is turning into a go to guy, 12, 10, 4 for Hart, 13, 6, 2 for Jinx. 14 TOs. A good outing. The loss took us out of the top 25, and thatâs fine. âAchilles, my husband, I am so happy that you phoned!â âYes, it is always good to speak with you, Maria.â âI have news.â âOh? And what is your news?â âMy grades are here. They arrived today.â âAndâŠ?â âAll As!â âOf course! I expected no less. My congratulations.â âThank you. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I am successful at this great universities.â âIt is one of the finest in the world.â âI was not certain I could do well at this level. Akron was a fine school but not at this level.â âWith your intelligence, and your dedication and hard work as a student, I was not at all worried.â âThank you, my husband.â âOne more semester and then I begin work on my thesis.â âYes. How exciting to know that you will contribute to the worldâs store of knowledge!â âOh Achilles, it is very intimidating.â âDonât let it be. You have known what you want to do almost from the beginning. You will be fine.â âOh, I hope so!â At 3-4 New Mexico State next and this could be a challenge. NM State is not playing well but I think they have potential. December 13: 62-65 in OT. They led most of the way but we stayed close. Tied it with a three by Marr at the end of regulation. Then in OT we scored the first 5. They scored the last 8. We were done in by turnovers- 24 of them, 5 in OT, 10 by Joe Jinx. Never thought weâd be 7-2 at this point but this is a game we could have won. We have eight days between games so weâre back home after twelve days away. Feels good. Down to the Bayou to face 4-4 Louisiana-Lafayette. Everything goes inside with them. If we control that we win. If not, it could be ugly. December 21: 64-57. They were all over us in the first, leading by as many as 12 and going into the locker room up 10. Their inside game was working, despite all the prep we had done to stop it. At the half I made a couple of minor adjustments to our strategy. They worked, and we held them to 24 for the second half. At the same time our offense started clicking. We balanced going inside with taking open jumpers. All five starters scored points in the second and we turned it around. A good win. Off to the JAG Holiday Tournament. We start with a tough draw, 7-2 Arkansas, the #3 seed. There are some good teams here. Arkansas is 1-1 vs. ranked teams. They have one bad loss. They can score LOTS of points. We will need to play very well to have a chance in this one. December 23: 76-55. Didnât expect that! The first half was close all the way. No one led by more than five and we went in up 33-31. In the first minute of the second two of their starters picked up foul #3, and we were off. Marr and Bell started hitting outside and when they spread their defense we worked it inside for easy layups. We went in and out and they had no answers. Next up is #2 seed, 6-3 Florida State. Theyâve been up and down but have lost to every good team theyâve faced. Theyâre tough inside with a very good PF. December 24: 51-60. Another close first half. This time we didnât have second half answers, at least partially due to our guys getting into foul trouble. Gray Hart sat more than he played in the second and Dye and Bell also had problems. That allowed them to do what they like to do, bang it inside. They did, it worked, they won. Fouls were 21-12 but that was about right. We get home late on the 25th. No game until 12/31 so weâre home for a few days. 9-3 for the pre-conference season. Iâll take it! And from here on, half of our games will be at home, and believe me, Iâll take that too! -
Temporary Like Achilles [DDSCB3] [Retired]
Wayne23 replied to Wayne23's topic in Basketball Franchises đ
Indiana State is in for our first game. Letâs see what we learn about ourselves. November 16: 69-64. We have a long way to go. We had a three hour post game staff meeting: Gray Hart looked great at C, 18, 8, 2. John Bell at PF, had 11, 8. Nyah Marr at SG looked like he will help us. We got very little from either of our SFs. Joe Jinx had 8 TOs at PG. Jay Dye, our first big off the bench looked very good. Iâm wondering if there may be a way to get him into the mix at SF. He canât play that spot, but could he play PF, and could I shift Bell to SF. Hm. Des May, our first guard off the bench also looked good. We didnât rebound very well. Itâs early and one game only gives indications, but the staff is watching carefully. We travel to NC-Asheville for our next game. They lost their opener to a pretty weak team, and didnât look good doing so. But that was a road game for them. November 19: 54-46. Gray and John Bell played well again. Joe Jinx played better at PG, and our SFs played better. 13 for Marr at SG. I was happy with our defense and happier with our rebounding. It is important to remember that I scheduled some weak teams. We arenât planning to be too excited by early wins against this competition, but hopefully weâll learn some things without getting our heads bashed in. And even more hopefully weâll learn enough to be competitive when conference play begins. Maria is well into the semester and every time we discuss school she has very positive things to say about both her classes and her professors. Four of our five recruits signed. One, Pat Thom, #44 PF, did not sign. This probably means he will not hit our SAT score. Weâll court some bigs. 0-2 Indianapolis is in. They have some talent inside. November 23: 80-47. I know this wasnât a strong opponent but we really played well. 19 for Marr at SG, 14, 13, 2 for Gray at C, 15 for Jinx at PG, and only 1 TO, 11, 6, 2 for Bell at PF, 6, 5, 1 for Webb at SF. Total control. At 1-2 Charleston Southern. Only win was in OT. All three opponents were weak. November 26: 64-55. 24, 4, 3 for Marr, 16, 4, 2 for Hart. 21 TOs. After four games we decide to do an overall assessment at our staff meeting. We are happy with our defense, holding opponents to 53.0 per game. Weâre +4.3 in rebounding but feel we can do better. 16.8 TOs per game and we want it under 14. Individually, Weâre standing pat at PG, SG, PF, C. Phil Webb is definitely outplaying Sean Drew at SF, but weâre seriously looking at finding a way to get Jay Dye in ahead of both of them. We decide thereâs no time like the present. John Bell is moving from PF to SF. Jay Dye will start at PF, and Webb and Drew will come in from the bench. Letâs see what happens. Next up is what will be a challenge for us, 2-1 Pitt is in. On paper they are better than us- much better. Weâll need to control the boards and put pressure on their guards to have any chance at all. On top of that, our next home game is in January. So here we go! November 30: 78-67. We played well and oh yes, Jay Dye belongs in the starting lineup, only 6 and 7, but solid defense. 26, 5 for Marr, 17, 11, 5 for Hart, 13, 4, 2 for Bell at SF, 12, 8, 5 for Jinx. And 39 RBs, our most for the season. And now the long, long road. Before I leave I check in with Maria, who is preparing for exams in some classes, and end of semester term papers in others. She feels that it has been a great semester. She has learned a great deal. One more semester of classes and then she begins doing more research, fewer classes, in preparation for her dissertation.