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Wayne23

DDS:CB3 Dynasty: The Professor

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May 1: Season three begins. We buy the Gold National and Basic International Reports.

May 14: I propose. Rebecca accepts. She really likes the ring I got her. We plan to marry next May or June.

June 5: We look at a few transfers.

June 12: We pick up PG Quin Addy.

June 26: Recruiting begins. We have four scholarships to offer. We need guards more than forwards.
We are looking at 19 but some may not have the GPA we will need. That information is not yet available.

July 4: Down to 16- 6 PGs, 3 SGs, 2 SFs, 1 PF, 4 C.

Aug. 21: We offer to a PG, an SG, and 2 Centers.

Sept.7: There is a great deal to balance with the fall semester underway.

I met my two new doc students in late August and am very excited to be working with both. Randall Peck III, from right here in Cambridge, is the son of a philosophy professor at Boston University. He has some fascinating theories that he wants to test out. I feel that his research could be very valuable to our program.

Brighton DeWitt Campbell is also from this area. He arrives here having received his B. A. at age 17, and his M. A. in Mathematics at age 18. Brighton has all the credentials to be regarded as an absolute genius. I am going to let him go his own way and simply check in and refocus him as need be. He tells me this is his “first Ph. D.” He intends to get others, all in pure math. He feels statistics offers an opportunity to ground himself before pursuing the others. He will be a learning experience for me!

I am also teaching a graduate level class in statistical analysis for graduate students researching for advanced degrees. I cannot teach during the spring semester because the basketball season simply does not permit it. During the fall I make most of my classes. When I am unable to be there Arnold Stern teaches the class. He completes his Ph. D. work in the spring and I will miss him. He has done and continues to do outstanding work. I also teach a class during the summer.

And of course the requirement to “publish or perish” never leaves. I am working with two other professors in the Statistics Department here at Harvard. We have three articles in various states of preparation. One is in final edit for the leading journal in our field, and the other two should both be ready before the end of the academic year.

In between all of this I try to find time for my fiancée. Rebecca is very busy herself, of course. She hopes to complete and defend her thesis by April or May so this will be a very busy time.

Oh, and I also coach a basketball team!

Sept. 11: Home visits to our four.

Sept. 18: Three recruits committed: Colt Arms, #40, C, Curt Park, #50, C, and Del Duke, #39 SG. We feel we have a very good chance with the fourth, a PG.

We are invited to the Sunshine Shootout in Dec. The schedule is a bit stronger than last season.

Oct. 2: Ty Corr, #117 PG commits. He will be borderline as far as hitting the SAT score is concerned so we’re looking at several other PGs.

First day of practice. I really like what I see.

 Nov. 6: Exhibition games. We make some changes based upon what we saw in the exhibition games.

Speaking with three PGs in case Corr doesn’t hit the SAT score.

We feel we are ready for the season to begin and further feel that we have our best team since our arrival here.

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We begin the season at Penn ST. We feel we are far superior to them but it is early. There is much to discover.

Nov. 16: 64-36. Our defense looked truly exceptional. We saw that in both exhibition games as well. I was very pleased that we had but 11 turnovers and that we were +15 in rebounding. Our offense was led by Bay Sand at C, who had 14, 8, 3, while completely stifling his opponent, and by PG Jon Hank, 17, 4, 5. Tyle Gill had 10 RBs from the bench. This was a very fine way to begin the season.

Tulsa, 0-1 is here for our home debut. Tulsa is a far stronger team than was Penn ST but we feel we have more talent.

Nov. 19: 75-44. Again, outstanding defense. 12 turnovers, +7 RB. Sand and Hank both had very good games again, as did SG Al Ruck, and sub Kyle Gill. Matt Hall had 11 RBs at PF.

Nov. 20: As expected Ty Corr is not going to hit our score. Stuck with him until 1/29 but we’ll court some PGs.

At 0-2 Akron. Their C is very good but he doesn’t get much help.

Nov. 23: 60-40. The outstanding defense continues. Not happy with 15 turnovers but very happy with +14 rebounds. 19, 9 for Long, 12, 10 for Sand, 14, 5, 5 for Hank, 12, 7 for Ruck. We held Akron to 12 points in the first half.

2-1 Vanderbilt is here. We have some challenging games ahead but this should not be one of them if we play well.

We decide to give Gill a bit more playing time and Hall a bit less.

Nov. 26: 70-46. Jon Hank had 32, 4, 7 at PG. We played very good defense yet again and had only 9 turnovers.

The semester is nearing its end. Randall Peck has done some outstanding work for us. He has found some little nuances for us to use against man to man defense that open up opportunities for us to score rather easily in given situations. A few of his other ideas have led us to go to certain defenses briefly, in certain situations, to enormously positive effect.

Brighton Campbell’s work is less concrete but I do see potential for it to become useful in time and it is exceedingly interesting from a purely statistical point of view.

Our article will be published in the January issue of Statistics Today, and a second article is in final review. The third is nearing that point.

My graduate students are all doing well in the class I teach. There are only eight of them and all are doing exceptional work. Exams are next week. The exam is really a project for this course.

Rebecca has been extremely busy. We meet when we can. Often I spend the evening going over my students’ work or doing basketball related work as she works on her thesis. At least we’re together. We do try to spend a little time with each other on these occasions.

4-0 but our first real challenge of the season comes with our next game.

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#11 ranked, 5-2 USC is in. We will need to stop their outside scoring especially from the SG and SF. If we are able to play the kind of defense we have played so far I like our chances.

Nov. 30: 79-69. Great win! While we gave up 69 points we held them to 33.3% shooting and that was the difference, so it was defense again. All of our starters scored in double figures. Sand had 11 RBs. Hank ha d6 RBs and 4 assists. He fouled out but played 33 minutes and only got #5 with 1:16 to go. Good bench play from Gill and from Vya Seir at guard. Only 12 turnovers.

It feels great to beat a really good team!

Dec. 2: Today we embark on a long road trip. Should we reach the finals of the Sunshine Shootout our next seven games will be on the road. We will come home only briefly between now and Dec. 18.

Our players will take their exams while on the road and I will mail them to their professors.

We begin at 1-1 Indiana ST. They are strong inside, sloppy at guard. They have played two good teams.

Dec. 3: 66-52. As has been the case regularly we had a very good first half. 14, 8 for Sand, 14, 5, 2 for Long, good bench play, especially from Gill, and 9 turnovers.

We decide to start Gill at PF. He’s been giving us considerably more than has Matt Hall.

On to 3-4 Milwaukee. They have one quality win but three very bad losses. They are stronger outside than inside. They play mostly 2-3 zone, which we have seen little of, but we have been practicing against it.

Dec. 6: 85-71. Our poorest defensive performance of the season but 21 three pointers, 7 each by Ruck and Long, got us through. Jon Hank did a very good job of running the offense. Bay Sand was in foul trouble all night, which did not help us. Still, we are now 7-0 heading to the Sunshine Shootout.

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We’re seeded eighth in this eight team tournament. We begin with #1 seed, #17 ranked, 6-0  Missouri. This is a very good team. They are strong at PG, SF, and C. They take care of the ball, score inside and outside, and rebound well.

Dec. 9: 73-63. Strong first half again but we almost gave it away in the second. Both Sand and Hank were in foul trouble. Sand had a very, very good game, 21 and 17. Out other starters all put up good numbers but except for Matt Hall’s 9 rebounds we got nothing from the bench- not a single point, only 2 assists and one RB other than Hall’s. 15 turnovers. +17 rebounds made a huge difference.

This was more an escape than a win.

#4 seed, 6-2 Nebraska is next. They’ve played a strong schedule. They do many things well and have several players who can score but no stand out shooter. We feel we’re the better team but not by a great deal.

Dec. 10: 81-67. 25, 13, 4 for Sand, 18 for Long, 17 for Ruck. Solid play and great leadership from Hank. 11 turnovers.

Ranked! #15, RPI #15.

We play #2 seed, #19 ranked, 8-1 New Mexico for the title. They haven’t played a strong schedule. Good with the ball and they rebound.

Dec. 11: 81-62. Ruck, 20, 2, 5, Long, 16, 12, 3, and Sand, 16, 11 carried us. Hank played only 16 minutes due to fouls but Seir and Zinn played well in his stead. Only 8 turnovers. We have perhaps been relying too heavily on the three. We had 15 tonight, but we shot 48.4% from three point range.

We are 10-0. Two more road games but the next is in Boston so it isn’t really a road game in a sense. At least we are able to sleep in our own beds.

Boston College is 5-1. They have played well against a less than impressive schedule, but they do things well.

Dec. 13: 72-68. Our first close game. We led most of the way but there were several lead changes, and BC got within a single point upon three occasions during the last two minutes or so. In the end our rebounding (+11) got us through. Poor ball handling (18 turnovers) did not help us. We played nine and all contributed but foul difficulties for Sand and Hank made the task more difficult.

We are now 11-0.

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Back on the road at 2-7 Washington ST. On paper they are not at all impressive. They are very sloppy, do not have a “go to guy” and are not particularly strong inside. Still, it is a road game.

Dec. 17: 53-63. I suppose a night like this had to happen sooner or later. Aside from Bay Sand we simply couldn’t make a shot. He was 10-13, the rest of the team was 9-45. Hank fouled out in 22 minutes and his back up also fouled out. Just not our night.

Home at last. 6-3 Boise ST is here. This is a team we should beat.

Dec. 21: 77-54. Much better. We played nine and all nine contributed. 11 turnovers, +14 rebounds.

This is the toughest game on our entire schedule. At #3, 11-2 Ohio ST. They are solid at all five positions and they have a bench. Still, I do not see them as being significantly better than our team. We need to play well and to take advantage of our opportunities. If we do I believe we have a chance.
Dec. 24: 73-69. And that’s about as well as we can play! After taking an early 9 point lead we trailed for most of the game, by as many as 13. Then with about 5:30 to go we rallied. Their bigs both got into foul trouble and Bay Sand, 24, 14, Matt Hall, 5, 6, and Kyle Gill, 7, 4, 2 began to blast it inside. We caught them and then took the lead with 1:14 to go. We built it to 7 and won by 4 when they hit a three in the last few seconds. 13 turnovers (-2), 39 rebounds (+10). Jon Hank fouled out in 19 minutes but Vya Seir got the job done in his place. Good solid defense and lots of discipline all over the court. Al Ruck helped us by scoring 26 outside. When Ohio ST opverplayed inside we got it to Ruck and he seemed to hit shots when we needed them, including 5 threes.

The semester is over, grades are out. My students all did well. Cris Zinn and Quin Addy need to work on grades. Neither is failing but they could be doing better and we will see to it that they do.

Rebecca continues to make progress with her thesis. I read it at least weekly and I feel it is excellent. I believe it will make a major contribution to the field. Time together continues to be difficult to find but we both understand that this is the way it will be until spring. Our wedding will be very simple and very small, fortunately as there is little time for planning. It will probably be in early June.

Spring semester is, in some ways earlier since I do not teach, but I must still supervise my Masters and Ph. D. students, and must still work on publishing. Thankfully I have partners in that endeavor. Next year I will work on a solo article, which will be a greater challenge, but I have some work that needs publishing.

We travel to 3-7 Rice for our last pre-conference game. On paper this should be an easy win. We are better at every position and our bench matches theirs. Still, it is a road game. I am reminding my players of Wash. ST.

Dec. 28: 74-71. Whew! We did not play good D and our threes were not falling. 18, 12 for Sand, 14 for Ruck, 11, 8, 3 for Gill, and +11 rebounding made the difference.

We go to conference with a record of 14-1, ranked #8, RPI #4.

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We begin at 5-8 Brown. They should pose little challenge.

Happy 1971.

Jan. 4: 63-48. Great second half defense. 12 turnovers, +14 rebounds. 29 for Long, 12, 8 for Sand, 6, 10 for Gill.

As to Gill and Hall, it seems whichever one I do NOT start plays better than the one I DO start.

5-9 Penn is here. If we play well this should not be a serious challenge.
Jan. 7: 65-53. Once again, defense and rebounding (+10) got us through. 17 turnovers hurt our effort. 17, 14, 4 for Sand, 20 for Ruck.

Jan. 8: We are ranked #4, which seems a bit high to me. RPI is #10.
At 10-5, 2-0 Yale, perhaps our strongest conference opponent. They lost to several weak non-conference opponents but we will need to play well in order to win, and the 3-2 defense complicates matters.

Jan. 11: 82-61. 11 turnovers and +11 rebounds, 52.6% shooting, 13 threes. 31, 3, 5 for Ruck, 17, 6 for Long, 10, 8 for Sand, 9, 5, 3 with only 2 TOs for Hank. We were never challenged.

8-8, 1-2 Columbia is here. They have some talent outside but we are clearly the better team.

Jan. 14: 53-49. Again, defense got us through but we were awful otherwise, shooting 34.6%, and 4-19 on threes. Hank fouled out in 18 minutes, and his backup, Seir, fouled out in 10. Long, 16, 8, and Sand, 14, 8, were the only bright spots. A win, but a very poorly played game except for the defense.

We remain at #4, RPI is now #6. 18-1, 4-0.

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At 8-9, 1-3 Dartmouth. They are not one of the better teams in the conference but again, it is a road game.

Jan. 18: 69-48. Held them to 17 in the first half. When we play good defense we do very well. 22, 16, 2 for Sand, 22 for Ruck. 9 turnovers.

At 9-9, 2-3 Cornell. They are 7-1 at home so we will need to stay alert.

Jan. 21: 69-78. I rarely say that the officials are altogether to blame but let me point out that Hank fouled out in 14 minutes, Ruck in 22, and Sand in 26. No one from Cornell fouled out. By the same token we allowed our opponents to shoot 51%, and we committed 17 turnovers.

We are now tied for first with Penn.

7-12, 2-4 Princeton is the only conference opponent we have not yet played. The game is here. This is a team we should defeat easily.

Jan. 25: 83-56. Despite the score we did not play particularly well. We simply had far more talent. 9 turnovers.

Penn lost. They and Yale are one game back. Everyone else is three or more back. Halfway through the conference schedule.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“About what, Rebecca?”

“… About us… about getting married.”

“Oh… And so…?”

“And so I’m breaking off the engagement.”

It wasn’t a very long discussion. It boiled down to Rebecca wanting to remain single and wanting to pursue her career and go where the best opportunities to do that were, rather than going wherever my coaching career might lead us. When I pushed a bit further she admitted that she found me … not particularly exciting. Well, I AM a statistics professor, above all else so that sort of stands to reason. We parted friends but we definitely parted. I think she will rise to the very top of our field and I wished her well, meaning it sincerely.

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7-13, 2-5 Brown is here. We won by 15 there.

Jan. 28: 83-59. We held them to 26.8% shooting. All five of our starters plus Seir, Zinn and Robb from the bench contributed, but Hank fouled out yet again, in 28 minutes. Only 7 turnovers for the team.

As expected Ty Corr did not hit the SAT score. Neither did one of the three PGs we were pursuing.

We offer to Junior college player Jed Clay, PG, #105. We like him a great deal and he has us at #5 on his list so we are hopeful.

Penn is next. They just lost so they are 2 back at 9-12, 5-3. We beat them by 12 at our gym. Their SG and SF do most of the scoring so we will need to get out on the outside shooters.

Feb. 1: 70-54. A close first half but we made adjustments and dominated the second half. All five starters in double figures, Sand with 10 RBs and 4 assists. 15 turnovers, not good but +5. +7 rebounds.

Second place Yale, 15-7, 7-2 is in town. We won by 19 there. A win here would all but assure a first place finish. We had little difficulty with their 3-2 last time.

Feb. 4: 70-50. 12, 16 for Sand, 21, 3 for Ruck, 14 for Hank, 11, 1, 6 for Long, 7, 6 for Hall. 11 turnovers, +8 RBs.

#3, RPI #4. We’re good but I’m not sure we’re this good.

At 11-12, 4-6 Columbia. We won by only 4 at home, their 1-3-1 gave us fits. We are taking this very seriously.

Feb. 8: 76-60. Another very competitive first half. Again, our halftime adjustments led to our taking control. 19 turnovers, the most of any game this season. Only 5 in the second half. Very much a team effort in regard to scoring, six players had between 9 and 16 points. +12 RB.

Only Yale has a statistical chance to catch us. With three to play we lead them by 2. Everyone else trails by 4 or more games.

My life has certainly changed now that Rebecca is no longer part of it. While I am unquestionably both solitary and introverted by nature I do miss being with her. Often we spent an evening simply working, not saying a great deal, but knowing she was with me lent a certain comfort and peace. Ah well, there are no certainties in life. I am certainly coping. I would rather things had worked out differently but one must accept what life brings.

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11-13, 4-7 Dartmouth is here. We won by 21 there.

Feb. 11: 79-59. 11 turnovers, +9 rebounds. 24, 10 for Sand, and everyone else contributed.

Yale lost so we are up by 3 with 2 to play.

13-12, 6-6 Cornell beat us by 9 at their place. They played well, we didn’t, and we were in foul trouble all night. We expect to win the rematch.

Feb. 15: 59-44. Excellent defense. They shot 22%. Almost as much foul trouble as last time, Hank fouled out, Ruck and Sand had 4 each.

At 10-16, 5-8 Princeton to close conference play. We won by 27 at home.

Feb. 18: 78-58. 9 TOs, +7 RBs. 29 for Ruck. We never trailed.

We win the Ivy by 4 games.

Bracket Breaker with 14-9 Charleston coming here. They have some talent but two starters are out with injuries.

Feb. 19: 85-60. 8 turnovers, +11 rebounds. Seven played and all seven played well.

We go to the post season 28-2, #3, RPI #3.

I still miss Rebecca but at this time of year I am so busy that it almost doesn’t matter. Still, I am doing a great deal of thinking about life in general, and about my approach to life. It is difficult to say where this will lead.

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It’s Brown in the quarter finals. We beat them by 15 and then 24.

March 3: 79-58. Never a game. 10 turnovers. 23, 5, 2 for Long but everyone played well.

Yale lost in an upset.

16-13 Cornell, the only conference team to beat us, is next. We won the return match by 15.

March 4: 82-54. Very good defense, 11 turnovers and Jon Hank’s best game in a very long time, 23, 2, 4.

Adam Long sprained a finger. He will be at less than full strength for about a week and a half.

Dartmouth, 14-15, 5-9, finished seventh in the conference but defeated #2 seed Yale and then #3 seed Penn, so here they are in the final. We beat them by 21 and then 20.

March 5: 69-51. Great guard play, 18, 2, 6 for Hank, 20 for Ruck. Kyle Gill had 8 and 8 filling in for the injured Adam Long who did play some.

31-2, #3, RPI #4, and waiting for selection day.

March 12: Now we’re #2, RPI #3.

Not in the East.

#2 in the Midwest. We’ll play Coastal Carolina.

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March 14: Yale won in the NIT.

Matt Hall is 100%.

19-11 Coastal Carolina finished third in the conference and then won the tourney. Frankly, they are overmatched.

March 16: 67-48. We never trailed. 10 TOs. Good play from everyone.
20-10 North Carolina in the round of 32. This is a good team and they played a strong schedule. We will need to play well.

March 18: 75-55. We scored 54 in the first half and never trailed. Not happy with 17 TOs but that was the only negative. Everyone played.

March 21: Yale won in the second round of the NIT.

22-8 Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen. They lost in the first round of their tourney which lowered their seed, but they are 9-1 in their last 10. Not great with the ball but their PG can score. They have a solid inside game.

March 23: 63-48. Again, we led all the way. 12 TOs, +7 RBs. Sand and Ruck had issues with fouls but Sand had 15, 7. 14, 6 for Long, 14 for Hank.

Heading for the Elite Eight! 23-10, #5 seed Indiana. SG and SF both are good scorers. This team is beatable and several unranked teams have managed that but we need to play well.

March 25: 78-69 and we’re in the Final Four! Once again we led all the way. 9 turnovers, +8 rebounds. 18, 16 for Sand, 22, 4, 4 for Ruck, 21, 9, 2 for Hank, 14, 5, 4 for Long.

Lots of excitement in Cambridge, Boston, and throughout the state as we prepare for Harvard’s first ever trip to the Final Four. We will face #1 in the nation Michigan State so it won’t be easy, but we are thrilled to have this opportunity. #22 New Mexico will play #9 Kentucky in the other game.

We are at 35-2, #2, RPI #3.

March 28: Yale wins in the round of four of the NIT.

March 30: Yale defeats UNLV to win the NIT tournament.

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32-4, #1, RPI #1 Michigan State is a terrific team. They are extremely solid outside. Their last loss was on Jan. 14. There is very little that they do not do well. We will need to play near perfect basketball.

April 1: 56-73. We couldn’t stop their outside shooters. PG had 24, 11, 7, SG had 27, 4, SF had 20, 4, 2. For us Sand had 14 and 12, Long 15, 5, 3, and Hank 13, 3, 4 but it wasn’t nearly enough. -4 TOs, -5 RBs. We very simply lost to a better team. Kyle Gill hurt his ankle early and couldn’t do much after that but it would not have mattered.

April 3: Mich. ST beat New Mexico for the title.

April 4: Awards: We run into the usual error so I don’t get to see who won the awards but I can work it out through the player cards. Jon Hank, who graduates, made 2nd all conference team. Al Ruck made 1st team. Adam Long made 1st team and was named Defensive POY. Bay Sand was player of the year, 1st team. I was conf. Coach of the year.

April 9: Iowa State is the best team offering me the head coach job. I fly out there. I decide to stay at Harvard. The academics are not up to Harvard’s, and the opportunities in my field of study are not impressive.

April 16: PG Jed Clay signs. No staff vacancies.

April 23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. Got it! B+.

We were 35-3 this season, truly an incredible year. I must give a great deal of the credit to grad  students Arnold Stern, who defended his doctoral thesis just this week, very successfully. I will miss him enormously as he heads for Oregon State. Also deserving enormous credit is Randall Peck II, who will be with us for two more seasons. He found little things that gave us an edge all season long. His research focused upon tendencies other teams showed in critical situations. Thus we were ready, and able to defend, or to know which defense the opponent was likely to utilize in a given situations. His work kept us a step ahead.

I end the season with a record of 75-27, .735. My numbers are: Off.- 25, Def.- 36, Recruiting- 90, Scout- 91, Player Dev.- 38, Reputation- 51.
We are losing our PG which is a big loss, but everyone else is back. We have three recruits coming in and several returning players who will try to fill the gap.

With the season completed I continue to consider personal issues and possible changes in my approach to life.

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May 1: We buy the National Gold.

June 6: Going after a few transfers.

June 8: “Hi Coach. What’ll ya have?”

“Oh hello. Do I know you?”

“No Coach, but you are pretty famous here you know.”

“Really?”

“Well, going to the Final Four? Yeah, that would do it.”

“Oh yes, I suppose it would.”

“I’m Maggie May. I’m a senior at Northeastern- just about to graduate, actually. This is just to help pay the bills.”

“I see. Um, I think a garden salad with shrimp.”

“It’s actually better with the grilled chicken, take my word.”

“All right, with grilled chicken then.”

“Dressing?”

“Um…”

“You’re the watch the diet type. I’ll bring oil and vinegar.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Anything to drink?”

“Water please.”

“I’ll put that right in.”

Then she came back. I’d never been here before. It is my practice to walk at lunchtime. Sometimes I have lunch other times not. Today I felt hungry so I stopped in to this quiet little restaurant at about 1:15. The lunch crowd had come and gone so there was only one couple, sitting in a booth.

“So Coach. I’ve seen a few interviews. You seem like the shy type.”

“I am not particularly outgoing, no.”

“One of those smoldering underneath types, a wild man in private?”

“Hardly that, no.”

“Just coach the team, teach the classes? Just a boring life?”

“At times perhaps a bit too boring.”

Now why did I say that? I didn’t even know the young lady. She was rather attractive, certainly, and she was very outgoing. All this thinking I’ve been doing may have led to that rash statement.

“Just a sec, hon. I need to check with that couple in the booth.”



“I’m back. So what’s your first name? I only know you as Coach Hart.”

“My name is ‘Leland.’”

“Leland. I think you should be ‘Lee.’ So you lead a boring life, Lee.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that, but I do suppose it is more true than not.”

What was I doing!

“Pity. You should ask me out. I could show you how to have fun.”

Strangely enough, after considerably more conversation I did ask her to dinner. She accepted. Maggie May was short, perhaps 5’1”. She was quite thin with very long blond hair and very light blue eyes. She was the high energy type, very talkative, and noticing everything. We ate at a little Chinese restaurant that she suggested, and then walked around since it was a lovely evening. We had walked from her apartment to the restaurant and would eventually walk back to her apartment, but it was a long, rambling trek. Maggie May did most of the talking, which was fine with me. She was quite entertaining. Whenever she saw something- and she saw everything- it would capture her interest and she would explore it and talk about it. She approached interesting looking strangers and began conversations with them.

“Here we are!”

“Yes, here we are. I really enjoyed this, Maggie May.”

“Why don’t you come in. Both of my roommates are out of town. Now that the semester’s over they both spend most of their time with their families. It’s cool. I pay 1/3 of the cost and pretty much have the apartment to myself.”

I did go in. We, well, she continued to chat.

“You’re a nice guy, Lee, but I need to get you to loosen up a little. You know what I’d really like to do?”

“What?”

“Lots of things, but one of them is take you clothes shopping.”

“Why? I have plenty of clothes.”

“Yes, you do, I’m sure, but Lee? It’s 1971 not 1955. Men actually wear colors these days. And you may not have noticed, but the casual look? That’s pretty popular.”

“Oh dear. I must admit that all of that is a complete mystery to me.”

“So let me be your guide. I promise that you can wear your boring clothes at work, I know coaches always dress boring. But you know, professors wear cool clothes these days- anyway, most of mine do. And when you’re not at work you can wear whatever you want so no problem there.”

“Well…”

“Come on, Lee. I KNOW you can afford it.”

“Certainly, it isn’t a question of money, it’s just…”

Within a fairly short amount of time we had arranged a shopping trip for the following afternoon, following which we would again have dinner.

“Lots of other things I want to introduce you to, Lee, but all in good time!”

I had to wonder what that meant but as I was about to say goodnight at the door she kissed me. That itself was rather a learning experience. Maggie May kissed in a manner that was nothing like any other kiss I had ever received.

“Like the lady says, it’s even better when you help.”

And she did it again. I did my best to help this time.

Needless to say my head was swimming as I drove to my apartment. There were many things to consider, almost all of them new and different, as it were. Maggie May was a literature major who planned to go on to graduate school at Northeastern. She was raised by her mother, her father having left when she was still in diapers, never to return. She was quite liberal regarding things such as politics and religion.

June 12: We land a transfer, Junior SF Len Fox.

June 13: By our third or fourth date Maggie May admitted that she used drugs recreationally, which I found quite shocking. Frankly, I was very uncomfortable with that. I am not entirely certain why that revelation did not cause me to break off the relationship at once, but it didn’t. Frankly, I was enthralled with Maggie May. Her energy was invigorating, her interest in life and everything about it was endearing and quite contagious. I felt very… “alive” when in her presence, and enjoyed my time with her immensely. We spent a bit of time together almost every day. There were days when coaching took me out of town but otherwise we simply found a way to be together.

June 22: Within two weeks MM (She had decided I should call her that, for reasons which she chose not to explain) was talking about moving in with me. I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Rebecca and I had never cohabitated, nor had I ever lived with a woman, but at the same time, my infatuation with MM made the proposition quite enticing. It would mean getting a new domicile. My apartment simply would not do.

“You should buy a place, Lee. It would be a good investment.”

“I have considered that but I’ve no way of knowing how long I shall remain in Boston. Should a good coaching opportunity at a school where I could continue my career in statistics arise, I would move.”

“Ah, well in that case I guess a nice apartment would be a better idea.”

June 26: Jon Hank was drafted- #58 in a 60 p[layer draft but he was drafted.

Recruiting begins today. We have six scholarships to fill and need guards more than inside players. The staff and I know the eligible players quite well and we know who we wish to pursue. We are looking at 30 players but several will not remain on our lost for long.

On several levels the relationship with MM makes little sense. We are so different. Politics is an example. In 1964 I turned 21. I proudly voted for Barry Goldwater for President. In 1968 I voted for Richard Nixon with equal pride and certainly plan to do so again next year. I certainly NEVER voted for that awful Ted Kennedy for U. S. Senate here in Massachusetts. MM would have voted in just the opposite manner in all cases. She cast her first vote in 1970 and voted for all of the Democrats. When we discuss politics- Vietnam, civil rights, women’s rights, and the like, she makes some very strong arguments. Frankly, I am often at a loss as to how to make my position clear. Still, I know I hold the proper views. I have never been a religious man but she is a committed, very strong atheist. I am not as certain and prefer to consider myself an agnostic, a position I do not make public. She, of course, favors the legalization of marijuana, and all drugs for that matter. I am opposed. She would like me to try smoking marijuana but I have no desire to do so, and disapprove of her use of the narcotic.

Still, despite all of that, I am simply completely enthralled by this woman. I enjoy just about every moment of my time with her and when we are apart I anticipate the next time we shall be together.

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July 4: We are still looking at 23 recruits, 13 PGs, 1 SG, 4 SFs, 4 PFs and a C.

MM has let her roommates know that she will be out of the apartment on or before Aug. 1. We have rented a lovely little ranch style house just off Rt. 28 between Somerville and Malden. We love the place and will move in within the next week or so. It has three bedrooms, two full baths (“I am NOT sharing a bathroom with you, Lee!”), and a finished basement. It also has a garage. MM does not and will not drive. She will bike the three miles or so into Boston when weather permits and will hitch a ride with me otherwise. What she will do when I am out of town I do not know. I asked but did not receive an answer, but I note that we are only about ¼ mile from an MTA station so I suppose that is the answer.

July 14: We’re in the house. We each brought some things but we bought mostly new furniture. MM did most of the choosing but I always had a voice. Frankly, all I really  wanted was a recliner, which was a must; I got it. We both wanted lots of bookcases since we are readers, so that was not an issue. Most of the rest I left to MM and she made some wonderful choices. I love the way the place looks. The third bedroom is my at home office and I really like it. It has the capability of showing films which is very important. I often watch film of both our games as well as games of opponents. MM uses the second bedroom as a sort of study. In the unlikely event that we have sleep over guests she says her things are very portable. This feels like a good move.

Aug. 7: Al Ruck was listed at #48 in the Norton Award preview.

Aug. 14: MM and I have been here for a month. Things have gone well, all in all. It is quite an adjustment to share space with another person but MM is rather easy going. She has certain idiosyncracies but she stated them very clearly at the beginning and issued reminders early on in order to help me remember. Essentially, she wishes me to be quiet on those mornings when she does not need to rise early. She absolutely refuses to share the bathroom but we each have our own. She simply cannot abide dishes in the sink, but we have an automatic dishwasher so I have learned to rinse dishes and to place them in the dishwasher immediately. She sometimes cooks and when she does she is fine with my help doing things such as chopping vegetables and the like, but otherwise wishes me to keep out of her way. There are one or two others but they are quite easy. She notes that I like to breakfast alone and in silence, which I do, and that I prefer little to no conversation for the first hour or so after I wake in the morning. I also cook at times. If she is available to help that is fine with me. When we are together for dinner, which isn't all that often, we dine out as often as we eat in.

Aug. 21: We offer to 4 PGs and 2 bigs initially.

Sept. 11: Home visits.

Sept. 18: Ward Sapp, #32 PG, committed. We lost one.

We will be at the WS Midwest Invitational. All in all we have a more challenging schedule than in prior years. We will play four ranked teams and any that we may meet at WS.

Sept. 25: We received a commitment from Fred Hamm, #48 PG, but lost two.

Oct. 2: Jay Clag, #45 PF committed.

Today was the first day of practice. We look quite solid at every position except Point Guard. Three or four players are in competition for the starting position there.

And, as always, the error message prevents me from seeing Conference Preview. I’ve posted it already.

Oct. 9: Len Harp, #50 PG and Cris Carr, #735 PG, commit. We’d like to get one more inside player.

Oct. 14: MM and I have now been together for three months. We have settled in rather nicely in one sense. In another sense “settled” is hardly the word to describe our life together, and that, I feel, is all to the good as far as I am concerned. Every day is a new adventure. For MM every day holds new fascinations, and whenever I am available I share in the adventures. Sometimes they involve “field trips”- MM’s expression. At other times the adventure may be doing something at home- reorganizing, beginning a new project, sharing a particularly fascinating book- any number of things. Life is never dull these days! At times MM wants to move me too quickly. I resist, and at times I must insist upon certain things. Eventually she wins- always, but I do try to have some say in determining the pace at which I “make progress”, again, to use her term I am unquestionably more open minded, perhaps even more… “liberal” than when we first met. I am also considerably happier. And I freely admit that I love this woman. I only thought I knew what love was before now.

Nov. 6: Exhibition games. We will go with Quin Addy at the Point. He played very well in the exhibition games.

Tough schedule early on. We play exactly on home game before Dec. 2.

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We begin the season at McNeese State. We did not place very many easy teams on our schedule this year but this should be one of them.

Nov. 13: 67-56. More difficult than I had expected. Quin Addy played exactly 9 minutes before fouling out, which was a huge factor (The usual crap where the PG can’t play any minutes without committing fouls. This really needs a fix- for the past three years or so.). Jed Clay did a great job of filling in, which helped. 15, 11 for Sand, 10, 8 for Arms at PF. 14 TOs.

At SMU. They have yet to play so not much to go on.

Nov. 15: 71-49. 19, 10 for Sand, 21, 6 for Long, 8, 4, 3 for Addy, who stayed out of foul trouble. 11 TOs, +10 RBs.

Three games during the first week. At least the next is at home. We face 1-0 Miami. They seem to be very good outside but not strong inside.

Nov. 18: 60-56. We led most of the way, by as many as 15, but they rallied late. The final four point margin was as close as they got but we needed to work for this one. 7 TOs offset the surprising -6 RB. 18 for Addy, 10, 11 for Sand. The rest of the starters contributed. It is early but we need to play better. We are getting very little from the bench and I feel the starters, with the exception of Bay Sand, could do more.

Nov. 20: As happened last year one of our recruits will not hit the SAT score. #40 PG Len Harp is the one. We’ll pursue other Point Guards. We are still chasing an inside player as well.

Ranked #12, RPI #32. It didn’t take long this year!

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We head to the WS Midwest Invitational. We are seeded #5 and will face #4 Alabama, 1-1. They have played two very close games against two mediocre opponents. They are not good with the ball.

Nov. 21: 75-71. 9 assists for Addy but he fouled out in 23 minutes. 20 for
Ruck, his best of the season. We finally got good bench play.

#1 seed, #18 ranked, 3-0 Ohio State. Balanced attack and a solid, deep line up. This will be a challenge.

Nov. 22: 86-80. A real battle and a great win. We never trailed but they stayed within reach. The officiating was worse than awful but it hurt them far more than it hurt us, 19 against us, 29 against them including two technical, one on the coach, one on the bench. We lost Long to fouls and Sand and Ruck played limited minutes, but Ohio ST lost three players, and another had 4. Ridiculous, let them players determine the outcome. I said words to that effect postgame, but the NCAA never listens, and does just about exactly nothing to improve the situation. 14, 13 for Sand, 22 for Ruck, 12, 7, 4 for Arms, 10, 6, 2 for Long, good leadership from Addy, and good bench play again. 17 TOs hurt but +15 RBs was a huge factor.

#3 seed Dayton, 3-1, beat Temple so we’ll play them in the title game. This is a good team. Their only loss was by 2 on a last second 40 footer. They do have two guys hurt, starting C, and the other gets lots of minutes.  

Nov. 23: 68-60. This was back and forth for about 35 minutes. Then, despite Addy and Ruck both being in foul trouble, we rallied. We simply kept pushing it inside and they were unable to stop us, especially since their PF and C were both in foul trouble as well. Jed Clay played very well at both PG and SG from the bench.

I feel that these close games will make us a better team. We are playing hard and doing what we need to do and that is only to the good.

Still on the road. At 1-2 Cal-Poly. This is a team we should beat but we’re tired, and we’re road weary. I know I miss MM.

Nov. 25: 57-47. Another battle. 19 lead changes, 13 ties. Finally, with about 4 ½ left, we went on a 12-0 run. Good work by all 5 starters, only 10 turnovers and exceptional defense.

Ranked #4, which is too high. RPI #12.

One more road game and it will very likely be a difficult one.

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At #16, 4-0 Georgia Tech. They haven’t played anyone. Still, they have looked very good and we are very road weary.

Nov. 29: 62-66. We faded badly in the last 7-8 minutes. It’s difficult to be too harsh given how long we’ve been on the road. We truly were beaten by fatigue. Terrible officiating did not help but it was bad both ways. I tried to play my subs more than usual but my starters were still tired and it showed.

Oh well, back home, and 5 of the next 6 are at home.

Nov. 30: It was so nice to get back home and to be with MM. While most will find it strange, as do I, that we moved in together after knowing each other for exactly 36 days, somehow it was right, and it has definitely worked out that way. We get on very well together.

Oh, MM still works at the restaurant where we met. She insists upon it. There is certainly no need financially, but she says that by earning money she feels more independent. Her graduate school is paid for by scholarship, so the money she earns is strictly for her own use. I would prefer that those twenty or so hours per week be spent on her studies or on time we two might share but I know better than to try to change her mind. Such a thing is not possible.

1-2 Memphis is here. They have played three good teams and looked good once, awful once, and not bad once.

Dec. 2: 69-57. We never trailed after the first 2-3 minutes but they stayed within range. 18, 10 for Sand, 19, 5, 3 for Ruck, 11, 8, 4 for Long. 11 TOs, +9 RBs.

Dec. 4: Ranked #5, despite the loss. RPI #3.

“I’m sorry but no, this is my home. I can do as I wish.”

“Ordinarily I would certainly agree, but in this instance there are extenuating circumstances.”

“Lee, this is my HOME!”

“MM, what you are doing is illegal. Even though I do not participate if it is happening in MY home I could lose my job- both of my jobs- if you were caught.”

“No one cares! I’m not going to get caught.”

“You don’t know that and you can’t know that.”

“Jesus, I’m the one smoking and you get the paranoia? How does that happen?”

“I’m serious. I have no objection to your using drugs. First, I haven’t seen any evidence that leads me to believe there’s any harm in it, and second, you’re an adult and you have a right to make your own decisions-”

“Exactly!”

“BUT, not in our home! That affects me, and it affects my career!”

It went on for some time and neither of us was willing to back down at all. I suppose MM has taught me to stand my ground. In any case we were unable to resolve the issue and I am greatly concerned. I honestly am a bit paranoid on this subject. I believe the police probably know who uses narcotics. Here in the greater Boston area one all but never hears of drug related arrests but should someone have a reason to ruin me, this could do it very quickly and easily. MM and I will need to come to some sort of agreement upon this issue.

We travel to 4-2 Charleston. The two decent opponents on their schedule both beat them easily.

Dec. 6: 58-52. Defense (held them to 31.1%) and rebounding (+10) were the keys. Ruck has a season high 26, Sand had 11 and 17, 12, 9 for Arms.

Dec. 8: MM and I met six months ago today. We celebrated with dinner at one of Boston’s finest restaurants. MM is not the dress up and do something fancy type but she seemed to enjoy the evening. Well, it was her idea…

Home for the next four games.

3-3 Xavier is here. They have not been competitive against good teams.

Dec. 9: 80-35. An ugly game. 9 TOs, 42 RBs. I played everyone except the manager and they all played well.

The issue of drug usage in our home is as yet unresolved. MM hasn’t used any narcotics in our home since our confrontation, at least to my knowledge, but we have come to no agreement. This issue troubles me greatly but I am not certain how to address it or even how to bring it up.

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1-4 Boston College is next. This is definitely a down year for them. I will say that they have played a strong schedule and I believe they are better than their record.

Dec. 13: 64-57. Both Addy and Sand fouled out yet again, Addy in 14 minutes, Sand in 23. Strangely enough 14 fouls were called on us and 20 on BC. We actually won the game at the line, 22-28 vs. 4-9. 26, 4, 2 for Ruck, 13, 5, 2 for Sand, 10, 5, 2 for Long. A win is a win I suppose.

5-3 Wisconsin is next. PG and SF can do some damage so we will need to stay with them.

Dec. 16: 77-58. 30, 8 for Al Ruck, 15, 6, 6 for Long, 9, 9, 2 for Arms.
#13, 8-0 Georgetown ends the home stand. They have a very good outside game. We need to contain that and win big inside.

Dec. 20: 73-41. I never expected that. We held them to 27.7%, and their big three outside shooters had only 32 points while our PG, SG and SF combined for 33. We completely dominated inside. 21, 10 for Sand, 23, 5, 3 for Ruck.

Our last pre-conference game is at #17, 8-1 Louisville. We will need to play very good defense and control the inside.

Dec. 23: 59-53. And we did what we needed to do, holding them to 36.6% and going +12 in rebounding. 15, 7, 2 for Arms at PF, 13, 8, 2 for Sand. Very good bench play from Hall and Gill.

We go to conference play with a 14-1 record, Ranked #4, RPI #1.

Dec. 26: MM and I had a great holiday. We stayed at home, exchanged gifts, some serious ones, some funny ones. We made dinner together and just had a nice time.

Jan. 1: Happy 1972. MM convinced me to try something new last night. It was… interesting. I am re-evaluating my position on certain issues.

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We begin the Ivy League schedule with 4-9 Brown here. This is a team we should beat easily.

Jan. 3: 63-41. Addy was a non-factor but our other starters all played very well. The defense and bench play were excellent and we committed only 7 turnovers.

I may not have mentioned that I have not cut my hair since early June. I never thought I would allow my hair to grow out but I must say that I rather like it this way. MM had encouraged me to let my hair grow, right from our first meeting. I am considering growing a beard. I know of no Division I coaches who wear a beard but it remains a consideration. We shall see.

We are at 6-8, 0-1 Columbia. They seem to have some talent but they are not deep.

Jan. 6: 85-46. Held them to 19 in the first half. +9 TO, +9 RB. I played everyone.

8-8, 1-1 Penn is here. Their best scorer is hurt and they do not rebound.

Jan. 10: 71-56. We never trailed. 20 each for Ruck and Long, 8 TOs. Addy played 19 minutes due to foul trouble.

At 9-7, 2-1 Cornell. They beat us at their place last year. Scoring is very balanced.

Jan. 13: 72-62. And yet again we never trailed. Foul trouble up front in this game but it didn’t have much effect. (In order to try to minimize the fouls I play 2-3 about half the time, which I would never do in real life. My D Intensity is set at 5. I can’t see making it lower than that. Another instance where the game is not properly set up. I should have foul difficulties at times with my set up but not as frequently as I do.).

We are 18-1, 4-0, ranked #5, RPI #2. Yale is tied for first at 4-0 but everyone else is at least two games back.

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At 12-5, 4-0 Yale in the battle for first place. We seem to be the better team at every position except at the Point. I feel that we’re better and if we play our game we’ll be fine.

Jan. 17: 65-55. Yale led throughout the first and for the first few minutes of the second half. The adjustments we made at halftime finally took effect and we wrested control from them building a lead of as many as 13. Addy had foul difficulties yet again. Long led us with 18, 8, 3, and strong inside play (+10 RB) helped.

3-15, 1-4 Princeton is here. They are probably the worst team in the Ivy League.

Jan. 20: 66-44. And again, we never trailed. Good play all around, 7 TOs, and no foul trouble.

At 9-10, 3-3 Dartmouth. Not an impressive team but they play well at home.

Jan. 24: 72-75. Addy fouled out in 17 minutes, Ruck in 20, and that was the story. Their first back up fouled out and the second had 3 fouls. Not sure I have an answer for this. We’re going to try giving Jed Clay more time at PG.

I’m really enjoying a great deal of the music that MM has introduced me to. Lots of rock but also folk, RB, old time blues… I am working less these days but I do not feel that I am accomplishing less. Having other interests allows me to be more focused, both when I am doing my coaching job and when I am performing my professorial chores. Life is good.

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Second time around the conference. We are at Brown. We beat them by 22 last time.

Jan. 27: 85-70. The first half was competitive all the way. At halftime we worked on stopping the outside shot. It worked and we took control. 19, 9, 5 for Sand, 19, 4, 3 for Long, 23 for Ruck. I think playing Clay and even Seir a bit more at the Point helped. Addy played 24 good minutes and fouls were not an issue, and we didn’t seem to lose much, if anything with Clay and Seir at the Point. The key to coaching basketball is to stay focused with great attention to detail- every detail. Do not be afraid to try things.

Jan. 29: As expected Len Harp did not hit the SAT score. Looking at options we decide that since we already have three PGs signed we will offer to #68 SG Deke Good. Chaz Pool, #34 C, who we’ve been chasing since July still isn’t showing a great deal of interest. We continue to pursue him though. We have a backup if need be.

Al Ruck is at #19 on the Norton list. Bay Sand is the better player but he wasn’t nominated for some reason.

We’re one game up on Yale, two on Dartmouth, three or more on everyone else. Ranked #5, RPI #4.

8-13, 2-6 Columbia is here. Beat them by 39 there.

Jan. 31: 61-44. 23 for Ruck, 14, 9, 2 for Arms, 9, 7, 2 for Long, 13 RBs for Sand. PG by committee seems to be working. Clay is a better defender than Addy and that is a bonus. He’s a little shy about taking open shots. We’re working on that.

At 10-13, 3-6 Penn. We won by 15 at home.

Feb. 3: 65-70. 18 turnovers. Addy and Clay were both pretty awful at PG. We allowed Penn to shoot 50%. Yale and Dartmouth both lost so no damage in conference. We will likely take a hit in the national rankings.

Feb. 5: That didn’t take long! Deke Good committed. Still chasing that inside player.

13-10, 6-4 Cornell is here. We won by only 10 there.

Feb. 7: 77-56. We took the lead early and held on. 25, 15, 2 for Sand, 12, 11 for Arms, 12, 5 for Hall from the bench.

Al Ruck hurt his hand. Day to day.

Only Yale can still catch us. They are one back and they’re next.

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We won by 12 at Yale. They’re 16-8, 8-3, and one back of us. We need to stop the outside shot.

Feb. 10: 86-49. We took no prisoners, scoring the first 14 points and never looking back. 9 TOs, +13 RBs. 24, 2, 2 for Ruck who was playing with a sore hand, 13, 12, 2 for Sand, 20, 3, 7 for Clay. He was hot right from the first time I put him in so I stayed with him. He played 29 minutes and Addy played 12. We took it to their strength, outside play, and beat them at their own game.

Feb. 12: Al Ruck stays at #19 on the Norton List.

We’re #4, RPI #4.

At 4-21, 2-10 Princeton. Beat them by 22 at home. They have two wins since Nov. 23, one in OT.

Feb. 14: 66-51. It was never a game. 16 and 17 for Sand but everyone played and everyone contributed.

Back home for the Ivy League finale with 12-14, 6-7 Dartmouth. They beat us by three there so we are taking this one seriously. Major foul trouble did us in last time.

Feb. 17: 80-69. 22, 11 for Sand, 25 for Ruck, 12, 4, 3 for Hall from the bench. 10 TOs.

We win the Ivy by 4 games over Yale, Brown, and Cornell.

We decide to start Clay. His numbers have been far superior to Addy’s.

Feb. 18: Last night, after the game, was party time here. We had a few friends in- MM’s friends, and we celebrated my season, their progress toward graduation (most of them are graduate students), and just life in general. Times have changed for one Leland Hart. Let me simply say that I engaged in certain  activities that it would never have occurred to me to engage in a few months ago. To be honest, regarding some of them, I was unaware that they even existed. Education is a wonderful thing! I do have a bit of a headache, but not bad considering…

Bracket Breaker versus 17-8, 13-3 Southern Illinois. They are good team but they are not nearly as good away from home, 7-8 as opposed to 10-0.
They won their conference by three games. Defense and ball handling are both questionable and we feel we can control the inside. All we need to do is execute.

Feb. 19: 75-59. 23, 5 for Long, 11, 10 for Arms. Clay did a great job at PG.

We end the regular season 27-3, ranked #3, RPI #2.

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We play Princeton first. This should be ugly.

March 3: 71-52. We scored 51 in the first half and just coasted in the second. I played everyone in order to keep my starters fresh for tomorrow, and hopefully the day after. 15, 12 for Sand, 24 for Ruck, Clay did a great job at PG.

Yale was the only other favorite to win.

16-14, 7-7 Penn in the semis. We won by 15 but then lost by 5 at their place so we’re taking this seriously. We played very poorly the night they beat us.

March 4: 73-60. 23, 14, 2 for Sand, 11, 10, 3 for Arms, 11, 6 for Long, 18 for Ruck. Clay and Addy did well from PG. 6 TOs, +17 RBs.
Last year Dartmouth came from #7 seed to reach the final. This year they came from #6 and they’re here again after beating Yale and Brown. They lost six straight immediately preceding the tourney. They beat us by 3, then we won by 11. Both reasonably close so we know we need to play hard.

March 5: 84-52. Third time’s the charm, I guess. Everyone played and everyone played well. Ruck had 29, 4, 3, Sand had 16, 11.
Now we wait for selection day. We’re ranked #2, RPI #2, so we expect a #1 seed.

March 12: Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

Not in the South.

# 2 in the West. Can’t believe we aren’t a #1 seed. Ranked #2, RPI #1. Makes no sense. Ok. ST got the #1 and they aren’t nearly that high in either ranking or RPI. We’ll play Mississippi Valley ST first.

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March 14: Yale loses in the NIT first round.

Miss. Valley ST is 18-12 against a very weak schedule. They won their tourney.

March 17: 67-55. It really was not as close as the final score indicates. 23, 9 for Sand, 16, 4 for Ruck, 14 for Clay.

#10 seed Colorado, 19-12, won in an upset so they’re next. They’ve been up and down all season, very unpredictable. They are much stronger outside than inside.

March 19: 69-53. Never a doubt. Solid team effort and great leadership from Clay.

Heading for the Sweet Sixteen again! 32-3, ranked #2, RPI #1 for all the good that did us.

We’ll play #13 ranked, #3 seed Arizona, 25-7. They’ve won their last six. Very good SG, decent PG. They don’t play great defense. This could be a challenge.

March 24: 71-67. 12 lead changes, 6 ties. We took control with about 8 minutes left. Despite Sand fouling out and Ruck playing with 4 we were able to hold on. 20, 7, 3 for Long, 15, 10 for Arms, 14, 4, 3 for Ruck. Clay and Addy ran the offense well.

On to the Elite Eight against #1 seed Oklahoma State, 28-8, 11th ranked, RPI #9, but seeded ahead of us. Yes, I want to win this game! They play a 1-2-2 which we haven’t seen in my years here at Harvard, but we’ve been practicing against it so hopefully that will help. Like Arizona they are stronger outside than in. They have won their last 11. We need to have a hand in the face of the outside shooters and control the inside. I feel we’re the better team.

March 26: 72-52. It was back and forth for the first 10 minutes. We then went on a 23-4 run and that was that. All five starters in double figures, 14 RBs for Sand and 11 for Arms. Clay had 1 TO in 34 minutes. A great game!

This could be our year. The three teams left are #6 Oklahoma, and they play #10 North Carolina. We play #15 Illinois. We are by far the highest ranked, highest RPI team. Rather exciting, I must say.

34-3 going to the Final Four! No #1 seeds in the Final Four, 2 #2, 1 #3, 1 #4.

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MM is here in Detroit for the Final Four and she seems both excited and pleased to be here. I was able to get her to agree that there would be no use of “substances” while we are here. She saw the wisdom in that and did not really need much convincing. If we win, when we get home…

#11 ranked (new poll), 25-7 Illinois in the round of four. They have the edge in the backcourt, we have the edge inside. It will probably come down to where the game is played, inside or out. They are very strong at home but only went 6-6 away from home. Starting SF has strained abdominals. He will play, no doubt, but how effectively? He is their second leading scorer. We need to prevent them from getting open looks outside and we need to dominate inside. I feel we are the better team, but not by a great deal.

April 1: 73-67, and we will play for the title! They led for the first 24 minutes. We took the lead with 15:44 left and held it the rest of the way.

We stopped their starters all night long but their bench hurt us for a long time, 43, 14, 4 versus our 19, 9, 2. But Sand had 12 and 15, Arms 11 and 10, Long 11, Clay 13, 3, 3. Quin Addy gave us 20 solid minutes, 8, 5, 1.

#10 ranked, North Carolina, 27-8 is our opponent. They are 12-1 in their last 13 games. They are rated as having an edge at every position except C, and we are rated as having the better bench. I actually feel we are better at SF and as good at PF and possibly at SG. They may well be the best defensive team we have faced in my years here at Harvard.

They get most of their points outside but they rebound well. I want to see how their guards handle pressure. I do not plan to press unless forced to, but I do plan to overplay the ball, especially when in the hands of the PG and SG.

On offense I want to go inside as much as possible but we will take open shots outside.

April 3: Needless to say I did not sleep much last night. This is exceedingly exciting.

86-76, Overtime. Champions!!! Lucky? Well, a little. We never led in regulation, taking it to OT when Al Ruck hit a 35 footer at the buzzer to tie the game for the first time since the very early going. Then we traded baskets for the first two minutes of OT.

At 76-76, Jed Clay was gone on fouls and Quin Addy had 4, as did Clyf Arms. NC’s Center was also gone but no one else on their team was in foul trouble. Addy brought it down, hit a three, stole a pass, hit another three. NC called time out but it was over. They missed a three, Sand got the RB, and eventually hit a 6 footer. After another miss and another Sand RB, Long hit an eight footer and that was it, a 10 point OT win and a title for Harvard.

Could anything be less likely!

19, 11, 4 for Long, 16, 11, 2 for Sand, 19, 3, 1 for Ruck, and from the bench 7, 1, 9 for Addy, 11, 6, 1 for Hall, 10, 2 for Gill. Our bench had 28, 9, 10, to 12, 6, 3, which was more than the difference.

April 4: Pandemonium in Cambridge and throughout the greater Boston area. The national media are having a field day talking about how an Ivy League school won the national title. Everybody is playing “Fight Fiercely, Harvard,” there is simply no escape from it. Yes I know, it was written as a football fight song, but that makes not one whit of difference.

Awards: Bay Sand was the Final Four MOP. I was named national Coach of the Year. In conference Bay Sand was POY, Defensive POY, and first team, along with Al Ruck, Adam Long and Clyf Arms. I was also conference Coach of the Year.

April 5: Well, not sure THAT was a good idea but last night, to bring the celebration to a whole new level, MM convinced me that it was time for me to… never mind, but it was quite a … trip! Not sure I’ll do it again though.

April 9: Stanford offers. I accept. My salary jumps from $174,000 to $770,000.

“So are you coming with me or not?”

“I don’t know. I never really thought about leaving Boston.”

“MM, I’ve been talking about this since we met. I told you if I got the right offer I’d go. And I also told you Stanford is my dream school, as far as basketball is concerned.”

“I guess I didn’t think it would happen, at least not this soon. I need to think about it.”

“I know you can’t come until the end of May when the semester ends so I guess that gives you time.”

“Do I need to find a place to live?”

“What!”

“Well, you don’t need this place anymore.”

“Jesus, MM! Did you think I was going to throw you out! I can’t believe you’re even asking this question!”

“Well I don’t know what to think!”

“First, I’ll need to go back and forth myself until the end of the semester. I can’t just bail on my graduate students. I’ll need to finish my work with them for the semester until they are transferred to other professors- after the semester ends. Second, you can stay here as long as you like. I HOPE that will mean until you move West with me.”

“Don’t pressure me!”

It went on that way for a while. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Would I have gone if I didn’t think she would come with me? … Yes, I would have, not a doubt. Now I need to think about what that means. Life does get complicated.

April 16: I hire a staff. VERY happy with all three guys: Bud Grimm is an experienced recruiter. He was doing it as a second assistant at Cal. He’s my #1 for the next 5 years.

Len Ralph has been scouting for Oregon State for three years. We were able to give him a raise, and he felt that the chances for real success were greater here.

Fen Creek has a reputation as a rising star. He was at Weber State but clearly ready for bigger and better things. He will be my bench/practice coach. I knew all three slightly since the coaching fraternity is rather a small world. I am very pleased to say that these were the three guys I wanted. None was a second choice.

April 23: I am asking for a facilities upgrade but I do not expect to get it.

Didn’t get it but we held our B+ rating. Team prestige is 73 and conf, is 75.

We have no seniors on a team that finished 16-14, 9-7, fifth in conference. I am sure I will make  a couple of roster moves in the preseason though.

My numbers: 111-30, .787. Off.- 30, Def. -43, Recruit- 99, Scout- 92,
Player Dev.- 44, Reputation- 62.

A new year and a new challenge await. Still no world from Maggie May. I am in Massachusetts as much as I am in California, and will be for a few weeks. Hopefully a decision will be forthcoming.

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