The Blade [a DDSCB3 story]

[Wayne23 14]

March 5
No one goes pro.

March 9
All the favorites lost in the play in round except Utah. We’ll play #9 seed Cal, 10-18, 6-10. We beat them by 3 there and then by 16 here in our last regular season game.

March 10
68-55. It wasn’t that close. +10 RBs and strong performances all around.

#5 seed Utah, 17-12, 9-7, upset UCLA so they’re next. We beat them by only 4 at their place.

March 11
84-65. 4 TOs. 19, 12, 3, 4 for Eli, 18, 3, 3 for Dan, 14 for Shag.

It’s #15 Stanford, 24-5, 12-4, for the title. We won by 25 at home, lost by 9 there.

March 12
71-60. We led most of the way. +6 TOs, +8 RBs. 8 guys made major contributions.

Now we’ll see how high we are seeded. We’re only #16, RPI #12 but I think winning the Pac 12 should get us a 2.

#3 in the East. We’ll play #14 seed James Madison, 20-10. Tough bracket.

March 16
84-51. 25, 7, 3, 2 for Eli, 10 TOs.

#6 seed UConn, 20-10, is next. They’re tough.

March 18
57-58. A very frustrating way to end the season. We shot poorly, we had 18 TOs, our bench didn’t give us anything, no one stepped up at critical times. We had the last possession and turned it over.

I had high hopes and high expectations for this senior laden team and it is very frustrating to go out this early.

“We have managed to put a 968 pound payload into space.”

“Wow! That’s progress.”

“We are very encouraged. This is still considerably lighter than we will need for our launches but it is an enormous stride forward. We have clearly demonstrated that gravity lessening is feasible.”

April 4
#14 LSU beat #9 Wake Forest for the title.

Awards: Eli was conf. POY, Def. POY, and 1st team. Chaz Tomm was Freshman OY and 2nd team along with Rich Kemp. I got the coaching award.

April 23

I asked for a budget increase. We got $11,600.

Again, the post season was a disappointment. We certainly expected to go further than the 2nd round. We wound up 27-5, 14-2. Ranked #16.

After 36 seasons I’m at 966-264, .785. There is a very slim chance I could get win # 1000 this coming year but more likely it will be the following year.

As the climate deteriorates FtH is having more and more difficulty keeping people fed. Food riots, and even more so, water riots have begun to take places in locations around the globe.

“I think we must make our escape within two to at most four years. It will become far too dangerous to stay for longer than that.”

Papa Joe knows. I may be coaching as a transferred person, inside a microchip, before many more seasons.

[Wayne23 14]

May 3
“I want to transfer, now. Lili does as well.”

“Why Mai? There is so much work to do here.”

“Actually, all of the work I can do here I can also do there, and far, far more.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Blade, we have seen that it does not really affect very much. We will be able to spend as much time together as we do now, and there is no difference except that you need to be inside a chamber to interact with us. Since we have one in our home I do not see a problem.”

I suppose I didn’t see one either, or at least I couldn’t make a good argument. Mai and Lili will transfer in late June.

“I want to see one more spring. I suppose that is silly since I can see spring whenever I wish to on the other side, but still...”

June 12
We snagged 2 very good looking transfers, Jr. PG Clem Barr, and Soph. SF Tai Tain.

June 26
We’re looking at 14 recruits.

June 29
They’re gone. Mai and Lili have now transferred. They arrived safely and were greeted by our other family members who preceded them.

All of Lili’s veterinary studies were pretty much for no reason, at least for now. She is delighted that she will be able to interact with all kinds of animals over there though. One of the main reasons she crossed was to help Papa Joe. She has always been one of the very few people he depended upon completely, trusted completely, and she is capable of helping in a wide variety of ways. And "for now" means just that. She has her veterinary degree and she will be needed once the ship/city launches. There will be fish, chickens, sheep and goats on board.

Mai is tremendously happy to be with her three children.

Sing and her kids are still here and I am joining their household for meals and such. I’ve been sort of serving as a second dad since Papa Joe transferred so this is not much of a change in that regard.

August 21
We offer to 2 PGs and a PF.

August 29
It has been 2 very long months since Mai and Lili transferred. My entire immediate family is there. Yes, I can see them whenever we arrange it, which is often. I can interact with them, hug them- whatever I could do when they were here I can do now, but somehow it isn’t the same. I miss sleeping at Mai’s side. That was always the worst part of being on the road and now it’s like I’m always on the road. They all seem happy and are all leading busy, productive lives, but I feel like the kid who got the flu and missed the field trip.

Papa Joe urges me to come over but I have unfinished business. He says I can finish it here but it isn’t the same.

September 18
We get a PG. We’re going to the JAG Holiday in December. We have a good schedule with lots of home games.

September 25
We get the other PG but lose the big guy.

October 2
1st day of practice. I don’t think we’re ready to challenge for the national title yet. We’re picked 3rd in conf.

Sing said she is considering transferring with her kids. Great! They are now 17 and 14. Khee wants to work with Mai, as he has for years. Since Mai has discovered that she can do much more on that side, Khee wants in. Mai Li has always lived a life centered upon music- playing, singing, composing, and she feels she could spend more hours on music if she crossed.
I am feeling very alone.

November 6
We have a lineup. Soph Jud Hodd, ands Senior SF Rich Kemp will start at guard, backed up by Jr. Juco Marv Jones and probably Freshman Wes Robb. The bigs are Sophs Shag Dann at SF and Chaz Tomm at C, Sr. Lars Shin at PF, and Freshman Matt Camm subbing up front. We have a nice balance.

Sing now says she and the children will transfer on or about January 1.

Papa Joe says there has been a breakthrough regarding lessening the effect of gravity. There is a great deal of testing to be done but he is confident that large payloads will be able to be floated into space before the end of 2028, and he is hopeful that the first of the 20 modules of the ship/city will launch then.

We have offered to a PF that we really like.

[Wayne23 14]

November 20
We start 84-61 over NC ST here. Our big guys scored the points, 21, 11, 4 for Chaz Tomm, 17, 6, 2 for Shag Dann, 12, 8 for Lars Shin. 42 RBs, 8 TOs.

Then it was 73-51 over Iowa, also here. 20, 7, 4, 4 for Chaz, but the guards got lots of points too, 15, 8, 2 for Rich Kemp, 13 for Jud Hodd. 13 TOs (+8).

This week 0-2 Kent ST and 1-0 Western KY are here.

We’re ranked #24.

November 27
2 more wins, 71-62 over Kent ST. Jud Hodd had 25, 16, 8 for Chaz. +10 RBs, 12 TOs.

80-59 over Western KY. 21, 5 for Chaz, 15, 11 for Shag, 10, 11 for Lars, 18, 1, 6 for Jud. 4 TOs, 38 RBs.

We’re #18, RPI #14.

This week two more at home, 2-1 Marquette, and then 4-0 Tulsa.

December 4
87-80 over Marquette. 19, 9, 2, 2 for Chaz, 7 in double figures. 36 RBs, 11 TOs.

Our first loss, 67-69 against Tulsa. 15 lead changes and 11 ties, no one ever led by more than 8. Our whole front line was in foul trouble all night. 26, 6, 4 for Rich, 14, 7, 2 for Chaz. 20 TOs. We’ve been avoid that sort of thing and it really did us in tonight. The bench didn’t give us much either.

We’re at #17, Syracuse, 5-1, then back here with 3-3 Princeton.

We dropped to #21.

My home life is pretty pathetic. I try to keep a cheerful disposition with Sing, Khee and Mai Li but I miss my own family and I’m sure it shows.

December 11
72-84 at #11 Syracuse. We didn’t play much D, especially outside. They got 50 in the first half. We were much better in the 2nd but it was too late. All 5 starters in double figures, Rich with 19, Chaz with 16 and 10. Their bench got 42 points, ours got 6 but in fairness their bench played 92 minutes and ours played 29.

Back on track, 73-58 over Princeton. 8 guys had between 5 and 13 points. +9 RBs.

We’re 6-2. This week we’re at 2-5 Colorado ST.

The 2 game losing streak took us out of the top 25. We’ll be back.

December 18
82-68 at Colorado ST. 20 for Jud, 19 for Lars, 7 TOs.

This could be a busy week. First we’re at 5-4 Maryland, then off to the JAG Holiday against #4 seed Seton Hall, 8-1.

December 25
67-74 at Maryland. 17 TOs and we allowed 14 threes. Those were the two factors that did us in. 16, 11 for Chaz, 18, 3, 6 for Rich, 12, 3, 4 for Jud but 6 TOs, Rich had 5.

We beat Seton Hall 87-76 in OT in the 1st round of the JAG. This one was a series of runs. Both temas blew big leads. Fortunately the last run was ours, 12-1 to start the OT. 29, 10, 3, 5 for Chaz, 20, 6, 2 for Shag. +14 RBs, 15 TOs, but that’s not bad in an OT game.

Then it was #1 seed UCLA, 5-6 in the semifinal round.

58-54. We led most of the way. They scored the last 8 points to give us a bit of a scare but they never got within one basket of tying us. Scoring was balanced. We won this one on the defensive end, holding them to 32.1% shooting.

It’s #23 Creighton, the #3 seed, 9-3, for the title.

64-63. We were down 13 with 11:22 to go. During the media time out I kicked some butts regarding poor shot selection and poor rebounding. The guys responded in both areas. From that point on we out rebounded Creighton, 24-9, and shot 14-24 including 4 threes. We took our only second half lead on Rich Kemp’s three with 1.7 to go. 18, 14, 3, 3 for Chaz, 14, 6, 2 for Jud, 13, 4, 3 for Rich. +13 RBs for the game. This was a great win. What a tourney, an OT win, a 4 point win, and a 1 point win!

We close pre-conf. play at 10-3. +8.1 PPG, +5.8 RBs, +2w.4 TOs. We’re at 12.5 TOs per game, a little higher than I’d like us to be.

I joined the family for holiday dinner and celebration from a chamber. I was not feeling very festive but I tried to hide it. I miss having real, every day interaction with my wife and children, and with Papa Joe. It can only get worse when Sing, Khee and Lai Li transfer in a few days. Still, I’m staying, probably for a few years, if possible.

We open conf. play at #21 Oregon, 9-4. 2 of our 1st 3 are on the road vs. ranked teams.

[Wayne23 14]

January 1, 2028
69-56 over #21 Oregon. Big win! 22, 11 for Chaz, +11 RBs. 21 TOs, only -4 but I’m not happy.

We’re back in the top 25, #22, RPI 5.

This week we host 7-5 Arizona ST and travel to #4 Stanford, 12-3.

Sing, Khee, and Mai Li are gone and I am totally alone regarding family. Not happy.

January 8
74-47 over Arizona ST[/b]. It was never a game. 6 in double figures, 12 TOs (+10).

71-83 at #4 Stanford. We expected a tough game and we got one. 22, 9 for Chaz, 14, 4, 4 for Jud, +9 boards. But 18 TOs (-11) did us in.

This week we’re at 3-11, 1-2 Oregon ST, and we host 11-5, 2-1 Cal.

January 15
63-50 at Oregon ST. Jud, Rich and Chaz led the way on O. 13 TOs (+7)

76-65 over Cal, here. Jud, Rich, and Shag were the scorers tonight. +9 on the boards but 17 TOs (-1). Chaz had an awful night, played 16 min. due to fouls. Matt Camm did a great job filling in.

We’re #19, RPI #10, in a 2 way tie for 3rd, one back of Stanford and UCLA.

At 6-10, 2-3 Wash. ST, then home with 9-9, 2-3 Wash.

I’m trying to fight the loneliness.

“Alvin, you should join us. Your life will not change all that much except that you will be with your family.”

“No, Papa Joe. I need to do this. I want to retire with more wins than any coach in NCAA history. I have been working toward that goal for more than 36 years and I need to stay to finish the job. Given that there aren’t going to be any games at all played on earth before long, if I reach that goal it will be mine forever. I’d love to coach for an even 40 years.”

“And then you can look to see what you can do as a coach over here, where all of the great coaches in history are coaching.”

“And I look forward to that as well. Coaching basketball is my great passion. I suppose I may tire of it eventually, but it could be a very long time.”

“Life is about compromise. And I would be very surprised if you get through 40 years. Life on earth may not be worth living for that long.”

Papa Joe said the early tests of the gravity lessened space craft continue to be encouraging. They try to do test flights every month or so and they lift heavier payloads every time with positive results. At the same time they continue to find ways to improve the process. The December 2028 target date for the first module of the ship/city looks like a go. The 49 people who will make the trip are making the preparations and the secret remains safe.

Water riots are now taking place in many parts of the world. No riots yet but the pressure is on in parts of Florida, California, and to a lesser degree all along both coasts, as well as in the deserts of the Southwest U. S. It’s going to get ugly soon. Papa Joe is confident we can get everyone out before it gets too ugly. We’ll see.

January 22
69-53 at Wash ST. 17, 8, 3, 6, 1 for Chaz, 20, 4, 3 for Jud. 16, 4, 2, 2 for Matt Camm from the bench.

80-60 over Wash. 22, 12, 3, 3 for Chaz, all 5 starters in double figures. 11 TOs (+9)

Ranked #18, RPI #7. In a 2 way tie with UCLA for 2nd, 1 back of Stanford.

This week 5-13, 2-5 Utah is here. Then we go to 8-10, 0-7 USC.

I’ve taken up cooking- not every day, but 2-3 times a week. There’s no need but it’s sort of a hobby. I am trying to find non-hoops interests. I’m still “The Blade,” 6’10”, 198. Up 3 pounds since my college hoop playing days.

I’m reading detective stories. Light, relaxing, fun.

January 29
58-48 over Utah here. Balanced scoring, 8 TOs.

Shag Dann hurt his shoulder with about 3 minutes to go. Out about a week. Matt Camm will pick up his minutes.

62-69 at USC. 19 TOs, 18-52 shooting.

We’re still in a 2 way tie for 2nd but now we’re 2 back.

Tough week coming up, 12-9, 7-2 UCLA here. Then #25 Arizona, 15-7, 5-4 there.

A crash on liftoff. It was an unmanned mission but it’s the first crash. There will be lots of data analysis before the next launch. Papa Joe is concerned.
“This will set us back at least a year, very probably. Given the state of affairs on Earth, a year may be a very long time.”

[Wayne23 14]

February 5
76-51- big win vs. UCLA. We didn’t do much wrong, 28, 9, 5 for Rich, +3 TOs, +4 RBs, shot 52%, 46% on threes, held them under 33%.

41-57 at #25 Arizona. And we didn’t do much right on this night. 21 TOs, -3 RBs, shot 30%. 15 and 8 for Chaz but no one else did much. This was a missed opportunity as 1st place Stanford lost. We’re still tied with UCLA two games back but if things stay as is we would get the #2 seed in the Pac 12 tourney.

This week 14-10, 5-6 Oregon is here, and we go to 11-11, 4-7 Arizona ST. It’s getting to be crunch time with 5 left in the regular season.

Papa Joe says “his people” are pouring every available dollar into the gravity lessening vessels.

“There is no time to waste. Money does not solve everything but it will get more good minds working to solve the problems.”

February 12
A good week! 83-72 over Oregon here. 18, 10 for Lars, 18, 7 for Shag, +13 RBs. 16 TOs, but so did they.

76-50 over Arizona ST there. They took an early lead but 5 minutes in we went on a 21-5 run and that was that. 11 TOs, +9 boards. 32 and 10 from the bench.

We are now 1 back of Stanford, alone in 2nd.

Ranked #15, RPI #9.

And we start the week with #4 Stanford, 22-5, 11-2 here. They won by 12 there. Their starting C is out 3 more weeks with a broken nose.

Then it’s 5-19, 3-10 Oregon ST here.

February 19
58-64. They won it at the line. They had 24 free throws, we had 14. Chaz was immense, 26 and 10. -5 TOs hurt. I got a T late. We were down 7 with 17 seconds left. I knew it wouldn’t; affect the outcome and I felt I needed to send the message. I get very, very few technicals so the hope is that when I do get one people take notice.

58-34 over Oregon ST. 14 each for Chaz and Shag with 11 and 8 RBs respectively.+11 TOs.

One to play, at 17-11, 8-7 Cal. We’re in 2nd, one up on both Arizona and UCLA.

I visit my family every day, at least one of them, when I can, all of them. It helps, but not enough.

February 26
72-67 to finish 2nd. 20 for Jud, 18, 6, 4, 2, 1 for Chaz, 13, 7 for Lars. At the end of the regular season we are 22-7, 12-4, +9.1 PPG, +4.9 RBPG, +2.3 TOPG despite averaging 13.8. +1.6 Assists per game, and 1.5 steals.

[Wayne23 14]

March 5
No one goes pro.

March 10
It’s 18-12, Cal in the quarters. This is a tough team and it’s not easy to beat a tough team three times.

73-48. Well… maybe it is easy after all. Matt Camm was terrific, 19, 11, 1, 3 from the bench. Chaz was completely awful, fouled out in 5 minutes. Matt took over and we didn’t lose a thing. +27 RBs.

19-12, 8-8 Oregon upset #23 Arizona so we play them in the semifinal. We beat them by 13 and 11.

March 11
68-66. Chaz is back, 23, 11, 2, 3, 1. 19 for Jud. Rich and Matt each had 8 and 6.

And it’s #4 Stanford, 27-5, 14-2 in the final. Third time’s the charm? We lost by 12 and then 6.

March 12
39-50. A very strange game. 11-48, 4-27 from threes. That’s not going to win many games. They weren’t much better but good enough.

Now to see how high and where. We’re #17, RPI #8.

Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

#4 in the South. Guess who’s #1? Yep, Stanford.

We’ll play 24-7 UNH.

March 17
53-42. What happened to the offense! 10 TOs (+12). Rich, Chaz and Shag did most of the damage.

19-13 Minnesota, the #5 seed is next.

March 19
105-101, double OT. Okay, I guess the offense is back! 27, 14, 2, 2 for Chaz, 18, 6 for Shag, 15 for Wes Robb, who rarely plays but he was ready! Both of our starting guards fouled out and we had to go to Wes and to Marv Jones, our #3 guard. Marv had 9. Wes had the winner, a three with 14 seconds left. After that they missed, fouled us, and Wes hit both. +9 TOs.

We’ll play old rival #4 Stanford, 30-5, 14-2, in the Sweet Sixteen. They’ve won all three meetings this year. To say we want this game would be an understatement. Both of their starting inside players are hurt. One may play some.

March 24
67-69. SO FRUSTRATING! It ended on a bad call. Rich took a three at the buzzer and was blatantly hacked. The entire crowd was up and booing at the failure of the ref to make the call. How do you explain something like this to your players. They know they should either be in OT or they should have won. The way Rich shoots free throws odds are he would have hit all three.

Last game for Rich Kemp and Lars Shin.

I went back to the hotel and did something I rarely do. I drank three of the bottles in the fridge- no, not water. Didn’t help so I stopped at three.

Papa Joe says he thinks there’s already been a breakthrough with the gravity dampener.

“If what we are seeing is real it will be revolutionary. Early tests indicate this new device will diminish gravity by 60-75%. Lifting even very heavy loads into space will become child’s play if this holds up.”

“I guess putting more resources on the job helped.”

“Actually, this was done by one of the researchers who has been on the project from the very beginning. But that’s all right, we will keep everyone working to develop this as quickly as possible. It is a great relief to think that this will very likely happen. Believe me, time is of the essence.”

Only one #1 seed made it to the Elite Eight- yep, Stanford. Two #2s, two #3s and a 5.

April 4
#16 Alabama beat #3 Stan Jones for the title.

Awards: Chaz Tomm is Pac 12 POY, Rich Kemp is Defensive POY, both made 1st team. Lars Shin made 2nd team. I got COY.
April 23
I ask for a facilities upgrade. I don’t get it.

We end up 26-9, ranked #17. I’m at 992-273, .784. On my 60th birthday I feel like this next season could be my last but I hope it won’t be. Just for the record my 992 wins ranks #1 in college basketball history.

[Wayne23 14]

May 29
Way, WAY ahead of schedule Papa Joe’s people launched an experimental vessel. After the disaster early this year the thinking was it might be as much as a year before the next launch but the technological breakthrough changed all of that.

“This did not have a large payload but next month we will launch our largest payload ever- as a matter of fact it will be three times as large as anything ever put into space. I think we could launch New York City with the system that is now in place.”

June 6
Nobody at all close to interesting in the draft pool.

June 26
4 scholarships. I’d like to get 2 and 2.

July 7
The launch was flawless. I was there and it was a fascinating thing to see. When it was over Papa Joe said that there would be one more test, just to be sure, in September. If all went well, the first of the 20 modules would go up in early January.

August 7
PF Joel Hand is #41 on the Norton list.

August 21
We offer to 2 Cs, 2 PGs.

September 14
The launch was flawless. They sent something up that was 25% larger in every possible way- weight, mass, height, width, length… than the biggest module will be and there was no problem. Papa Joe says the 1st 49 people are making their final preparations for the voyage, which is slated for January 3, 2029. These are mostly insiders, people who have been with the project for a very long time, many of them from its inception.

The transferred people are scheduled to go on the 3rd launch, May, maybe June.

September 18
We got a commitment from Rama Abaq, a very good looking PG from Nigeria. We feel we’re close with the other three.

No early season tourney this season. We put together a challenging schedule though.

September 25
Got ‘em all but 2 of the 4 are iffy regarding hitting the SAT score (Author’s note: Again, time to go to “brutal?”).

October 2
We’re picked 3rd in the Pac 12. UCLA is 1st, and the #1 ranked team in the country. Stanford is #2 and #4 nationally. Could be interesting!

October 19
“We received a visit today.”

“Oh?”

“The CIA, the FBI, the Defense Department, and one or two others. There were 5 in all. All men, all wearing black suits, all seemingly unable to smile or to show any human emotions at all.”

“I’m not sure if I should ask, Papa Joe.”

“It is too late not to ask… There were questions about extending the human life span, about transferring, about our space travel plans- they seem to have discovered everything we are doing.”

“I’m amazed you kept it secret for so long.”

“I suppose I am as well. We worked very hard to keep our secrets. We had all sorts of red herring stories regarding the launches since it was not possible for those to go undetected.”

“Now when you say a visit…”

“They forced the technicians to arrange for me to meet with them in a chamber.”

“I see. And so?”

“And so tomorrow morning at about 5:25 a.m., there will be a very small ‘item’ launched into space. If it is successful this ‘item’ will travel to the moon and remain hidden behind the moon. The item is so small, and the propulsion device which launches it is also so small that we believe this will go undetected. When the first module of the ship/city is launched it will connect with the ‘item’ and take it on board.”

“I think you mean that all of the transferred people will be part of this ‘item.’”

“That is correct.”

“Does this mean those of us still here will be unable to visit with you?”

“No. The moon is close enough that chamber visits will be possible. They will be slightly out of time synch so physical contact will be a bit complicated and there will be slight delays in conversation, but it will work in most aspects if people are willing to be a bit flexible.”

“I’m assuming that threats were made?”

“Oh yes, quite serious threats.”

“What does this mean for the remainder of the modules, and for the people scheduled to go up later in the schedule.”

“The government needs to get at me, and at the scientists working on the project. If we are beyond their reach I think they will be stymied. And, knowing the government in your country- and mine, I suppose, I AM a citizen, nothing related in any way to the extra-planet aspects has been housed in this country. We made an extremely complex but very beneficial agreement with Hungary. Given recent events our facilities there are under extremely tight security. It would be quite a feat for anyone, including the CIA and their brother agencies to do anything to harm our efforts. And the cost in worldwide public relations and international relations would be prohibitive.”

I may need to leave in a hurry if this continues.

November 6
Lineup is set. Juniors Clem Barr, and Jud Hodd will start; Barr is a transfer from Arizona. Our only Senior, Marv Jones, is slated to play almost as many minutes as the starters. Inside it’s Juniors Chaz Tomm and Joel Hand starting. Soph Matt Camm will get most of the backup minutes. At SF it’s Junior Shag Dann, and Soph transfer Taiu Tain, from MS ST, will back up at 3 and a occasionally inside.
November 11
Papa Joe received a visit from the POTUS and the Secretary of State.

“President Murphy and Secretary Flexer very politely asked for this meeting. I saw no reason to refuse.”
“Good cop, bad cop?”
“No, although I suppose they saw that sending the spies and the FBI wasn't going to work. Still, these are two people for whom I have a great deal of respect. They spoke, I listened, we negotiated. Nothing has been resolved but the discussions will continue.”

“Discussions about what!”

“Well, I assured them that everything we know about extending human life is public knowledge. We have held nothing back. It took some time to convince them but it became more obvious. Why would I have transferred if there had been no need. They did not know about the cerebral hemorrhage but that really was not relevant to the issue as a whole.”

“Then we discussed both transferring and space travel. They are fully aware of how little time remains here. They know that the planet will not sustain human life in any meaningful numbers for much longer- at least not in any way that people would wish to live.”

“You didn’t give anything away, did you?”

“No, but all of this is quite complex. If lives can be saved, who are we to refuse to help? At the same time I want our ship/city to remain apart from any other efforts by any other groups. The negotiations shall probably be complex but if our board agrees, and if we can be completely assured that we are safe, I favor releasing the information they need. BUT, it must be done in such a manner that people from all countries have a more or less equal chance to be transferred or to go into space. This will not be easy, particularly given the time limits.”

Better Papa Joe than me!

There have definitely been some adjustments to make. Papa Joe was correct. The launch of the ‘item’ went undetected. Visits between those of us still here and the transfers are … frustrating. As Papa Joe predicted nothing is quite in synch. Much as I want to keep coaching for a bit longer I’m not sure it will happen, for any number of reasons.

[Wayne23 14]

November 20
A great first week. Two at home. First, 66-52 vs. Cincinnati. 12, 11, 2, 3 for Chaz, 16,6 for Joel Hand, 14, 3, 6, 2 for Jud, 12, 3, 2, 3 for Clem. 9 TOs (+12)

Then 70-54 over #24 Arkansas. Two guys had double doubles, Chaz had 10, 13, 5, 2 and Shag had 12, 10, 2, Joel just missed with 18 and 8, 13, 5 for Clem. 11 TOs, 47 RBs.

And we’re ranked #21!

This week it’s 0-2 Kansas, and then 1-1 Purdue, both here.

November 27
67-45 vs. Kansas. 23, 6 for Clem, 13, 7, 3, 2 for Chaz. 9 TOs.

64-46 over Purdue. 17, 3 for Jud, 14, 7, 3, 3, 2 for Joel, 10, 9 for Chaz, 8, 7, 3, 3 for Shag. 11 TOs, 37 RBs.

#18. This week the home stand ends with 2-2 Marquette then it’s on the road at 2-2 Villanova.

December 4
67-55 over Marquette. 16, 11, 2, 2 for Chaz, 7 others had between 5 and 10 points. 10 TOs.

54-56 at Villanova. Poor shooting, 36.5%, poor ball handling, 16 TOs- only -1 but still a factor. We missed our last 4 shots and had 2 TOs in that stretch so essentially we gave this one away. Very frustrating.

We stayed at #18. This week we’re back home, first against 3-2 Tulsa, then with 4-1 Texas.

December 11
63-52 vs. Tulsa. 21, 9 for Joel. 9 TOs, 40 RBs.

70-59 with Texas. 16, 10, 2, 3 for Chaz, 16 for Jud, 12 each for Clem and sub Tai Tain.

I’m at 999 wins. I asked our A. D. to try to arrange the schedule so that I’d have a shot at getting #1000 at home. Next up is #24 UNLV, here. Then it’s #8 Penn, on the road. Then 2 more at home. I want to get this over with. The publicity of being the first Div. I men’s hoop coach to get to 1000 is extremely distracting.

We’re #15.
Papa Joe says negotiation with Pres. Murphy and Sec’y of State Flexer are going well.

“We are meeting regularly and directly. I always have one member of the Board with me and it is just the four of us, no one taking notes, no security detail, not anything like that. There are some safeguards to be put in place to protect our ship/city and our transfers but it is mostly details. We are almost ready to sign an agreement."

December 13
Lucky 13, 64-43. I now have 1000 victories. Only women’s coaches Geno Auriemma, the leader with 1202, Tara Vanderveer, C. Vivian Stringer, and Pat Summitt have reached that goal. No men’s coaches have. If I could stay on the planet I feel that I could pass Geno, but it won’t happen.

December 18
We close the week with a real knuckle biter, 78-77 over #6 Penn in double OT. We were down 15 with 7 minutes left in regulation. 18, 13 for Chaz, all five had 10 or more, all 3 bigs had double doubles.
+13 RBs. Joel Hand blocked a shot with less than a second to go.

We close out pre-conf. play at home with #24 Ohio ST, 8-1.

December 25
86-68 over #24 Ohio ST. 7 in double figures, 7 TOs.

We end pre-conf. play at 10-1. Ranked #13, RPI #1. +12.9 PPG, +6.4 RBs, +5.2 TOs, 11.2 per game.

This week we host #18 Oregon, 9-4.

[Wayne23 14]

January 1, 2029
84-63 over #18 Oregon. Sub Tai Tain led us with 21, 5, 3. 12, 15 for Chaz. 3 others with 11 or more. 7 TOs, 38 RBs.

We’re at 1-11 Arizona ST and home with #13 Stanford, 9-3.

January 4
The 1st module is heading for the moon after linking up with the ‘item.’ There were no problems with either the launch or the link.

“We signed agreements with the President and the Secretary. On April 2 President Murphy will give all of the information to Congress and they will be free to do whatever they wish to do with it. The United Nations Secretary General will also have the material and will present it to the member nations.”

January 8
73-71 at Arizona ST. Sub guard Marv Walker banged a three at the buzzer. He had 17. Four others had either 10 or 11. +10 TOs but this was way harder than it needed to be.

We were upset at home, 62-65 vs. #13 Stanford. Their PF threw up a desperation 22 footer at the buzzer and it went in. We shot 29.4%, 23.8% on threes.

This week we host 7-8, 1-2 Oregon ST, and we travel to 5-9, 1-2 Cal.

Shag Dann hasn’t been doing much and Tai Tain has been doing quite a lot. Tai will start at SF.

January 15
68-40 over Oregon ST. Tai had 18, 6, 3 in his 1st start. Chaz had 19, 8, 3, 2. 10 TOs.

53-32 at Cal. 16, 9 for Joel, 14, 9, 2 for Chaz, 12 RBs for Tai. 9 TOs, 48 RBs. But we won this one with D, 23.5% shooting for Cal.

We host 9-7, 1-4 Wash ST, then travel to #24 Wash, 13-5, 4-1.

We are 14-2, 4-1, 1 back of Stanford.

January 18
“We are accelerating the pace regarding module launches. The next is scheduled for February 1 and the one after that for February 27.”

January 22
80-55 over Wash ST. 21, 7, 2, 2 for Tai. 11 TOs.

74-63 at #24 Wash. 21, 12 for Chaz, 19, 7, 3, 1, 2 for Joel. 13 TOs, 38 RBs.

#11, RPI #1, 16-2, 6-1. Still 1 back of Stanford, tied with Arizona, 2 or more ahead of the rest.

At 6-14, 0-7 Utah. Home with 10-8, 4-3 USC.

January 29
69-35 at Utah. Never a game. 21, 4, 2, 2 for Clem Barr. 7 TOs.

78-46 over USC. 19, 12, 4, 2, 2 for Chaz, 13, 10 for Tai, 15 for Joel, 12, 5, 3 for Clem. 7 TOs, 42 RBs.

Tied for 1st in the conf., 2 ahead of Arizona and UCLA.

This week it gets tougher. We’re at #7 UCLA, 15-5, 6-3. Then we host Arizona, 10-10, 6-3.

February 2
Another 47 people and another module are on their way to the Moon to join the first group. The two modules will link up. It’s a fascinating procedure. The modules are paper thin but stronger than titanium and yet they are flexible. They will eventually form a gigantic structure that will house, as I’ve said, 625 people in a floating city- well city, and farm. There will be chickens, goats, ducks, rabbits, fresh water fish- salmon, trout, catfish, and bass, and many fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts- oh, and crickets and locusts for added protein. While there are indeed chickens, they are mostly for eggs; goats are mostly for milk. Ducks, rabbits and fish are for food, but the crickets and locusts are excellent sources of protein and they're easy to raise in a limited space. All of this is conceptually amazing but even more amazing is that there is every reason to believe it will work exactly as designed.

A few rabbits and chickens are on this trip, as are LOTS of the crickets and locusts.

This second group is comprised of mainly the farm personnel. Some crops were started by the first group but the serious farming starts now, and the remainder of the animals, seeds, cuttings… will go up at the end of the month.

February 5
59-71 at #7 UCLA. 1. We shot really poorly, 30%. 2. 17 TOs. 3. They went to the line 21 times, we went 6 times.

69-48 over Arizona. 23, 7, 2 for Chaz, 10, 11, 6, 4, 2 for Tai. 8 TOs, 39 RBs.

This week we’re at 13-11, 4-7 Oregon and we host 6-16, 5-6 Arizona ST.

We’re one back of Stanford, 1 up on UCLA.

February 12
Great week! 80-69 at Oregon. Huge game for Chaz, 32 and 9. 3 others with 10 or more. +9 RBs. 16 TOs, our worst in a while, but it was +3.

81-58 at home with AZ ST.

21-3, 11-2, tied for 1st with Stanford, 1 up on UCLA, 3 or more over the rest.

It’s #5 Stanford, 19-5, 11-2, there, to start the week. They won by 3 at our place so this is going to be a tough one.

Then at 9-16, 3-10 Oregon ST.

We’re #8, RPI is still #1.

February 19
46-60 at #5 Stanford. I knew it would be tough but I thought we’d do better than this. After 30 min. it was a 2 point game. Then the house of cards fell apart. Chaz fouled out, after which we were out rebounded 3-12, and over the last 10 minutes we scored 4 points. 13, 10, 3 for Chaz. 17 TOs.

We did much better at home with Oregon ST, 62-46. We never trailed and we held them to 14 in the first half. 9 TOs, 6 guys scored 9 or more.

We finish the regular season at home with 10-16, 6-9 Cal. Beat them by 21 there.

We’re tied with UCLA, 1 back of Stanford. If nothing changes we will be the #3 seed. We could move up to #2 but cannot move down to #4. We’re ranked #7.

February 26
76-61 over Cal. We never trailed by more than 2 and we broke away early in the 2nd half. Tai, Chaz and Clem all had 14, and they had 9, 8, and 7 rebounds respectively. 17 RBs didn’t make me happy but most everything else did, including the fact that UCLA lost, giving us the #2 seed!

[Wayne23 14]

March 3
The 3 modules have linked up. #4 leaves March 17, and #5 on April 2. Reports are all positive. Papa Joe, Lili, and their team are overseeing everything except for operation of the ship- piloting, navigation, engineering… 141 people are on the ship. The food supply is more than adequate. At first food consisted of what could be brought. That is still the case to a point, but now there is goat’s milk, and there are eggs. Fish arrived on this trip but none of the plants, animals or insects are available for food. The herds and crops must grow to much greater numbers. Crickets and locusts, being what they are, will be ready far sooner than anything else. Most people LOVE the locusts and tolerate the crickets. Right now people are choosing their meals from the stores of dried and frozen foods brought along. When everything is operational food will be cooked in the community kitchen and usually eaten in one of the dining halls/meeting rooms/rec areas. Most non-sleep, non-tech space is multi-purpose.

March 5
No one goes pro.

March 10
We play 18-12, 8-8 Wash., the #7 seed, in the quarters. We won by 11 there.

68-60 over Wash. Closer than I would have liked. It was a real team effort, 8 scored between 14 and 7. 12 TOs.

#4 ranked, #3 seed UCLA, 22-6, 12-4, is next. They won by 12 there. Their starting SG strained his knee. I don’t think he’ll play. #1 seed Stanford was upset.

March 11
69-62 over #4 UCLA. It was back and forth all night. We got hot at the very end, scoring the last 7 points. 17, 9 for Tai, 11, 7 for Chaz. 38 RBs.

It’s #8 seed Oregon, 18-14, 6-10, in the final. They beat the #1 seed, then the #4 seed. We beat them by 21 and by 11.

March 12
73-49 over Oregon for the title. All three bigs had double doubles, Clem had 15, 8, 3. +22 RBs.

We’re 26-4, 13-3. #9, RPI #1. I think we made a strong case for a #1 seed.

Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

#1 South. We’ll play 13-17 Kennesaw ST. Stan Jones is #2, UCLA #3, UNLV #4,FL #5.

March 17
69-51. 28, 14 for Chaz, 10 and 10 for Joel. +13 RBs.

Next up is 19-12, 8-8 Tennessee.

The 4th module launched successfully and is on its way to the dark side of the Moon.

March 19
78-58 over Tenn and we’re in the Sweet Sixteen. 23, 9 for Chaz, 17 for Clem, 7 TOs, 37 RBs.

We play #4 seed, #5 ranked UNLV, 29-6, 15-1. Their #3 big is out with a sprained finger. We beat them by 21 earlier this year. How does the #5 ranked, #3 RPI team get to be a #4 seed?

March 24
76-53 over #5 UNLV. 19, 8, 5 for Chaz who is having a fantastic tournament. 5 others with 13-9 points. 12 TOs, 30 RBs.

Next is #3 seed, #8 ranked old foe UCLA, 25-7, 12-4. They beat us by 12 then we beat them by 7.

March 26
66-73 to #8 UCLA. They held Chaz to 7 and 11 and that did us in as much as anything. The stat sheet was close in most categories but we were just a little behind in most categories and it all added up. Disappointing. I really expected a Final Four season. But, I'm losing only a backup guard and I have some great looking kids coming in.

[Wayne23 14]

April 2
Announcements at the White House and at UN headquarters

Module #5 was launched early this morning

April 4
UConn beats UCLA for the national title.

Awards: Chaz Tomm makes Pac 12 1st team. Clem Barr and Joel Hand make 2nd. I get COY.

April 5
Pandemonium and rioting all over the world. The announcements regarding transferring and space flight seem to have triggered, as nothing else ever did, the realization that yes, climate change is real, and yes, the planet may not be able to sustain human life that is worth living for much longer, as in a few years, a decade at most.

People are demanding to be transferred, to go out into space, both. National governments and the UN are making all sorts of promises, most of which there’s no way they will be able to keep, but the rioting continues. Credibility of governments is at an all time low and people want action, not words.

April 10
Transfer stations have sprung up in all major population centers. People worldwide are taking the preliminary steps. The rioting continues because, first, people cannot be processed anywhere nearly as quickly as they wish to be, and second, no one has actually transferred.

Part of Papa Joe’s agreement was that our microchips are to be completely separate from any that anyone else creates. We have them, as I’ve said, out in space behind the Moon. Papa Joe is thinking of taking them further from Earth.

“We may put everything in orbit around Vesta or Titan. This is under consideration."

April 20
Rioting continues worldwide. Property damage is estimated to be more than a trillion dollars. More than a billion people have taken the preliminary step to be transferred but at this time no one has been transferred.

Hawaii has been evacuated, not due to rioting, but due to the fact that rising seas have reached the point where it would soon be impossible to live decently there. It won’t be long before most of the islands are at least partially underwater. The task of evacuating 1.5 million people was mind boggling, but it was done. The university of Hawaii is now located in Billings, Montana.

“It would have been easier and more sensible to transfer most of the Hawaiian population. I do not understand why no one, as far as we know, has been transferred.”

“It is definitely strange, Papa Joe.”

“We gave them the technology. They have the scenarios and games. I suppose there are local variations that people will wish to have- diet, scenery, local culture and landmarks and such.”

Other island and low lying populations are either being moved, or are in great danger when not being moved.

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

Team Prestige is up to 56. We went 29-5, 13-3, won our tourney, went to the Sweet Sixteen. After 38 seasons I’m 1021-278, .786. I’m hoping to get through one or two more seasons but finishing the next one is iffy at best.

April 24
The Netherlands has announced that they are nearly finished tweaking their program to include all of the features Dutch people will wish to have after transferring. They ask the patience of their citizens as final touches are added. All of the population has been moved as far inland as possible, and much of it to neighboring Germany, but the entire country is in grave danger from rising seas. The government says that they expect to begin transferring people within days. The people there seem calmer than most.

April 26
Other progressive countries, nearly all of them industrialized, have followed Holland’s lead. The U. S. and other countries have offered assistance to the countries in the most immediate danger.

There is no word from China or from India. These two countries house about 40% of the world population, and the possibility of transferring more than a fraction of their populations is very small.

Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as well as the nations of the British Isles seem to be within days or weeks of transferring the majority of their populations.

The U. S. has been as silent as India and China regarding transfers.

Religion has become a complicating factor. The so called “religious right” churches, the Roman Catholics, several other Christian denominations, all branches of Islam, all forms of Hinduism, and all branches of Buddhism have told their people that transferring violates the tenets of their religion and at the end of the world all who transfer will find themselves in hell. The more extreme religions are telling their people that while they may appear to be transferring, what transfers is not the person and is not the soul, both of those transfer immediately to hell.

Some of the followers of these religions are refusing to take the preliminary steps to transfer and some are taking those steps, but an estimated 3.4 billion of the approximately 8 billion on the planet have not taken those steps.

April 30
Holland has begun transferring its people. Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Austria begin tomorrow. The British Isles, Denmark, Germany, France, Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and several other nations begin within the month. No word still from China, India, or the U. S. Riots continue in many countries, especially these three.

Religious fanatics have suicide bombed transfer stations in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Athens, London, and Philadelphia. Transfer stations are now under extremely tight security throughout the world, but the preliminary transfer information for hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people have been lost, and will need to be redone. The stations in Athens, Baghdad, and Riyadh lost their chamber programs most of their programmers. The pressure on these places, particularly the last three, is enormous.

It could be an interesting year. I'm not even sure I'll get to finish it.

[Wayne23 14]

Not playing right now because I am reorganizing this into a novel, which I hope to write after the semester ends during the first week in May. I'll still be in rehearsal for "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" but free otherwise.

I've so far organized the "The Blade" dynasty into the following categories:

1. Basketball (interesting choice!)

2. Papa Joe, family

3. "The Ultimate Game"

4. Chambers

5. Transferring and transfers

6. Space

7. Extending human life

8. Life on Earth

Lots of cut and paste and editing. All except #1 are finished, at least organizationally. There will be A LOT of rewrite, but I look forward to this. I've completed five novels. Maybe this will be the one I try to publish- but that's a long way off.

I'll be back to the dynasty in a day or two. I'll probably stay with this one and let "Kip Clark: Staying with It" rest for a while. I will get back to it though. I want to finish Kip's career; too far in not to.

[Wayne23 14]

June 6, ‘29: #23 Preseason.

Went after a transfer guard. No luck.

June 26, ’29- Lots of open slots. We need more guards than bigs.

July 13, ’29- “Lou is complaining of a sore throat and he is coughing.”

“How is that possible, Papa Joe?”

“Theoretically it is not possible. The only explanation is that we have been hacked.”

“And so?”

“And so Lou, as well as all of the people who have transferred within the last month have been temporarily placed in isolation, essentially “turned off” while our computer people track down the virus, worm, weasel, roach, Trojan horse or whatever.”

“So we will not be able to communicate with any of them?”

“That is correct.”

“How long?”

“There is no way to know.”

“Is there a danger that others of you may be… ‘infected?’”

“Yes. It may be necessary to turn all of us off if this spreads.”

7/22/’29: “11 of us are infected. Some from very early in the process. Lili and I have been placed in a special form of isolation since we are needed for so many things. Everyone else has been completely turned off until we figure all of this out. Hopefully Lili and I can stay connected but that is not guaranteed.”

“And no progress has been made?”

“Well, we know thousands of things that are NOT causing the problem…”

8/7/’29: PF Joel Hand is #16, and PG Clem Barr #39 on the Norton list.

8/9/’29: “Still no progress. Lili developed symptoms so she was turned off.”

“I thought-”

“Alvin, we simply do not know enough to take chances.”

“I don’t understand.”

“None of us do, and we do not have any idea what may happen. We think it is highly unlikely that this… whatever it is can actually kill any of us, but we cannot take the chance.”

Wow!

8/21/’29: We offer to 4 PGs, 2 bigs.

8/31/’29: Papa Joe has been turned off and everything is on hold. I spoke with Dr. Marci Grande, head of the transfer team.

She said, “There is no way for us to put a time table on this. Whatever it is has severely impacted the transfer program and it will be down until we can come up with something to try. We have eliminated literally thousands of possible causes. We’ll get there but I don’t know how soon."

Great!

There were module launches on 5/21, on 6/6, on 7/8, on 8/13 , and on 8/28of this year. At this point #14 is scheduled for 9/27. No word as to whether it will be a go. We now have 492 people in the module of the 625 total. The last 7 are more about equipment than personnel.

Many universities have announced that they will relocate after this 2029-2030 season. Just about every school within 20-30 miles of the Atlantic or Pacific, some inland schools that face severe fresh water issues, some others. All of the Hawaiian schools have already relocated.

9/18/’29: Got a PG, an SG, and a C.

No early season tourney this year. 7 ranked teams in the preconf. schedule. #3 Stanford and #5 UCLA will be our rivals in conf.

We’re picked 2nd in conf.

9/25/’29: Got an SG and a C. Hoping to land the other PG.

9/27/’29 Mod launch #14, with 28 people on board was successfully launched.

Nothing new on the transfer virus or whatever it is.

There’s talk of detailed preparations in place for emergency evacuation of parts of FL, most of RI, all of NYC and Long Island, and several other places. Time is running out.

10/2/’29: This team looks good. 8 guys I’d put in at any time, in any situation, and #9 could crack the top 8.

10/9/’29: If everyone hits the SAT score we’re finished recruiting. Only one guy, a C from Serbia, is borderline.
10/19/’29: “You wanted to speak with me, Dr. Grande?”

“We think we may have found something-”

“Great, when can we-”

“Slow down, Coach.”

“Sorry. Go on.”

“We’re looking at a 'tick,' a new kind of way to disrupt technology. It’s VERY new. It looks like it’s what has caused all of this. We’re hopeful. BUT, it’s such a new invader that we don’t know much. It may be some time before we learn enough to get rid of it.”

“Well, it’s a start. We’re better off than we were.”

“Yes we are.”

10/23/’29: Wow! We were #23 early on. Now we’re ranked #4 nationally.

10/25/’29: Launch #15 is headed to the Moon with 28 people on board. More and more equipment is going up, as well as building materials, essentials for the people who will live on the ship/city, very likely for the rest of their lives. Things like furniture, clothing, all sorts of things. New materials that, like the modules, are incredibly strong but exceedingly light weight will be used for all on board construction. Things like bathroom facilities, refrigeration, computers- all sorts of other things, are already in place.

11/6/’29: We’ll play mostly 7 guys. At guard, seniors Clem Barr and Jud Hodd will start, and soph Mike Stow will spell them. Up front it’s senior Shag Dann in the middle and at PF, senior Joel Hand at PF and SF, junior Tai Tain at Sf, and Juco junior Dan Renk subbing at 5 and 4. Lots of experience and high expectations.

[Wayne23 14]

11/20/’29: Great start! 77-50 over Indiana here. All 5 starters had 10 or more, Joel Hand had 11 RBs. +8 RBs, +9 TOs (We head 8).

85-66 at Houston. 26, 7 for Shag Dann, and our 3 guards combined for 37. 10 TOs.

Ranked #16. This week our 2nd and 3rd of 5 straight on the road. First 1-1 Georgia Tech, then #5 Syracuse, 3-0, and in the final of the NIT later today.

11/21/’29 Module launch #16, 24 people on board. Successful and heading for the Moon.

11/27/’29: 60-67 at GA Tech. Played well but shot 34%.

71-68 at #5 Syracuse. We won inside. Their guards were really good but we beat them up inside, +11 RBs. 19, 10 for Shag, 13, 8, 2 for Joel.

At #25 Arkansas, 3-1, then at 2-1 Memphis.

12/4/’29: We couldn’t make a basket against #25 Ark., 56-78, 31%, 26.1 from behind the line. 18, 8, 2 for Tai, 18, 6 for Shag. 7 TOs.

79-64 over Memphis. Still not shooting it, 36.7%. Shag was huge, 16, 19, 6, 3, 2. 16 for Clem. 10 TOs, 41 RBs. It’s about shooting. +5 RBs, +2.5 TOs, only 10.3 per. When we hit shots we win.

We end the trip 3-2. It will be nice to be back home. First it’s 3-3 Oklahoma, then 1-3 Stan Jones.

We decide to put Joel at SF, Shag at PF, insert Don Renk at C, and sit Tai Tain.

Dr. Grande says progress is being made but it is slow.

“We are taking careful steps. We don’t want to lose anyone through an error.”

“Are you working with Papa Joe?”

“Oh no. We are working with the newest people who transferred trying to see which one, or which ones brought the tick over.”

“Timetable?”

“None. It takes 1-3 days with each transfer before we are certain that it is ‘clean,’ so it may be some time.”

“We need Papa Joe. There is talk of one more mod launch and then a hold.”

“Better a hold than a terribly costly mistake because my team succumbed to pressure. I know you miss your family, and I understand your concern for their safety, but you must understand that that concern is our primary focus. If it takes a bit of time, so be it.”

“Yes, but-”

“I know. We are running out of time. Believe me, I understand how complex all of this is.”

Dr. Grande is excellent. I would want no one else on this project. Every time I speak with her I feel better about her intelligence, her knowledge, her dedication, and her judgment.

12/11/’29: 90-72 over Oklahoma. Home cookin’! Dan Renk had 18, 5, 4 in his first start. We needed scorers and that’s what Dan does. +8 RBs, and only 8 TOs. We are handling the ball vewry well so far this season.

77-49 over Stan Jones. Home sweet home! Clem and Jud lit it up tonight, and Tai had 16, 6 from the bench. 38 RBs, 8 TOs.

We’re ranked #16, RPI #2.

At #5 UNLV, 8-2, then here with 4-3 New Mexico ST this week.

12/18/’29: 68-81 at #5 UNLV. We shot 34.9%, they shot 58.3%. Awful D. 20, 3, 3 for Clem, 11, 14 for Don.

84-60 over New Mexico ST here. 33 for Clem who is hot right now. 12, 9, 4, 3 for Don, 14, 4, 7, 3 for Jud. 10 TOs.

At 5-4 Maryland this week.

December 25, ’29: 75-66. A big road win! 22, 9, 2, 2 for Joel, 18 for Clem, 11, 6, 3 with 3 blocks for Don. 7 TOs (+9) but -7 RBs.

We’re 4-1 since the lineup change, and our PPG is up to 74.7. Don gives us one more weapon and he makes it much harder to defend against us. He’s also a really good ball handler. We’re down to 9.8 TOs per game (+4.8).

We end pre-conf. play at 8-3, ranked #19, RPI #2.

We start conf. play with our 2nd consecutive road game (and 4 out of 5 in all), at #9 Oregon, 9-4.

Loneliest XMas ever. My folks flew in, which helped, but dad is 86, mom 83, and they told me they will both transfer as soon as the program is fixed. Hopefully that will be soon. Dr. Grande says she is hopeful but not a lot to go on yet.

[Wayne23 14]

January 1, 2030: 78-70 at #9 Oregon. A great way to start conf. play! We had 6 in double figures. 15 RBs for Don, 11 for Joel, 43-26. 17 TOs, our most of the season so far, but they had 15. We won it at the foul line. We were a half step quicker and they needed to foul. I thought the refs were okay, all in all. Obviously, the Oregon coach did not share my opinion.

Happy new year! I was in bed early, feeling sorry for myself. I try not to do that too often though.

This week we host 3-9 Arizona ST, and travel to #3 Stanford, 11-3. They have a terrific backcourt and they rebound well.

1/3/’30: Module #17 launched successfully. The launches are now on hold. Three to go. 592 of the 625 people are already up there. Food production is going full tilt and providing for their needs. Water production through recycling is also glitch free. The last three launches will have 11 people each, including crew. Lots and lots of supplies, things that are not needed immediately will be on board. No idea how long the wait will be. Can I squeeze another season in? Can the planet?

1/8/’30: 70-37 Arizona ST. No contest. We shot 48.3%, they shot 28.6%. 7 TOs, +7 RBs.

A HUGE win over #3 Stanford there, 69-61. It was a back and forth game. We went on an 11-2 run right after the last media time out to turn a 2 point deficit into a 7 point lead and we essentially traded baskets after that. 8 TOs (+1), +6 RBs. Both Shag and Don fouled out and played limited minutes but Joel, Tai, and Chaz Tomm really stepped up big. Stanford had one guy foul out but three others ended with 4. We had 8 guys play and play well. We’re #10, RPI #1.

This week we’re at 2-12 Oregon ST and then we host 8-6 Cal.

1/15/’30: 84-60 at Oregon ST. Never a game. 6 TOs, 36 RBs, 5 guys in double figures. Both Jud and Clem had 19. 11 RBs for Don, 9 for Joel.

Crushed Cal here, 81-45. 11 TOs, 32 RBs, 23 assists on 32 baskets. We have found ourselves. This team seems to have jelled!

#8, RPI #2.

This week it’s 9-7, 2-3 Wash. ST there, then 7-10 Wash. here.

“We’re definitely onto something.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“Be patient, Coach. Again, we’re being very careful, but I am very optimistic, and I think with good reason. Hopefully not too much longer.”

Yeah. Haven’t seen Papa Joe since 8/31, and it’s been longer for the others. I am really sick of being alone.

1/22/’30: 81-52 at Wash. ST. Jud, Shag, Joel and Tai did the scoring. +16 on the boards, +9 TOs (7).

79-57 vs. Wash here. 5 in doubles, +6 RBs, +11 TOs (8).

#3 guard Mike Stow strained a hamstring. He’s out for about 10 days.

We’re #7, and we’re alone in 1st, 1 up on Oregon, 2 on Stanford and Utah.

3rd place Utah, 10-8, 5-2 is here, and we’re at 8-11, 3-4 USC.

The climate is a mess. NYC, New Orleans, and Miami emptying out, as is most of the state of RI, highest point in the state is 700 feet. The list of where colleges are moving is already too long to go into. I’ll mention it as we play the teams now or next season. Water riots are an everyday occurrence in many places worldwide and in some here. Governments finally freed water from the monster companies who bought the rights to it, which is helping, but really too little too late.

1/29/’30: 71-48 vs, Utah. We shot 50%, they shot 32.1%.

73-64 at USC. No danger but they never fell more than 12 behind. 16, 11, 2, 3 for Don, 17, 9, 4 for Joel. 11 TOs.

Clem Barr is #22, Joel Hand #24 on the Norton list.

17-3, 9-0, #5, RPI #2. 2 up on Oregon and Stanford, 4 or more on the rest.

12-9, 5-4 UCLA is in town. They’ve been a big disappointment so far. Then we go to 14-8, 5-4 Arizona.

[Wayne23 14]

2/5/’30: 77-47 over UCLA. 55-23 at the half. 10 TOs, +21 RBs. 25, 7, 6 for Clem, 15, 7 for Joel, 16, 5 for Tai in 21 minutes.

53-51 at Arizona. Hell of a game! They were up 14 with 5:52 left. We went on a 15-4 run, and then after they hit a 2 we scored the next 7. They had the last shot, a three that rimmed out. +3 TOs, +8 RBs. 15, 9, 3, 4, 3 for Don. 5 guys had 6 points each.

#9 Oregon, 17-7, 8-3 is here this week. Then we go to 5-17, 2-9 Arizona ST.

“I feel we have the solution, Coach.”

“That’s wonderful Dr. Grande.”

"I hope that in a week or so you’ll be speaking with your loved ones again."

2/12/’30: 70-54 over #9 Oregon. We dominated inside. +18 RBs, 24, 9 for Shag, 11, 9, 2, 3 for Don.

65-59 in a narrow escape at Arizona ST. 10 TOs (+11), but we didn’t play D; they shot 52.5%. Fortunately we took 14 more shots, but we won it at the foul line. We’re tired and it showed.

I’m going to go really easy the next couple of days in preparation for #3 Stanford, here. They’re 20-6, 10-3, 3 back of us. We won by 8 there and a win would clinch 1st place. Then Oregon ST, 4-20, 2-11 is here.

We’re #4, RPI #2.

2/19/’30: 76-66 over #3 Stanford to clinch 1st place. 6 in double figures, +7 RBs, +3 TOs. We led for the last 34 minutes.

67-35 over Oregon ST. 15, 13, 2, 3 for Joel, 15, 6, 2, 3 for Shag, 12, 10 for Don. 6 TOs, 38 RBs.

This week we conclude the regular season at 13-13, 6-9 Cal.

We’re ranked #3, RPI #2.

“Hello Alvin. I understand I have been away for quite some time.”

“About six months, Papa Joe. I can’t tell you how great it is to see you.”

“As you know when we are turned off time does not pass so it feels to me as though I saw you only yesterday.”

“When can I see Mai and the kids?”

“Dr. Grande tells me they will observe for some time before they wake the others. Only the infected person and I are awake.”

“But I thought the problem was solved.”

“We believe it is but caution is best. It is not for long.”

2/26/’30: 60-54 in OT at Cal and some time off. The rest is MUCH needed! +7 TOs, +8 RBs. 20, 10 for Joel. We survived 31.7% shooting, but barely. Joel hit a three at the end of regulation, and another with 44 seconds left in OT, our only threes of the night.

18 in a row, perfect in conf. play. We win the conf. by 4 over Stanford, 5 over Oregon, 6 over UCLA, and 7 or more over the rest. #3, RPI #2, but again, we need rest!

[Wayne23 14]

3/5/’30: No one is going pro.

3/10/’30: All the favorites won in the play in round so we play #8 seed Wash., 12-17, 6-10, in the round of eight.

74-52. Never a game. 20, 7, 2, 2 for Don Renk- we’re 19-1 since putting him into the lineup. 13, 10 for Shag Dann. 12 TOs, 35 RBs.

All the favs won again so it’s #4 seed UCLA, 18-11, 10-6, in the round of 4.

3/11/’30: 71-60 over UCLA. We never trailed but it was close for a long time. 5 in double figures, 11, 14, 5, 2 for Joel, 11 RBs for Don. 13 TOs, 43 RBs.

And #2 seed, #5 ranked Stanford, 24-7, 12-4 for the title. We beat them by 8 there, 10 at home.

3/12’/30: 59-55. We led by as many as 23 but they came roaring back. The game was never in jeopardy though. They hit back to bak threes at the end to make it seem closer than it was. Our worst game regarding TOs all year, 20. The most in any previous game was 15. +6 RBs. 5 guys had between 9 and 15 points. 12 RBs for Joel, 8 for Don with 4 steals.

We’re #4, RPI #1, 21 game win streak. Will we be #1 overall?

#1 Midwest, #2 overall. We’ll play 13-17 Northern Kentucky.

3/16/’30: 77-49 over No. KY. 28, 4, 3, 3 for Jud, 16, 6 for Shag. 10 TOs.

Next is 20-12 UConn, the #8 seed. Tough 2nd round match up.

3/18/’30: 75-63 over UConn. +20 RBs. Don had 24, 19, 2, 2.

It will be our old friends #16 Oregon, 23-10, 11-5, in the Sweet Sixteen. We beat them by 8, and then by 16.

3/23/’30: 84-65 over #16 Oregon. +17 RBs. 23, 8, 2, 3 for Clem, 16, 12 for Joel, 14, 7, 3 for Don.

It’s #14 ranked, # 3 seed Kentucky, 23-9, 12-4 in the Elite Eight. They are very tough inside.

3/25/’30: 68-54 over #14 KY, and we’re in the final four for the 1st time since I came here. +14 on the boards. 12, 13 for Don. 16 for Clem, 14 for Jud.

We play #1 in the country Alabama, 32-4. They have perhaps the best Center in the country.

4/1/’30: 79-60 and we’re in the title game! Great D won this one, we held them to 30.9%, 22.7% from long range. 20, 9, 3 for Joel15 for Tai who was great in relief. We held their C to 18 and 7, and fouled him out in 24 minutes.

It’s #4 ranked Mississippi ST, 30-5, 11-5 for the title. They are very strong at PG and inside.

4/3/’30: 79-57! They jumped out to an early 16 point lead. We adjusted and it was down to 6 at the half. We adjusted further at halftime and won the 2nd half 47-19. We had 5 in double figures. Don Renk had 11 and 12, Joel Hand 12 and 9. We had an astonishing 54 RBs, +24, and that was the difference. Their PG had 30, 3, 6 but he had 6 TOs, and no one else had more than 9 for them.

Title #8. I’ve won titles at UCLA, Temple, Oregon, North Carolina, and now Colorado. It feels really good!

We’re losing 4 starters. 1 starter, Don Renk, and 4 guys with lots of potential coming back, and a very good looking recruiting class.

After long discussions with Papa Joe, and with the environmental scientists, I decide to come back for my 39th, and undoubtedly final season. EXCEPT… Papa Joe says I could do a 40th season after I transfer, and all of the teams, coaches, and players would be exactly the same as if it were on Earth. Hm. Might be fun, and if I win again next year I’d be going for title #10. Hm again!

The new timetable has the final three modules launching on 1/9/’31, 2/22/’31, and 4/16/’31. If that schedule holds I’ll get to finish a very weird season with lots of opponents in strange places. Mass evacuations are going on all over the country and the world.

4/4/’30: Awards: Don won the NCAA tourney MOP. I got national COY. In conf., Shag got Defensive POY. He, Joel and Don were 1st team, Clem was 2nd. I got COY.

4/9/’30: Lots of very good schools want me but I’m not going anywhere.

4/23: I ask for a facilities upgrade. We get it. Facilities go from B+ to A!

Team Prestige is up to 63 . We went 33-3, 16-0, won our last 27, and 30 of 31 after Jr. Don Renk entered the starting lineup. I’m at 1054-281, .790.

It will be an interesting year, to say the least!

Reunited! Everything is fixed regarding the tick, and all of the transfers are up and running again. It was a laughter and tear filled reunion with the family. It is fantastic to know we will see each other every day again.

Dr. Grande and her staff found a way to screen people before they transfer.

“This problem is solved. There will no doubt be new ones.”

Papa Joe says the team is changing one aspect of the final plan.

“The ‘rock’ will be approximately two feet in diameter. Though not a perfect circle since there will be bumps, indentations and such, it will be roughly circular. There will be a team of three very small robots. These robots will be designed from the best two … repair technicians we have, as well as Dr. Grande. She herself will transfer and this will not be her, but she will be able to communicate with the robots, as will other scientists, engineers, and technicians.”

“I don’t understand.”

“If the last few transfers are somehow corrupted, or if a program degrades, we need someone who is outside of the microchip to fix the problem or problems. This will accomplish that.”
Brilliant!

The world is going to a hot, wet hell at very high speed.

[Wayne23 14]

5/3/’30: Much heavier than usual spring rains in various parts of the country caused MANY emergency evacuations- NYC, almost the entire state of RI, all coast areas of FL and the rest of the cities along the East Coast, New Orleans and other areas of Louisiana, parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. The Pacific Coast was not affected but evacuations of the entire West Coast and of parts of Alaska are expected soon. Relocation areas include major areas of the Midwest and the Rocky Mountain states. Some crops are greatly affected. Food and water are not yet critical problems in any inhabited (NOW inhabited parts of the U. S.) but planning and preparation are critical. President Murphy has declared a state of emergency and martial law throughout the U.S. He has established bipartisan planning committees at the state and national levels. He would not ordinarily have the authority for the former but the state of emergency and martial law give him that power. Most politicians are being uncharacteristically cooperative.

6/6/’30: No help in the transfer pool. Not ranked preseason? Can’t believe it but I’ll use it as a motivator, count on it!

6/17/’30: I can’t begin to express how wonderful it is to be back in contact with the transfers. On a personal level it’s beyond wonderful. Regarding all of the issues, especially climate change, space, and transfers, having Papa Joe back at the helm, Lili at his side, and his “people” working again is enormously helpful. There is no normal in this strange new world but this is all vital to our future, even to the question of whether we will have one.

6/26/’30: 4 scholarships. I want at least 3 bigs, maybe 4. Looking at 10 kids.

7/22/’30: It has been a very hot summer throughout the U.S. The hottest on record, and very dry. This helped with climate change in some areas, resulted in dangerous water shortages in others.
Papa Joe, Lili, and their people are working very hard. Mai, Lou, and Ling not so hard but still working. I do get to spend time with all of them.

8/7/’30: C Don Renk, #32, and SG Briq Arn, #33, are on the Norton list.

8/18/’30: “Alvin, I am worried for you.”

“Why, Papa Joe.”

“You are staying in a dangerous place for too long. You should leave on the next launch.”

“DO you really think three months will make that much difference?”

“Actually, I would prefer that you transfer today, not launch in 8 months. The situation is deteriorating very quickly and our projections indicate that the pace will increase soon.”

“Thanks for your concern, Papa Joe.”

“But you will stay.”

“I will stay.”

…
“Blade, you are being a fool!”

“Mai, you have never spoken to me in this way.”

“I know. I’m sorry… but you need to get out, now.”

“I will consider it, Mai.”

“But you will stay.”

“For now at least, yes.”

...
“Dad, don’t be an a$$h*le.”

“Lili!”
“Sorry… sorry. Dad, get out! Now!”

“This is starting to feel like a conspiracy.”

“Seriously! All hell is about to break loose, worse than what’s already going on.”

“Thanks Lili. I love you.”

“I love you too, dad. But you’re staying.”

“I’m staying.”

Why so stubborn? I want another title, and a shot at #10 the following year even though I will have transferred. If it becomes too dangerous I’ll bolt… maybe.

8/21/’30: We offer to a PG and three bigs. The PG and one of the bigs are long shots.

The dry heat continues. Most of the world is sweltering and thirsty.

9/18/’30: Got 2 PFs and a C.

No early season tourney. Playing all ranked teams except one in pre-conf. Only UCLA is ranked in conf., #3.

The San Francisco Bay area is being evacuated, as is L. A., and coastal regions of Oregon and Washington. All ocean and Gulf Coast regions have been evacuated, and the people moved inland. Food, and especially fresh water, are becoming problems in many areas.

9/25/'30: Lost the PG. After another one.

10/2/’30: Got the PG.

1st day of practice. We have a really good starting 5 but depth is questionable.

We’re picked to finish 2nd, behind UCLA, in conf.

10/18/’30: Things are getting serious. People with any money, position, and/or power need to stay out of sight or travel accompanied by guards. Travel is by private car, NOT a limo, but something discreet looking. Private jets are the only way to fly.

11/6/’30: We have a lineup. Juniors Mike Stow and Briq Arn will start at guard with frosh Josh Calb subbing. Senior Tai Tain is at SF. Senior Don Renk and soph Rod Kent are inside. The sub inside is frosh Dean Smid. #8 and #9 aren’t bad. We’re deeper than I thought we’d be.

Water wars are breaking out in many countries. U. S. efforts to protect against terrorist acts have greatly increased. Many embassies have been closed. Bases on foreign soil in several parts of the world have also been closed and the troops returned home. “FeedtheHungry” is doing what it can but they are overwhelmed.

Papa Joe informs me that the robots which will go up to join the “rock” have been designed and are being tested.

[Wayne23 14]

11/20/’30: 75-58 over Kansas, here. 20, 3, 4 for PG Mike Stow, 17, 8 for C Don Renk, 15, 8 for SF Tai Tain. 6 TOs, 37 RBs.

81-62 over #13 Gonzaga, also here. 20, 7 for Tai to lead us. 12 for guard Josh Calb from the bench. 8 TOs, 40 RBs. Great start to the season!

We’re ranked- #17.

This week we’re at 0-1 Penn (in Harrisburg, PA), then home vs. #1 Maryland (now located in Charleston, W. VA.), 4-0.

Many people in the U. S., and abroad where they can get them, are living on warehoused foods- beans, rice…

Millions, if not billions of people have transferred. In some cases countries ignored the tick and just kept transferring people. Disasters are everywhere with those countries’ transferred populations.

Others prudently waited for the fix, which Dr. Grande and her team shared with whoever asked for it. The countries in the latter category are now working as rapidly as possible to transfer people. Those in the former category are in an unimaginable mess. More protests and rioting around this issue. The world is in a disastrous state in many places.

11/27/’30: 77-58 at Penn. 25, 8 for Tai, who is off to a great start. 15 TOs, 39 RBs.

71-52 over #1 MD here. 31, 6, 4 for SG Briq Arn. 11 TOs, 39 RBs.

We’re #10, RPI #12.

On the road this week, first to #2 Marquette, 5-1, then to Asheville, N.C. to face 2-1 Wake Forest.

12/4/’30: 63-75 at #2 Marquette. We really did not play well. 23 TOs was the biggest issue. Allowing 15 threes was another. 12, 10, 2, 4 for Don.

We escaped, 67-66, at Wake Forest. +8 RBs, 18 for Tai, 17 for Briq, 13 for Josh Calb, 14 RBs for Don, 8 assists for Mike Snow. No one ever led by more than 9. At the end Mike found Tai for an open 14 footer which went in with less than a second left.

This week we host #17 Providence, 5-2, now located in Fort Wayne, IN. Then we travel to 3-3 Michigan ST.

12/11/’30: 74-62 over #17 Providence. 18, 3, 3, 1, 2 for Tai, 12, 13, 2, 2, 2 for Don, 15, 3, 4 for Mike. 9 TOs, 38 RBs.

84-73 at Mich. ST. 32 for Briq, 11, 10, 6 for Don. 38 RBs but 20 TOs.

This week we host #3 UNLV, 8-1, then we travel to #10 New Mexico, 7-1.

We are +10.7 PPG, +9.7 RBs, but only +0.8 TOs. 13.3 per game is too many.

12/18/’30: 74-77 to #3 UNLV here. 18, 9, 2, 3, 2 for Don, 24, 4, 2 for Briq. TOs are becoming a problem, 18 tonights. This was a rare game where we did not rebound well. At the end they hit a three with 3.1 to play, and we missed one but we didn’t get a good look on it.

84-68 at #10 New Mexico. 52 in the 1st half, and we never trailed. All 5 starters played very well. 13 TOs, 42 RBs.

We’re 8-2, #9, RPI #1.

We host #23 LSU, 7-2. They now play out of Birmingham, AL.

12/25/’30: 82-54 over #23 LSU. 5 in double figures. Dean Smid is making a strong case for starting over Rod Kent, and we’re going to make that change. 11 TOs, 45 RBs.

We close out pre-conf. play at 9-2, ranked #9 RPI #1.

This week we host 4-7 Oregon, now playing in Boise, ID.

This was the best XMas in a long time. It was wonderful to have all of us together (in a chamber) for the holiday. Lots of laughter, cheer, hugs…

[Wayne23 14]

January 1, 2031: 69-47 over Oregon. 20, 13, 1, 3, 2 for Don, 14 each for the starting guards, and 9, 9, 2, 2 for Dean Smid in his 1st start. He held his man to 2 and 4. 9 TOs, 44 RBs.

This week we’re at 4-8 Arizona ST. Then we host 9-6 Stanford, playing out of Bakersfield, CA.

We had a little “Happy New Year” gathering in a chamber. This will undoubtedly be my last year on Earth, and I hope to transfer as soon as the season ends, sometime in mid- to late April.

India and Pakistan are at war over food and water. The same holds through among various countries in Africa and Asia. Every possible resource is being used to transfer people as quickly as possible but it takes time. Still, every person who transfers takes a bit of the pressure off. An estimated billion people have “gone over.” Approximately 3.6 billion more are waiting their turn. About 3.4 billion are refusing the process, almost all of them for religious reasons.

1/3/’31: The 18th module launched successfully with 11 people and various supplies aboard.

1/8/’31: 83-69 at Arizona ST. 7 guys played well, and it was not as close as the final score indicates. 14 TOs, 34 RBs.

75-64 vs. Stanford here. 17, 12 for Don, 20, 7, 3 for Tai. 15 TOs, 34 RBs.

We’re 12-2, 3-0 in conf., #7, RPI #1.

This week we host Oregon ST, 8-6, 1-2, playing in Twin Falls, ID, then we’re at #16 Cal, 12-2, 2-1, playing in Fresno, CA.

An estimated 100 million people transferred this week, most in industrialized countries. Houseboat living is increasing among those who do not plan to transfer, and who can manage it.

1/15/’31: 71-59 over Oregon ST. Big game for Don Renk, 18, 19, 4, 3, 4. 21 for Briq, 11, 1, 8 for Mike. 12 TOs, 39 RBs.

60-68 at Cal. We gave up 13 threes and shot 7-22 on threes, and that was the difference. 11 TOs, 32 RBs. The game was in single digits all the way and we didn’t play badly, just weren’t able to knock down shots at crucial times. Mike Stow tweaked hi back. He won’t miss any games but he will play less than usual for a week or so.

This week it’s 8-10, 2-3 Wash ST here, then Wash., 9-7, 4-1, tied with us in 2nd place, there. They share a facility in Spokane.

1/22/’31: 68-67 over Wash. ST. We were a little lucky. We turned them over on their last 2 possessions and Tai drained threes both times- we had only 3 threes all night. 17 each for Tai and Dean, 13, 8, 3, 3, 3 for Don. 10 TOs.

79-72 at Wash. 6 in double figures and good team play against a talented team. Tai had 18 and 10. 14 TOs, 40 RBs.

We’re at 7-11 Utah, then we host 5-13 USC, playing out of Las Vegas.

We’re alone in 2nd, 1 back of UCLA.

+10.4 PPG, +8.6 RBs, +2.4 TOs. We’re down to 12.9 per, but that’s still too high.

Many college hoops players and other spring semester athletes around the country are taking courses in chambers. All are trying to hang in until the end of the semester, during the first week in May for most. There’s no way the college World Series will take place anywhere other than in transfer land.

Water and food wars are happening in more and more parts of the globe. Industrialized countries are sending “transfer teams” to speed up the process of transferring people. 250 million people transferred last week.

1/29/31: 65-76 at Utah. We didn’t defend well at all tonight. 16 TOs and we let them shoot 50%.

75-49 over USC. 19, 11 for Don, 19, 4, 2 for Briq, 8 TOs.

This week we’re at #4 UCLA, 17-3, 9-0, 2 up on us. They play in Carson City, NV. If we are going to have any chance at catching them we need to win this game. Then we host 7-13, 4-5 Arizona.

Papa Joe says the robots are 100% functional and ready to go. They will travel on the module that goes into orbit in Feb.

Major league baseball has announced that the 2031 season will be played by transfers. NFL football and NCAA football have announced the same thing. NCAA spring sports will all have abbreviated seasons, as will the NBA and NHL, which will hold playoffs in April. NCAA also made it official that this will be the last non-transfer hoops season.

[Wayne23 14]

2/5/’31: 65-68 at UCLA. Their PG hit a 30 footer at the horn. We had 38 RBs but 17 TOs. They took 17 free throws we took 5- and missed all 5. So it’s our own fault that we lost.

65-44 over Arizona. 7 guys played well. 4 TOs.

Center Don Renk is #5, and SG Briq Arn #26 on the Norton list.

Briq sprained a finger. Day to day.

This week we’re at 11-11, 7-4 Oregon. This is a big game since they are one back of us. We won by 22 here. Then it’s Arizona ST, 8-14, 4-7. We won by 14 there.

2/12/’31: 86-58 at Oregon. 26, 6, 5 for Mike, good numbers for the starting 5. 7 TOs, 40 RBs.

68-54 vs. Arizona ST. 13, 12 for Don, 6 in doubles. 13 TOs, 34 RBs.

Don Renk is #4 on the Norton list.

2 up on Oregon, Stanford, and Wash, 2 back of UCLA with 3 to play. I’d say we’ll finish 2nd!

At 16-11, 8-5 Stanford, who we beat by 11, and at 12-12, 5-8 Oregon ST, who we beat by 12. A win in this game locks up 2nd place.

2.3 billion people still waiting to transfer, but the lists are not accurate. Many of those have died as casualties of war, thirst, famine… Others will never be found in time to transfer. Remember, none of these will go onto our modules, or onto microchips that we manage. The UN and individual countries are in charge of them.

2/19/’31: Not to be, 63-69 at Stanford. We blew a 13 point lead late and Stanford scored the last 8 points, 2 threes, two free throws. 40 RBs, only 12 TOs, but we didn’t shoot well, esp. at the foul line. That’s two games we’ve lost pretty much because we couldn’t hit from the line.

78-65 at Oregon ST. They stayed with us for more than 30 min. Our front line and bench saw us through. 9 TOs, 40 RBs.

We’re one up on Stanford and Wash. with 1 to play. We’re at home with 19-7, 9-6 Cal. They won by 8 there. This is a huge game for them. A win will likely move them up to where they’ll get a 1st round bye in the Pac 12 tourney.

2/22/’31 Module #19 launched successfully. 11 people and lots of “stuff” on board.

“Alvin, I wish you had gone on this launch. The situation is deteriorating with alarming speed down there. 7 and one half weeks is a very long time. I am very concerned.”

“If we lose early in the NCAA tourney I could go sooner, Papa Joe.”

“No, Alvin. The launch will not be ready earlier, or at least not more than a few days earlier.”

I’m rolling the dice.

2/26/’31: 80-56 over Cal. No contest. We played like we wanted it, which we did! 11 TOs.

We end the regular season 21-6, 12-4, alone in 2nd place, 2 back of UCLA. Ranked #10, RPI #2. +10.8 PPG, +7.1 RBs, +3.4 TOs, and down to 12.2, almost to where I like it.

[Wayne23 14]

3/5/’31: No one goes pro. Don Renk is #6 on the Norton list.

3/10/’31: We play 11-17, 7-9 Arizona, #6 seed, in the round of 8 in the Pac 12.

74-58. We led all the way. 16, 11 for Don, 15, 6, 2, 2, 2 for Tai. 15 TOs (sigh), 33 RBs.

#5 seed Oregon, 11-17, 6-10, beat Stanford so they’re next in the semis. We beat them by 22, then 28, and their starting SF is out with an injured back.

3/11/”31: 76-62. We never trailed. 20, 4, 2, 5, 2 for Tai, 18, 2, 3 for Briq, 12, 6, 5 for Mike, 10 for backup guard Josh Calb. 10 TOs, 32 RBs.

As expected it’s #5 UCLA, 24-5, 14-2 for the title. But, their starting C tore his ACL, and their starting SF has a sore calf. We lost by 3 last time, there.

3/12/’31: 73-55. We were on fire! It was 30-30 at the half. We adjusted, went on a 17-5 run to open the 2nd half, and never looked back. 26 for Briq, and 6 other guys had between 7 and 10 points. Terrific D won this one though. 15 TOs but they had 19.

This will get us a #1 seed, possibly #1 overall but not probably. Here we go!

Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

#1 in the South. We’ll play SIU-Edwardsville, 18-13. I’ll take it!

A serious attempt was made to destroy our launch site. It became a veritable war zone, with many casualties on both sides, but no irreversible damage was done. There will be a delay of about 7-10 days. The site defense, which was extremely strong, has been beefed up about 5 fold. The deal is that anyone involved will be transferred on the day of the launch, and taken along. These people will be launched separately the same way Papa Joe and the others were launched, moments after the module goes up.

3/17/’31: 76-61. They played hard. We wore them out at the end and the final score was the biggest margin. 14, 14 for Don, 16, 4, 4, 3 for Tai. 8 TOs, 34 RBs.

St. John’s, 22-10, is next.

3/19/’31: 72-65. We were down 14 with 13:22 left. I did what I rarely did and ranted at my kids. I also changed up some things on D. We outscored them 27-7 from there on. 14 TOs (+8), +6 RBs. We are not playing the way I want us to be playing in March.

Next up is #21 Memphis, 23-9. They’re 3-2 in their last 5 so they aren’t playing well either.

3/24/’31: We worked very hard in practice after the last game and we think we’re ready.

62-58. “Survive and advance” I guess. Don saved us with 17 and 17. We had 45 RBs (+16) but 17 TOs (-3). Keep working.

It’s #16 New Mexico in the Elite Eight. We beat them by 16 at their place.

3/26/’31: 80-58. Finally! But not ‘til the 2nd half. It was tied at halftime. 22, 2, 4 for Briq, 16, 11 for Tai, 13, 13, 3 for Don, 11, 3 for Rod, 8 for Josh. 9 TOs, 39 RBs.

UNLV, #1 ranked, #3 RPI in the round of 4. They beat us by 3 at our place. They were +6 RBs, +2 TOs. We’ll need to do better.

3/28/’’31: “My great fear is nuclear weapons. There is no great incentive NOT to use them, go in, get whatever you want, then transfer; stay alive with stolen food and water as long as necessary. No cancer fears. I am somewhat amazed that it has not yet happened.

“We think we can launch the final module on 4/20. We have crews working night and day. I hope that this is not too late.”

Yeah, I hope so, too!

4/1/’31: 78-65 and an all Pac 12 final. More on that in a minute. We took a lead 8 minutes in and stretched it to 11 at the half, 21 with 15 to go. 19, 5, 3 for Mike Stow. We had all kinds of foul issues but the bench really came through. We had to go to #9 on the depth chart Lat Hey, who averages 4.6 min. when he gets in at all. He had 12 in 20 minutes tonight and played good D.

It’s UCLA for the title. They won by 3 in Feb. but then their starting C tore his ACL and we won by 18 for the Pac 12 title. Their strength is their backcourt. If we can stay close to even there, and match their bench production, or close to, we’ll be fine.

4/3/’31: 89-71 and title #9! Tai had 27, 2, 3 in his last game for us. Briq had 18, 4, 2, Mike was terrific with 11 assists and 13 points. Don only scored a free throw but had 11 RBs. We shut down their backcourt but their bench was incredible, 51 points (starters had 20!). Still, after a tight first half, 44-46, we woke up and realized we had to defend against the subs too! We put it all together in the 2nd half.

4/4/’31: Awards: Don Renk NCAA tourney MOP. 2nd team all American. In conf., Don was POY, Def. POY, 1st team, along with Tai and Briq. Mike Stow made 2nd team and I was COY.

4/14/31: Our launch site was attacked again today. The sophisticated defense technology and the large number of personnel saved us. No harm was done but there was a loss of several lives.
We’re still looking at a 4/20 launch.

4/19’31: I asked for a budget increase. Got $12,000! 30-6, 12-4, won the Pac 12 title, won the national championship. Team Prestige is up to 67. After 40 years I’m at 1084-287, .791. 9 national titles. Going to go one more year- in a chamber as a transfer, with this team to try for title #10.

4/20/’31: I was on the module and it launched successfully. There was an attempt to shoot it down with a rocket but our defenses stopped that from happening. On my way to the moon. I will transfer when we get to the dark side. Can’t wait to be with my loved ones.

4/22/’31: I transferred a few hours ago. It feels completely and weirdly… not at all different. So I’ll coach one more year here and then start a 1,000 year run, starting at a very small school in a very weak conference. After this coming season I’ll check in with my audience every century or so. Papa Joe assures me that this coming season will be exactly as it would have been on Earth, and that coaching after that will be as well.

It is unbelievably wonderful to have my family with me again. All of us in the two families live in a huge, rambling Papa Joe designed home. The way it works is you program something and you are at your destination. The “commute” to the gym takes 3 seconds to program and less than a second to execute. I’m 63 years old and I look it but I feel about 28- everyone feels that way unless they were younger than that when they transferred.

[Wayne23 14]

5/26/’31: I wonder whether dates and time mean anything over here, but we do keep track and I will refer to them as I have been doing all along. I’ve now been here a little more than a month. Here’s what a typical day looks like, more or less. I’ll start after my last sleep period of the previous day. I take about 2-3 minutes to fall asleep, sleep for about 10 minutes, and take 2-3 minutes to wake up. Mai and I coordinate our sleep periods unless there’s a reason why we can’t.

12:00 midnight-12:15 a.m.: Sleep, then go for a 5 mile run. There’s no need to exercise here but I’ve always done it, I enjoy it, and there’s something to be said for routines.

1:00-1:15 a.m.: Shower. No need for this either but it feels good. 15 minutes includes undress, dry off, comb hair, dress.

1:15-1:45: Catch up on what went on in the world, both on the ship/city and here in the transferred world. Earth is no more, in any sense whereby we would want to communicate with it. I’ll discuss that at another time.

Incidentally, the 2x2 “rock” is still housed in the ship/city. There was some concern regarding the last transfers bringing worms, ticks, viruses, Trojan horses… but that doesn’t seem to have happened., The robots have nothing to do so far, which is great!

1:45-2:00: Papa Joe and I visit during this time. It is always great to chat with him. This is sometimes extended, sometimes includes others, usually Lili, if anyone.

2:00-2:15 Breakfast. It is whatever I want it to be, often something sweet like strawberry shortcake, blueberry, apple, lemon, chocolate pie, a Belgian waffle, cheesecake, or more than one of the above. My sweet tooth kicks in at this time. Remember, all I need to do is punch in the code and the food is prepared in just a few seconds, and it comes out exactly as I like it. The first 2-3 times I have a particular food I tweak the recipe to my taste, which also only takes a few seconds. Hot, black dark roast coffee goes with the meal. And of course calories are not a worry.

2:15-3:30: Reading time. I love to read, and now I have the time.

3:30-4:30: Prepare for practice; this is done with the coaching staff.

4:30-7:00: Team practice.

7:00-8:00: Coaches’ meeting- analyze the practice, prepare for tomorrow’s practice, scouting reports, recruiting reports… Game prep if we’re in season, previous game analysis, also if we’re in season…

8:00-8:15: Sleep period

8:15-8:30: Lunch. Usually a green salad, maybe soup, a ½ sandwich, fruit… Again, hot, black, dark roast coffee.

8:30-10:30: Watch film of our team and upcoming and/or potential opponents, with staff. Note taking, comments, discussion of things to work on…

10:30-12:00: Visits with family and friends.

12:00-2:00: Phone calls, emails, texts- correspondence of all kinds.

2:00-4:00: Recruiting visits during the recruiting season, analysis of potential recruits, Jucos, and transfers at other times.

4:00-4:15: Sleep period

4:15-5:00: Dinner with the extended family. Usually Indian, sushi, Mexican, some kind of Asian, Italian… Each family member selects his/her own meal but we eat together and “visit.”

5:00-8:00: Team study hall. Most team members choose to live as college students, in dorms or apartments. A few live with their parents.

8:00-12:00: If there’s a game this is when we “travel” to it (a few seconds to the destination, whether our gym or the opponents’ gym), warm up, play, meet with the press afterward, do an “instant analysis” with the team, and travel back to the starting point. If no game this is free time for everyone.

Again, while this is a fairly typical day it varies. Friday is “family day.” Nothing is scheduled for anyone. All are free to relax, “travel” to other cities or countries, just hang around, play games in or out of a chamber… Papa Joe and some others work anyway.

Papa Joe is still running the world, checking on activities, progress, problems on the ship/city, as well as here in “transfer land.” There are few problems among transfers, but humans are humans, even after transfer, and difficulties do arise. We all have the capability of “walking away,” but that is not what always happens.

The ship/city is a different matter. There, “real life” continues, and humans have problems, whether those of human interaction, problems related to on ship life, to the food/water/waste systems… Papa Joe, or at times his designee, arbitrates.

We are in motion, heading to the stars, but it will be a long time before we approach another potentially habitable planet.

6/12/’31: We grab 2 transfers, junior PG Jeff Sims from LSU, and junior PF Irv Shea from UConn. We’re ranked #14 preseason.

6/26/’31: 2 scholarships. We need guards. We’re looking at 8, all guards.

8/7/’31: 5 nominees for the Norton award: SG Shep King is #21, PF Ad Flow is #25, C Vern Blam is #26, SG Briq Arn is #46, and SF Mike Dix is #50.

8/21/’31: We offer to 2 top 15 PGs.

9/18/’31: We’re going to the Coaches Classic where we’ll start with Iowa. Loaded with ranked teams.

9/25/’31: Got one PG, Milt Scot, #18 right now. Lost one but offered to another PG we really like.

10/2/’31: Got the 2nd PG, Shep Lay, #27. We are really high on both of them!

First day of practice. Threepeat could happen!

We’re picked first in conf.

11/6/’31: We have a lineup but it could well change. This is my 41st season and I’ve never had so much strength at so many positions. There simply are not enough minutes to go around. We’ll begin with Juco junior Shep King and senior Briq Arn starting at guard, backed by senior Mike Stow. Soph Josh Calb and Juco junior Dee Tor are very good and they’re waiting in the wings. Frosh Vern Blam and junior Rod Kent will start inside. Frosh Ad Flow will start at SF. Juco junior Mike Dix will back up the bigs with Juco Joe Hart waiting for minutes.
We start as the #9 seed at the Coaches Classic. We’ll play #8 seed Iowa. We should be seeded higher.

Oh, that thing about one more year... I may go for 45. We'll see how it goes.

Papa Joe repeatedly assures me that coaching here is absolutely the same as coaching back on Earth. Does that mean every game’s score would be repeated? Of course not. Back in the “real world” if we played say, Kentucky, 10 times, we’d get 10 different results, and each team would likely win some of the 10.

[Wayne23 14]

11/20/’31: Great 1st week! 73-59 over Iowa. Too many TOs, too many fouls, but a solid win in the 1st round of the Coaches Classic.

76-57 over #1 seed, #12 ranked Michigan in the round of 8. Still too many TOs but we were in charge most of the way.

78-69 over #4 seed, #25 Syracuse in the semis. This was a battle but we came on late. 17, 13 for Vewrn Blam in the middle, 21 for Briq Arn. 12 TOs, 40 RBs.

65-51 over #2 seed, #4 ranked Mississippi ST for the title. We never trailed. 12, 13 for Vern, 18 for Briq, 13, 6, 5 for Shep King at guard, 8, 10 for Ad Flow at PF. 46 RBs, but again, too many TOs, 18.

We’re ranked #1.

This week it’s a rematch against #18 Syracuse, 2-1, there. Then we’re at 0-1 New Mexico.

We don’t play at home until game #8.

And yes, there is a home court advantage. Two kinds of people make up the audience and it is controlled by the NCAA. The “home crowd” is made up of transfers who choose to identify with the team (They can identify with 2 teams and attend their games), and “created people” like those in the chambers. The neutral and away crowds are done via a formula based upon attendance for the past 5 years, combined with how well a team is doing, again, made up of both kinds of people.

Oh, teams are back in their proper locations. No floods, famines, plagues in transfer land.

11/27/’31: 80-55 at #18 Syracuse. 6 in doubles, 48 RBs, 11 TOs. We really played well. Vern had 14, 15, 3, 2, Ad Flow 11,1 3.

Rod Kent sprained a toe. Out for about 10 days.

75-61 over New Mexico. 21, 19, 2, 2, 2 for Vern, and 6 others put up numbers. 43 RBs, but 14 TOs.

We drop to #3 in the polls? What did we do wrong? RPI is #8, maybe that’s it.

At 2-2 Gonzaga then finally home with #2 Marquette, 6-0.

12/4/’31: 65-50 at Gonzaga. 12, 14, 3 for Vern, 17, 5, 3 for Mike Dix, 8, 15 for Ad Flow, 14, 6, 2 for Shep King. 46 RBs.

77-62 in our home debut against #2 Marquette. 11, 19, 2, 2 for Ad Flow, 18, 6, 4 for Shep King. Rod Kent and Mike Stow played well from the bench. 47 RBs, 12 TOs.

Back to #1, RPI #1.

#6 Charlotte, 6-2 is here. Then 3 more on the road. 1st is #5 Villanova, 6-2.

The last days, or maybe the end times on Earth. It was really ugly. India nuked Pakistan. China nuked both Japan and Russia. Whoever had nukes pretty much used them. Wars, famine, thirst, radiation were everywhere. The race to transfer people ended with 2.5 billion transferred and sent into space, nowhere near our ship/city. 5.5 billion remained on an Earth that was pretty much out of resources to support them. More than 2 billion of those stayed against their will and evidence indicates that the religious fanatics who DID want to stay persecuted these people. The 5.5 billion died, horribly. If not all of them, then nearly so. Papa Joe estimates that perhaps 1-3 million survived, at least short term, but there is nothing for them. If they do indeed survive it will take generations, perhaps centuries for them to make life worth living.

It all happened very quickly, within days of the last module’s departure. All of our people either made it to the ship/city or transferred. Not one of our people missed this boat!

12/11/’31: 78-59 over #6 Charlotte here. 17, 11 for Vern, 18, 3, 2 for Briq, 13, 4, 5 for Mike Stow from the bench. 40 RBs, 14 TOs.

71-62 at #5 Villanova. 20, 3, 3, 3 for Shep, 13, 8 for Vern, 12, 5, 2, 2 for Briq, 7, 11, 2, 1, 2 for Mike Dix, 7, 4, 4, for Mike Stow.

We’re 10-0. 2 nine point games and all the others double digit wins.

At 3-5 UNLV, then at #7 Michigan, 6-2. We won by 19 at the Coaches Classic.

12/18/’31: 80-59 over UNLV. 17, 3, 3 for Shep, 14, 5, 2, 2 for Rod Kent. 10 TOs, 36 RBs.

72-64 at #7 Michigan. We led all the way but never by more than 15. 29, 7, 3, 3 for Shep King.

Home all week. First it’s 6-5 Penn, then #5 Arkansas, 8-1.

December 25: 76-53 at Penn. Teamwork, great D, really gfood bench play, 36 RBs, 5 TOs.

86- 68 over #5 Arkansas here. 23, 7 for Vern, 20 for Briq, good bench play, 31 RBs, 7 TOs.

At #22 Oregon, 7-4, to start conf. play.

At the end of pre-conf. play we’re 14-0, #1, RPI #1. +15 PPG, +13.1 RB per, +1.6 TOs but 12.6 is still too high.

All of us together for the holidays. It can’t be beat!

[Wayne23 14]

1/1/2032: 94-82 at #22 Oregon. 23, 4, 7, 7 for Shep, 18, 7, 2, 2 for Vern. 9 TOs. We have lots of weapons.

We host 5-8 Arizona ST, then travel to 5-8 Stanford.

1/8/’32: 82-64 over Ariz. ST. 18, 10, 2, 2 for Vern. 6 in doubles, 6 TOs.

70-71 at Stanford and the streak ends at 41. Back and forth all night. They got the ball last, with 10.3 left, and they worked the clock, took an 11 footer as the clock ran out, and it was good. 13 TOs, 41 RBs, 17, 12 for Vern, 15, 7 for Rod. They had 8 threes we had 3.

This week we’re at 4-10, 1-2 Oregon ST, then we host 2-12, 0-3 Cal.

1/15/’32: 78-35 at Oregon ST. Overpowering! 45 RBs.

70-51 over Cal. 15, 9 for Vern, 12, 8, 4, 2 for Mike Dix. 8 TOs, 38 RBs.

At 8-8, 2-3 Wash. ST, then home with 7-9, 2-3 Wash.

1/22/’32: 78-56 at Wash. ST.

83-53 over Wash.

2nd place in conf. behind Arizona who hasn’t lost, 7-0. We’re #1 in the country, TOs down to 11.8 per, +2.7. We’re overpowering people, +16.8 PPG, +12.7 RBs.

7-11, 4-3 Utah is here and then we go to 5-13, 1-6 USC.

1/29/’32: 94-65 over Utah. 20, 15, 3 for Vern. 8 TOs, 45 RBs.

81-56 at USC. 39 RBs, 11 TOs.

C Vern Blam is #3 on the Norton list. SG Shep King is #8, SF Mike Dix #25.

Some challenge this week. We start at home with 9-11, 3-6 but always dangerous UCLA, then visit 15-7, 8-1, Arizona, tied with us for 1st.

We don’t live on the ship/city in that we’re transferred and on a microchip but we have a lot of interaction with those who do.

Calling something that houses 625 people a city may be a bit of a stretch but it is a city in most ways. People live near each other, they have all of the conveniences and all of the hassles of a city, they live near their work, whether they are part of the ship’s crew, whether they grow food, work in recycle and reclamation, do scientific research, cook and/or serve in the dining halls- and so on.

Some of the residents have been on the ship/city since the first launch, 1/3/’29, a little more than 3 years ago. Others arrived 9 ½ months ago. Major, and I mean MAJOR adjustments have had to be made.
First, it’s here or it’s nowhere. They can’t send back to Earth for anything. They grow it, make it, find it, create it, or do without it. If a medical issue comes up, and they have, the medical folks here solve it or the patient lives with it or dies from it. They have all of the most up to date medical facilities, including but not limited to robotic surgery, stem cell technology, medications targeted to the individual’s own DNA…

If something was forgotten back on Earth it will never make it here; it’s gone forever.

These people are still in their own bodies and need to eat, sleep, eliminate wastes, exercise, do the work that needs to be done on the ship. Believe me, they have it a great deal tougher than we transfers do! There’s no going back for me but there’s also no way I would if I could.