Wayne23

May 1: “Pretty cool that they get ta call us champs all season!”

June 5: No one of interest in the transfer pool.

June 26: 4 scholarships. Looking at 4 PGs, 7 bigs for now.

“She’s pregnant.”

“That’s great news!”

“Yeah, we’re pretty excited, Jeffy too.”

July 20: “May’s really having a rough time with morning sickness. She says she did with Jeffy, too. Doc says she’s okay though, everything’s the way it should be. I guess I worry about it so much because a what happened when Margie lost the baby.”

Aug. 21: We offer to 2 PGs, 2 bigs.

Sept. 18: We get Adam Chaz, PG, #145.

We put together a fairly strong schedule.

Oct. 2: We lose one but get 2, PG Ema Mill #380, and SF Cal Beck #69.

We like what we saw at the 1st practice. We think we’re better than we were last year.

We’re picked 1st in conf.

May is doing well. She’s past the morning sickness. Baby is due in mid-March.

Nov. 6: Here’s the lineup: Senior Mike Anda and soph Jack Mile start at guard with juniors Matt Jam and Dan Black, a transfer from ST. Louis, subbing. It’s junior Carl Mia returning at SF, and senior Max Marx and junior transfer from FL Todd Tong starting inside. Junior Sid More lost his starting spot but is expected to get lots of minutes at 3, 4, and 5.

We start at New Orleans, and then come home to hoist the NIT title banner against Nome.

As told by Dave's friend, Michael "Red" O'Connor
 
Dysfunctional Dave McGee
I guess it even surprises me how long I’ve been with Dave. He’s not an easy guy to get along with- hell, he’s impossible to get along with- three ex-wives, not a single other long term friendship, no connection to his family…

The man the media has always called “Dysfunctional” Dave McGee is one of a kind. He has a fierce, hair trigger temper, he has been known to get into street brawls, and more often bar brawls, he drinks way too much, he is constantly mad at the world to the point of almost being paranoid. He simply has few if any people skills regarding anyone but those involved with his basketball program.

On the other hand he has a deep, wide, long knowledge of basketball fundamentals, and an equal knowledge of the intricacies of the game. He is an excellent teacher. No one is better at putting together a practice that wastes no time at all. He has unquestioned integrity. He demands the best, in the sport, in the classroom, and on the street from his students. He expects them to avoid anything remotely resembling trouble. But he is loyal to a fault. He will defend his players completely in times of trouble, if he feels they are in the right, or even if it is questionable.

The media too often portrays him as simple. He isn’t. He’s exceedingly complex and usually conflicted.

Okay, where to start? Third grade I guess. I moved to Cranston, Rhode Island from Bridgeport, CT in October of my third grade year. As all schools do, this school teamed me with a kid who would show me around. When we got to lunch recess we went outside. There was a small group shooting baskets, dominated by a tall, rugged looking kid who was clearly in charge. He was yelling at one of the other kids as we drew near.

“Who’s that?”

“Stay away from him, Michael. He’s a real asshole.”

“He’s in the third grade, how bad could he be.”

“If you look at him he beats you up.”

“Hah… What’s his name?”

“Dave McGee.”

“What’s the deal?”

“I dunno. He’s in Miss Butler’s class, not ours. I just know he’s trouble.”

I walked over to the game.

“Hey McGee, kin I take a shot?”

… “Guy wants a shot ta the HEAD! What’s your name, kid?”

“Michael O’Connor. You kin call me Mike.”

“At least yer Irish. I figgered by the hair. Guys, this here is ‘Red’ O’Connor. Call him anything but ‘Red’ I’ll kick yer asses.”

He threw the ball to me, hard. I dribbled twice and took a jumper. It went in.

“Not bad, Red. Yer on my team. Jeff, switch ta skins.”

“Hey! Why I gotta-”

“SWITCH TA SKINS!!!”

That was the intro to Dave McGee. For some reason he liked me. Turned out he lived on the street right next to mine so we hung out a lot right from the beginning. It wasn’t easy being Dave’s friend. He just did stupid, annoying things. Couldn’t seem to help himself. I stuck it out though. I don’t know, I’ve always had a thing about underdogs for one thing. For another, he could play basketball, and even then he was the leader, the coach. He’d put plays in and they were way more sophisticated than you’d expect at this level. He had a head for the game.

He was a head case though. He and I were in school together from third grade through college at URI and I never once saw him do any school work. Don’t ask me how he passed! If a teacher said something he didn’t like, or tried to work with him, Dave would start a battle with the teacher, and more times than not, wind up kicked out of class. But he did pass. He claims he never failed a class, and his URI diploma is in his office.

I guess I’d have to say he was at least somewhat of a bully. Leave him alone, no problem, but get in his way and you’d pay. Kids, even kids 2-3 years older, quickly learned that it was best to do things Dave’s way.

None of that ever changed much over the years. Good or bad he was a leader, and people saw that in him right away.

He kept growing, a big, beefy kid. He was Power Forward all the way and that’s what he played from middle school through college. I was a shooting guard/small forward. I always had a good shot, and the ability to get open for it. I wound up being 6’4”, tall enough to switch between the 2 and 3 spots. I handled the ball okay but not well enough to play Point except in an emergency, and I was a shooter not a passer. Oh, Dave got to 6'6".

In high school Dave went through girl friends like other guys go through sweat socks. He was a big, good looking guy and he was a terrific flirt. But after a girl went out with him a couple of times she was done. He was just too volatile. I never heard that he forced himself on anyone and I don’t think he would do that, but I doubt he had much finesse, and he likely had even less patience.
He had a dim outlook, too.

“Red, it ain’t ever gonna happen for us. Don’t matter how good we are we’re just assholes from Cranston. Duke don’t want us; UCLA don’t want us. We’ll be lucky if URI takes us!”

He was right, but URI did take both of us after we won the state title our senior year at Cranston High. He became a starter as a sophomore and I did as a junior. We roomed together all through college.

We won the conference our senior year and even won our first round NCAA game. Then we got demolished by Syracuse in the 2nd round.

All through college Dave was a really good player, tough as hell, a good rebounder and a better defender. He didn’t score a lot but he did get key baskets fairly often. I was the shooter on the team, and in a lot of ways the star, although that didn’t mean anything to me. Dave and I were co-captains our senior year and that meant a lot.

Off the court his luck with women stayed the same; he dated lots of them but never seemed to have a relationship that lasted.

He never drank until senior year. He never should have started. Alcohol made him even more belligerent and morose than he already was. I can’t even count the number of times I talked him out of fights. Too often I didn’t. He was so big and strong that most guys would back down but when they didn’t it could get ugly very quickly.

We both wound up back at good old Cranston High, me as a history teacher, Dave as a P. E. teacher. He got the head basketball coaching job and I was his assistant. We did well. After a rocky first year we won the league four straight times.

That got him the head coaching job at Nichols College, Div. II. Again, I went with him. We both kept our teaching jobs at Cranston High though.

He got married during his third year at Nichols. He found a woman he couldn’t drive away. After 4 ½ months of marriage he… drove her away.

Then this past spring Bryant fired their head coach. Dave had complied a 91-36 record at Nichols, had won the conference each of the last four years, and had gotten to the Div. II finals or semifinals three of the four years. He never won it all though.

“That’s us, Red, we get there but we don’t get the friggin’ gold ring. Just the way it is. We’ll get ta the big time, you watch, but we’ll never get one a those cushy jobs like Kentucky or Texas, or even UConn, and we’ll never win it all. You’ll see.”

No one ever called Dave Pollyanna.

Anyway, Bryant offered him the job. He told them he would only take it if I got to go along as his #1. After some discussion that’s the way it turned out. Hey, we’re full time basketball coaches at a Div. I school at the tender age of 35! Not bad.

Rhode Island is a small state. Neither of us moved. Dave has an apartment in Cranston, and my wife and I have a small home a couple streets away. Oh, I got married at 28. My wife Jean and I have a boy, Bobby, 3 years old, and a girl, Sandy, 11 months. Jean’s a nurse at the hospital in Cranston.

Jean feels sorry for Dave and has a good effect on him. She’s two years younger but she really is kind of a mother figure. She can get him to hang his head and look embarrassed the way no one else ever could. Dave’s own mother was an alcoholic. She died when he was 15. His dad wasn’t much better. Dave kind of raised himself. He says if it wasn’t for his grandmother he never would have made it. She died when he was 19. He didn’t have brothers and sisters, so Jean and I, and the kids are his only family. He loves the kids and they love him. We have him over for all the holidays, and he’s usually here a couple nights a week. We do a lot of our work here. That may change now that there are two other assistants. We’ll see.

Okay, basketball, coming right up!

So, all you people out there. I think that it would be cool if I partner with somebody who enjoys playing DDS:CB and connecting it with my DDSPB dynasty. Since I use DDSPB3, just make sure that whatever you do is compatible.

Nov. 26: 67-58 over Spokane. 1st single digit win. We were in control all the way but they kep’ it close. 23, 15 for Mars, 16, 7, 2 for White. 12, 37. It stayed close because the zebras kep’ us in foul trouble all night. They were awful.
 
Nov. 30: 87-49 over USC. 28, 6 for Hess, 25, 12 for Mars, 14, 11 for White, 8, 4, 10 for Lean. 7, 39.
 
Dec. 3: 66-46 at Michigan. The usual. 12 TOs, 40 RBs.
 
B. J., Bell banged a hip. Day ta day.
 
Dec. 7: Beat #8 Utah at their place, 69-53. 20, 10 for Brian Mars who has been steadily fantastic. 18 for Nick Hess who is a force. It feels like he can score as many as he wants to but he needs to get a little more selfish, which I keep telling him. Ian White continues to own the inside with Mars. Jed Lean runs the show from PG, an’ he does a great job of it. 15, 42.
 
“So where do we look for my nex’ job?”
 
“Northeast, Northwest. Berkeley, Stanford, anywhere in Oregon or Washington, UConn, UMass, Temple, Iowa, Iowa State maybe. Some places in the Midwest but we need to be careful, lot of ‘Babble Belt’ there.”
 
“Berkeley wanted me in April.”
 
“I hadn’t started investigating yet.”
 
“Okay. Public universities mos’ly. Not goin’ ta a religious school, obviously.”
 
She laughed. “Um, no.”
 
So we’ll have choices. Hopefully a school where I can build a national power, but whatever. I love coachin’ so it’ll be fine wherever we land, as long as we’re careful an’ pick a place that fits our beliefs an’ lifestyle, an’ esp. what we want our kids to be exposed to- positive, open, intelligent, affirmin’- alla that stuff.
 
Ray is 6 months old, Mandy a little more than 18 months. Growin’ like weeds, both of ‘em. Changes ev’ry day. It’s a joy ta see an’ ta be part a all a this.
 
Never thought it would happen for me an’ wouldn’t a if I hadn’t a met Lucy. Grateful ev’ry day an’ I even remember ta tell her.

Michigan in the round of 8. Beat ‘em by 22 and 24.

March 10: 86-47. +21 RB. Great games all around.

Evanstown in the semis. They beat us by 14 at their place. Good outside game.

March 11: 86-65. Monster game for Reed, 36, 16, 3, 5 blocks. Ev’rybody played well.

#4 Indiana for the title.

March 12: 71-67. All 5 starters plus Flyn played well.

#1 OK ST lost so we should be #1 overall.

Selection time: Yep. #1 East.

We start with 13-18 Cal-SLO.

March 16: 65-34. 8 TOs, 46 RBs.

25-7, 13-3 Western KY. Decent outside game.

March 18: 68-40. Starting 5 were all dominating. 10 TOs, 48 RBs.
Sweet Sixteen.

Sub Clint Lund stretched a hamstring. About two weeks.

“We managed it.”

“Hm?”

“Employees now get a choice. If they want us to provide health insurance we will do that, and it takes priority over profit sharing. They still get profit sharing but only after the health insurance is paid for. Employees who don’t need health insurance get the full profit sharing. I wasn’t sure we’d find a way to allow for the choice but we did.”

“Great! What a great employer you are!”

“I want to do right by my employees.”

“You certainly do.”

25-9, 12-6, #4 seed, #14 ranked Kansas is next. This is a good team. All the bad teams went home at this point.

March 23: 79-67. Front court was overwhelming, including Flyn from the bench.

#2 seed, #5 ranked Duke, 28-6, 14-4. VERY good outside.

March 25: 65-57. Front line won it, 45 and 32 including Flyn, but backcourt did their job too, +9 TOs.

Final Four!