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Wayne23

DDS:CB3 Dynasty: The Professor

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May 1: We buy the Gold national and the basic international reports. The SAT score here is 1000, not 1100, and that makes a difference.

May 10: I have found a small house not far from campus. I am in negotiations to purchase it. It’s a ranch, three bedrooms, two baths. A full, unfinished basement with a home gym among other things. Less than a mile and a half from campus. I could, and probably will, walk to work most days.

May 17: I am traveling back and forth from the Bay Area to Cambridge. I need to finish the semester at Harvard- projects, articles, supervising grad students… I was East for a few days.

“I’m staying here.”

“Sorry to hear it.”

“I’m a Boston girl. I’m just not interested in living on the West coast. I love it here.”

“I guess I knew that but I was hoping maybe you loved me enough to-”

“That’s not fair, Lee. I do love you, but this is home and this is where I want to be.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’m sure. I’ll start looking for a new place to live right away. How much time do I have?”

“Why don’t you stay here? I was thinking of buying the place. I’ll always have a research connection to Harvard. It would be good to have a place here for when I need to come East. It’s a lot better to have someone living in a place than to have it empty most of the time. Pay your utilities, take care of the lawn and shovel the snow. I’ll pay the taxes. It would be a really cheap rent for you and it would help me out.”

“Interesting idea. But I think we should make a clean break. I wouldn’t want you to think-”

“I agree. When I come East there would be no… expectations. I’d just be a house guest, if that. You’d have no obligations. If I have a bedroom and bath, which I would- make it the second bedroom, that one’s right near the second bath- that’s it. You come and go as you please and I do what I need to do at Harvard. If we chat, or even have dinner now and then, that’s the extent of it. And if we don’t, well, we don’t.”

“That actually sounds good. Let me think about it.”

“Take your time. I plan to buy the place either way. I’m already negotiating with the owner.”

May 22: We’ve reached agreement on the Bay Area house. Closing in about three weeks but I am moving in now.

June 5: We’re looking at some transfers.

June 7: MM decides to stay in the house. I am close to an agreement on buying it.

June 12: Lee Barr, PG transfers from North Carolina. Now we need to get him eligible.

June 15: We reach agreement on a price for the house. Closing will be in a few weeks. My academic obligations at Harvard are now completed but as I said earlier there will be some ongoing work with some folks in the statistics department.

June 25: Looking at our roster this could be a long season. But, we’ll rebuild quickly. I know how to do that!

We have the money so we’re going to the Indy Elite camp, as well as the regional camps.

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June 26: Adam Long went at #49 in the draft. I think someone just got a bargain!

Recruiting. 5 scholarships to fill. We need guards more than inside players but need both, really.

Looking at 20- 5 PGs, 4 SGs, 5 SFs, 3 PFs, 3 C. All have at least a bit of interest in us.

July 11: Settled in to my new home. Both this house and the one back East are officially mine now. I have very affordable mortgages on both thanks to the salary I am receiving here plus my professor’s salary. And yes, as I did at Harvard I will teach a course in the Fall and another during the summer- not this summer though. I will be assigned grad students before the start of the fall semester.

Aug. 7: Still looking at 20 recruits. We’ll offer to five in two weeks.

SG Addy Burt is #43 on the Norton list.

Aug. 21: We offer to 2 PGs, an SF who can play SG, and 2 PFs.

I have settled in. I really like my new home. I do not make much use of my home gym. The weather is usually beautiful here so I go outside and run in it. It is nice to have the gym on rainy days but unless it is a hard rain or there is lightning I run outside then too.

Life is quieter than with Maggie May and I definitely miss her and her excitement, her “joie de vivre” as it were. I don’t know that I wish to take up with someone like her again but she certainly changed me. Some of the changes were likely temporary, such as substance use. On the other hand she guided me toward a broader vision of the world, its problems, and how I feel government should deal with them.

Six months ago there would have been no doubt that I would vote to re-elect President Nixon. Now? Let us say that I am listening carefully to what Sen. McGovern has to say. There is no U. S. Senate seat up this year here in California. Neither Sen. Tunney nor Sen. Cranston is up for re-election. I will vote for Ron Dellums for re-election to the U. S. House.

Pat Brown continues as Gov., but his term doesn’t end for two more years. So I guess I am now interested in politics and in national and world affairs, and I am undoubtedly more… “liberal” than heretofore. That was not the case before MM. The Stanford/Berkeley area, the entire Bay Area is quite liberal, to say the least.

Odds are that the next woman with whom I am involved will be liberal. I believe that it is pointless to go out looking for a relationship. They seem to find me rather than me finding them. Too much to do to give that much thought but I do think I would like a family. At age 29 I have time.

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Sept. 11: Two commit to Stanford! Our two PFs, #4, Kev Eddy, and #28 Kurt Span. Now to visit our other three plus one to whom we are not offering.

I felt the visits went well. Hopefully they will lead to commitments. I do not expect to get all five, but it would be nice to get a PG or two.

Sept. 18: Two out of three. The #1 rated recruit chose UConn over us. We got commitments from both #21 PG Will Rand, and #34 SF Russ Wick. One more to go. We would like to get another PG and we have one listing us as his first choice. Earl Ash, #23 is the guy and we are ON IT! We visited three other guards, just in case.

We have a schedule. We are invited to the Coaches Classic. I think this is too difficult for us this year but my A. D. refused to listen to my concerns saying the “exposure” would be beneficial. Well, not if we are badly defeated in the first round. Since we will face #10 Georgia Tech…

I loved my A. D. at Harvard. I have no major issues with the A. D. here. Rick Stottlemyre is definitely a top of the line A. D., but he likes to be in charge. That’s fine, to a degree but if he tries to run my program or tries to run me there will be trouble. I am not looking for trouble though so hopefully it won’t find me.

Sept. 25: Earl Ash committed. So, if everyone hits the SAT score we’re through unless I decide to make some moves very late, in March or April.

Oct. 2: First day of practice. As I sit here with my notes I need to say that yes, it is definitely a rebuilding year.

We are predicted to finish 4th in conference. I would be very happy with that.

Oct. 15: I’d forgotten how much work the first year in a new job is. And of course it’s the first year in two new jobs. I was assigned only two first year Ph. D. students and one Masters student, but that’s still a great deal of work. It was necessary to get to know them, to get a feel for their strengths and interests, to assign projects and tasks to the Ph. D. students, to consult upon and approve plans of study for all three students- and on and on. The course I’m teaching here is not the one I taught at Harvard so I needed to prepare for it, get materials together, work up a schedule, find references…

With all of that plus the coaching responsibilities I have not had any time for a social life. I’ve had lots of invitations which I would have loved to accept but I was only able to accept a very few. I am getting to know the people in the statistics department and in the athletic department, and the social gatherings I did attend involved one of those two groups. Still, I feel sort of alone and isolated. I suppose that’s inevitable coming out of a relationship that I felt worked very well. Oh well.

Nov. 6: Exhibition games this week. Let’s see what we learn!

We learned quite a lot. We’re experimenting at PG but the rest of the lineup appears to be set, at least for the time being.

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We open against #10 ranked, #9 seed Georgia Tech. This is a very good team.

Nov. 13: 69-60. Bill Sims, who was not a starter before the exhibition games led us with 27, 7, 2. The two exhibition games demonstrated that he needed minutes so we decided to start him at SF and move Len Fitz to PF.

It’s only one game but that appears to have been a very good decision. Addy Burt had 22 but we expected that. We knew he was a scorer. 8 assists and only 2 TOs for Cris Betz at PG. He only took one shot so that needs work but he did not hurt his chances at playing time tonight. Cull and Gore both looked good at back up PG in limited minutes. Curt Rowe had 10, 7, 2 at C. 12 TOs, 31 RBs. A great first game. I am pleased.

In the round of eight we meet #1 seed, #2 ranked North Carolina. We beat them for the national title at Harvard last April but this is a new season and a new team. This may be more challenge than we are ready for.

Nov. 15: 84-69. I’m shocked frankly. The game was even through 30 minutes or so, then we took over. We scored 53 in the second half. Burt led us with 22, 10, PG Cris Betz had 12, 3, 7 with only 2 TOs. 19, 6 for Rowe at C, 13, 3, 1 for Bill Sims, and 7, 7, 3 for Fitz at PF. 9 TOs, 33 RBs. I am speechless.

#17 ranked, #4 seed Purdue in the semifinals. They are very strong at PG and PF and they have a long bench.

Nov. 17: 67-79. We fell behind early and then way behind, by as many as 28. We made some adjustments at halftime and they helped but it was too late. 23 for Burt, 15, 10, 3 for Rowe, 11, 4, 2 for Sims, but Betz didn’t do much at PG. 7 TOs but -17 RB. Their PG and PF were all that we feared they would be. Still, we did very well in this tournament. A good start to the season and I guess A. D. Rick Stottlemyre was right after all. This was good exposure.

Home for a couple of days before we head to Fairbanx, Alaska. I have really come to love the Bay Area. The weather is incredible, cool, breezy, but not cold. For me it’s perfectly comfortable. In the six months or so that I’ve been here there has not once been a need for either heating or air conditioning. There were maybe 5-6 days in July and August that reached low 80s but there was a breeze and it was comfortable. They tell me it rarely gets down to freezing, even on the coldest winter nights. I may need a little heat on those nights but the locals say heating costs are ridiculously low since the heat may only go on for a dozen days all year, and only for parts of those days. I’m living in paradise I guess!

I’m about a half hour from San Francisco, near the Bay, some city but lots of open land and forest area- a little of everything. Here, at Berkeley, in the San Francisco/Oakland area, and in the entire region there are coffee houses that have either music or poetry readings most nights. I haven’t had a lot of time for that but once or twice I’ve managed to get to a club, and I’ve really enjoyed it. The people are friendly and welcoming. No one knew who I was and that suited me just fine. When asked my name I told them it was Lee, and left it at that. A few asked what I did and I said I worked at Stanford, again, staying general. I hope to spend a lot more time in those places, both in this area and in San Francisco.

My former doc student at Harvard, Arnold Stern, is now a professor here at Stanford. It is great to be able to work with him again.

Nov. 20: We are ranked! #24.

All five recruits came in and signed. That means they will make the SAT score. Great news!

At 1-0 Fairbanx. They are good inside, or were against their only opponent. We think they will have trouble if we pressure their guards.

Nov. 21: 65-48. We led all the way. 17 for Burt, 13, 7 for Rowe, 11, 8 for Sims. Betz played well at PG again, as did Fitz at PF. This team is definitely better than I had expected. We are averaging a terrific 9 TOs per game. I’m not happy with rebounding but we’re working on it.

Home for a week and only one game. On Wednesday (Thanksgiving eve) a coffee house in S.F. had Dave Van Ronk, quite possibly my favorite blues/folk/jazz singer/guitar player. I stopped in. The place was full but not as jammed as I would have thought. Dave was in top form. I’ve seen him lots of times, mostly in Boston/Cambridge but a few times in Greenwich Village. When he’s on he’s incomparable, but at times the beer starts flowing a little too early in the evening. Not tonight. It was 90 minutes of awesome.

I met a few people and we walked the neighborhood after the concert, stopping at a few places along the way. I don’t drink, never did, and I no longer “use,” well, at least currently, but my new friends did some of both.

One of the new friends was named Dawn and she was indeed a ray of sunshine.

“I’m just a hippie chick.”

She was more than that. A poet and a really good one, at least I thought so. She recited a few of her poems at one of the coffee houses. Some are set to music and she played guitar and sang those. As the night moved along Dawn and I got friendlier- and just that, friendly. I wound up at her place and we talked and she played the guitar until breakfast time. Then we went out and had breakfast. When she asked about my plans for the holiday I told her I had none. She said she was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner that evening and invited me along. I went. There were about a dozen people there, all “hippies” in a sense, but all good, accepting people. One of them knew who I was and unfortunately, that put more focus on me than I would have liked. The group was still accepting, in a “do your own thing” sort of way, but competitive Div. I sports was not likely to play well with this crowd. Being a statistics prof. wasn’t much better.

But Dawn was cool with all of it. It was another late night. I walked her back to her apartment and we got there at about 3;00 a.m. It was a beautiful night for a walk.

“So, my new friend is pretty establishment, I guess.”

“I guess. But hey, I voted for McGovern!” I did, by the way, just never mentioned it.

“Okay, you get points for that.” She sort of leaned into me so I put my arm around her.

“I’m glad. I like it much better when you’re reciting your poems or playing the guitar. I’m not particularly interested in talking shop.”

“Well, you certainly must be good at what you do. I mean it can’t be easy to win the championship of anything.”

“A lot of things fell into place. We had a bit of luck on our side.”

“I guess that would be inevitable. Still, you did it.”

“I did indeed!”

“Why did you leave?”

“Harvard is a great school, maybe the best in the country, maybe the best in the world- at least one of them. I liked the statistics department, I liked coaching there, particularly since the focus on academics was part of the deal. I wouldn’t be coaching any ‘dumb jocks.’ But I also wanted a school that devoted more resources to basketball- it had to be a top flight academic institution, had to have a great stats department- but I was limited at Harvard. Stanford is a terrific school. I won’t coach any dumb jocks here either. BUT, my salary here is almost five times what it was, my professor’s salary is a little higher, the stats department has a bigger budget, and the basketball program has a MUCH bigger budget. Plus, this area has the greatest weather in the world and some incredibly cool people- present company included!”

I got back to my place at about 6:30 a.m., and grabbed a quick nap before heading for work. I had some paperwork to do related to my course, and there would be practice in the evening.

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North Carolina A & T, 1-1 is here. This is a team we should beat.

Nov. 26: 83-55. Never a doubt. Betz dished beautifully, and the other four starters all scored big. 6 TOs.

At 2-1 Pepperdine. We’re the better team but it’s a road game.

Nov. 28: 62-49. Excellent defense and good play from lots of people. Didn’t like 15 TOs, our most for a game so far this season. We are not a great rebounding team so we need to take care of the ball.

Home for five days.

3-2 Bowling Green is here. This is a team we should beat.

Dec. 1: 69-43. We led by as many as 40. 17, 13 for Fitz, 20, 8 for Rowe. 6 TOs and a season high 40 RBs.

Cris Betz went to the floor hard, hitting his head. He seems to be okay. Day to day.

6 of our next 7 are on the road. Not looking forward to that and to what it will likely do to our record.

Dec. 4: Now ranked #13, RPI #11. I don’t think we should be as high as we are in the rankings. It’s great but reality is going to rear its ugly head soon.

At 4-2 Green Bay. Good outside but weak inside.

Dec. 5: 55-62. Their PG had 21, which hurt but their bench outperformed ours by a wide margin. We had 19 TOs. Not a good night.

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Home for a week and then five straight road games. And the home game is against #10, 7-2 Illinois. They are tough outside and they rebound. We will need to play our best game.

Dec. 8: 77-64. 26, 6, 5 for Sims, 20, 2, 3 for Burt, 11, 8 for Rowe. Betz played well and Jay Cull was even better backing him up. Not happy with 16 TOs but we had 21 assists on 27 baskets. +7 RB and good defense for the most part.

Our next home game is Jan. 2. We will come home for a few days for the holiday but other than that we are gone for the next three weeks.

I will be able to give the exam to my class before we leave. My players will take some of their exams on campus but a few need to be taken on the road and mailed in. We will provide a proctored atmosphere for this.

Dawn and I have been spending a lot of time together. She says I am a natural at singing harmony, which I had no idea about. She is helping me to learn to play a few chords on guitar, which amazes me to even think about. She says I only need a few chords and the ability to strum, and I’ll be able to sing with her and back her up. It’s fun! I’m more interested in piano and I’m thinking of taking lessons. She says that in that case I should still learn the chords but don’t even touch a piano until and unless I find a teacher. That way I won’t develop bad habits.

While there are some similarities between Dawn and Maggie May, they are far more alike than different. MM was a ball of energy, explosive and never stopping, but she was far from deep, except where literature was concerned, and she was really quite self-centered. While it must be said that I am still getting to know Dawn, she is a very sensitive person, always aware of and concerned with what I am feeling, and truly, what everyone around her is feeling. She is hippie in the best sense of the word. She loves her fellow humans (and all animals), and works to make people feel comfortable, safe, and happy. I very much like that about her and try hard to give it back. She is very concerned about social issues despite having little or no interest in politics in general. She’s of the “think globally act locally” school of thought.

Poetry and music are at the center of our relationship, but feeding the hungry and helping the downtrodden are also part of what we try to do. On a personal level we are taking our time, getting to know each other, but it is safe to say that we already care about and for each other.

Dawn has now been to my home. She likes the fact that it is not a “palace” but is a simple place, not a lot bigger than what I need. I certainly didn’t purchase it with her in mind as we had not yet met, but I simply had no interest in occupying a huge living space. My home is not tiny, but it really isn’t extravagant either.

At 5-3 San Jose State. Okay, it’s a road game just a few miles from home. We traveled here by bus and will return home after the game. It’s still a road game. They can shoot outside but their strength is inside. They do not play great defense, and we do not think they will handle pressure on the ball well.

Dec. 13: 60-59. 19 lead changes, 6 ties. We were down 59-56 with under a minute to go. Betz couldn’t find anyone open for a three so he got it inside to Fitz who hit a 6 footer. San Jose ST brought it down with :40 left.

They couldn’t run out the clock. They called a time out. I told my guys we did not want to foul, just don’t give up an easy shot. We didn’t. They missed a contested 18 footer with :08 left. Rowe got the RB, sent it to Betz who got it to Burt for a fifteen footer that went in at the buzzer.

Good work on both ends by all five starters tonight. 15 TOs. I don’t want to
start losing the good ball handling. We’ll work harder on this.

At 3-4 Missouri State. They don’t play a lot of defense and they cough it up, but they win at home.

Dec. 15: 49-64. We were about as flat as it is possible to be. We spent the night standing around on offense waiting for the other guy to do something. That’s how a team scores 49. I don’t often go negative but I lit into the players after this game. Not for long, the tirade was over in less than a minute (It was very much premeditated. I had Coach Creek time it. He was to signal me at 45 seconds, which he did.). Now to see if it has any effect. Practice will show us that. Of course practicing at odd times in a gym in a strange town isn’t ideal, but that’s how it is.

At 3-6 Texas State next. They have a very good PG but he doesn’t get much help.

Dec. 19: 81-62. We played well tonight, nothing like last game. 22, 5, 2 for Burt, 16, 7, 2 for Rowe, 9 assists for Betz, 5 TOs for the team. Now we need to do it consistently.

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At #3, 12-1 Purdue. We beat them by 12 in the Coaches Classic. They are a very good team. Maybe the best PF in the nation.

Dec. 22: 67-82. 29, 5 for Burt but no one else was able to do much. Only -1 TO and -3 RB but they were the better team. We could have defended better but they were quicker than we were.

Oh well. At least we get to go home for a few days.

Dawn and I spend the holiday together at my place. We’ve only known each other a month so simple, small gifts. We cooked dinner together, and that was fun. After dinner we sang some songs, Dawn working on my guitar chords and offering a little advice on harmony, but she was very kind, saying I had all the right instincts with harmony.

I haven’t talked about family at all. I am not close to my family for reasons I do not choose to go into. My parents live in Western Massachusetts. I have not seen them in several years and do not plan to see them again. I have no siblings.

I haven’t given a lot of information regarding Dawn either. She works in a small book/record store just off campus. She is the assistant manager. She lives in a little efficiency apartment, basically one room with a bath, just down the street from the shop she works at. She has one of those beds that goes up into the wall- Murphy bed? It works for her. She is not close to her family either. We have not given each other details as yet.

We now spend more time at my place than hers when we are together, but we really spend more time up in the San Francisco/Oakland area. The music scene is lively, and she gets opportunities to recite her poetry and sing her songs in several of the small cafes, coffee shops, clubs… It’s all “pass the hat” but she makes a little money, on some nights more than a little. She wants me to sing harmony on a couple of songs but I feel that I am too well known to get up on a stage. I prefer to keep my anonymity. I do sing with her when we’re at one of her friend’s places, or when we entertain friends, but not in public.

We end the pre-conference season at 9-4, ranked #17.

We open Pac 12 play at 7-4 Arizona State. They’ve played a weak schedule. Their starting PG is out with a broken leg. He’s probably their best player. They play 1-3-1 which we don’t see very often.

Dec. 29: 69-53. Good play from 8 guys but 16 TOs. +11 RB. Good defense won this one.

Happy 1973! Spent New Year’s Eve with Dawn. She read and sang at a coffee house in SF. She actually got me up to do harmony on a song. Lights were very low and she introduced me as, “My friend Lee.” No one figured out who I was. It was fun, and I wasn’t really nervous, strangely enough, but I am still leery. I even played guitar.

After the show we went to a party at her friend Jay’s place in the city. We left at about 5:00 a.m. It was fun. I could have gotten a contact high but I stayed straight.

Home for two, both ranked teams.

#25 California is 11-3, 1-0. This one figures to be close. They have a good PG. If we let him do what he wants to do we’ll be in trouble. Their C is also a solid player, and their bench seems to be better than ours. We’re stronger at the other positions.

Jan. 2: 68-57. A good win! Great defense and exceptional ball handling, 6 TOs (+11). 21, 6 for Fitz, 12, 6, 4 for Sims, 8, 8, 4 for Rowe, and Lew Gore had 12 from the bench. We completely shut down their C and we did not let their PG do what he wanted to do. He had 18 but he had lots of trouble getting the ball to his teammates.

#23 Colorado, 13-2, 2-0 is here. They’ve played a soft schedule and I don’t think they’re as good as California, but we will need to play well. Again, don’t let them do what they want to do on offense. Good defense is always key.

Jan. 5: 49-39. Yes, it was definitely the defense. Strange game. We led almost all the way, never trailing in the second half. We had 10 TOs, they had 24. We had lots of trouble making shots (25.5%!), but they kept fouling us and we hit the free throws (16-18), and that made a huge difference. 16, 8, 2 for Burt, 12, 10 for Sims.

Jan. 8: We’re 12-4, 3-0, ranked #15, RPI #14, but 7 tough road games still ahead and a couple of home games that won’t be easy. Still, a great start!

At 7-7, 1-2 Oregon. They’ve played a tough schedule and they’re better than their record. They are tough inside. We need to come to play.

Jan. 9: 77-69. We took an early lead and extended it out to 22. 20 for Burt, 14, 8, 3 for Rowe, 13, 7, 3  for Fitz. 8 TOs

Bill Sims hurt his back. It doesn’t look serious and he is day to day.

I’ve started piano lessons with a local teacher who comes highly recommended. I bought a piano, just a spinet. It fits very nicely in the living room. I practice every day that I’m in town. Music has become a very important part of my life. I spend at least an hour a day practicing the piano, and more time with the guitar. I am not neglecting my coaching or professorial duties but I do find the music both relaxing and enjoyable. Dawn and I spend a great deal of our time making music together. With her encouragement I am setting some of her poems to music. These are poems which she never thought about as songs but which sound like songs to me. The results are at best mixed at present but I am just beginning.

I am very pleased with the team. At 13-4, 4-0 we are, surprisingly, alone in first place. I cannot think this will last but it puts us in a great position to finish high up in the conference standings.

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5-10, 2-2 Oregon State is here. They play 1-2-2 which can be a little confusing. We’ve been working against it in practice, trying to get the ball inside. This is a a team we should beat.

Jan. 12: 60-59. This wasn’t a win it was an escape. We led early then all but fell apart. With 5 ½ minutes left we were down 9, 56-47. At that point I called a time out, which I rarely do. We were struggling to get the ball inside and were settling for outside shots that were not falling. I laid into the guys, then charted some ways to get it in to our big guys. They listened. On defense I told them to double the PG and SG whenever they got the ball as outside shots were killing us.

We started to turn them over and they stopped making those outside shots with our tighter D. The ball started going inside for us, we got lay ups and shots very close to the rim, we got steals and forced turnovers, and from that point on we out scored Ore. ST 13-3. We retook the lead only in the final 30 seconds. They had the ball last, with a chance to win, but our tight defense did not allow them a good shot and a contested 20 footer went off the rim at the buzzer. 13 TOs (+5).  15, 11 for Fitz, 8, 10, 4 for Rowe, 12 for Sims. A win is a win but this was tougher than it should have been.

7-9, 1-4 USC is here. Stopping the PG, or at least not letting him do what he wants to do is the key. He is their best player. They are 2-6 in their last 8. Starting SG and first big man off the bench were lost to grades.

Jan. 16: 67-57. 14 each for Sims, Rowe and Betz. +11 TOs. We were very effective at getting it inside and we outscored them 30-8 in the paint.

Carl Betz got a hip pointer. Day to day.

We are up 2 games on four teams.

At #16, 12-7, 4-2 UCLA. A very good team and they do not lose at home. We have our work cut out for us. They are good both inside and out. As always we will try to stop them from doing the things they like to do but it will not be easy.

Jan. 19: 77-75. Amazing!!! Cris Betz, who was at less than 100% fouled out in 18 minutes but Jay Cull did some really nice work filling in for him, especially on the defensive end where he shut down a very good PG. Addy Burt was on fire all night, 34 points, 7 threes. 12, 9, 2 for Rowe, and Fitz and Sims played well. UCLA scored the last six but never had possession with a chance to tie or win. Their last basket, a three, came with 1.8 left. Great win!

At 11-8, 5-2 Arizona, one of two teams two games back of us. They have a very good SG. Let’s see how we defend him.

Jan. 23: 47-65. I guess a night like this was overdue. We scored 19 in the first half and were down by as many as 27. We had no answer for their SG who got 33. -6 TO, +3 RB.

Halfway through the conference schedule and up one over Arizona, at least two over everyone else. But the second half schedule will not be easy.

16-5, 7-1, ranked #13, RPI #13.

Loving my piano lessons. Practicing every day. The method my teacher is using allows me to play actual songs right from the start, as well as doing exercises. This really makes it interesting. I think it is helping my guitar playing as well.

Dawn and I are really getting close. She is always fun to be with.

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10-9, 4-4 Washington State is here. One quality win, lots of bad losses. They do not play great defense and they turn it over. This is a game we should win.

Jan. 26: 76-50. It was close during the first half but we made adjustments and took total control in the second. +9 TOs, +8 RBs. 21 for Burt, 18, 8, 2 for Sims, 11, 8, 6 for Rowe.

Jan. 29: Addy Burt is at #10 on the Norton List.

We look at a few more recruits, just in case. Only one we were speaking with failed to hit the SAT score.

AT 8-12, 3-6 Washington. One quality win. They play good defense and they rebound but they are sloppy. We need to take advantage of that.

Jan. 30: 67-74. We didn’t play very well, -1 TO, -1 RB. Both of our guards were in foul trouble all night. The biggest difference was the bench. They had 23, 12, 5, we had 4, 7, 1.

Arizona lost. They and Utah are one back. UCLA and Cal are two back.

#11, 18-4, 7-3 Utah is in. This is a very good team both inside and out. Their 1-3-1 is not a D we see often. They have played well against good teams. This should be a challenge.

Feb. 2: 60-54. Huge win! We played good defense and scored just enough. It was a very balanced effort offensively. 17 TOs, too many, but only -1. +8 RBs which was a definite factor. Our bench was better tonight as well, 15-22.

One game up on Arizona, 2 on Utah and UCLA, five to play.

12-10, 5-6 Arizona State is here. We won by 16 there. 4-1 in their last 5 and they play 1-3-1. Two starters out with broken bones.

Feb. 6: 74-56. 20 TOs, worst of the season, but +18 RBs. 17, 13 for Rowe, 15, 4 for Burt. 11, 7, 5 for Betz but 8 TOs. The subs did better at PG and I had Cull in at PG when it counted. Bench and inside players won this one.

A big win because Arizona lost. We are two games up with four to play. Exceeding all expectations!

Heading out for 3 of our last 4 conference games. We need one road win. Two would be terrific. And of course we need to win the home game.

Music continues to be a daily part of my life. On the road I can usually find a piano to practice on, usually in the lounge at the hotel where we stay. During the day the lounge is empty and I talk my way into being able to practice. There’s always a piano. I take my guitar on the road, too, and I am now able to pick out some songs and fake most others.

When we’re at home Dawn and I get together for at least some part of every day. Music is a big part of that but a relationship is definitely forming. Dawn is very comfortable to be with, very laid back and not at all demanding. She knows who she is though, and is not a person to try to push around.

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At 17-8, 7-5 California. We won by 11 at home. 4-4 in their last 8. We’re expecting a tough game.

Feb. 9: 65-73. Betz was ineffective again tonight. Fouled out in 17 minutes. His backup, Cull, fouled out in 19. -7 RB. Refs didn’t help, 25-35 for them vs. 18-22.

Arizona lost again. Utah is the only team one back. UCLA, Cal and Arizona are two back.

Burt is #11 on the Norton List.

At 16-10, 5-8 Colorado. I wouldn’t call this a “must win” but a win would be really nice. We beat them by 10 at our place. They’ve lost 5 straight, since their best player went out with a broken nose. We need to turn them over.

Feb.13: 61-73. Another poor game for our Point Guards. This has been a real problem and we’re going to re-evaluate. We won the inside battle, but lost outside and lost badly regarding bench play.

Utah lost so we’re still one up (on three teams) with two to play. We should win both and we need to.

10-15, 4-10 Oregon is in. We won by 8 there. They’ve lost 6 of 7. Now THIS is a must win!

Feb. 16: 63-45. We held them to 17 in the first and were never in danger. 12, 11, 3 for Rowe, 17 for Burt, better play at PG, and good play all around. 11 TOs, +5 RB.

Up one with one to play and we beat both of the teams who are one back (UCLA and Utah). So we’ll finish first.

We finish at 7-19, 4-11, last place Oregon State. We won by only one at our place. They’ve lost 5 of 6, 8 of 10. We need to turn them over and should be able to. We need to play much better than we did last time.
Outside D was the problem then and it cannot be this time.

Feb. 20: 66-64. What is it with this Ore. ST team! Addy Burt knocked down a 23 footer at the buzzer to avoid the upset. He had 25, 8. 10,15, 2 for Rowe, 10, 7, 2 for Fitz, 8, 5 for Sims. 7 TOs for Betz but as a team we had only 11, with 40 RBs.

We finish #1 in conference.

“I LOVE the way you sing harmony. I think I’ll introduce you as ‘My friend Phil’ from now on.”

Now THAT’S a compliment!

On to the post season!

21-8, 12-4, ranked #17 RPI #16.

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March 9: Play in round. We’ll met 14-14, 7-9 USC in the quarters. We won by only 10 at our place. They’ve won 4 of 5, 7 of 9. Lost a starter and sixth man to grades though.

March 10: 51-40. Great D all night long. Held them to 27.6%. 18, 4, 2 for Burt, 10, 10 for Sims. 8 TOs, 35 RBs.

All the favorites advanced so nothing easy from here on. Next is 20-10, 9-7 Cal. Beat them by 11 at home then lost by 8 there. They play good D. we need to pressure the guards and win the inside battle. Easier said than done. This is a good team.

March 11: 79-76. Not much defense either way in this one. +7 TOs helped. Our outside defense was nonexistent. They were 13-21 on threes. For once our bench won one for us, 30,7, 5 vs. 12, 8, 4. Rows was in foul trouble all night and seldom used D. J. Vann had 11, 4, 1 in his place. Cull played very well as back up PG, and Hall had 9.

We play 24-6,11-5, #11 Utah in the final. We beat them by 6 at home. They are strong inside and out and their 1-3-1 is not something we see often. We won it inside last time and that’s what we need to do again.

March 12: 61-66. We led by 13 in the first half and then away it went. 23 TOs, a season high. Burt had 29 and 6 but he didn’t get much help, 9 and 9 for Fitz and that was about it.

The loss will cost us on selection day. We will probably drop form a 3 or 4 to a 6 or 7 seed.

23-9, ranked #18, RPI #14.

Dawn has never seen us play. She says she has no interest. She isn’t interested in statistics either.

Selection time: #4 in the East. Higher than I thought we’d be! We play Ball State.

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23-9 Ball State won the regular season and the tournament. They’ve won their last 15, all of them comfortably. Starting C is out with a torn ACL though. We should control the inside. If we can turn them over we should be fine.

March 13: Arizona ST won in the NIT.

March 15: Arizona State won again.

March 16: 72-61. We led all the way after the early going. And we completely dominated inside, +12 RB, 46-13 for starter’s points at 3, 4 and 5. 22, 7, 2 for Rowe, 15, 5, 3 for Sims, 9, 10 for Fitz, 13, 7, 5 for Burt.
Cal won, Colorado lost.

March 17: Utah won. UCLA lost in the NCAA.

#21, 24-8, #5 seed Butler is next. They won the Big East tourney. Beat then #1 Indiana in December. Lost a starter and a sixth man to grades. Better outside than in.

March 18: 72-74. 18 lead changes, 5 ties, but we never led by more than 2. They beat us outside and on the bench, sort of the story of our  season.

We finish 24-10. Better than I would have predicted, honestly. And we have some terrific players coming in.

March 19: Utah won in the NCAA.

March 20: Ariz. ST lost in the NIT.

March 24: Utah loses and that’s it for the Pac 12.

My Harvard team is in the Final Four. A #5 seed vs. #10 seed Florida. On the other side it’s #1 seed Duke vs. #2 seed Oklahoma.

I am at the Final Four in Dallas.

April 1: #5 ranked Oklahoma beats #1 ranked Duke, and #17 Harvard beats unranked Florida.

April 3: 61-58 Oklahoma. Great game!

April 4: Awards: Addy Burt and Curt Rowe make first team conference all stars. Bill Sims and Len Fitz make 2nd team. Good calls!

April 9: Lots of job offer calls. Not interested, thank you. I believe I am here to stay!

April 16: No assistant coach vacancies.

April 23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. Didn’t get it.

At the end of five seasons as a head coach I’m at 135-40, .771. I’ll take it! My numbers: Off.- 33, Def.- 48, Recruit- 99, Scout- 94, Player Dev.- 48, Reputation- 65.

We should be very strong next year. Losing Rowe, Betz, and little used D. J. Vann but bringing in some terrifically talented players.

Dawn has been offered a record contract and she wants me to play and to sing back up. Hm. Maybe under a stage name but still, do I want to do this? If she gets popular it will mean she will tour and I certainly couldn’t do that. Not sure I’d want to. She really wants me on the first album though. Says I should do it as “Phil Lee.” I told her I’d think about it.

Oh, I grew a beard. It’s neatly trimmed and all that but it’s quite controversial in the coaching world. Get over it guys. Haven’t cut my hair in a very long time, almost a year. It is straight and I usually wear it in a pony tail. That gets lots of comments, too. I don’t care.

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May 1: We buy the gold national and basic international reports.

Preseason #9.

June 5: Looking at possible transfers. We lost a couple of guys so we have spots to fill. The pool looks really shallow though.

June 6: Summer course starts today. Three weeks, Mon.-Thurs., 8:30-12:00. That’s a lot of statistics in a very tight time frame.

June 12; We decide to pass on transfers.

June 25: Since we have the dollars we decide to go to the camps, Indy Elite and all five regionals.

The album is happening and I’m on 9 of the 12 songs. Nine are original songs written by Dawn, three are covers. It will be out in 6-8 weeks, I am told.

June 24: Last day of summer class. It’s been interesting and I have to say I enjoy teaching but there’s an awful lot to do. I’ll finish grading this weekend and wrap it up.

June 26: Curt Rowe goes #46 in the draft and three of my Harvard guys go earlier than that.

5 scholarships. We could go three guards two bigs or the other way around. Looking at 18- 8 PGs, 1 SG, 2 PFs, 7 C.

July 11: We’re running two weeks of basketball camps for kids in grades 7-12. It’s a great way to give my assistant coaches a little extra money, to get summer income for my players, and most importantly, to see what my new guys look like. Believe me, this is why everyone does this. I can’t coach my guys and I don’t, but they can be in the pick up games with the high school juniors and seniors.

July 22: Last day of camps was today. I like what I see. Yes, there were definitely some incoming high school seniors that we’ll watch. We also had 6 guys on our recruit list at camp, which helped us to evaluate them. I very much like what I saw from my team. I think we’re going to be very much better at the Point, and very solid. I have 8 players that can be in at the most crucial moments. Very excited.

Dawn and I were called into the studio to do a little work on two of the songs on the album. I’m told this is not unusual. We’re a month away from release and the company says they are going to give us a lot of publicity. They think the album is a winner.

Aug. 7: Seven on the Norton List: PF Kev Eddy at #16, SG Addy Burt at SG, PG Will Rand at #27, PG Lee Barr at #40, SF Dan Mack at #44, PF Kent Hawk at #48, and SF Len Fitz at #49.

Aug. 21: We offer to five, three PGs, 2 Cs.

Aug. 25: The album is out. They called it “Dawn Is Rising”. They’re calling her a cross between Carol King and Carly Simon. Fast company!

Sept. 4: Lots of advertising for the new album. Hearing songs from it on
radio, excerpts on TV. Cool. No idea if the album is selling or if the publicity is local, regional or national. Somehow word got out that I’m Phil Lee and that’s brought a whole bunch of publicity I didn’t really want.

My keyboard teacher is fantastic. She has me playing all the chords I need and I can already play songs and fake LOTS of songs. Loving this.

Up to my eyes. New semester starts today. Teaching a class, lots of grad students, working on two papers and doing research for some others- oh and there’s that basketball team. We’re courting our five guys hard. Will visit next week. I’m 30 and I feel 60 right now.

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Sept. 11: We visit four. The fifth is a long shot and we thought it better to visit the four we feel we have a real chanced with. We’ll see.

 

Sept. 18: Got three, lost one. Commitments from #6 PG Clay Herr, #11 C Jay Jack, #15 PG Dave Ward. We offer to a C.

We have a schedule. We’re at the Hawaiian Shootout in November. We have a lot more road games than home games this season. All preconference games except one, and except for who we might meet in Hawaii are ranked.

 

Sept. 25: We got our last two. #4 C Rick John, and #17 C Al Buck committed. So 3 play C, 2 PGs. If they meet the SAT score we’re all set with recruiting. All are good students.

 

Oct. 2: First day of practice. I LOVE what I saw. I think we can contend for the national championship.

The album is selling. #11 on the charts this week and lots of buzz everywhere.

 

Dawn has arranged a tour that closely aligns with my team’s travel schedule. She is in towns or on campus where we’re playing on the evening of afternoon games and either the night before or the night after evening games. I have committed to nothing but she and her manager are obviously hopeful that I will appear with her when I can. We’ll see.

 

Oct. 22: The album is at #3. I appear with Dawn at two concerts in L. A., last night and tonight. It was fun!

 

Nov. 6: Exhibition games. Several changes and a couple of spots still very much open. We’ll be watching to see who steps up!

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Sept. 11: We visit four. The fifth is a long shot and we thought it better to visit the four we feel we have a real chanced with. We’ll see.

Sept. 18: Got three, lost one. Commitments from #6 PG Clay Herr, #11 C Jay Jack, #15 PG Dave Ward. We offer to a C.

We have a schedule. We’re at the Hawaiian Shootout in November. We have a lot more road games than home games this season. All preconference games except one, and except for who we might meet in Hawaii are ranked.

Sept. 25: We got our last two. #4 C Rick John, and #17 C Al Buck committed. So 3 play C, 2 PGs. If they meet the SAT score we’re all set with recruiting. All are good students.

Oct. 2: First day of practice. I LOVE what I saw. I think we can contend for the national championship.

The album is selling. #11 on the charts this week and lots of buzz everywhere.

Dawn has arranged a tour that closely aligns with my team’s travel schedule. She is in towns or on campus where we’re playing on the evening of afternoon games and either the night before or the night after evening games. I have committed to nothing but she and her manager are obviously hopeful that I will appear with her when I can. We’ll see.
Oct. 22: The album is at #3. I appear with Dawn at two concerts in L. A., last night and tonight. It was fun!

Nov. 6: Exhibition games. Several changes and a couple of spots still very much open. We’ll be watching to see who steps up!

Nov. 13: #8 Michigan State is here to start the season. Okay, let’s see if we’re any good!

Nov. 14: 84-73. 57 points in the first half. 19, 5, 3 for Hawk at C, 18 for Burt, 14, 6 for Fitz at SF, 6, 8, 7 for Rand at the Point with 1 TO. Team had 9. 8, 3, 6 for backup PG Lee Barr, 13 for backup big Russ Wild. Great start!
Off to Hawaii for the Shootout. We’re the #1 seed. 0-1 Kent State in the round of eight. This is a game we should win, they looked awful against a mediocre (at best) team.

Nov. 18: 72-52. Good D, good ball handling (10 TOs). 21, 4 for Burt, 13, 8, 5 for Hawk. Lee Barr had 16, 2, 5 in 24 minutes at the point. He’s making a case for starting there. We could rebound better.

#4 seed, 2-0 Minnesota. They score lots of points-10 guys score- and they take care of the ball. We need to show some inside game.

Nov. 19: 93-70. 52 in the first half. 23, 3, 4, 3 steals for Burt, 20, 6, 3 for Hawk, 14, 4, 2 for Fitz, 13, 7, 10, 2 TOs for Rand, 9, 2, 2 for Barr. Not thrilled with our rebounding and we could have played better D. Nothing wrong with our offense and ball handling (8 TOs) though.

#4. All five recruits sign so we’re through with recruiting for the season. Recruiting coach Bud Grimm will keep in touch with our five guys but will help with bench and practice coaching, both of which he excels at.

#6 seed, 2-1 Texas Tech beat #3 then #2 to reach the finals. They lost to Siena (!) in the opener, beat Cal in OT, then beat Texas by 3. They’re sloppy and they are not great rebounders.

Nov. 20: 75-50. And control the inside we did! +12 RB. 19,9, 3 for Hawk, 8, 15 for Kev Eddy at PF, his first really good game, 10, 5 for Fitz. Mack and Wild also played well inside. 12, 4, 4 for Rand but 5 TOs- the team had 11.

Yes, I sang a couple of songs with Dawn in Honolulu after Saturday's game. Three to be precise. The whole team went. The guys seemed to really get a kick out of it. They often play the album when we're traveling, or in the gym before practice. Sometimes it's because they like it and other times I know they're teasing me. That's fine, it keeps us loose.

Insane scheduling. We fly to D. C. for a game with U. of Maryland on 11/21.
Oh, “Dawn Is Rising” is #2 for the third straight week. Kind of amazing. I don’t think we’ll push “Band on the Run” off of #1 though. The whole pop/folk/blues/rock music world has fallen in love with her. She’s guesting on TV shows, and cuts from the album are playing everywhere. She released a single (I’m on both sides) and that is climbing fast, too.

I’m getting some publicity from this and it’s a complication. Questions about it are asked at postgame press conferences and interviews. I refuse to answer them and demand focus on my team and on the game.

Dawn’s agent wants me to release an album which is just silly. I am just a competent (I hope) back up musician/singer. It’s not going to happen.

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This game happening on this day makes no sense. UMD is 2-0, #25. Even worse, no home games between Nov. 14 and Dec. 5. 7 straight road games. Then we play one at home and hit the road again!

MD has played two nobodies. They score outside but they’re sloppy and they don’t rebound all that well. Inside D is also suspect so we’re going to try to bring it inside as much as possible.

Nov. 21: 72-62. We were able to score both outside and inside. 24, 2, 5, 4 steals for Burt, 13, 5 for Rand, 15, 8, 2 for Hawk, 7, 6, 3 for Fitz, and good games for both Wild and Barr from the bench. 8 TOs, +4 RB. Very proud of my guys. They were really tired, even yawning during this one. I was too, to tell the truth. But they kept working.

AT 1-1 Kansas next. Not ranked but a good team. They can be turned over.
Nov. 24: 68-59. 17, 13 for Hawk, 15, 8, 3 for Rand, 8, 8 for Eddy, 9, 3, 5 for Burt, good bench work. We led most of the way.

We didn’t practice much before this one. I just let my guys rest. We ran through what we needed to run through and did only the most minimal running. They’re young, so I guess they’re probably back to normal now.

Nov. 27: #2, RPI #13.

At #9, 4-0 Georgetown. Tough team. Starting PF has a knee problem, will not play. This hurts them on the boards. They can light it up outside. We will need to get on the shooter. This one will be a challenge.

Nov. 28: 68-76. We faded late. Too many road games in too short a time. More to come so we need to find a way to recharge. 20 TOs (-9). Addy Burt had 31 but the rest went 11-38. Rand fouled out in 19 minutes Lee Barr was not effective behind him. I really do think fatigue beat us tonight.

At #15, 5-0 Missouri. It doesn’t get easier. Again, I’ve been working strategy and skull sessions and walking through formations and such, not doing much physical stuff, just enough hopefully. MO really hasn’t played anyone. We’re going try to not let them do what they like to do.

Hawk hurt an arm. Day to day.

Dec. 1: 78-71. 47-28 at the half. The tank was empty at that point but we hung on for the win. 22, 6, 2 for Burt, 16, 7, 4 for hawk, 12, 3, 3 for Rand who fouled out again, but 12, 3, 2 for Barr in his place. 12 TOs, 37 RBs.

Back home finally!

The album stayed at #2 for one more week. It is fading now, #5. But it has sold very well. It’s making Dawn some money, directly, but more indirectly through concerts and guest appearances on TV shows.

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Dec. 4: Still #2, RPI #5. Reflecting upon how much I’ve changed and loosened up. I was the typical statistics professor and then, through Maggie May and Dawn I became something else entirely, Mr. Hipster, or something like that, long hair, a beard, guitar and piano playing singer, pop star. What a difference. I relate to my guys now, speak their language as far as music and movies are concerned- HUGE changes.

I still do the professor thing, and frankly, I still enjoy it. This semester I certainly didn’t do much teaching because of our schedule, but I’ve tried to stay in touch with the students taking the class and with my grad students, and the research and attempts to publish continue. My life is simply a great deal richer and certainly a great deal more fun.

#3, 7-0 Georgia Tech is here. Terrific outside and not bad inside, but they haven’t really played anybody. They’ve done everything well so we need to play.

Dec. 5: 66-54. 24 lead changes, 11 ties. We went on a very late run, outscoring them 15-5 at the end. At that point Hawk had fouled out but Russ Wild came in and got 10, 6, 2. It’s great to have a bench and this year we have one. -2 TO but +12 RB. We won this game on D, especially outside D. We held their outside shooters in check. Great win!

Back on the road. At #21, 5-1 Ohio State. They lost to the only good team they played. Inside D is weak as is rebounding but they are tough outside and tough at home. This won’t be easy.

Dec. 8: 65-73. We gave up ten threes and that was not good, but 23 TOs is what beat us. It was a group effort, everybody was coughing it up. Just awful. Burt fouled out but I don’t think that mattered much.

3 of the next 4 at home, BUT 5 of the next 9 on the road. After that it’s 6 of the final 10 regular season games at home.

SO sick of the road- all of us are. That rock star thing? That’s all road. Don’t think I’m interested in that lifestyle. That is also why I would have no interest in coaching pro basketball.

1-6 San Jose State is next. This is one of the few soft games in the pre-conference schedule.

Dec. 13: 78-55. Never a doubt. 21, 7 for Hawk, 20 for Burt, 14, 5, 3 for Rand, 8, 9 for Eddy, 10 TOs, 39 RBs.

4 of the next 5 are against ranked teams.

At #21, 7-1 Gonzaga. They haven’t played anybody. They’ve played good D and taken care of the ball.

Dec. 15: 88-84. 22, 4, 5 for Burt, 18, 10, 3 for Hawk who got hurt late. 15, 3 for Fitz. Good bench play from Wild and Barr. This was a shootout. +5 TO, +6 RB. Not much D played by either side. We somehow survived giving up 20 threes.

Kent Hawk has back spasms. Out at least a week. He’ll miss the next game.
Dec. 18: 10-2, Ranked #3, RPI #1. One pre-conference game left, against #10, 7-3 Duke, here. They’ve lost their last 2, and 3 of 5. They’re a good team so we’ll need to play. We can’t let their SF beat us. He’s a scorer.

Dec. 19: 73-36. I didn’t expect THAT! And with Hawk playing very limited minutes I REALLY didn’t expect it. 22, 5, 4 for Burt, 17, 6, 2 for Wild, who played a lot of minutes inside. We held them to 23.5% shooting, and were +6 TO, +13 RB. A great night!

And now some time off, nine days until our next game.

Dec. 25: Dawn and I had a rare day together. It was nice. She’s been touring practically nonstop and is now a genuine star. There are ups and downs, of course. She is loving most of it. Her people want another album in about six months so she is putting together some of her other poems and writing new ones. She has listened to the three I put to music for her and she says she really likes one of them and thinks a second has possibilities. I would like to back away. I want to keep playing both piano and guitar, and want to keep singing, but I have way too much to do to try to fit in concerts with her. She understands that but would still like me to be on the next album. We’ll see.

Hawk is back to 100%.

We go to conference play at 11-2, #3, RPI #1. I’ll take it!

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#16, 11-2 Arizona State is here to start conference play. They beat #5 UConn in their last game, so they can play. We feel we’re better inside and deeper. First 1-3-1 we see all year though.

Dec. 29: 93-49. Wow! Great start to conference play! 30, 4, 2 for Burt, 13, 6 for Eddy, 8, 9, 3 for Hawk, 10, 4, 6 for Rand but 5 TOs, 9, 6, 2 for Wild. 10 TOs, 40 RBs.

4 of the next 5 on the road and then it becomes sane at last.

Jan. 1: Happy 1974. Spent New Year’s Eve on stage with Dawn. Did the full concert right over in San Francisco at the Cow Palace, which was full. It was fun.

At 6-6, 1-0 California. Strong outside but not much inside.

Jan. 2: 72-74. 19 TOs and poor bench play, 10, 6, 2 to their 29, 12, 5. 30, 7 for Burt, but 9 TOs for Rand. I would have pulled him but Barr was throwing it away, too. We were in it all the way despite all of that. We had a chance to tie but Burt was covered, we couldn’t get it inside, and Rand missed a 16 footer at the buzzer. Frustrating night.

At Colorado 11-2, 1-1 Colorado, a better team than Cal., especially inside.

We do NOT want to lose two in a row.

Jan. 5: 88-83. We played a really good first half and a terrible second, giving up 59, the most a team of mine has ever given up in a half. Fortunately we scored 52 of our own and held on. 23, 13, 4 for Hawk, 25, 4 for Burt, 12, 6 for Eddy, 14, 2, 7 but 8 TOs for Rand. This is a continuing problem. +14 RB. Bench didn’t give us much for the second straight game. We won ugly but we won.

Home for five days. We decide to give Russ Wild more time.

4-10, 0-3 Oregon is here. As if things weren’t bad enough they lost their starting PF, who was their best rebounder, to grades.

Jan. 9: 68-43. 28 for Burt, 20 and 9 for Fitz. 9 TOs. We held them to 17 in the first half.

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Back on the road at 6-10, 0-4 Oregon State. The 1-2-2 may confuse us a bit but this is a team we should beat.

Jan. 12: 68-57. 34 for Burt, half our points! But we had 18 TOs, 6 each by Burt and Rand. +1, but still. +9 RB.

We’re tied for first with Arizona State. Six teams one game back.

At 13-4, 3-2 USC. Very unpredictable, some nights they’re great but others they are mediocre. Not good at taking care of the ball but they rebound and play decent D. Lots of guys score but no go to guy.

Jan. 16: 76-72. A battle! 13 lead changes, 9 ties. Kent Hawk played a great game, 27, 13, 2. 17 for Burt. Russ Wild had 10, 6, 3 from the bench. We won this one inside but almost lost it on the bench where we were badly outplayed.

A big win. Still tied for first but now only two teams one game back.

Back home for two.

11-8, 3-3 UCLA is here. Not their usual season. They score outside.

Jan. 19: 81-56. We led for most of the night, all of it after the first five minutes. Held them to 17 in the first half. 41, 8 for Burt who has been lighting it up lately. 14, 4, 3 for Rand, one of his best games. 7, 10, 5 for Hawk. Only 6 TOs, 36 RBs. We looked good!

Still tied with Arizona State. Only Colorado is one back.

#14, 15-5, 4-3 Arizona is in town. They can play, esp. inside. Won their last four after losing four. 4-0 vs. ranked teams. But they lost starting PG and first big off the bench to grades. This one looks like a challenge.

Jan. 23: 67-50. Very good first half D held them to 21. We went in up by 17. The second half played even and they never got it to single digits. 20, 6 for Burt, 17, 8, 3 for Hawk, 10, 3, 6, one TO for Rand, 7, 9 for eddy, 6, 6, 1for Wild. 10 TOs, 40 RBs.

Dawn is taking a few weeks off from touring and when we can find the time we’re working together to compose songs. Sometimes that means listening to things over the phone late at night when I’m on the road. It’s actually a lot of fun.

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At 6-13, 2-6 Washington State. This is not a good team BUT they somehow beat #4 Arizona so we’re taking it seriously.

Jan. 26: 79-62. 30, 4 for Burt who is having a great season. 14, 13, for Hawk. 8 TOs, 34 RBs.

Jan. 29: Addy Burt #1 on the Norton List. Kent Hawk #3, Will Rand #26 (Not so sure about that last one).

9-11, 6-3 Washington is here. They seemed to wake up when conference play started. Not great with the ball.

Jan. 30: 77-38. Terrific D again. 25, 5, 3 for Burt, 12, 15 for hawk. 7 TOs, 47 RBs.

It’s a two team race. Still tied with Arizona State but Colorado is two back and everyone else is three or more.

Two really tough road games. First #23, 14-8, 5-5 Utah. Very up and down but on a good night they can compete with anyone. We want to force TOs and control the inside. If we do we’ll be fine but easier said than done.

Feb. 2: 64-63. Whew! We led most of the way and then Addy Burt fouled out with 6 minutes left and Utah got back into it. The lead changed hands four times in the last minute. We got it last and Rand hit a 14 footer with a hand in his face for the win. Burt still had 25. 6 and 14 for Hawk. 16 TOs (-5), -2 RB.

This is the big one. At #7, 21-3, 10-1 Arizona State. We won by an amazing 93-49 at home. I have to believe it will be nothing like that this time. They are 12-0 at home and they are beating everyone easily. On the other hand they aren’t that good with the ball and they aren’t that good on the boards. But they are deep and they keep fresh legs on the floor at all times. We were +9 TO and +15 RB last time and stayed out of foul trouble while holding them to 31.3% shooting. That’s the kind of effort it will take.

Feb. 6: 65-76. Their bench: 31, 11, 8. Ours: 10, 6, 6. We let them shoot 53.8%. +1 TO, -4 RB. We gave up 53 points in the first half. In short, we were outplayed.

We’re definitely in a hole as far as winning the conference is concerned, one back with four to play.

I’m really enjoying writing songs with Dawn. We work well together and seem to bring out the creative aspect in each other. We have six songs written. We’re tinkering with them, adding little touches, revising in some ways but the six are essentially ready to record.

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13-10, 8-4 California is here. They beat us by 2 at their place. Won their last five. My guys have been very focused at practice. They want a win.

Feb. 9: 71-56. Outside game was hot tonight, 17, 6 for Burt, 12, 3, 3 for Rand. Inside looked good as well, 15, 9 for Hawk, 5, 10, 2 for Eddy, 11, 5, 2 for Wild. 8 TOs, 43 RBs.

Arizona State lost to Colorado so we’re tied again with Colorado one back. Everyone else is out of it. Little used back up guard Earl Ah hurt his toe. Out about two weeks.

Feb. 12: Addy Burt still #1 on the Norton List, and Kent Hawk is #4.

Third place Colorado, #18, 20-4, 10-3, is here. We won by five there. They are 9-1 in their last 10. Starting C is out with broken wrist but they are 2-0 without him. This is a must win. We’re in third place if we lose.

Feb. 13: 83-68. We took charge early and led for the last 38 minutes. 38, 4 for Burt. Good play by all five starters.

Still tied for first.

AT 6-19, 3-11 Oregon. We beat them by 25 at our place. After losing 10 in a row they’ve won their last two. Starting PF lost to grades and first big off the bench tore his ACL. We need to stay focused here.

Feb. 16: 76-67. They stayed with us for a long time. With about 6 ½ left we went on a 12-3 run and that did it. It wasn’t easy though. 10, 13 for Hawk, 16 for Burt. Good bench play did it for us, Wild had 8, 5, 3 and Mack had 14. Barr had 5, 1, 3. I wish the bench were more consistent.

Arizona State was upset by California. If we win our next game we finish first.

Feb. 19: 24-4, #3, RPI # 1.

Our final regular season game is at home against 9-18, 3-12 Oregon State. We beat them by 11 there. Their 1-2-2 confused us some. They’ve lost 5 straight. They are not a very good team.

Feb. 20: 81-66. We never trailed, it was never close. Great work by Burt, Wild, Rand, Barr. 8 TOs. Frontcourt didn’t play that well except for Wild.

Nine songs written. We’re still tweaking all of them but minor changes. They are essentially ready to record and to perform. That’s the question, do we perform before recording. I make the occasional concert but not often.

And it’s the post season. Lots of time off before our first game, more than two weeks. We’ll rest aching bodies for a while, then do enough to stay and shape and walk through all the things we need to do.

Feb. 26: #3, RPI #1.

March 5: Still #3, #1.

Good news, bad news. Burt #1, Hawk #7 on the Norton List. But freshmen Russ Wild and Kev Eddy declare for the draft (And of course, the game, wrongly, does not allow me to recruit their replacements. This needs a fix. The only way now is to cut them and take the hit. Worth it?).

Okay, song writing, song tweaking, piano and guitar practice, singing with Dawn, all about to lessen considerably. Back to full time coaching (and part time research and part time work with grad students).

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March 9: Play in games. Utah and UCLA both upset victims. We’ll play #9 seed, 19-11, 7-9 Arizona in the round of eight. Beat them by 17 at our place. They are 4-1 after losing 5 straight. We want to be in the PG’s face all night.

March 10: 78-57. We were in control all the way. 24, 6 for Burt, 14, 9, 3 for Hawk, 13, 5, 6 for Rand with 1 TO.

HUGE upset, Arizona State is gone, beaten by USC.

15-13, 9-7, #4 seed California in the round of four. We lost by two there, won by 15 at home. 2-3 in their last 5. They score outside. Not great with the ball.

March 11: 83-63. Again, we were in control all the way. 24, 4, 3 for Burt, 19, 11, 4 for Hawk, 7, 6, 8 for Rand. Barr and Wild played well from the bench.

We’re now #2, RPI #1. #18 ranked, #3 seed, 24-5, 12-4 Colorado for the title. A win could get us #1 overall. Beat them by 5 there and then 15 at home. They’ve won their last 4, 7 of 8, 13 of 15. Starting C out with a broken wrist but it hasn’t seemed to hurt them that much. Makes the bench shorter. This should be a good one!.

March 12: 90-75. 22 each for Burt and Hawk. +7 TO, +4 RB.

Nope. Indiana is #1. We’re #2 overall, #1 in the Midwest (another glitch. Why the h*ll has this never been fixed. The two best teams ALWAYS are set up to meet in the semifinal not the final.)

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March 13: UCLA wins, Cal loses in the NIT.

March 14: USC loses in the NCAA play in.

March 15: UCLA wins in the NIT.

#16 seed, 20-11 UMBC. Finished fifth then won the tourney. This is a team we should beat.

March 16: 67-38. +6 TO, +3 RB. Very good play by all five starters.

March 17: Utah won, Arizona State shocked again, losing by 2, in the NCAA.
#8 seed, 19-12 Kansas is next. Tough season. They have a very good C but he doesn’t get much help.

March 18: 65-46. Rand had 21, 4, and the rest of the starters plus Barr played really well.

Colorado won, Arizona lost in the NCAAs.

March 19: Utah lost in the NCAA.

March 20: UCLA won again in the NIT. They’re in the final four.

No time to even think about music these days except for the hour I set aside for practice.

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#5 seed, #9 ranked, 28-5 Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen. We beat them by 4 there. 6 straight wins and then 14 before the one loss. Yes, they’re hot!
They score outside. Decent but not great inside.

March 23: A battle! Interestingly enough we never trailed and it was never tied after 0-0, but we never led by more than 9. Balance was the key, 8 guys scored between 5 and 16. -3 TO, +9 RB.

On to the Elite Eight! Barely, but we’re there.

#3 seed, #10 ranked, 28-5 Cincinnati. Very good outside. 6 wins in a row, 9 of 10, 13 of 15. Starting AS out with a broken finger. We think we’re the better team, but not by a lot.

March 25: 76-65. BIG game for Burt, 32, 2, 3. 13, 6 for Hawk, 10, 6, 1 for Wild, 7, 3, 6 for Rand.

Costly injury. Lee Barr sprained his big toe and he’s out for at least a week and a half, so probably for the rest of the way.

We’ll face #1 ranked Indiana in the round of four. #3 Georgia Tech plays #4 Louisville so the top four teams made it to the Final Four.

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#1 ranked, #2 RPI, 34-0 Indiana will be very tough to beat. But their very good starting SF broke his elbow in their last game. That hurts the starting lineup and shortens the bench. They are very strong at the other four spots.

They do everything well. Barr will be able to play some for us but not a great deal. This is my third trip to the Final Four and there’s nothing like it.

April 1: 74-62. 10 lead changes, 7 ties. We were down 2 with 3:45 left, at the final media time out. We outscored Indiana 18-4 from there until the end. At that time out we decided to double the PG who had been killing us all night. He didn’t get another point and we forced 4 critical turnovers. In addition, we didn’t miss a shot from then on.

26, 3, 2 for Burt, who has been the man all season. 7, 13, 2 for Hawk, 10, 4, 2 for Fitz and 10, 3, 2 for Rand. Good bench play. +1 TO, even in RBs.

Really a nail biter for the first 36 minutes. We were there when it counted. Now we get to play for the title.

Kent Hawk has tendinitis but he’ll definitely play. Barr, who played well in limited time is still not 100%, but he too will play.

It’s #3 ranked, #3 RPI, 32-5 Georgia Tech. We beat them by 12 at home. There was a huge disparity in fouls, in our favor, and that was the difference. This is a very good team. If both teams play their best this will be very close. No more to be said, it’s time to play!

April 3: 74-52! We came to play and we PLAYED! 23, 10 for Addy Burt in his last game with us. Great player! 12, 7, 2 for Hawk despite the slight injury. 12, 4, 7 for Rand who was there when we needed him to be. Very steady, and he shut down their PG. 13, 4, 3 for Fitz. 13 TOs, 41 RBs and the title!!!

While there is nothing quite like the first national title, this one feels really special.

April 4: Awards: Addy Burt wins the Norton, WS POY, NCAA Final Four MOP, first team All American. Kent Hawk is 2nd team. I get national Coach of the Year.

In the Pac 12, Addy was POY and 1st team along with Kent. Will Rand made 2nd team and I got Coach of the Year.

April 9: Some very high profile teams want me to coach, including Kansas and Maryland. No thanks.

April 16: No staff vacancies. LOVE my staff!

April 23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. Didn’t get it last year. Didn’t get it this year either!

Season #6 ends with my second national championship. I’m at 169-44, .793.

Off.- 39, Def.- 56, Recruit- 99, Scout- 95, Player Development- 55, Reputation- 76. Not bad at all! We should contend again next year with Hawk, Rand, Barr back and some excellent recruits including 3 top 10 coming in, plus red shirt Lem Span. I think we’ll be fine.

Lots to do so no vacation. All the teaching and coaching responsibilities, plus we start recording next week. I love the life I’m leading. At times it is too much and at other times it is WAY too much but I don’t know what I would cut.

Dawn and I have a great relationship we are friends and by now considerably more than friends but she has absolutely no interest in marriage and family, doesn’t want kids. I do, but I don’t want to lose her and the great thing we have going. I suppose at some point that will become a serious issue, but I have plenty of time so I’m staying, for now, maybe for as long as she’ll have me. We maintain separate residences but usually stay together when we’re both in town, sometimes at her place sometimes at mine. She has a gorgeous place just southeast of San Francisco. Like mine it is big enough to suit her needs but not ostentatious, and definitely not a mansion.

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