Wayne23

Dysfunctional Dave McGee, a DDS:CB3 Dynasty

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January 1, 2023: 74-57 at Vandy. 23, 3, 2, 2 for Shea, 18, 2, 2 for Vin, 12, 6, 2, 2 for Don. 12 TOs. We’re giving Robb more time and taking a little from Joe Cass who isn’t playing the way we’d like him to. RBs are a problem and this won’t help that but we think we’ll score more points and have fewer TOs. We’ll see.

We end up 7-6 going into conf. play.

We start conf. play with a tough one at 10-3 Dartmouth. Then we host 7-6 Cornell, predicted to win the conf.

“If we can’t split for this week I’m gonna worry.”

And probably drink.

Jan. 8: 88-75 at Dartmouth. 22, 3, 3 for Shea who has really gotten it done for us. 16, 4 for Dom, 18, 3 for Greg Robb from the bench. 10 TOs.

58-49. with Cornell. 24, 7, 3, 2 for Dom, 14, 8, 2 for Shea. 10 TOs, 31 RBs, and great D.

“Yee ha!”

He really is just a big kid who never grew up. It’s his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

This week we’re at 3-12 Yale and then we host 8-7 Harvard.

Jan. 15: 61-62 at Yale. They took 31 foul shots, we took 13. They really neutralized our front line. Only Greg did anything at all. 19 for Hal. They won it making their last 6 free throws. We had to foul at that point, but several earlier calls just weren’t very good, and they cost us. Dave avoided a T because the game was too close, but he was chirping. 18 TOs didn’t help.

“D*mn! One tiny break is all we needed! Friggin’ refs!”

69-52 vs. Harvard. 15 TOs. We dominated this one, never trailed. A tremendous 39 and 8, 1, 4 for Dom. +5 RBs.

This week we host conf. leader Penn, 11-6, 4-0. Then we travel to 13-4, 2-2 Columbia. So it will be a challenging week.

Me an’ Brenda are doin’ okay again. I ain’t drinkin’.”

“Do you see a sort of pattern, Dave? I mean not just with Brenda, with all of your relationships.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Now frig off.”

One can but try.

Jan. 22: 72-73 vs. Penn. They won on a 24 foot buzzer beater. 12 TOs, 14, 2, 2 for Hal, 13, 5, 2 for Dom, 11, 5, 2 for Vin.

Greg Robb took a hard shot to the sternum. Out 10 days to 2 weeks. Dan Barr will get his minutes.

“Just what we friggin’ needed!”

54-55 at Columbia. This time a 26 footer beat us. 19, 6, 2 for Shea, 14, 3, 4, 5 for Dom. 17 TOs.

2 one point losses, 3 in conf. play. Dave was drunk for three nights in a row. Brenda dumped him, which means he’ll probably be drunk for a few more nights. He shows up at work sober and stays that way until he’s finished for the day. I’ve talked him into doing his drinking either at home or at my place most, but not all of the time. He can walk home from my house.

8-11, 1-5 Princeton and 11-8, 1-5 Dartmouth are here this week.

Jan. 29: 83-58 with Princeton. 21, 10, 2 for Dom, 13, 6, 2 for Shea, 16 for hal, 9, 7, 4 for Vin. 12, 5 for Hal. 11 TOs.

73-59. vs. Dartmouth. Led all the way. 23, 6, 3, 2 for Dom, 14, 4, 7, 2 for Vin.

Alone in 2nd, 3 back of Penn, 1 up on 3 teams, 6 to play, 4 of them on the road.

At 11-10, 4-4 Cornell, then we host 7-14, 4-4 Yale.

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Feb. 5: 76-70 at Cornell. 21 for Hal, 15 for Dom, 10, 8, 3 for Shea, 6, 10 for Joe. 13 TOs. Great road win.

58-52 vs. Yale. 16 for Shea, 12 for Hal. We didn’t play very well but we got the W.

At 11-12, 4-6 Harvard, then at #21 Penn, 17-6, 10-0.

Feb. 12: Tough week. 54-66 at Harvard. 18 TOs. 17, 3, 2 for Hal, 13, 7, 2 for Dom.

49-74 at Penn. 22 TOs.

We’re somehow still alone in 2nd place.

We end the season with 15-10, 4-8 Columbia here, then 11-14, 4-8 Princeton there. And then it’s the Bracket Breaker, 9-14, 5-7 Green Bay.

Feb. 19: 84-64 with Columbia. 34, 9, 2 for Shea. He was red hot. 10 TOs. This clinches 2nd place.

72-74 at Princeton.
17, 5, 2 for Dom, 14 for Hal. Another frustrating loss in a close game. Shea had the last shot and it rimmed out.

“We GOTTA learn ta win the close ones. D*mn!”

77-58 vs. Green Bay. 22, 4 for Dom, 16, 7, 2, 2 for Greg, 13, 3 for Shea. 11 TOs.

We finish 2nd but 6 behind Penn.

Mike May hurt his shoulder. Day to day.

We end the regular season at 16-12, 8-6, an improvement over last season. +4.4 PPG, -0.9 RBs, +0.8 TOs, +1.4 assists. RPI is 175 so win the tourney or we don’t go anywhere.

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March 3: Princeton just beat us by 2 there. Hopefully we can win on a neutral court.

62-56. 20, 3, 2, 2 for Dom, 15 for Hal, 10, 7, 2 for Vin. 13 TOs, 34 RBs. We played well.

It’s 17-12, 5-9 Columbia in the semis. We lost by 1 then won by 20. We need to win the inside game.

March 4: 84-72. 26 for Shea, 18, 4 for Dom, 12, 3, 6 for Hal, but 17 TOs, and only 23 RBs.

It’s #15 Penn, 24-6, 14-0 for the title. They beat us by 1, and then by 25 there. This is a tough game for us. We need to be really on, and we probably need to score about 75, which is a challenge for us.

March 5: 75-68! We were on fire in the first half, getting the lead as high as 27. It was 20 at the half and we battened down the hatches in the 2nd. 18, 6, 4 for Shea, 14, 14 for Dom but it was a team effort, 7 guys had 8 or more points. Oh, we got those 75 points I thought we needed! 17 TOs, but 39 RBs, our most all season.

“YEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAA! Best win since we got here, Red!”

And we’re going to the Big Dance, either a play in or a #16 most likely, but 1 win would give us a 20 win season.

March 12: Here we go.

#15 East. We play #2 Stanford, 28-3. Yikes!

“This ain’t gonna be pretty. I was actually hopin’ for one a them play ins where ya meet a #5 seed next. Oh well. We’ll give it our best.

March 16: 84-99. Great O, no D. 30, 5, 2 for Hal, 17, 3, 2 for Shea, 11 each for Vin and Greg, but it was a sprint and they were a whole lot faster.

“I’m proud a my guys. We only had 11 TOS and we never quit. We’re only losin’ Greg. Watch out next year!”

April 1: Dave has remained quiet but it sort of fits the pattern. After a relationship, except for the one with Lacy, he kind of withdraws until he meets someone new. He’s still a big, rugged, good looking guy so he will inevitably meet someone new.

April 4: #3 North Carolina won it all.

Awards: Dom Peck was Ivy League POY and 1st team. Shea Woll was Freshman OY and 1st team. Hal Hall also made 1st team.

April 9: Calls about jobs that are at MUCH higher ranking schools, but:


“I ain’t leavin’ Rhode Island!”

April 23: We ask for a facilities upgrade. Got it. Went from C+ to B+.

Team Prestige is now 13. We went 19-13, won the tourney. A good season and we have realistic hopes for a better one next year. Dave’s record is now 150-95, .612. Off-27, Def-43, Recruit-70, Scout-5, Payer Development-35, Reputation-23.

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June 5: Looking at transfers. Going after a good looking SF from Marquette.

Got him. Max May, #201 when he graduated. He’s a soph.

June 25: Dave stayed pretty quiet all spring. He spent a lot of his free afternoons and evenings with our kids, regularly stayed for dinner and played with the kids some more or helped them with homework. After the school year ended he took them to the park and things like that. After they went to bed he and I spent an hour or so working, then I would kick him out in order to have some alone time with Jean.

June 26: We have 2 scholarships and we want guards. Looking at 7 guards.

Aug. 21: We offer to 2 PGs.

Sept. 18: 9 on the road and only 4 at home pre-conf, so the schedule is challenging but not as much as it would be if we had more at home.

Sept. 25: We get Max Marx, PG, #103.

Oct. 2: first day of practice. I like this team, especially our freshman PG Mike Anda.

Oct. 9: We get the 2nd PG, Moe Daws.

Nov. 6: We have a lineup: The guards are frosh Mike Anda and senior Hal Hall, with junior Vin Will backing them up. We’re solid in the backcourt if we stay healthy. Junior Juco Jeff Jones will start at SF and play some PF. Juniors Dom Peck and Joe Cass will start inside, and our back ups for the bigs are soph Shea Wool who has a great chance of cracking the starting lineup if anyone falters, and frosh Jim Arms, who has a bright future with us.

We start the season at Portland, then it’s home with Indiana ST.

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Nov. 18: “A waitress?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing wrong with it, Dave. I’m just surprised.”

“Yeah, well, I been havin’ lunch at ‘The Chowder Bowl’ a couple times a week for- h*ll, for decades, really. May’s been there for a good five years, maybe six an’ we always got along. I never really thought about askin’ her out- she’s plenty good lookin’ but she always talked about her son so I figured she was married. Turns out she’s divorced. About a month ago I asked her what her husband did, and she said, ‘Well right now he’s doin’ time, and it’s ex-husband.’

“No idea why I’d never asked before. So somethin’ clicked in my head an’ I said, ‘Well, if you ain’t seein’ anyone I’d love ta take you ta dinner.’

“She said, ‘Jesus, Dave, I was beginnin’ ta think you’d never ask!”

“I laughed an’ said I had figured she was married. So anyways we went ta dinner a couple a times, an’ here an’ there, you know movies an’ stuff, an’ I met Jeffy- he’s 8. Him an’ me really hit it off so yeah, it’s going great.”

If there’s a way to get Dave, and maybe even to keep him, it’s by having a kid. This could work.

“Do you guys drink much?”

“Frig you, Red. We split a bottle a wine when we have dinner, an’ I have a couple beers- an’ I mean 2, not 12, when we’re at her house after Jeffy goes ta bed. I don’t drink when he’s up just like I don’t drink in front a your kids.”

Nov. 20: 70-53 at Portland. 21, 4, 5 for guard Mike Anda, 10, 8, 2 for Dom Peck, 8, 7 for Joe Cass, 12 for Shea Wool from the bench. 7 TOs, 33 RBs.

63-50 with Indiana ST here. This was a real team effort, 8 guys with 6-12 points. 10 RBs for Dom. 9 TOs, 32 RBs.

On the road this week. First is 1-1 Grand Canyon, then 1-0 Utah.

Nov. 27: 60-54 over Grand Canyon. 17, 4, 3 for Mike, 13, 4, 4 for Hal, 14 TOs.

71-76 at Utah. Missed free throws did us in, 18-29. 0-6 for Jeff Jones, 2-5 for mike, 4-8 for Hal.

“Losin’ cuz a free throws. I guess you know they’ll be shooin’ ‘em this week in practice!”

2 at home this week. SMU is 4-0, UNLV is 0-3.

Dec. 4: 78-55 vs. SMU here. Our guards went wild, 26, 7, 4 for Mike, 27, 5, 4 for Hal. Joe had 8, 9, 2.

74-61 with UNLV here. 20, 7, 3 for Dom, 12, 8, 4 for mike. 13 TOs, 36 RBs.

We’re 5-1 but our next 6 are away.

2-4 Green Bay, then 3-2 NC ST this week.

We met May and Jeffy. I’d met May since I go to “The Chowder Bowl” with Dave often, but I hadn’t really remembered her until I saw her at our house. She’s nice, if a little rough around the edges. She’s a great mom and Jeffy is a great kid. Dave adores him and Jeffy seems to reciprocate.

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Dec. 11: A good week! 58-54 at Green Bay. 18, 4, 4, 2 for Hal, 11, 8, 2 for Dom, 11, 4, 2 for Mike, 11 more for Shea. 9 TOsz, 33 RBs, great D.

68-59 at NC ST. 24, 9, 1, 3 for Dom, 22, 3, 2, 2 for Mike, 34 RBs.

At UMass Lowell, 3-4, then 2-5 Northwestern.

7-1. +10.0 PPG, +3.9 RBs, +2.0 TOs. Looking good!

We’re giving Jim Arms some of Joe Cass’ minutes.

Dec. 18: 64-56 at UMass Lowell
. 20, 11 for Dom, 17 for mike. 12 TOs.

50-55 at Northwestern. Dave hasn’t gotten many Ts over the past couple of years but three bad calls in a row late got him one in this game. I don’t want to say the refs beat us be we were mounting a strong comeback and those calls stopped it. 12, 7 for Dom.

This week we’re at 7-3 Texas Tech, then 4-3 Villanova. Dave would never admit it but I think he’d be happy with a split.

Dec. 25: We got the split, barely. 50-62 at Texas Tech. 17, 4, 2 for Mike but 6 TOs, 12, 1, 6, 3 for Hal. -15 on the boards did us in.

89-84 in OT at Villanova. 24, 4, 7 for Mike. Hal played only 20 before fouling out but Shea had 16, 3, 4 filling in, including a three at the end of regulation that sent it to OT.

The long road trip is over we end pre-conf. play here with UTEP, 3-7.

Dave, May and Jeffy spent a few hours with us on XMas. It was nice.

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January 1, 2024: 76-54 over UTEP here. Full house! 22, 8 for Dom, 16, 4, 2 for Jeff, 12, 5, 5, 2 for Hal. 10 TOs.

7-6 Dartmouth here, then 7-6 Princeton there to begin conf. play.

We end pre-conf. play 10 and 3, RPI #48.

Jan. 8: 82-64 with Dartmouth here
. 28, 5, 4, 2 for dom, 14, 8, 3 for Mike. 12 TOs.

63-82 at Princeton. 20, 6, 2, 2 for Dom, 16 for Hal, but we didn’t play good D.

At 8-7 Yale, then home with 4-11 Cornell.

Jan. 15: 53-62 at Yale. We were flat and didn’t move without the ball.

“D*mn, we gotta win on the road. Yale ain’t that good!”

74-59 with Cornell here. 28, 8, 2 for Dom, 20, 2, 5, 5 for Mike, 12, 4, 5 for Hal. Much better.

At 9-9 Columbia, then we host #15 Penn, 15-3, 4-0, and always tough.

Coach has really been focusing on the Columbia game. He wants a road win badly.

Jan. 22: 65-81 at Columbia. 18, 4, 3 for Dom, 17, 8, 3 for Mike but we were sleep walking for most of the game.

71-51. vs. Penn here. 14, 9 for Jeff, 12, 6, 2 for Dom, and 3 others in doubles. A great team effort.

“We beat the best the best friggin’ team in the league by 20 an’ lose to a also ran!”

2 on the road this week. Considering we have yet to win a road game in conf., that could be bad. First is 9-11, 3-3 Harvard, then 10-9, 3-3 Dartmouth.

We’re tied for 2nd, but with 4 other teams.

Things are still going great with Dave and May. Dave talks about Jeffy constantly. I think this may be more about Jeffy than May, which could only lead to trouble.

Jan. 29: 68-71 at Harvard. 21, 5 for Dom, 13 for Shea. We stayed close but behind most of the way and wasted several opportunities to tie or take the lead in the last few minutes.

59-66 at Dartmouth. 10, 13 for Dom, 16 for Mike, but we never got it closer than the final score.

“I got so friggin’ drunk I fell asleep at the wheel. Lucky I ran off the road and the bumps woke me up before I hit anything.”

Fortunately, he was alone in the car. Unfortunately he got drunk in public so there could well be some negative publicity.

2 at home this week and we need both of them. First is 11-10, 4-4 Princeton, then 10-11, 3-5 Yale.

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Feb. 5: 73-55 with Princeton. 25, 6, 3 for Shea Wool from the bench, 12, 8, 3 for Dom, 9, 9, 2 for Jeff. 40 RBs.

53-40 vs. Yale. 18 for Shea, who’s on fire. 10 TOs.

Dom Peck sprained his index finger on his left (shooting) hand. Out for 2-3 games. That’s going to hurt with only 4 to play and us in a 4 way tie for 3rd.

We need to win 3 of the last 4.
This week we’re at 9-14, 5-5 Cornell, then we host 13-11, 5-5 Columbia. 0-5 on the road in conf. It has to end now.

Feb. 12: 59-55 at Cornell. 20, 5 for Shea Wool, 12 RBs for Jim Arms. Both starting guards had major foul trouble but Wool and Vin Will filled in nicely. 12 TOs.

69-51 vs. Columbia here. 20, 9, 2, 3 for Joe Cass, 12 for Wool. 10 TOs.

Dom Peck is ready to return. We are finding more minutes for Shea Wool.

We close out conf. play this week. First we’re at #18 Penn, 19-7, 8-4. They’re only one ahead of us but the way we play on the road…

Then it’s home vs. 11-15, 5-7 Harvard. We’re tied for 2nd with Dartmouth.

Feb. 19: 58-73. at Penn. 17, 3, 2 for mike, 11, 5 for Dom, 7 TOs, 38 RBs, but they dominated. This loss cost us 2nd place.

80-61 vs. Harvard here. 22 for hal, 20 for Dom, 16, 5, 3 for Shea, 10, 3, 7, 3 for mike. 7 TOs.

We end the regular season tonight in the Bracket Breaker with 19-7, 10-5 Ohio, there.

Feb. 26: 52-67 at Ohio. This was a meaningless game and we played like it.

We end the regular season 18-10, 8-6. RPI #48. A decent run in the Ivy tourney should get us in the Big Dance.

#6 seed Cornell, 11-17, 6-8 in the quarter finals.

March 3: 71-57 vs. Cornell.
All 5 starters in double figures and good D. 19, 5, 4, 3 for Dom.

18-11, 9-5 Dartmouth, #2 seed, in the semis. We won by 18 then lost by 7.

March 4: 79-74
. 13 lead changes, 10 ties. 18, 5, 2 for Shea, 12 each for Hal and Joe, 10, 6 for Jim Arms.

16-14, 7-7, #5 seed Princeton upset #19 Penn. We split with them during the season.

March 5: 71-62 and the title.
23, 6, 4 for Shea, 12, 7, 2 for Dom, good guard play. 13 TOs, 34 RBs.

Jim Arms strained a knee. It isn’t serious. He may or may not be back for our first round game.

We’re in position to get a decent seeding, 21-10 RPI of 35.

Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

Not in the South. #12 in the West. We’ll play #5 seed, 17-12 Syracuse, ranked #24.
Dave and I are disappointed. We thought a #10, maybe even a #9. Syracuse is big, tough, and deep inside.

March 17: 72-83. 16, 8, 2 for Dom, 19 for Shea, 16 for Hal. 10 TOs. They were simply the better team, especially inside.

“No shame in losin’ this one.”

It was a good season.

“Sure would be nice ta get ta URI. I ain’t ever gonna feel at home here.

April 4: #25 ranked Tulsa won it all. Big win for all the little guys!

Awards: Dom Peck was Ivy POY and 1st team. Mike Anda was frosh OY and 1st team. Hal Hall made 2nd team.

April 9: No, URI job is not open.

April 23: We ask for a budget increase. No.

We finish 21-11, 8-6, RPI #35. After 10 years Dave is 171-106, .617. Off-30, Def-48, Recruit-70, Scout-5, Player Dev-39, Reputation 26. Team Prestige rises to 18.

Losing only Hal Hall so we’re looking forward to a great year.

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June 5: Ouch! 2 bigs transfer out, Jim Arms and Drew Brow. We expected Arms to play lots of minutes.

June 16: We get 2 SFs, Carl Mia from, Texas Tech, and Sid More from West Virginia.

June 26: 4 scholarships and we need 3 bigs.


Slim pickings, at least for now.

August 21: We offer to a big and a guard. We’re not that impressed with the bigs we’re looking at so we’ll take our time.

Sept. 18: We get a PG, Jam Main, #378.

7 road, 6 home in the pre-conf. schedule. We did what we could and we have 2 ranked teams away.


“May says I’m in love with Jeffy, but not with her.”

“Might be some truth in that.”

“You too! Yeah, I love the little guy but I want ta be with May. She’s great.”

“Pay attention to her as much as you do to Jeffy, Dave. You’ll lose her otherwise.”

“I told her we should have a kid together.”

“Was that your romantic little way of proposing?”

“That’s just what SHE said!”

Major eye roll on my part.

Got one big and lost one. We got Jim Late, PF, #171. Still chasing some bigs.

Oct. 2: We get another big, Ike Will, #66 PF.

I like our team, based on what I saw at today's first practice.

We’re picked first in the Ivy league.

Oct. 9: We got Jeb Lily, PF, #576. Doubtful that he’ll hit our SAT score but we like him enough to roll the dice.

Nov. 6: Here’s the lineup: Soph Mike Anda and junior Shea Wool start at guard, backed by frosh Matt James. Marquette transfer soph Max Marx starts at SF. Seniors Dom Peck and Joe Cass start inside with senior Jeff Jones supporting them. Vin Will and the others will battle for minutes.


We start with 2 on the road, first MS Valley ST, then Iona.

Dave says he hasn’t talked May into having that baby yet but they’re still talking.

“H*ll, I’m 45, if I’m gonna have kids it’s gotta be pretty soon.”

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Nov. 20: 78-51 at MS. Valley ST. 22, 2, 2 for Shea, 14, 2, 4, 2 for Mike, 13, 4, 4, 3, 2 for Max Marx. 12 TOs. We looked really good.

74-77 in OT at Iona. Mike and Shea both fouled out, Mike hardly playing at all (13 min.). Matt James filled in well, but in the end it wasn’t quite enough. 20, 6 for Dom, 16, 5 for Max, 11, 6 for Joe. We only committed one more foul than they did but it was who committed them.

Mike hurt his shoulder. Day to day.

Home with 1-1 American, then away at 1-1 Oklahoma, a really tough team.

Nov. 27: 81-56 vs. American. 25, 5, 7 for max Marx, 26, 2, 4 for Mike Anda, 12, 3, 5 for Shea Wool. 6 TOs.

68-88 at Oklahoma. We’re not ready for a team of this caliber. 15, 5, 2 for Dom, 14, 4 for Shea. +8 RBs, but they were simply better than us.

“I don’t get too worked up about this kinda game. Prob’ly shouldn’t a scheduled them but still, ya want your guys to see the kinda things real good teams can do.”

At another good team, 2-1 New Mexico, then at Milwaukee, 4-0. Challenging week!

Dec. 4: Great week! 67-62 at New Mexico. We were down 13 early, 9 at the half. We made some adjustments, mostly to get the ball inside, or inside then kick it back out. This is stuff we know how to do but reinforcing it worked. 20, 13, 3 for Dom, 13, 7, 6 for Shea. 17 TOs, but only 5 in the 2nd half. 40 RBs, 27 in the 2nd.

64-55 at Milwaukee. 18, 14 for Dom, 14, 8 for Max, 9 each for Mike and Jeff Jones.

5 of the next 7 are at home.

#7 Ohio, 8-0, is here followed by 3-3 Hawaii. Frankly, Ohio is good, but not that good.

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Dec. 11: 70-79 vs. Ohio here. 22, 3, 2, 3 for Dom, 12, 5, 6, 2 for Shea.

We didn’t play our game. The D was a step slow all night.

75-65 with Hawaii here. 19, 7, 2 for Max, 17, 9 for Dom, good work by the guards. 8 TOs, 35 RBs.

2-6 UMass Lowell is here, then we’re off to red hot Army, 6-0.

Dec. 18: 71-54 with UMass Lowell. 19, 8 for Dom, 8 TOs.

81-86 at Army. The zebras called a ridiculous 52 fouls. The game was a parade to the foul line. The fans were booing all of the calls by the second half, no matter which team. It didn’t hurt us a lot more than them but the game had absolutely no flow.

Dom Peck hurt his hand. Not serious, day to day.

8-2 Oregon ST here, then 6-5 UNLV there.

Dec. 21: I got a call at 2:40 a.m. I figured it was Dave, but:

“Mr. O’Connor, this is Sgt. Flaherty, at the barracks in Providence. We’re holding Coach McGee on a DUI.”

D*mn!

“Yes, I see. Can I bail him out?”

“That’s why I’m calling, sir. He’s been sleeping it off for an hour or so. Might not be a bad idea to let him sleep for another hour, then pick him up.”

We discussed bail and I hung up and told Jean what was going on.

“Will they fire him?”

“I’m guessing a suspension. It’s an embarrassment to the university but the policeman said he wasn’t all that much over the legal limit. He was driving erratically and a young officer pulled him over. The
Sgt. didn’t say so but it sounded like he wished he could hush it up but the young cop was a hard a$$. Oh well, it’s long overdue.”

“Yes it is.”

It was 4:15 by the time Dave and I were walking out of the station. As always he wasn’t sick and didn’t have a hangover, but he was plenty miserable.

“What am I gonna do, Red?”

“We’ll call Ed Bradley (Ed was a classmate who went on to become maybe the best defense attorney in R.I.). He’ll tell us how to deal with this.”

We reached Ed at a little after 9:00 a.m. He told us to come right over. After we were finished talking, the plan was to go to the A. D., “Ticky” Rumsfield, and tell him that Dave was taking a voluntary leave of absence for two weeks. Ed figured the university wouldn’t settle for that but it was a show of good faith.

Before we got to Ticky’s office the university President called us and when we got to his office, with Ed, the Prez said a two week suspension without pay, and enrollment in A. A. Dave had always resisted A. A. but he didn’t have a choice. I would run the team until his return.

"Jesus, I've drove worse than that 100 times."

"You shouldn't, Dave, it's plain stupid. Sooner or later you'll kill yourself, and even worse, some innocent person. I see it in my business all the time. Red's too d*mn nice to kick your a$$ but I'm telling you, I don;t give a d*mn how much you drink but don't friggin' drive afterward."

Dave looked like a guilty puppy caught peeing on the rug.

Dec. 25: 84-75 over Oregon ST here. It felt strange to be coachin g the game but things went well. 24, 5, 5, 3 for Dom, 18, 4, 2 for Shea, 14 for Joe, 5 TOs.

58-68 at UNLV. The road got us again. 16 for Shea, 12, 8, 2 for Max, but we were standing around on offense. Dave, of course, did not travel with the team, nor is he allowed on campus during the suspension.

A one game week coming up, 5-5 Penn St. here.

XMas was pretty bleak. Dave, May, and Jeffy came over, and Dave tried to be cheerful with the three kids, but the sadness was obvious. May really made it clear that she was standing by him.

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Jan. 1: 69-54 vs. Penn. ST. 14, 14, 4 for Dom, 17, 5 for Max. 3 TOs, 37 RBs. My career as a head coach stops at 2-1. Not bad! I have to admit it’s fun sitting in the big chair, but I’m also ready to let
Dave take over.

8-5 at the end of pre-conf. play, RPI is 32.

Dave apologized to the team at the beginning of his first practice and then it was all business. He was a little less stormy though.

We open conf. play at 7-7 Yale, then we host 9-4 Dartmouth.

Jan. 8: 64-74 at Yale. 22 for Max, 16 for Shea, but again we stood around, and our guards didn’t find the open man when there was one. We were -8 on the boards.

69-63 with Dartmouth here. 16, 9, 2, 3 for Dom, 16, 5, 3 for Mike, 13, 8 for joe, 11 for Matt James from the bench. 12 TOs, 31 RBs.

Shea banged his knee. Day to day.

At 7-8, 0-2 Cornell, then home with 5-10, 1-1 Harvard.

“6-1 at home, 3-4 on the friggin’ road!”

“The road is hard, Dave. Even top teams have trouble.”

“Yeah, but I’m talkin’ about teams we should beat.”

“But-” No, I need to remember that sometimes Dave is just venting, and I’m the guy he vents to. May and Dave seem to be doing well; he is really leaning on her and I think this makes her feel closer to him. He HATES A. A. and would quit in a minute if he had a choice but Ed Bradley says he has to keep going until the court date, in two weeks.

Jan. 15: Great week. 66-47 at Cornell. 14 each for Shea and Mike. Mike had 7 assists. 8 TOs, 34 RBs.

68-38 vs. Harvard. 17, 3, 4 for Mike, 12, 6, 2, 2 for Joe. 10 TOs, 39 RBs.

We are tied for the lead with 10-7, 3-1 Penn, and 12-7, 3-1 Princeton, both of whom we play away this week.

Dave is depressed. He’s not talking a lot but it shows. I’ve been reading up on A. A. and alcoholism in general and this is pretty common. A. A. tries to treat this at their meetings and through the sponsor relationship. Dave isn’t an easy guy to deal with though. He says his sponsor is an a$$h*le, but that’s Dave fighting the system.

Jan. 22: 72-66 at Penn. Big win! 18, 12 for Dom, 10, 6 for Max, 11, 8 for Joe, 11, 3, 3 for Matt James. 12 TOs, 38 RBs.

70-82 at Princeton. 12 each for Dom, Joe and Max, 11 for Shea and Matt, but we didn’t rebound, -7, and we were soft on D.

Home all week, first with 15-4, 4-2 Columbia, tied with us in 2nd place, then it’s 9-11, 2-4 Yale.

Jan. 29: 86-76 vs. Columbia. 6 in double figures and an offense that kept it moving and found the open man. 11 TOs, 31 RBs.

72-50 with Yale. 19, 3, 4, 4 for Mike, 14 for Shea, 12, 10 for Jeff Jones and 12 more for Matt James, so the bench really stepped up. 11 TOs, 32 RBs.

The recruit we thought might not hit the SAT score didn’t. We’ve offered to another big guy.

Jeff Jones hurt his shoulder. Day to day.

We’re tied with Princeton for the conf. lead, and our RPI is 16. 14-7, 6-2.


At 14-7, 5-3 Dartmouth, then home with 7-14, 0-8 Cornell.

Dave is still quiet.

“Nothing wrong with me that a couple of beers won’t fix.”

He said it as though he were joking but…

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Feb. 3: Dave went to court this morning. I was there, of course. The judge gave him a long lecture that concluded with:

“Six months. Sentence suspended contingent upon the defendant remaining sober, and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice weekly whether at home or traveling. Mr. McGee, you should consider yourself fortunate. I am not normally this lenient with those who violate a public trust, particularly when they work with young people. I hope, for your sake, that you never appear in my court again.”

It will be a long six months. I saw Ed Bradley grab Dave’s arm tightly during the last part of the judge’s speech. The last thing he needed was a verbal explosion in court, and

Ed knows Dave is capable of such. He had warned him in advance, but still.

Feb. 5: 76-72 at Dartmouth. We took an early lead and hung on. It went back and forth a little in the second but we were ahead most of the time. 19, 7, 2 for Dom, 15, 6 for Shea. 13 TOs, 34 RBs.

61-46 vs. Cornell. Great D and a team effort on O. 7 guys had between 6 and 12 points. 11 TOs.

We’re alone in 1st, 1 up on Princeton, 2 on Columbia, 3 or more on the rest with 4 to play.

This week we’re at 9-14, 5-5 Harvard, and then 12-11, 5-5 Penn, who have really been slumping, come to us.

Feb. 12: 75-60 at Harvard. 22, 6, 2, 2 for max, 23, 3 for Shea, 12, 12, 3 for Dom. 19 TOs though, one of worst totals of the season.

77-56 vs. Penn here. 17, 9 for Dom, 16, 3 for Shea, and lots of help from 5 others.

18-7, 10-2, RPI #10, alone in 1st with 2 to play.

2nd place Princeton, 18-9, 9-3 is here, then it’s off to 3rd place Columbia, 19-6, 8-4.

Feb. 19: 91-71 with Princeton. 27, 1, 3, 4 for Shea, 17, 9, 4, 2 for Dom, all 5 starters in double figures. 9 TOs. This one clinched the regular season title.

81-79 in OT at Columbia
. 6 in double figures, 11 RBs for Dom, 9 for Joe. 7 TOs, 38 RBs. We played really well after going down by 14 early, but they hung with us, refusing to fold.

Ranked! #25, RPI #7. 20-7, 12-2 at the end of the regular season.

Tonight it’s the Bracket Breaker with 19-6, 11-3 La. Tech.

Feb. 26: 61-53 over La. Tech here. 19, 13 for Dom, 14, 4, 4, 2 for Shea, 13, 3, 3 for Mike.

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March 2: We play #8 seed Cornell, 9-18, 2-12 in the quarter final round.

March 3: 65-46.
16, 5, 4, 4 for Dom, 13, 9 for Max. Great bench play- 13, 5 for Matt James, 10, 3 for Jeff Jones. 10 TOs, 33 RBs.

It’s #5 seed Penn, 15-14, 7-7 in the semis.

March 4: 60-53
. They got out really quickly and built a 14 point lead. We cut it to 3 by halftime. 15, 5, 2, 2 for Max, 13, 9, 2, 2 for Dom.

It’s #6 seed Dartmouth for the title. They’re 17-13, 6-8 but hot right now.

March 5: 78-68 over Dartmouth. Champs again! 15 each for Dom and Shea, 14 for matt. We never trailed. We should get a really good seed in the tourney, 24-7, 12-2, regular season and tourney champs, Ranked #21, RPI #4.

March 12: Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

#6 South. We play #11 OK ST, 20-9. Disappointing.


March 17: 80-71 over Ok St. 21, 4 for Max, 18, 4 for Dom, 12, 7, 6 for Mike, 11, 5 for Jeff Jones. 10 TOs, 36 RBs.

#3 seed, #18 ranked Maryland, 25-6, in the 2nd round.

65-85 to MD. They’re tough, esp. inside. -20 on the boards did us in.

We’re losing 4 guys to graduation, Dom, Joe, Jeff Jones and Vin Will.

“D*mn it! Can I just once get past the 1st and 2nd round!”

Dave is generally subdued. He’s on probation through July 3, and that seems like forever, I’m sure. May is still solidly in his corner, and Dave is happiest when he’s with her and with Jeffy and/or our kids, but “happy” is not the way to describe him most of the time.

It’s not that we don’t work hard during the off season, we probably work as hard, or almost as hard, but it’s different. There are a lot of meetings, phone calls, breaking down game tapes, planning ahead, recruiting stuff- details, all details, and nothing scheduled. As tough as Dave is he is at his best around people and there’s less of that during the off season. This will be a real test.

April 4: #10 Utah won it all.

Awards: Dave got Ivy League COY, pretty amazing in a year when he got a DUI and a two week suspension, but honestly, he did a great job. Senior Dom Peck, along with junior Shea Wool and soph Max Marx made 1st team.

April 9: Same old story regarding jobs. Dave plans to stay here until the URI job opens up.

April 23: We ask for a budget increase. We get $8,500.

We finished 25-8, 2nd round of the NCAA tour
nament, won both regular season and Ivy tourney. Dave is at 196-114, .632, Off-33, Def, 53, Recruit-70, Scout-5, Player Development- 43, Reputation-30, Team Prestige 19.

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June 12: We get two transfers, a PG, Dan Black from ST. Louis U., and a C from Florida, Tod Tong.

June 26: Only one scholarship. We want a PG. Looking at 7.

July 4: Dave, May, and Jeffy were over for a little holiday barbecue, and to celebrate the end of Dave’s probation. No one talked about that but May seemed extra clingy, knowing that Dave would undoubtedly leave A. A. now that he didn’t have to attend.

We’re down to 5 recruits but several are showing interest.

Aug. 21: We decide to wait until 9/4 to offer.

Sept. 4: We offer.

Sept. 7: “Hello, my bes’ frien’ inna whole worl’, Red on the head O’Connor!”

“Been a long time since I got a 2:30 a.m. phone call, Dave. Where are you?”

“Home. Never lef’ the house tonight.”

“Call me crazy but I’m guessing you’ve been drinking.”

“At’s righ’ ol’ buddy, I been drinkin’. Feels mighty friggin’ good too! Maybe I’ll jus’ do a little more of it. I forgot how good it felt.”

He roared with laughter and hung up.

Sept. 18: We put together a pretty tough road schedule.

Sept. 25: Ty Kane, PG, #265 commits. His GPA is 3.9 so we should be finished with recruiting.

Oct. 2: Practices started today.

We’re picked 1st, with Columbia 2nd, then Penn and Princeton.

Nov. 6: Our starting guards are senior Shea Wool and junior Mike Anda, with soph Matt Jam and frosh Jack Mile backing up. Soph Carl Mia, a transfer from Texas Tech, starts at SF. Junior Max Marx, and soph transfer from Marquette, Sid More start inside. Junior Juco Al Ward backs up the big guys.


We’ll start the season here with Sam Franklin, then travel to Albany.

Dave is drinking, but less than before, and at home. May is hanging in there but she doesn’t look happy.

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Nov. 20: 72-55 vs. Sam Franklin. 31, 7 for Shea, 6 TOs.

70-66 at Albany. 20, 2, 4 for mike, 18, 5, 2, 2 for Carl Mia, 12, 8 for Max Marx. 10 TOs.

We played well this week but could have rebounded better.

At 1-1 Illinois and 1-1 Creighton.

Nov. 27: 66-63 at Illinois. 22 for Shea, 7 TOs.

62-74 at Creighton. 19, 7 for Carl, 14 for Mike, 12 for Shea. 18 TOs did the damage.

Penn ST, 3-1, is here, then we go to 2-1 Georgetown.

Dec. 4: 69-38 with Penn ST. 28, 10 for Carl, 16, 4, 4, 2 for Shea, 7 TOs, 36 RBs.

51-60 at Georgetown. 12, 9 for Max, 10, 6 for both Shea and Carl, but 17 TOs, and too many rushed shots because guys didn’t get open.

At 5-1 La. Tech, then we host 2-4 Nebraska.

Dave seems to go a week or so sober, then he drinks for 2-3 nights. He’s drinking at home, and in the hotel, usually in his room, on the road. I really can’t say that it affects his work. He never seems to get a hangover, and he never drinks until the day’s work is done.

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Dec. 10: “Red, I need a favor.”

“Dave, it’s 1:30 in the morning.”

“I know, I know, but listen.”

“Okay. What do you need.”

“The Providence cops have got Jim Late and Ben Coff on a possession charge. I can’t bail ‘em out because I been drinkin’.”

“I’m on it.”

Dave told me the details and I bailed the guys out. I drove them to their apartment and told them the consequences would come tomorrow at practice and that they should get some sleep. There’s no point on talking to anyone when they’re drunk or high so I didn’t.

Next day Dave suspended them both for two weeks and told the team that the next guy it happened to would be gone. No excuses, no exceptions.

Dec. 11: 62-71 at La. Tech. 14, 6, 2, 3 for Carl. Only 21 RBs. Not our best night.

“How the frig do ya lose ta La. Tech! Ya let ‘em shoot 57.8%, that’s how. Jesus, it’s embarrassin’!”

76-53 over Nebraska here. 18, 2, 7, 2 for Mike, 17, 3, 3 for Shea, 21 for Carl. 10 TOs.

Dave is more and more frustrated by our road woes, which is understandable, 3-0 at home, 2-3 on the road.

This week we’re at 3-5 UMass Lowell, and then at #15 Arizona, 7-2.

Dec. 18: 65-63 at Umass Lowell. We dodged a bullet. Carl had 22, 4, 1, 3 including a three at the buzzer for the win. 12, 3, 9 for Mike. 13 TOs, but only 23 RBs.

53-67 at #15 Arizona. 21, 9 for Carl but no one else did much. Admittedly, Arizona was a the better team.

“It don’t bother me that much ta lose this one. The guys played hard but they was out manned.”

We’re 6-4, RPI #30. This week we’re at 4-3 No. Carolina ST, then at home with 4-5 Western Michigan.

Dec. 25: 83-75 at No. Car. ST. A good win against a team from a power conf. 26, 3, 4, 2 for Shea, 16, 3, 4, 2 for Max, 17, 3 for Carl, 12, 2, 6 for Mike. 12 TOs and good offensive movement.

71-48. vs. W. Mich. Great guard play, and 11 TOs.

4-5 Chattanooga, here, this week, to end pre-conf. play.

Dave, May, and Jeffy were here for the holiday. We all had dinner together and the kids opened more presents- Bobby and Snady from Dave and May, Jeffy from Jean and me. It was a nice day.

Jean told me that May had confided in her the other day in a long “lunch date.”

“She really loves him, Red, but she’s afraid of what it will be like for Jeffy if he crashes and burns. She’s torn between marrying him and dumping him.”

“It can’t be easy. Dave’s never shown any real desire to get his drinking under control long term.”

“Red, the only way for him to do that is to stop drinking- completely and permanently.”

“I’d love to see that happen but I doubt it will any time soon.”

“That’s what May thinks, too. She says it’s the only subject they can’t talk about. Dave just shuts down when she tries.”

“Has she told him about her conflict.”

“More or less. He knows she’s uncertain.”

“Well, it’s up to him then.”

“I think one more arrest or ugly incident and she’ll be gone.”

And I’ll be left to pick up the pieces.

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January 1, 2026: 69-48 with Chattanooga here. 17 each for Carl and Mike, 13 for Shea. 12 TOs.

We end the pre-conf. season 9-4, RPI #33.

(Author’s note: My teams are always strong inside. This season I have a guard oriented team. It’s interesting to see the differences. I’m thinking of switching to “Favor Outside” to see what happens. Thoughts?)


This week we open conf. play at home with 9-4 Columbia, then we travel to #6 Penn, 13-2. Tough week!

Jan. 8: 78-61 with Columbia here. Great 2nd half. All 5 starters in double figures, led by Carl with 22.

62-61 at Penn. Huge win. 16 lead changes, 7 ties. 13, 5, 2 for Shea, 11 each for Mike and Carl, 10 RBs for Sid More at C, who made the final shot, a contested 6 footer.

This week it’s 8-7 Princeton at home, and 5-10 Yale there.

Jan. 15: 62-46 vs. Princeton. We were in control all the way and we played everybody. 13, 9, 2, 2 for Sid, 14, 6 for Carl, 16, 4 for Shea. 6 TOs, 32 RBs.

77-60 at Yale. 29 for Shea, 12, 5, 2, 3 for Carl, 11, 7 for Max. 10 TOs.

Dartmouth, 9-8, 3-1, here, then at 7-10, 2-2 Cornell.

We’re playing really well right now.

Jan. 22: 87-63 vs. Dartmouth. 25, 8, 4, 3 for Carl, 19 for Shea, 10 each for subs Jack Mile and Al Ward, who had 7 RBs. 9 TOs, 34 RBs.

49-57 at Cornell. We shot 27%. We couldn’t get a shot to drop. The D was fine but you need to score points.

We’re still alone in 1st, 1 up on Dartmouth.

7-12, 2-4 Harvard is here, then we’re at 12-7, 3-3 Columbia.

Jan. 29: 63-45 vs. Harvard. 16, 4, 3 for Carl, 14, 3, 7 for Mike but this was about D.

51-60 at Columbia. Another poor shooting night, 31.3%. 17, 4 for Carl, 12 RBs for Sid, but you need to score.

We’re 15-6, 6-2, 1 game up on 3 teams.

This week #13 Penn, 18-5, 5-3 is here, then we go to 11-10, 5-3 Princeton.

“We’re engaged.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. May said she loves me, an’ Jeffy does too, so why not.”

I guess May made up her mind. When I got home Jean said that May had called and said she expected there would be occasional problems around Dave’s drinking but as long as it was never a problem around Jeffy, and it never has been, she could deal with it.

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Feb. 5: 83-75 with #13 Penn. All 5 in doubles, good play from the subs, 35 RBs.

82-67 at Princeton. 20, 4 for Carl, 15, 3 for Shea, 12 TOs, 31 RBs.

2 up with 4 to play.

8-15, 3-7 Yale is here, and we’re at 11-12, 5-5 Dartmouth.

Feb. 12: 80-53 vs. Yale. 25, 3, 3 for Carl, 16, 2, 4 for Mike, 15 for Shea.

This one clinched the regular season title.

Sub guard Jack Mile strained a calf. Out for 2 weeks. Matt Jam will get his minutes.


78-74 in OT at Dartmouth. 25, 13 for Carl, 17, 5, 3 for Shea, 45 RBs, our best since I got to Brown. Carl hit a three at the end of regulation, and two in OT.

11-14, 6-6 Cornell beat us at their place. Then we go to 8-17, 3-9 Harvard. We’d like to finish strong.

Feb. 19: 74-57 vs. Cornell. 17, 10 for Carl, all 5 in doubles. 9 TOs.

66-68 at Harvard. 22 lead changes, 9 ties. They hit a 35 footer for the win, but we should not have put ourselves in that position. We were the better team but didn’t play like it.

Bracket Breaker is a rematch with 18-7, 9-5 La. Tech, here. They won by 9, there.

Feb. 26: 60-42. Over La. Tech. 19, 4, 2 for Mike, 14 RBs for Sid. 11 TOs, 38 RBs.

We play Harvard in the quarter finals. Believe me Dave is making sure our guys don’t forget they beat us by 2 last week.

Dave hasn’t been drinking lately. I don’t think he’s been drinking at all. He wants to convince May that they should have a child and I guess that’s part of the strategy. Of course things are going well for the team. That’s always a factor.

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March 3: vs. Harvard. 57-60. Nothing less than shocking. We never led. We got 15 in the first half. We spent the 2nd half trying to get back in it but the final margin was as close as we got.

After the game Dave said the following to the team, “Practice is at 6:00 tomorrow.” Then he walked out. I didn’t hear from him but it is a very good bet that he got drunk.

March 12: The 1st round loss is bound to hurt us. RPI is #35.

Not in the East.

Not in the Midwest.

Not in the South.

Not in the West. We are absolutely shocked. RPI #35, 21-8, 11-3, won the regular season. Stunning. We are #1 seed in the West in the NIT.


“Boys, the only way ta show the NCAA how full a sh*t they are is ta win this whole thing. Let’s do it!”

We play #8 seed Mercer, 19-11 in the Southern Conf.

March 14: 78-61 over Mercer. 17, 9, 4 for Sid, 18, 4, 3, 3 for Mike, 16, 8, 5, 4 for Carl. 11 TOs, 31 RBs.

Next is 22-9 Army.

March 16: 79-56 over Army. 21, 5, 3 for Shea, 17, 9 for Carl, 5 TOs, 34 RBs. Our guys are PUMPED! Dave is a good motivator and he’s really doing a great job of using the selection committee to motivate these guys.

17-14 FL ST is next, a good team from a power conf.

March 21: 76-61 vs. FL ST. 30, 10 for Carl, 23 for Shea. Our guys are really focused.

It’s 20-11, 11-5 Minnesota in the semifinal.

March 28: 82-54 over Minn in the semis! 23, 4, 4 for Shea, 20, 4, 3 for Carl, 12, 6, 10 for Mike. 8 TOs, 35 RBs. We are just marching through the NIT. One to go.

The title game is with 22-12, 11-5 Rice, from Conf. USA. We think we’re stronger inside and about as strong outside. Their games have been close in the tourney so far. One more time! The sportswriters and broadcasters are calling this the healthy game, the Brown Rice game, all sorts of jokes, but it is increasing the visibility so probably lots more people will watch.

March 30: 68-40 over Rice for the title! We were unbelievable in this tourney, never close to being challenged. 15, 4, 2 for Carl, who was tourney MOP, 10, 9, 3 for Sid, 13, 4 for Mike. All three made the
NIT all star team. 10 TOs.


Al Ward hurt his back but he has a long time to recover!

“I ain’t never been prouder of a team. Not just cuz ya won, but because ya took the challenge and you showed absolute determination. Closest game was 15 points and ya never trailed in the tourney after the first 3 minutes. For the rest a yer lives ya get ta call yerselves NIT CHAMPIONS!!!”

You can imagine the reception that got!

At the postgame press conference Dave said, “I’d like ta thank the NCAA selection committee fer bein’ clueless enough to not select us. Their total disrespect of us made this championship possible. They never left out a team with an RPI of 35 before. Maybe they oughta think about that- assuming they got the equipment.” That got a huge hand too, but it will probably hurt him in the long run.

Jean and the kids, and May and Jeffy were at the final four. The celebration was ice cream sundaes all around.

“I don’t even WANT a drink!”

I never saw a bigger smile on May’s face.

April 4: #1 in the country KY won it all.

Awards: Max Marx is Ivy Defensive POY. Shea Wool and Carl Mia made 1st team. Mike Anda and Max made 2nd team.

April 9: We’re coming back for another year. The only player we’re losing is Shea Wool.

April 23: We ask for a budget increase. We get $9,000.

We finish with our most wins ever, 26-8, 11-3, NIT champs! Team prestige 20. Dave is 222-122, .645. Off-36, Def-58, Recruit-70, Scout-6, Player Dev.-47, Reputation-33.
A great season!


April 29: Dave and May got married last night. It was small, their family and ours, in front of our fireplace.

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

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

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


“She’s pregnant.”

“That’s great news!”

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

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

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

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

We put together a fairly strong schedule.

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


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

We’re picked 1st in conf.


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

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

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

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Nov. 20: 82-68 at New Orleans. 15, 12, 2 for transfer Todd Tong, who looks like the real thing. 13, 5, 4, 4 for Carl Mia and 19, 2, 3, 3 for Mike Anda. 11 TOs and a great start.

60-50 over Nome here. 17, 6, 4, 3 for Carl, 16, 7 for Mike, 12, 8, 2 for Todd. 10 TOs.

This week we start a 5 game road trip at 1-1 DePaul, followed by 1-2 Colorado.

Nov. 23: May lost the baby. Dave is as down as I’ve ever seen him.

“Why? I can’t believe this happened again…”

May is okay, and the docs say there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to have a baby but Dave is just completely down. He hasn’t had a drink… yet, probably because he spends just about all of his time with May or watching Jeffy.

Nov. 27: 50-72 at DePaul. 15, 12 for Todd, 15, 3 for Mike. We are getting nothing at the SG and PF spots, and not much from the bench. We shot 25.8% and didn’t play enough D tonight. DePaul was really on fire though.

68-52 at Colorado. Back on track. 22, 8, 3 for Todd, 15, 5, 2, 2 for Carl. But 20 TOs.

At 3-1 Iowa, #20 ranked, then at 1-2 UNLV.

We’re going to start Dan Black for Jack Mile at SG. Jack simply isn’t giving us much.

Dave is still down, way down, and as far as I know, still not drinking.

Dec. 4: 67-53 at #20 Iowa. We played really well, never trailing after the first few minutes. 15, 9, 2 for Todd, 16 for mike, 12, 3, 4 for Dan Black in his first start. 43 RBs!.

72-61 at UNLV in double OT. We won the 2nd OT 13-2 after a game that had had 24 lead changes and 22 ties. 25, 6, 4, 2 for Mike, 20, 6 for Carl, 11, 15 for Todd. 23 TOs but they had 20. 48 RBs (+12).

5-1. Considering that 5 of the 6 have been on the road we’re pretty happy!

This week we end the 5 game trip at 3-3 La. Tech, then host Arkansas, 3-2.

“I don’t know, Red. It just seems like the world is out ta get me. May and I were really looking forward ta this baby. It just took the wind outta my sails when we losat it.”

“How is May doing?”

“She had two miscarriages before Jeffy was born. She’s fine. She says just try again. It’ll happen sooner or later.”

“Well?”

“Red, I don’t know how much more heartache I can stand.”

“That’s b*llsh*t, Dave. Suck it up. Life’s been tough on you, I’ll be the first to say that, but May is young and healthy. For Chrissake just work on getting her pregnant again. It’s not Margie. Margie’s miscarriage meant she could never have kids, and that did her in. It’s not like that with May. There’s nothing in the world you want more than a kid of your own. Go for it.”

“J*sus, you never talked ta me like that.”

“Just trying to wake you up.”

“Maybe you did.”

Dec. 11: 70-62 at La. Tech. 19, 3 for Dan Black, 14, 3, 2 for Mike, 9, 8 for Todd, who played only 21 min. before fouling out.

84-44 vs. Arkansas. Surprisingly easy considering that they are from a power conf. 28, 8 for Todd, 17, 5 for Carl, 10, 8, 3 for Dan. 7 TOs, 35 RBs.

4-4 UMass Lowell is here, then we’re at 2-4 Georgia.

Dec. 18: 79-59 with Umass Lowell. 19, 10, 2 for Todd, 16, 6, 2 for Mike, 12 each for Max and Dan.

68-48 at Georgia. 28, 9, 2, 2 for Carl, 12, 11 2 for Todd.

Three more at home before Ivy League play starts. We’re 9-1 and exceeding all expectations.

This week we host tough FL ST, 5-2, then 4-5 So. Miss.

Dec. 18: 78-70 with FL ST. 23, 5 for Carl, 13, 6 for Mike. 8 TOs. This was a battle. The bench came up big, 25, 13, 7.

71-35 vs. So. Miss. 38-12 at the half. 9 guys contributed. 12 TOs, 37 RBs.

We finish the pre-conf. season here with 7-4 Purdue. This won’t be an easy game.

Dave, May and Jeffy joined us for XMas again. Everyone had a good time except Dave. He tried, especially with the kids.

Jean said that May feels like she’s losing Dave. He is very distant. He’s been doing a lot of ref baiting too. There’s no need, we’re winning, and the refs aren’t really after us, but every call that goes the other way gets a comment.

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January 1, 2027: 81-85 to Purdue. Giving up 17 threes did us in. It was a shootout and we were outshot. Dave got a T.

11-2 for the pre-conf. portion of the season. RPI #23.

We start conf. play here with 5-8 Cornell, then travel to always tough #8 Penn, 11-3.

Jan. 8: 70-61 vs. Cornell. +6 TOs, +4 RBs. Their PG went off on nus for 32 but good teamwork shut everyone else down. 15, 6 for Carl, 13, 6 for Todd, 11, 2, 4, 2 for Dan.

63-68 at Penn. Close all the way. 41 RBs (+12) helped, but 17 TOs (-6) hurt. 17, 7 for Carl, 12, 15, 3 for Todd, 13, 5, 3 for Max. They had 16 threes and their bench outplayed ours.

At 6-9 Yale, then home with 11-5 Princeton.

Dave has been rough on the players lately. He’s never exactly gentle but his personal funk is causing him to be rougher than he needs to be. I try to calm the waters but it isn’t always easy, especially with players who are either volatile or sensitive to criticism.

Jan. 15: 60-56 at Yale. Tougher than it should have been and a late T by Dave didn’t help. 17, 6, 3, 2 for Carl, 19, 2, 4, 2 for Mike. 9 TOs.

79-68 vs. Princeton. Closer than the final score indicates, that was our biggest lead. 16, 4 for Max, 13, 8, 4, 2, 2 for Todd, good games by the guards.

At 8-9 Dartmouth, then home with 11-6 Columbia.

Ranked! #25.

Jan. 22: 82-73 at Dartmouth.
22, 6 for Carl, and 6 others had between 7 and 12. Matt Jam just got more minutes, mostly from Jack Mile, and he responded with 12 and 7. Great team effort.

92-57 with Columbia. A real blow out. 20 each for Carl and Mike, 12, 6, 4, 4, 2 for Todd, good play by 8 guys. 11 TOs.

On the road all week, first at 9-10, 1-5 Harvard, then at 8-11, 3-3 Cornell.

Jan. 29: 71-53 at Harvard. Never trailed. 15, 13, 2, 2 for Todd, 16, 3, 4 for Mike, 13, 5, 3 for Max. Both Carl, and Al Ward also put up numbers. 37 RBs.

73-58 at Cornell. 14, 7 for Todd, 13, 5 for Carl. 13 for Sid More from the bench. 10 TOs.

This week we host #8 Penn, 18-4, 7-1, the only team to beat us in conf. so far. Then it’s 7-14, 2-6 Yale, also here.

18-3, 7-1, #22, RPI #12. +12.7 PPG, +7.0 RBs, +3.0 TOs, +2.2 assists. TOs are higher than we like at 12.7 but that +3 helps.

Tough news on recruits. One who had committed and another who was close didn’t hit the SAT score. So we’ll find some new guys to chase.

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Feb. 5: 73-56 with #8 Penn. This one was way easier than expected. We never trailed and we led by as many as 26. All 5 starters in doubles and only 11 TOs.

74-55 vs. Yale. 18 for Mike, 15, 5 for mike, 14 for Dan. Good bench play, 9 TOs.

Matt Jam and Sid More both got slight injuries, Matt to the shoulder, Sid to the knee. They may each miss a game but not likely more than one.

This week it’s 16-8, 6-4 Princeton there in what could be a tough game, and Dartmouth, 8-15, 2-8 here.

“Dave, you’re missing a h*ll of a season!”

“What the frig you talkin’ about?”

“You’re barely here, when you’re here at all. The guys are 20-3, 9-1, 1 up on Penn, at least 3 on the rest, ranked #18, and it’s like you aren’t aware of any of it. Snap the frig out of it!”

“Go frig yourself, Red.”

Oh well, I tried.

Feb. 12: 48-62 at Princeton. An awful night. We shot 25%. You don’t win often when you score 48.

61-44 vs. Dartmouth. 22, 9 for Todd, 15, 4, 4, 5 for Carl, 9, 4, 4, 2 for Carl. 9 TOs, 37 RBs, great D. The O is still sluggish though.

2 to play and we’re tied with Penn. If it stays that way we get the #1 seed.

A tough game, or it could be anyway, at Columbia, 16-9, 7-5. Then home to wrap up conf. play with 11-14, 3-9 Harvard.

Feb. 19: 79-66 at Columbia. 17, 5, 4 for Mike, 18 for Carl, 14 for Matt from the bench. 11 RBs for Todd.

67-59 home with Harvard. 17, 11, 3 for Todd, 19, 2, 6, 4 for Mike, 15, 4, 2, 2 for Carl.

Tonight 17-9 Akron is here for the Bracket Breaker.

We decide to start Matt Jam over Dan Black.

“He’s drinking again.”

“Sorry to hear it, May.”

“Not a lot, and only after Jeffy’s asleep, but it’s worrisome.”

“Yes it is.”

“And he has no interest in me at all. He does whatever he can to avoid me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was only a miscarriage. I don’t get it.”

“It was the beginning of the end of everything with Margie. She became depressed, left him, and eventually committed suicide.”

“It’s no big deal to me.”

“He needs to get into therapy.”

“Yeah right! That’s as likely as him flying to the Moon on his own wings.”

Feb. 26: 68-60 vs. Akron. 16, 12 for Todd, 18 for Matt in his 1st start, 15, 7 for Carl. 11 TOs, 32 RBs. A good win against a tough team.

We end the regular season at 24-4, 12-2, ranked #12, RPI #11.We're looking great heading to the post season!

“Hey, Meatball, you need to get into therapy.”

“You been talkin’ ta May.”

“Yes I have.”

“She should keep some things to herself.”

“No, she shouldn’t. She loves you, and she’s tired of seeing you like this. Tell you the truth, everybody is.”

“No way I’m gonna see a shrink.”

“Cuz life is such a bowl of cherries right now you wouldn’t want to mess with that.”

“I ain’t crazy.”

“No, you’re not, but you’re severely depressed and you’re missing maybe the best season we’ve ever coached.”

“I’m right here.”

“Only physically.”

“Frig you, Red.”

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March 2: We play 9-18 Yale in the quarters. We lost in this round last year. Dave’s been all over the guys about that and they look very focused.

March 3: 69-50 with Yale. Never close. 20, 4, 5, 2 for Carl, 19, 1, 5, 2 for mike. 5 TOs.

It will be 19-10, 8-8 Columbia in the round of 4. We beat them easily twice.

March 4: 83-52 vs. Columbia. It was never a game. 27, 12, 4, 2 for Mike, 15, 4, 3, 3 for Todd. 11 TOs, 34 RBs.

Carl Mia sprained a toe early in the game and he’s out of the title game. Tough time for an injury. Sid More will get most of his minutes.

20-11, 8-6 Princeton upset Penn by 2. They beat us up a couple of weeks ago so we need to be sharp.

March 5: 77-65 and the title! We were down 16 early. Then with abiout 5 left in the 1st half we went on a 14-4 run, took the lead, and never looked back. 18, 5, 3 for mike, 16, 3 for Al Ward, 14, 6, 3, 4 for Max, 11, 3, 4 for matt. Sid had 9 RBs.

I can see us as high as a 3 or 4 seed. We’re 27-4, won our tourney, #11, RPI #10.

March 12: Not in the East.

#5 Midwest. We’ll play a platy-In game winner.

March 15: It’s 19-11 Dayton. They’re a good team.

March 16: 80-7
5. Not as close as the final. We were up by 18 fairly late. Dave likes to have everybody play in the Big Dance so they can tell their grandchildren they did. The final was as close as it got. 27 for Carl who came back strong from the injury. 10, 11, 5, 3 for Todd. 14 for matt, 8 and 8 for Max. 10, 6, 2 for Sid from the bench. 38 RBs, but 17 TOs.

#4 seed, #7 ranked New Mexico, 28-6. This is a really tough match for the 2nd round.

March 18: 83-63 and our first ever trip to the Sweet Sixteen!
We came to play, scoring 56 in the 1st half. 26, 5, 2, 2 for Carl, 17, 10 for Max, 12, 11 for Todd, 16, 4, 7 for Matt, 11 TOs, 38 RBs.

“Whoooooo!!!”

Nice to see Dave get excited.

The “reward” is a game with #1 seed, #2 ranked Oklahoma, 31-3, 15-1. Gulp! This is one tough team!

March 23: 74-85.
We did all we could but we were overmatched. No shame in losing this one. 19, 6, 3 for Carl, 17, 3, 4, 2 for Matt. Last game for Mike Anda, Max Marx, and Al Ward.

April 4: The top 4 ranked teams in the country, all #1 seeds, made it to the final four. #3 Ohio ST beat #1 Stanford for the title.

Awards: Todd Tong was Ivy POY, Max Marx Defensive POY. Todd, Mike Anda and Carl Mia made 1st team. Dave got the coach award.

April 9: When there’s only one job you’ll consider the odds are slight. We’re staying.

April 23: We ask for a budget increase again. Approved! We get $10,000.

We ended the season 29-5, 12-2, won reg. season and tourney, made it to the Sweet 16. Team prestige is 25. Dave’s career #s are: 251-127, .664, Off-41, Def-65, Recruit-70, Scout-6, Player Development-53, Reputation-38. 4 Conf. COY awards.

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