#reminds me of that shot of 11 & 12 at the basketball game
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After three minutes, the last quarter starts. We keep exchanging scores but there is still three points gap. Red Team on the lead.
The ball is in our possession and as usual, the opponent is in their toughest defense.
We need to break it again to tie the score. My teammate passes the ball to me. We are trying to lure them. We are on the attack. We have run out of time we must tie now and give our all at the last minute.
I dribble and that blonde idiot is guarding me. I know he is not confident with their three-point lead.
"I didn't know you would take my advice and join the sports club," he says to me.
"I did not join the club, the coach of this team asked me to be part of this tournament just for today," I reply.
"I see, so you must prove to me that basketball is a kid's game just like what you told me the last time we talked," he reminds me again.
"I am actually doing it right now," I reply.
I pass the ball to my teammate who is already in the position and when he receives it, he immediately shoots a three.
"Whooooooo! It's now a tie!" I can hear the crowd shout.
"Nice one!" My teammates rejoice after lifting the three-point gap.
I glance at the idiot and he looks bothered.
It's their time to break the tie but of course, I won't let that happen.
The blonde idiot is the one dribbling the ball and he is making gestures may be giving signals to his teammates. He has good leadership skills I admit.
And now they are attacking. He charges against us. I take responsibility for him. I try my best to strictly watch over his movements. I must sure he can't let go of my defense.
He dribbles twice and shoots. That is a failed one. So, I move closer to the ring and rebound.
I got it.
I run on the opposite side and the idiot is keeping up. He runs fast. Now, he overtakes me and stops me from my tracks. I keep dribbling the ball and looking for an opening.
"Damn it!" I panic. He steals it from me.
He runs back to their base. So, I need to catch up to him. When I look at the shot clock, it's twenty-five minutes left.
Damn!
The idiot passes the ball to his teammate and he shoots and fails. He still got the rebound. He is about to shoot a three when I immediately steal the ball from him.
I run back to the base and the idiot is so fast and blocks my way. He is strictly guarding me.
Ten seconds left.
I am surrounded by his boys. Damn it. I can't move.
I got an opening and passes the ball to my teammate and the attention is switched to him. I can feel the crowd's tension as well as the blonde idiot's weariness but he still tries and maintains his composure.
When they try to stop my teammate, my idiot of a teammate passes the ball back to me and I am in the position to break the tie.
Well, once I am in the position...
I am unstoppable!
Two seconds...
One...
Buzz!
The crowd shouts and the stadium roars, a sign that the game is finally over!
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The Grumpy Jerk (KawaSara Fanfiction) by bunnyblahblah
Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: K, English, Romance & Drama, [Sarada U., Kawaki] [Boruto U., Sumire K.], Words: 134k+, Favs: 11, Follows: 12, Published: Jun 22, 2021 Updated: Dec 6, 2021
7Chapter 8
Three...
Two...
One...
Buzz!
And the crowd roar like there is no tomorrow.
"Oh my god, Kawaki! You're so cool and hot at the same time!"
"Whoa! Red Team is this year's champion!"
"It's okay Boruto. You still did great!"
This can't be...
The jerk's team won the tournament and I...
And I...
"Seems like you're going out on a date with Kawaki, Sarada."
I think I was astonished and still couldn't believe what just happened.
I turn to face Cho-Cho.
"No. It's not a date and I am not going out with him," I tell her.
"But that's the condition in this year's tournament," she insists.
"Even so, I won't go out with him. If it is Boruto I would be very excited. Well, not with that jerk. There's no way I am going to have a meal with him!" I almost yell at her.
I can feel my voice shake when I utter those words to her.
I can't imagine myself sitting in front of that jerk. I wonder if I can properly eat or maybe I will just lose my appetite seeing his grumpy face.
His teammates are happy except him, I just noticed. He seems not interested in the win I don't know what's with him.
Boruto approaches the jerk to shake hands with him but the jerk ignores him. How rude. They talk for a while and the jerk completely leaves Boruto.
Why would the jerk's team win? Why not Boruto's?
I cried in my head. I think my chest will burst in disappointment.
"That nerdy in 12-A is so lucky. She'll be spending the rest of the day with Kawaki."
"Unfortunately."
"Argh! I hate it!"
If only I could tell them to go out with him instead. I am not interested.
"So, are you still not going out with him? The girls are very jealous of you," Cho-Cho utters.
Is she trying to annoy me?
"I am not!" I shout.
"Okay, okay! Calm down. But don't blame me if they will insist," Cho-Cho adds.
If I only knew Boruto would not win this match I would have not wished I was the girl from the box.
My body shakes and I am feeling cold.
It's too late for me to regret now. Should I go or not?
What should I do?
"Ladies and gentlemen, before we completely leave this stadium I would like to call out for Sarada. Can you come down here just for a moment?" the host announces.
"I would like to formally introduce you to the winning Captain. As we have agreed upon, the lucky girl who turns out to be Sarada will have a meal with Kawaki of the Red Team right after this announcement. Sarada, can you step down for a moment?" he continues.
Damn it!
"Oh? What a lucky dork!"
"Give me that spot please!"
"Me too please!"
Oh, sure replace me.
"Sarada..." Cho-Cho calls out to me. I look at her with a nervous face.
"You were called out by the host," she says.
"H-Huh?" I stutter.
"Are you okay?" she asks me all so worried.
"I..."
"Huh?" she twitches her brows.
"I don't want to step down there," I respond.
"Why though?" she asks in confusion.
"Sarada, are you still there?" the host speaks again.
Everyone is looking at me. I am nervous. Cold sweats drop from my forehead.
I look at the center of the court and see Boruto looking in my direction.
He has a confused reaction on his face and when he notices that I am looking at him, he smiles at me.
My eyes widen. I am clueless as to what is the meaning of his smile. I also notice the jerk glimpses on me then look away.
Cho-Cho nudges on my side to wake me up from my delusions. I think I am being paranoid. I overthink and act weirdly.
I slowly stand up. My knees tremble.
"Relax. You will be fine," Cho-Cho encourages me.
I nod at her although I am still nervous.
"There she is. The top student of Room 12-A. Kawaki sure is lucky to have her out today," the host says.
What?
He will not have me out today. I am not going out with him like not ever.
I walk down in the direction of the host. I can tell everyone's eyes are on me and their stares kill me on the spot. I think I am just a ghost floating in the air.
As I walk in the middle of the crowd, I look in Boruto's direction. He is smiling like his usually smiling face.
Is it okay for him that I am going to be with the jerk?
Does he even have a clue that I like him?
Why is he smiling like that?
So, he does not have any feelings for me because he would have won the tournament if he does.
My face was saddened at the thought. I am getting closer to him. I walk past him while looking to the floor. I don't know what was his reaction though.
I feel bad, very bad.
When I reach the host he immediately speaks on the microphone.
"Now, let's call out Kawaki. Kawaki, come over. Sarada is here and maybe she would like to congratulate you or have a handshake," the host says.
Me congratulating the jerk? No way. We are not on good terms so, he probably will not shake hands with me.
The jerk's not moving in his place and gives me a bored look. I frown.
Damn you!
He sighs and forcibly walks toward us. What a jerk. I look away and the crowd starts to make a sound again.
He stops in front of me. We are facing each other now. Though I don't want to see his grumpy face, I have no choice.
"Would not you like to congratulate him, Sarada?" the host is perplexed himself.
I almost point to myself. Why would I? I am not here to congratulate him.
His cold stares annoy me. He is an annoying monkey face. I hate him so much!
I know I am forced to do this. I slowly lift my hand to ask him for a handshake. It's embarrassing. I look like a desperate girl in front of everyone.
The jerk looks at my hand it takes a few seconds before he speaks.
"I don't like shaking hands," he says and walks away.
What?
What's wrong with this monkey face jerk?
I gaze at the host and he is shocked as well. I guess everyone is shocked because they are not making any sound after he said it.
This jerk is getting on my nerves. REALLY!
Kawaki's POV
The buzzer cues that the tournament has ended.
My teammates rejoice upon realizing we won the match. I am still panting and gasping for air.
The stadium noises. Yells and cheers echo inside the room. Some are congratulating us in their cheers and some are sympathizing with the aggrieved one.
I walk away from the crowd. The opposing team accepts their defeat and I can see the blonde idiot approaching me.
"Yo, congratulations," he tells me.
I ignore him.
"Is that how you respond to me?" he asks me. I don't think he is being sarcastic but I don't care about what he says.
"Shut up, idiot. You enjoyed the kid's game so much," I tell him.
He chuckles.
"Okay, okay."
He waves his hands in front of me and shrugs.
"I underestimated you, that's the truth. I am pretty sure I don't know you yet and everyone does too I guess," he adds.
Underestimated me, huh?
I did not respond and walk away leaving him standing there. I walk in the direction of the bench and I reach for my towel and bottled water.
I sit down and put the towel on my head. I heard the host speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, before we completely leave this stadium I would like to call out for Sarada. Can you come down here just for a moment?"
He asks the dork to step down from the bleachers.
He intends her to congratulate me. What for? He is joking, isn't he?
He speaks again now telling everyone that he wants to introduce her to me. I already know the dork and we are in the same class. She is a dork and I don't like hearing her annoying voice.
"There she is. The top student of Room 12-A. Kawaki sure is lucky to have her out today," the host says.
I am lucky to have the dork out? I don't think so. I have no interest in dorks.
I glance in between the end of the towel covering my face. I look in the direction of the dork.
Will she step down?
Well, who cares? She better not that would be great.
But she slowly stands up from the bleachers. The crowd starts to mumble their buzzing noise irritates me.
She slowly steps down and walks in the direction of the host.
Upon her arrival, the host speaks on the microphone again.
"Now, let's call out Kawaki. Kawaki comes over here. Sarada is here and maybe she would like to congratulate you or have a handshake."
What the hell does he want? Congratulate me? Annoying.
"Kawaki, come on. Go there. Sarada doesn't deserve to be humiliated in front of everyone," our bastard coach says. I frown.
I sigh and remove the towel from my head.
I stand up and walk in their direction. I can see how she scowls when she sees me approaching them.
She is annoying like those damn girls on this campus.
As I reach them, the host switches his stares from me to her.
She lifts her hand after the host asks her to shake hands with me. I know she doesn't like the idea. I can see it on her face. She is forced to do it.
I don't want to embarrass her and myself so I won't accept it.
"I don't like shaking hands," I say and turn my back to them.
I think I did embarrass her, but whatever.
I did not know what was their reaction after I said those. I keep walking away.
I go back to the locker to change my clothes. I was soaked in sweat. My teammates follow me in the locker room and change clothes as well.
I go back to the stadium and a few people are still there. I am the one who leaves the locker room first.
"Kawaki?" a long black-haired girl calls out to me. I stop when I noticed her call. She runs in my direction and stops upon arriving.
"What?" I snarl.
"Hey, what's with that face all of a sudden?" she says.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"Oops! I am the Vice President of the Sports Club," she says while smiling.
"What do you want?" I ask in a bored tone.
She pouts I think she realizes I am not interested in what she will say to me.
"Since you are the Captain of the winning team, you are going to go out with Sarada today," she says and winks at me.
"What? Go out with the dork?" I frown.
"Hey, stop it. She's a nice girl. You'd like her for sure," she tells me while smiling.
"She's not," I retaliate.
"Oh? But, you should obey the rules of this tournament. This is very special especially to the girls," her face saddened.
"I am not interested in such annoying rule. You can find someone else on my behalf," I refuse.
"We can't do that!" she almost yells at me. I think I made her slightly mad.
"That's not my problem anymore," I tell her.
"She's waiting for you in the room we provided just for you two," she says.
I did not respond to her.
"If you really are a grown-up, you will see her there. You are no brat, right?"
Is she challenging me? Or pissing me off?
I don't have the energy to argue with her anymore so I walk away from her.
"Room 10-A," she shouts. I ignore her and keep walking away.
The dork will just say stupid things to me or will keep quiet the whole time. She's annoying and I don't want to hear her irksome voice.
I realize that I will pass by Room 10-A before getting to the campus gates.
Sarada's POV
"Hey!" the Vice President of the Sports Club calls out to me.
Cho-Cho and I move closer to her.
"Sarada from 12-A, right?" she asks me. She is from 12-B but she is more likely popular with the boys. She's pretty and has seductive eyes, I can say.
I nod and she smiles at me.
"You're lucky to have Kawaki out," she says.
"W-What? Lucky? Me?" I point to myself while laughing awkwardly. I almost puke at the thought. Cho-Cho is worried I can say bad things about him.
"Well since Kawaki hasn't out from the locker yet, can you wait for him to Room 10-A?" she asks me.
"What?" I snap.
"Hey, you'll have a meal with him, remember?" she reminds me.
Of course, I remember. How could I ever forget about that damn thing?
"I can't go with him today. I forgot we have exams tomorrow and I need to study my lessons," my alibi.
"The exams are on next week though," she replies.
Damn it! What the hell of an excuse was that?
"O-Oh, w-what I meant was we have short exams." Oh please, believe me. I don't want to go out with that jerk.
"Well, you have to obey the rules. Many girls wanted to be in your place, you know. Don't waste the chance," she says.
I would be very happy if someone will take over my place now.
"But...I really can't right, Cho-Cho?" I keep refusing. Cho-Cho shakes her head in embarrassment.
"No buts, you're going to come with them," she says and a boy and a girl drag me to Room 10-A.
"Hey wait! Cho-Cho help me!" I yell.
"I'll go home early today Sarada. Tell me everything tomorrow, okay?" she yells back.
What?
So, she is going to leave me behind? She is waving goodbye at me.
No! Cho-Cho. Don't leave me here.
Damn it! No way!
They let go of me after we arrive in Room 10-A.
"Please wait for him here," the girl says and smiles at me.
"And don't you dare escape, we're just outside. We can drag you back here anytime," the boy adds.
Damn it!
How many times did I say 'damn it' this whole time?
They leave me inside the room, I am left all alone now. I turn and my eyes surprise me.
There is a table for two with plates covered on top of it. I move near the table. I look around. It looks romantic. The walls are decorated with balloons and every corner is decorated with beautiful flowers. Valentine's Day is far from now yet the ambiance looks like it.
I would feel the fantasy of dating if it's Boruto whom I going to share the table with, but it's the jerk so I feel annoyed.
And this is not a date but a sort of some stupid twisted game.
If he will come, what should I tell him?
Wait, you don't have to talk to him anyway. Eat and go home. That's what I must do later. Well, there's nothing to talk to him. He is boring and a jerk so, there's no point talking to him at all.
I sit down because I feel my ankle hurts when they drag me here. I look at my watch and it's already 5:34 PM and it's getting dark soon.
Where the hell is that jerk? If he won't come by 5:40 I will leave.
"Hey, dork,"
When I look at the doorway, it's the jerk leaning on the door.
I was stunned for seconds.
Why does he look so cool with that gesture?
I shake my head throwing away that idea from my mind. He is so uncool.
"What took you so long?" I scowl at him. He did not answer but stare at me. I suddenly feel anxious with his stares and I feel my heart race.
He walks in my direction and stops in front of me. He leans closer to me pushing his left hand on the table and holds the left corner of the chair with his right hand which makes me lean backward for a few inches. And that leaves me in between his arms.
I feel my cheeks flush. He is so close to me and I barely feel his warm breath. I think I am nailed on the chair and my mouth is zipped tight. I could not open my lips to tell him to stay away from me. I could not move and push him away.
He moves an inch closer which makes my irises enlarge. He slowly opens his mouth.
Is he going to kiss me?
9
"So, you're waiting for me, huh?"
He says softly. Our eyes meet. I think my throat was dry, I could not respond to him quickly. I was bewildered by his lips that I thought he would kiss me.
"What the hell were you thinking, Sarada?" I scold myself in my head.
"I-I...of course, I would wait for you here because this stupid twisted game is compulsory, right? And besides, it's getting dark and I should be on my way home by now but this stupid stuff stopped me," I retaliate upon coming back to my senses. He still did not move.
He stares at me for seconds and then slowly gets up from leaning towards me.
"I don't like going out with dorks. They are not interesting at all," he says while walking off.
"What did you say?!" I shout at him. He did not respond and keeps his pace.
"Arrrgh! You jerk!" I shout at him. I wonder if he hears me but that was too loud, I'm sure he does.
I leave the chair right after he left me and I wanted to chase after him so I can teach him some manners or at least know how to respect girls but the two idiots from earlier stop me.
"What happened?" they asked in chorus.
"Let me go. I wanted to teach that jerk a lesson," I say and push them a little to make way for me.
"But..." they insist but they can't stop me now.
"Hey, what the hell? Where is he?"
He suddenly vanishes.
That jerk, ugh!
I take a deep sigh.
This day is a total mess that jerk ruined everything.
I walk my way to the school gates. The dusk is waving at me saying 'hello' though.
It's frightening to walk home alone especially if you are a girl, some bastards are in the corner to make fun of you or scare the hell out of you.
I shake my head to get those ideas out of my mind. The idea creeps me.
"Hey!"
I hear someone calls. I turn in the direction of the voice and my heart starts to race again.
"B-Boruto..." I stutter.
"You okay?" he asks me.
"Y-Yeah... Thanks for asking by the way," I respond. I think my cheeks blush slightly.
"I saw Kawaki leave just now. Your date is done?" he asks in a casual tone.
"Huh? Wait, don't get it wrong Boruto it wasn't a date, okay? And besides, he is a jerk and the meal did not happen," I panic after hearing him say it was a date.
"Oh- okay..." he replies and seems to be surprised too.
"You are on your way home?" he asks.
"Yeah. It's almost dark and my mom sure is worried about me being late," I respond to him.
"I see, let's walk home together."
Wait...
Did he just offer me a walk?
(O.O)
That's my reaction, precisely!
"Is it okay with you?" he asks.
It's freakin' all right!
I think my face turned red, but I'm sure he did not notice it because it's dark right here.
"Yeah..." I feeble.
"It's been a while since we walk home together," he says.
"Yeah..."
All I can respond to him is 'Yeah', how idiotic. I don't know what to say to him, honestly. I think I am shaking out of nervousness.
"I thought you have left already," I say without stuttering, oh gosh finally!
"I am actually waiting for you," he says.
W-What did he say?
He is waiting for me? Why?
I am feeling so cold right now and my heart is not calm anymore, geez!
"Sarada? Are you okay?" he asks again.
"H-Huh? Huh? O-Of course. I... um. I was just kind of... um. I was wondering why would you wait for me, he-he-he..."
Dammit! I think I look so stupid in front of him.
"Chocho asked me to walk you home. She is so worried about you," he reveals.
"H-Huh? What?" I utter.
(O.O?)
"Oh, there's your way home. I think we need to separate ways now," he says while smiling. The street light makes way for me to see his beautiful smile.
Time runs fast when you're with someone you want to spend all your time with.
"I guess you're right," I say and he nods.
"Boruto..." I call out to him.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for walking me home," I say while slightly blushing I guess.
"No problem. Good night," he says.
My eyes widen when he said those to me. It was my first time hearing Boruto say good night to me.
We used to walk home together when we were still kids and this is the first time since that day and we walk home together again.
"By the way, preliminary examinations are on next week," he reminds me.
"Yeah. It's so close from now," I reply.
"Well, I guess I won't lose to you," he says then smiles.
"See you," he says and runs off.
I am left dumbfounded under the light.
Boruto and I were usually tied up in the top one spot. He doesn't want to lose to me and I don't want it either. And I believe, it's the only way to get his attention. So, I need to be his rival forever.
"Sarada, tell me what happened yesterday," Cho-Cho starts. We are walking together as usual.
I narrow my eyes at her that makes her brows twitch.
"Hey, I was just asking what happened yesterday and you seem to kill me with those black eyes," she is trying to defend herself.
"Before I answer that, I want you to answer this one question first," I tell her putting both my hands on my waist. We stop walking and she says okay to me.
"Why did you ask Boruto to walk me home?" I ask her while raising one of my brows.
"I think I don't need an answer to my question anymore..." she says.
"Wait, what? I don't get it!" I tell her.
"Can you explain it to me, Cho-Cho?"
"I ask Boruto to walk you home because I know you wouldn't have a meal with Kawaki," she says.
"And how did you know that?" I ask her.
"Because I am your best friend, remember? I know you wouldn't come to eat dinner with him and I think Kawaki too," she responds.
I feel like I am soaked in cold water.
"I see..." I mutter.
"And besides, you would love walking with Boruto instead," she adds.
"So, when you asked me what happened yesterday you are meaning to ask what happened between me and Boruto?" I ask to confirm.
"You really are damn smart," she says while clapping her hands.
"Shut up!" I brawl.
"You are smart and dumb at the same time," she adds and starts walking again leaving me behind.
"What?" I snarl and follow her.
"Good morning, Sarada!" Boruto greets me and walks past me before I can respond to him.
I turn my back and speak.
"Good morning," and smiles at him.
Cho-Cho nudges me on my side which makes me turn to face her.
"You two seemed to have a nice day yesterday, don't you?" she teases me.
"Shut up. He just walked me home and that's it," I answer.
"Hmm..." she hums.
My so-good morning turns into a bitter-sweet scenario when the jerk enters the room.
"Hey, Kawaki! Congratulations, your team won the tournament," he ignores Yodo. How rude.
"How's going out with Sarada yesterday?" Iwabe teases and I think my cheeks flush.
"Yahoo!" they keep teasing and everyone joins the fun.
"Shut up!" Kawaki growls at him that silences everyone.
"Man, I'm sorry, okay?" Iwabe asks for him to shake hands but he pushes his hand away.
"What's your problem bastard?!" Iwabe grabs his collar.
"Hey stop that!" Namida yells.
"Hey Iwabe, calm down," Denki tries to stop him.
I move closer to them to help cease the fight.
"I know why your kick-out ass transferred here. You are a jerk and a trouble maker in Shou—"
Kawaki did not let him finish. He pushes him away and punches his face. Iwabe is thrown to the floor.
Iwabe tries to get revenge but some of our classmates stop him. Kawaki wants to attack again but I try to stop him by pulling him away from Iwabe.
To my surprise, he pushes me away and I stumble to the floor.
"Sarada!" Cho-Cho screams and dashes in my direction.
Kawaki tries to attack Iwabe again. I think he is totally pissed off.
"What's going on here?" our adviser enters the classroom and the fight finally stops.
"Hey, Sarada are you okay?" Boruto asks me.
I nod as ChoCho assists me to stand. I think I hurt my buttocks.
"Kawaki and Iwabe, come with me to the Guidance Counsellor's Office now!"
The three of them leave the classroom.
"Don't you think we need to go to the clinic to check on your buttocks?" Cho-Cho suggests. I shake my head in disagreement.
"No need Cho-Cho, I am fine," I assure her.
"What does Iwabe mean about Kawaki?" Cho-Cho utters.
"I don't have any idea," it's my honest thoughts about him.
"This Kawaki boy is very mysterious, isn't he?" Cho-Cho suspects.
"Well, he is unfriendly and probably nobody knows who he really is," I reply.
"You're right," she affirms.
He is unfriendly and a total jerk. Now, he got his prize from the Counsellor.
I think I fell hard earlier. My buttocks still hurt. I am all alone. Cho-Cho told me that she is going to the library to read some magazines and I told her I would be staying in the drama club.
I decided to go to the clinic to ask for help to relieve the pain in my buttocks. Good thing the nurse and the physician are there.
They check on me and give me some pain-relieving medications.
That jerk pushed me too hard. I should have not tried to stop him in the first place. He is bad luck!
I am murmuring when I close the door and to my surprise, the jerk was standing next to me.
"Oh crap!" I scream.
He looks at me with his usual cold eyes.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him.
"Are you following me?" I add.
"Shut up, dork! The Counsellor's Office is just inches away from here," he replies.
Damn! What a crap really! I forgot they were called to the Guidance Counselor earlier.
"I think you are the one following me," he says in a cold tone.
"What? What did you say? Me? Following you?" I gesture in front of him.
"Oh, ouch!" I grumble when my back hurts again.
"For your information jerk, I just came out from the clinic because my back still hurts. You pushed me off remember?" I sarcastically tell him.
"You got in my way. Technically, it's not my fault," he said and walks off.
"Not your what? You ungrateful jerk. I was trying to stop you two. Hey! Come back here! Aren't you going to apologize for hurting me? Hey!"
Argh!
Since he gets here, my life has become miserable.
That jerk is pissing me off...
10
"Good luck on your preliminary exams, honey," my mother says while we walk our ways out of the house.
"Um. Good luck at work too," I respond to her with a smile on my lips.
Before we parted ways, we give each other a tight hug like we don't want to be apart at all.
I miss my mom every day like how I miss dad. She waves goodbye at me and I turn my back at her and started walking away.
"Sarada!"
Cho-Cho is waving at me, waiting at the corner of the street. I slowly run in her direction and when we finally meet she gives me a bittersweet smile. I wonder why.
"What's wrong?" I ask her while furrowing my brow.
"You know it's exam day and I feel sick," she responds.
I laugh at her statement.
"Don't worry, we'll get through this," I encourage her.
"Heh! It's easy for you to say that because you are a smarty," she pouts.
"Um..." I murmur.
"Well, I guess I won't lose to you..."
I don't know why that memory of Boruto suddenly enters the picture. I secretly smile at the thought.
"Hey, I saw that," Cho-Cho smirks at me.
"H-Huh? You saw what?" I try to hide it from her.
"You smiled just now."
Oh crap! She notices. I think I cannot hide from Cho-Cho's investigative eyes.
"What made you smile like that?" she is starting to get persistent.
"What do you mean?" I keep refusing.
"Come on Sarada. I am your best friend for a reason," she rants.
"Just don't mind me and let's get going or we will miss the first exam," I pull her and she starts to awkwardly scream. Some of the students are watching us running towards the school gates.
"I guess everyone is here now. Let's start the first half of your exam," our adviser says.
I take a deep sigh.
I should not lose to Boruto today. I say in my mind and secretly watch his back.
Our adviser gives us the test papers one by one.
"When I say 'go' you can start answering your test, okay?" she instructs.
We respond by nodding our heads. I am holding my pencil so tight and I am actually praying in my head that this exam will go smoothly just like the junior year. I have reviewed my lessons but I cannot be confident with them. Boruto is my rival here.
"Go!"
"I think I lose all my brain cells," Cho-Cho complains. We are in the canteen eating our lunch. We just finished the first half of the test and we still have another half to go this afternoon.
"Do you think so?" I ask her while smiling awkwardly at her.
"It's not that easy, you know," she keeps grieving about it.
"It's fine Cho-Cho you did review our lessons, right?" I ask her.
"Well, a bit," she answers.
"Oh," I snort.
"Hey, Sarada. What should we do after the exam?" she asks.
"What do you mean?" I ask her back.
"We need to chill out after this exam, right?" she smirks.
"Okay, okay. Let's talk about it later. The second half is about to start," I tell her and we rush back to the classroom.
"Okay, ten minutes left," our adviser reminds.
After she said that the three of us, me, Boruto, and the jerk stand up at the same time.
We have finished our exams yet, I guess.
"Oh," I hear our adviser mutter.
We pass our test papers to her and I go back to my desk to clean up and pack my things.
The jerk leaves the room first and Boruto follows him. After I pack all my things, I leave the classroom and wait for Cho-Cho outside.
"Yo, Cho-Cho!" I call out to her. Her face is so stressed out.
She sighs.
"Are you okay?" I give her an awkward smile.
"I am still sane, I guess," she says and I laugh at her.
"So glad that exams are over!" she says convivially.
"But, the results are to be released later," she takes back her enthusiasm earlier.
I am amused by my best friend's gestures. She's sometimes strong, jolly, depressed, pettish, and competent. Well, she is the best thing I ever have.
Watching her like this makes me happier. I could say we are normal, right?
"So, did you think of what we should do tomorrow?" she changes the topic.
"What?" I furrow.
"Come on. We have talked about it earlier, right? We need some fresh air after this suffocating exam," she rolls her eyes.
"Hey, wait..." I stop her from her tracks.
"What?" she scoffs.
"Did you hear the entertainment news last night?" I ask her.
"Nope," her brief answer.
"Mr. Martin's new movie will be out tomorrow," I excitedly tell her.
"Really?" her eyes widen.
"Guess what? Your favorite teen actor is the lead," I tell her more. She feels giddy after hearing the news.
"Oh my, we need to see that, Sarada!" she can't hold her thrills.
I nod at her.
"Text me what time tomorrow, okay?" I tell her and she nods. She is still thrilled about it.
We wave goodbye at each other and I go straight home. Today was a tiring day.
The sound of my alarm wakes me up. I get up and I can't help myself from gaping. I open my room's windows to smell some fresh morning air. I brush my teeth and proceed to take a bath.
Today is Saturday and we are going out, Cho-Cho and I. So, I dressed up. A few moments later, my phone beeps. It must be Cho-Cho.
I pick it up from the table and I see Cho-Cho's name on the screen.
"I'll be waiting at 9 o'clock. See you."
Her message.
"Okay."
I reply and put my phone inside my bag.
"Hey, honey. Where are you up to? You all dressed up," mom asks. I have not told her about our hang-out today.
"Cho-Cho and I will be seeing Mr. Martin's new movie and Cho-Cho's favorite teen-actor stars it. So, we can't skip it," I explain.
"Okay, you guys have fun but before that, you need to eat this pancake I prepared for you," she says while putting the plate on the table with a deliciously looking pancake on it.
"Wow!"
The only word I could utter out of amazement.
"Go eat up," she tells me and I started munching on it. Mom's cooking is the best.
"Do you have work today?" I ask her.
"Yup. My boss told me to make up with the reports," she explains.
"I see. Good luck mom," I tell her.
"That's so sweet of you honey," she tells me and kisses me on my head.
My phone beeps and I check on it.
"I'm here." -Cho-Cho.
"Mom, I should go now. Cho-Cho's waiting for me already," I tell her and kiss her cheek.
"Okay, you two enjoy and take care," she says and I rush towards the doorway.
"You sure are excited, huh?" I say while still panting.
"Of course, it's my knight in shining armor on today's screen," she says and gestures like she's daydreaming.
She grabs me immediately and we walk in the direction of the train station.
"Hop in!" she shouts. Cho-Cho's enthusiasm is really something. She got a lot of energy today.
We hurry to the theaters to see the movie.
"Oh my gosh! Look at the row of people craving for Mr. Martin's new movie," I tell her.
"I think it's because of my knight in shining armor why people are on queue," she doesn't want to lose in this argument.
"Fine, fine," I don't want to debate with her anymore.
"Let's get some drinks and popcorns," she says and grabs me to the counter and order a pair of popcorn and juice.
"Tickets! Tickets! Last two!" I hear the man sells the tickets.
"Let's go," Cho-Cho and I move closer to the man and we buy the tickets.
"Let's get inside! Yahoo!" Cho-Cho cheerfully says and pulls me closer to her and we walk together.
"W-Wait..." I think I have seen a familiar face or maybe just my imagination.
I ignore it and follow Cho-Cho inside the theater. I am excited myself. I will get to see Mr. Martin again.
"I feel so giddy, Sarada. I really need my real-life knight in shining armor," she tells me while giggling.
"Like a boyfriend?" I ask.
"Yes!" she responds quickly.
"Mr. Martin is really cool. He sure is a good father," I say my eyes full of admiration.
"That's true. He could make his son change," she affirms.
"We're almost at the end of the movie..." she sobs. I don't know if she is really crying.
"Wait, this is my first kiss."
"Oh, I see."
"Um."
"I will make it memorable for your then."
"Oh my gosh! They kissed!" Cho-Cho giggles.
I think my cheeks blush at the scene.
First kiss, huh?
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Western Illinois, Year 40, 2046-2047
The final season of our sim dynasty with Western Illinois in College Hoops 2K8 is here.
Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April 2020 for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.
Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 40, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:
Western Illinois entered Year 39 trying to three-peat as national champions for the first time in program history. We lost two starters early to the NBA coming into the season, but still had enough talent to be ranked No. 10 overall in the preseason polls.
We ran through the regular season schedule, losing only one game to UCLA during the non-conference season and sweeping Summit League opponents once again. We entered the NCAA tournament at 29-1 on the year and earned a No. 4 seed to the big dance.
We beat Brown in round one, knocked off Georgia Tech in the round of 32, beat Indiana in the Sweet 16, and lost to Florida in the Elite Eight. We know enter the final season of my career tied with John Wooden with 10 national championships.
We added three players in our last ever recruiting class: five-star JUCO SF Jerald Obasohan, four-star SG Erwin Walls, and four-star PF Kenny Butler.
Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 40:
It feels like only yesterday that a fresh-faced, 25-year-old came to the small town of Macomb, Illinois with big dreams. Coach Rick was hired by Western Illinois to do the impossible: win a national championship with arguably the worst team in college basketball. After 39 seasons at the helm, our tiny program has accomplished that and so much more. Now it’s time to hang it up.
Our journey at Western Illinois is finally coming to an end. In literal terms, College Hoops 2K8 forces mandatory retirement upon coaches in dynasty mode after 40 seasons. All good stories need closure either way. As we start our final season, we have some big stakes attached to our swan song.
Western Illinois has won 10 national championships in the Ricky Charisma era. That ties us with UCLA legend John Wooden for the most in history. What started as a mission to win a single national championship has now left us with a different goal: to become the undisputed greatest program in the history of the sport.
While we failed in our bid to three-peat last season — falling to Florida in the Elite Eight — we did bring back all four breakout juniors for this season. We only lost starting center DJ Foster to graduation. Yeah, it’s been a while since we last published Year 39 (thanks for your patience), so let’s go over the roster:
PG Christano Ngounou, junior, 89 overall: Ngounou made major strides after being forced into the starting lineup last season, and now looks like a rock solid contributor going into our final year. An international recruit out of Cameroon, Ngounou is a fast 6’3 guard with lockdown defensive ability and a slightly above average three-point shot. We have bigger names on this squad who will be expected to carry the scoring load, but Ngounou is going to play a huge role because he’s way better than every other point guard on the roster. We need quality minutes from him in the tournament. Former five-star international recruit with B potential.
SG Bernie Doyle, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Doyle is an incredible talent who enters his senior year looking to fully blossom into a superstar. The 6’9 shooting guard uses his immense size on both ends of the floor. He’s elite at getting into the passing lanes and forcing steals (a team-high 1.8 per game as a junior) on the defensive end, and has a sweet three-point stroke offensively. Doyle is such a smooth scorer and dominant defender that it feels like he has the natural talent to develop into an all-great in his senior year. Let’s hope he’s up to the challenge. Former No. 36 overall recruit from Detroit with C potential. Projected lottery pick.
SF Floyd Keller, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Keller checks every box for a small forward. He has good size at 6’7. He has a three-point rating in the mid-80s. He’s the best dunker on the team. He’s an elite offensive rebounder for a wing with a rating in the low 90s, which helps equip him to play minutes at the four. After a tough shooting night in our Elite Eight loss last season — he went 1-for-7 from three — we’ll need Keller to be consistently great if we want one more run through the bracket. Former No. 101 overall recruit out of Dallas with C+ potential. Projected second round pick.
PF Oscar Fray, redshirt senior, 88 overall: Fray enters his third year as a starter with a fascinating combination of size and skill that could set him up for a breakout senior year. The 7-foot power forward is a great three-point shooter for his position with a rating just below 80. Defensively, he’s the top-rated shot blocker on the team, and also does a pretty good job on the glass. Former No. 118 overall recruit out of Lynn, MA with C potential. Projected second round pick.
C Brody Munoz, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Munoz finally gets the spotlight as a senior after backing up DJ Foster — a one-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player — for his entire career up to this point. We’re expected big things, and not just because he’s tied for the highest rated player on the roster going into the regular season. What Munoz lacks in elite size at 6’11 he can make up for with strength, agility, and rebounding. We expect him to be really good at forcing turnovers, grabbing putbacks, and helping fortify the paint. Former No. 169 overall recruit (No. 6 center) out of Nashville with B potential. Projected lottery pick.
We have an incredibly deep bench for our final season. Center Logan Polk (85 overall) will be our sixth man, and should be able to form a three-man front court rotation with the two starters in the tournament. After that, we have a lot of options but not a lot of good options.
Here’s the rest of the bench: wing Jaycee Queen (80 overall), wing Jerald Obasohan (79 overall), guard Archie Howell (78 overall), wing/guard James Haranga (74 overall), guard Edwin Walls (74 overall), and power forward Kenny Butler (74 overall).
This is really it. Year 40. The last dance. What a ride it has been. We start the season at No. 4 in the polls.
How did the regular season go?
For our final regular season, we tried to schedule a good mix of local schools and historic big conference rivals with a couple in-season tournaments thrown in for good measure.
Here’s how the regular season went:
Win over Bradley
Win over Nebraska
Win over UTEP
Loss to Southern Illinois
Win over Florida
Loss to Northwestern
Win over New Mexico
Win over DePaul
That sets up a rivalry game against Illinois. We’ve played the Illini in almost every season, and we don’t want to end this dynasty without one more dub. The losses to Southern Illinois and Northwestern were a real bummer, and we need a palate cleanser. Let’s go!
Big win, 102-68. Look at Cristano Ngounou hanging 17 points and six assists on the Illini. Love seeing both starters in the front court — seniors Oscar Fray (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Brody Munoz (18 points, 11 rebounds) — each dropping a double-double, too. And how about our new five-star JUCO addition Obasohan chipping in 12 points off the bench? Really promising performance from the boys.
We get a big win over Kansas in our next game. That sets up another marquee game with a program we don’t like very much out of the state of North Carolina: Duke. We’ve battling with Duke on the court and on the recruiting trail for 40 freaking years. Can we end this rivalry with a dub?
Ugh, loss, 88-83. Nice games from Bernie Doyle (19 points, four assists) and Oscar Fray (14 points, 12 rebounds), but it isn’t enough. That’s our third loss of the season. Get bent, Duke.
We end the year with three more non-conference games.
Win over Illinois-Chicago
Win over American
Win over Arizona State
While we may have lost the final battle to Duke, I won the war over Coach K with a significantly better career by any measure (more on that in a minute). Now it’s time to jump into conference play in the Summit League.
Did we go undefeated in conference season?
Yes we did, another perfect 18-0 stretch.
Now we enter the conference tournament. Can we punch one more automatic bid to the NCAA tournament?
Win over UMKC
Win over Southern Utah
Win over UL-Calcutta
We’re going to the NCAA tournament for the last time, but that isn’t even the headliner after winning the Summit League. Im taking home the conference tournament championship, I won game No. 1,171 of my career. That currently puts me ahead of Coach K for the most wins all-time.
We have built a great legacy at Western Illinois. Before we enter the NCAA tournament, let’s take a look at our statistical leaders:
What a year for Munoz. Dude sat on the bench for four seasons before finally getting a starting spot, and all he did was lead our team in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Fray was awesome, too, averaging a hair under 15 points per game while chipping in nearly two blocks and six rebounds per game. It’s good to see Keller and Doyle both hit double-figures in scoring. I’m a bit surprised Cristano couldn’t even put up seven points a night after his big game against Illinois, but the assist and steals numbers are solid. We’re going to need him in March.
The Leathernecks are heading into the NCAA tournament at 32-3 on the year. I can’t wait to see what seed we get.
2047 NCAA tournament
Well, we couldn’t end this dynasty without getting swindled by the Selection Committee one more time. We’re a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. I thought we should have been a top-four seed without question.
We’ll open the tournament with a game against No. 11 seed Syracuse. Sheesh. Before we get to the game, let’s check in on our roster one more time:
I’m loving the way this group progressed through the year. We have two awesome wing scorers with an elite combination of size and shooting in Keller and Doyle. We have plenty of beef up front with Munoz, Fray, and Polk. Ngounou entered the program as a 77 overall and shot up to a 92 in three years without a redshirt. The bench also really improved during the season and should give us plenty of different lineup options in March.
This is going to be a tough run, starting with Syracuse. The Orange have knocked us out of the big dance before, and consistently put together really strong teams.
Our last dance starts now. As always, we’re simulating every game, I’m not controlling the ‘Necks.
Let’s go!
Win, 105-73! What an absolute beatdown. We’ve moving on to the round of 32.
Long-time followers of the series will know that our Leathernecks have always been known as a second half team. It happened in a big way in this game. Syracuse ended the first half strong to cut our lead to nine points, but we quickly turned it into a blowout out of the break.
I thought this was a tremendous all-around team effort. Six players hit double-figures in scoring with no one putting up more than Floyd Keller’s 15 points. Everyone who played recorded an assist. I loved this play from the first half when we set two screens for our five-star JUCO Obasohan that helped get him an easy layup.
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Our bench is a big question mark coming into this tournament, mostly because it’s filled with a lot of fresh faces who haven’t played big minutes in clutch spots before. I have to say, the performance of our reserves in our tournament opener was super encouraging. Obasohan in particular looks like a keeper after scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and knocking down a three. We always need wing depth, and he should be able to provide that on this run.
The clear highlight of Obasohan’s night: this sick two-handed dunk in transition for an and-one.
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We love to turn defense into offense, and Ngounou and Doyle’s ability to get into the passing lanes really helps us out there.
Speaking of Ngounou in transition: he had a beautiful finish on the break to put the game fully out of reach. That’s what you want out of your point guard.
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The win sets up a second round game against Colorado State
The Rams have been a solid program throughout this sim dynasty, regularly making NCAA tournament appearances. We have a decisive edge in talent heading into this game.
We are one win away from going to the Sweet 16 and extended our run in the big dance. One time, ‘Necks. Let’s go!
Win, 109-79! We’re going to the Sweet 16!
We didn’t need to be a second half team in this one. Our ‘Necks blew the doors off Colorado State from the opening tip-off. I thought we played a great game offensively thanks to our inside-out ball movement.
We had five scorers in double-figures in this one, but it was senior starters Bernie Doyle and Oscar Fray leading the charge. We know Doyle is capable of taking over a game at his best, and he was awesome in this one: 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from three. The real story was Fray, though.
Fray was probably the least appealing long-term prospect of our recruiting class when he entered the program alongside Doyle, Keller, and Munoz. That was mostly because of his 74 rating and C potential grade. While he’s always been rated a few points lower than his classmates, Fray’s skill set on the court is so important to us. He’s a massive 7-foot power forward who can protect the rim and shoot threes. What more do you want?
Fray went off in this game: 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals on 9-of-11 shooting. I love watching the big man shoot from deep. This was from NBA range.
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Here’s one more catch-and-shoot three for good measure.
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Fray might get slept on a little on this team, but he’s absolutely critical to our success if we want to win it all.
I also want to shout-out the bench for another solid performance. I liked what I saw out of Obasohan (11 points) and Howell (10 points). Since we already have two Obasohan clips in this post, why not make it three? Love him hitting this triple in the first half to help us open up the lead.
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We’re rollin’.
The win sets up a Sweet 16 game vs. Alabama
We’re now four wins away from ending this dynasty with a national championship. A Sweet 16 game against Bama is going to be an absolute battle.
In our simulated future, the Tide have become a basketball school. This program seems to make the tournament every year, and they’ve given us plenty of trouble in the past.
A trip to the Elite Eight is on the line. Let’s go!
Win, 112-69! We’re onto the Elite Eight!
Say it with me: SECOND. HALF. TEAM. After a tight first half left us with a six-point lead coming into the break, our ‘Necks absolutely torched the nets in the second half to come away with the blowout win. Seriously: we scored 66 points in the final 20 minutes. That was an offensive clinic at its best.
I had a good feeling about the second half when Cristano got this three hit the rim like 50 times before falling. Sometimes you need some good luck on your side.
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A couple possessions later, Floyd Keller came down a ripped another three. We finally had a double-digit lead, and we’d never look back.
It was great to see Keller (15 points) get going from deep. He hit all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.
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While we don’t have any clips of the front court from this game, they absolutely deserve credit for the win.
Fray turned in another incredible performance, this one somehow even better than his last. He ended the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks on 10-of015 shooting. He didn’t attempt a three (booooo) but he dominated the game on both ends. His front court mate Munoz was almost as good. The senior center finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. We kept going inside — Munoz and Fray combined for 35 (!) field goal attempts — and they were making the Bama defense pay.
Not the best Bernie Buckets game (9 points on 3-of-10 shooting), but I clipped this shot from the first half, so I might as well embed it here.
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Elite Eight, here we come.
The win sets up an Elite Eight matchup against No. 1 seed Indiana
Our run in the NCAA tournament has been a breeze up to this point, but I fear things about to get a lot more difficult. Our plucky No. 6 seed is about to run into one of college basketball’s blue bloods: the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers.
The Elite Eight has been something of a bugaboo for us. We lost in this round last year. We’ve lost in this round many times before. I don’t want it to happen again.
A Final Four trip is on the line. As always, we’re watching a simulated version of this game; I am not controlling the Leathernecks. Let’s go!
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Loss, 96-86. Oh my gosh. And just like that, our dream of ending this dynasty with a national title is over.
I am devastated. I really thought this team was good enough to send me out on top, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Hoosiers’ outside shooters did us in. Indiana’s guard-heavy lineup caught fire from deep (10-of-21 for 47.6 percent), and our perimeter attack couldn’t keep up. We only hit 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) attempts from three.
What happened to our second half team this time? We were only down two going into halftime, but we were outscored by eight over the final 20 minutes. Tough scene.
There were some solid individual performances. Munoz went out strong with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Bernie Doyle dropped 21 points and hit this three-pointer to keep us in it early.
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Floyd Keller just didn’t give us enough on the wing. He shot 1-of-8 from three in the loss. He did give us a little juice in transition, at least.
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Cristano played all 40 minutes, and had eight points and nine assists. I really wish I got another year with him as a senior next season.
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Unfortunately there is no next season. After 40 years at Western Illinois, our sim dynasty is over. Here are some final numbers on the series:
Final record: 1,177-213
10 national championships (tied with John Wooden for the most in men’s college basketball history)
15 Final Four appearances
25 Sweet 16 appearances
Final NCAA tournament record: 113-27
38 Summit League regular season championships
35 Summit League tournament championships
38 seasons with 20+ wins
61 players drafted
The thing I’m most proud of? After we made the NCAA tournament for the first time in Year 3, we didn’t miss it again the rest of this dynasty.
Is Ricky Charisma the greatest men’s college basketball coach ever?
I think so. Here’s how we stack up to other top coaches in NCAA history in important categories.
Total wins
Ricky Charisma: 1,179
Mike Krzyzewski: 1,170
Jim Boeheim: 1,083
Roy Williams: 903
Bob Knight: 899
Dean Smith: 879
Jim Calhoun: 877
Adolph Rupp: 876
Bob Huggins: 828
Eddie Sutton: 806
Tournament wins
Ricky Charisma: 110
Mike Krzyzewski: 94
Roy Williams: 77
Dean Smith: 65
Jim Boeheim: 57
Tom Izzo: 52
Jim Calhoun: 49
John Wooden: 47
Final Four appearances
Ricky Charisma: 15
Mike Krzyzewski: 12
John Wooden: 12
Dean Smith: 11
Roy Williams: 9
Tom Izzo: 8
Rick Pitino: 7
Denny Crum, Adolph Rupp, John Calipari: 6
Consecutive tournament appearances
Western Illinois: 36
Kansas: 31
North Carolina: 27
Arizona: 25
Duke: 24
Michigan State: 23
Gonzaga: 22
Winning percentage
Ricky Charisma: 84.7
Mark Few: 83.44
Sam Burton: 83.33
Clair Bee: 82.444
Adolph Rupp: 82.1
John Wooden: 80.3
National championships
Ricky Charisma: 10
John Wooden: 10
Mike Krzyzewski: 5
Adolph Rupp: 4
Roy Williams: 3
Jim Calhoun: 3
Bobby Knight: 3
Who is the best player in Western Illinois history?
That’s the big question within the fanbase right now. Before we get to it, let’s look back at our greatest recruiting wins.
We landed five five-star recruits out of the domestic high school ranks during my time at Western Illinois. We also signed nine five-star JUCO recruits, and six five-star international recruits from places like New Zealand (shout-out Dave French), Montenegro (anti shout-out Vitor Andrisevic), France (what up, Kim Kone!), and Cameroon.
The highest-rated recruit in program history was Sammy Yan at No. 10 overall in 2032. He was pretty much a disappointment. The program’s all-time leading scorer was center Vinnie Harmon with 2,452 career points during his career. He was the No. 122 overall recruit and the No. 8 center (those that followed the series or played the game know that centers are always weirded underrated on the recruiting trail).
Here are some more numbers during tournament games only (aka, the games we streamed), from the amazing Leathernecks Database maintained by our fans:
The highest rated player in program history is a tie between small forward Nic Cummings and point guard Duncan Martinez, who are the only players to reach 97 overall. Cummings in particular is a great choice for the GOAT. He ended his career with three national titles, though only one as a starter. He’s top-10 for me, but not No. 1.
The people’s choice for the GOAT is Deke Van, the legendary center who helped carry us to our first national title in Year 8. Deke’s turn from from Year 7 goat to Year 8 GOAT is the most memorable we’ve ever had. We couldn’t have done any of this without you, Deke.
When Coach tell you youre guarding @deke_van https://t.co/RDhmDAPRA8 pic.twitter.com/fm2udgvMZT
— Ryan Thomas (@RTtheSID) May 10, 2020
As the series went on, other great players emerged who finished with gaudier stats and better resumes.
My personal favorite might be Bert Draughan, Mr. Basketball out of Chicago (No. 29 overall recruit), who went on to win a title with us in Year 13 and also starred for our Year 11 team that began the season 35-0 before losing to Michigan State in the Final Four. Harmon is another fine choice. Skip Clemmons helped us win three national titles in Year 23, Year 24, and Year 26. Albert Jagla, Clemmons’ former teammate, played a big role in our first back-to-back championship squad, and is arguably the greatest perimeter bucket-getter in program history.
All-time favorite moment? Impossible to say. The first one that comes to mind is Kim Kone’s go-ahead corner three in the 2024 tournament. Najeeb Goode’s steal vs. UCLA in the Final Four to help us win our second title in Year 13 also stands out. There was also the time superstar power forward Allen Cunningham took off his pants mid-game.
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Thank you to everyone who read, watched, and interacted
I started this series on April 11, 2020, a few weeks after the pandemic had shut down all ‘real’ sports. At the time, I was gearing up to cover the 2020 NCAA tournament. That never happened. I had college basketball on my mind, and I always wanted to write something on ‘College Hoops 2K8’, probably my favorite video game ever. This project is what came of it.
I had no idea if anyone was going to read this. I definitely did not think I’d finish out all 40 years like a complete lunatic. I didn’t think I’d write the equivalent of multiple books in terms of total word count.
Just before I dropped the first post in the series, I tweeted this:
Got a real dumb blog post coming
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) April 11, 2020
I wrote around 70 posts in the series, counting the inaugural Hall of Fame induction (read a big Deke Van retrospective at that link) and two posts of my Deke Van x Seattle Supersonics spin-off. I’m estimating I wrote 200,000 words in this series. That’s about the length of “The Fellowship of the Ring.”
I still can’t believe everything that came from this series. The Washington Post wrote a profile on it. I went on WGN TV and did a few radio spots promoting it. We sold a Deke Van t-shirt with Homefield Apparel. Our series inspired a new friend in Japan named Thanh Nguyen to write a pair of e-books adding greater depth to our story. Friend of the program Mike Rutherford did an amazing hype video for our first championship run. When I moved the series to Substack for a few months, more than 7,000 people signed up for email updates and still remain. Our first Twitch stream for the Year 8 Final Four drew more than 7,000 total viewers, and had 2,500 concurrent viewers on it at as we were closing out the win. On SB Nation, the series has been viewed more than 500K times.
What really made the project special was always the community around it. Some quick shout-outs:
The Leathernecks Database is an amazing companion to this series. You can lost in there. Thank you to the diehards to helped maintain it, and reader Evan for starting it.
Thanks to my guy who started the Leathernecks Nation instagram fan page and whoever is behind the wondrous fake Deke Van twitter account.
Thanks to everyone in the Discord who maintained ‘Necks discussion always and forever.
Thank the diehards that came out for every Twitch stream. I don’t want to name names because I’ll forget someone, but you know who you are. I love you all. I also want to thank the readers for keeping up with the recaps, and everyone who emailed me feedback throughout the series. I also want to thank my buddy Scott for introducing me to the game and running through multiple 40-year dynasties with me way before I ever considered blogging through it like this. This series would not exist without him.
What a ride it’s been. As I sim through to the end of the calendar, I’m greeted with this message.
Thank you, everyone. Go ‘Necks.
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50 questions tag
Tagged by the wonderful @tiffdawg 💖💖
1.) What color is your hairbrush?
Red
2.) Name a food you never eat
Seafood. I ate too much fish and shellfish when I was little that kind of put me off the entire food group but I’m trying to get the taste for it back. I’ve worked up to a few bites of coconut shrimp and a little bit of tuna fish! Ironically enough I still love calamari and didn’t go off of it.
3.) Are you usually too warm or too cold?
I feel too cold but my temp runs warm.
4.) What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Making green tea.
5.) What’s your favorite candy bar?
I don’t actually know; a lot of candy bars are too sweet for me so I stay away from them.
6.) Have you ever been to a professional sports game?
Yes! I’ve been to basketball, baseball, and hockey. Hockey I think is the only one where the game itself keeps me entertained, basketball is fine, baseball bores me out of my mind so I end up people watching more than I watch the game.
7.) What’s the last thing you said out loud?
Me explaining how I’d rather see Elektra get together with Matt instead of Karen to my mom because she wanted to watch the Punisher and I convinced her we actually need to start with Daredevil season 2 for the backstory.
8.) What’s your favorite ice cream?
Coconut pineapple or butter pecan. Or when it’s that real strong coffee flavor that’s not too sweet.
9.) What was the last thing you had to drink?
I’m still sipping on that green tea.
10.) Do you like your wallet?
I do! It’s this stiff little leather bifold that’s probably older than I am. It’s real slick and tbh I like using it because it’s so stiff and I have to work to get my cards out, it makes me think about if what I’m buying is worth the trouble lmao.
11.) What’s the last thing you ate?
A piece of cookie my mom brought home.
12.) Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?
I ordered a couple pairs of jeans.
13.) What’s the last sporting event you watched?
Tbh the only sports I watch at home are equestrian sports when I can catch them; the last one I watched was the cross country day of three day eventing.
14.) What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
Movie theater butter because I’m trash.
15.) Who’s the last person you sent a text to?
One of my best friends 🥰
16.) Ever go camping?
No and it’s a crying shame
17.) Do you take vitamins?
I’m trying to take fish oil fairly regularly but thank you for reminding me to go take my b12 because I’m like chronically low
18.) Do you go to church every Sunday?
Nope
19.) Do you have a tan?
Also nope
20.) Do you prefer Chinese or pizza?
Chinese!
21.) Do you drink soda through a straw?
Yes
22.) What color socks do you usually wear?
Black
23.) Do you ever drive above the speed limit?
Nice try officer 🙃
24.) What terrifies you?
besides the world ending? a general and persistent fear of not being good enough for others. (stolen from @tiffdawg because hard same) That and not being remembered.
25.) Look to your left, what to you see?
The living room tv
26.) What chore do you hate the most?
Washing dishes.
27.) What do you think when you hear an Australian accent?
Steve Irwin
28.) What’s your favorite soda?
Cream soda
29.) Do you go in fast food or in the drive through?
Tbh I try not to eat fast food but when I do it’s always drive through
30.) What’s your favorite number?
I like even numbers or multiples of 3 and 5.
31.) Who’s the last person you talked to?
My mom.
32.) Favorite cut of beef?
T bone
33.) Last song you listened to?
AND I AM NOT THROWING AWAY MY SHOT!
34.) Last book you read?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
35.) Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Not even going to attempt
36.) Favorite day of the week?
Friday probably
37.) How do you like your coffee?
It depends on the coffee and also my mood😅 If it’s good coffee with good flavor I can drink it black or with just a bit of sugar. If I’m over at family’s the tradition is amaretto coffee with evaporated milk. At home it’s usually with some sort of creamer or oat milk and a bit of sugar.
38.) Favorite pair of shoes?
I have two pairs of heeled boots I really love that actually might have better traction than my hiking boots somehow.
39.) Time you normally wake up?
Actually get up and stay up anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30.
40.) Sunrise or sunsets?
Sunset.
41.) How many blankets on your bed?
When I’m home? A single sheet. When I’m at university? A sheet, 3 blankets, and I’m still cold so compensate with thick socks and a hoodie
42.) Describe your kitchen plates?
Square with red tops and black bottoms.
43.) Describe your kitchen at the moment?
Cramped and disorganized and I hate it.
44.) Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink?
Disaronno is really nice, but when I’m home I usually just drink white wines; reds trigger my migraines a lot of the time and make my teeth and tongue all fuzzy. When I could go out it was green tea shots or vodka tonics.
45.) Do you play cards?
I used to and want to start again.
46.) What color is your car?
Fire engine red.
47.) Can you change a tire?
No and I’d really like to learn.
48.) Your favorite state, province, country, etc.?
I’m sentimental towards San Diego and Florida for a couple reasons but out of everywhere I’ve been thus far it has to be Costa Rica, specifically Tortuguero.
49.) Favorite job you’ve had?
I’ve actually only had one paying job so far lmao, I was an assistant lab tech and it was pretty fun!
50.) How did you get your biggest scar?
When I was like 7 I was using a pile of rocks as a jump for my four wheeler and one day I landed wrong and ended up hanging off the side. I couldn’t reach the brakes but I somehow managed to steer off the barn porch after almost crashing headfirst into a cement block pillar and then I laid it down on myself once I was in the dirt. I got pretty good road rash on my legs but the scars have faded somewhat.
That’s probably my best hurting myself story, but I’m clumsy and played rough as a kid so my knees especially are still pretty scarred.
No pressure tags: @damerondjarin @poeticandors @acomplicatedprofession @hystericalmedicine @huliabitch @writefightandflightclub @paniclana
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All Tyrus quotes/scenes so far
There’s a Mack in the shack (s.2 ep.8)
“Well, I can do it, but teach a man to fish? Walk to the muffin like you already own it.”
“He can’t do that”
“Hey, don’t tell him what he can’t do”
“Hey… he’s with me”
Miniature Gulf (s.2 ep.11)
“Chocolate chocolate chip muffin, right?”
“Scary basketball guy”
“Actually TJ”
“I know”
“So, do you hang out here a lot”
“You don’t know me. I got stuff”
“Underdog!”
“Thanks for reminding me about swinging. That helped.”
We Were Never (s.2 ep.12)
“Hey, not-so-scary basketball guy!”
“Hey, underdog!”
A Walker to Remember (s.2 ep.17)
“We can also use these [megaphones] to yell at TJ”
“Why would we want to do that”
“Are they friends”
“I’m not here as a punching bag. I’m here to see if you’re okay.”
“What I need is a different brain”
“There is nothing wrong with you”
“She may have been right, but you’re the one who really helped me”
Crime Scene: AndiShack! (s.2 ep.18)
“[referring to swing set scene 1.0] that was the first time we ever really talked”
“He was the last person I ever thought you’d be friends with.”
“I know. Weird, right? But you know what’s weirder? He wants to be friends with me. Who knows why?”
“I know why.”
Buffy in a Bottle (s.2 ep.21)
“[to Buffy’s time capsule] Buffy I know I should've done this to you in person, but I was a jerk, like big-time. And I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that.”
“So you let me sit down, but you won’t even talk to me?”
“I’m sorry, it’s private. I’m having a physical issue.”
“I can’t do a somersault, okay? In fact, there’s a whole list of easy things that I can’t do.”
“Listen, underdog, if you can’t do a somersault, I can help you with that.”
“I should probably head out too. I have to go to work. You wanna come with me?”
“Yes! Please!”
“You work at a gym? You should’ve told me. I hate gyms.”
“You’ll like this one. This is where you’re going to learn to do a somersault.”
“Says the athlete with boundless confidence. You don’t know what it’s like to be a kugel of a man.”
“When we start to recognize. We start to realize – We can do anything”
The Cake That Takes the Cake (s.2 ep.25)
“You should’ve seen him. It was so cute.”
“He was like a little puppy”
“I could forgive you. I think I already have. I just don’t know if we could ever be friends.”
“What if he apologized?”
“It would have to be like the best apology ever.”
“I mean, give it a shot.”
“If you’re looking for a captain, her name is Buffy Driscoll going to start a girls team and make that ish official steal your ball so fast, that you'll want to bring police in tell them it got taken like she’s Liam Neeson the slickest, sickest, quickest, the most wicked in the world used to hate her, instigate her told her, “good job for a girl” I didn’t want to hear it but she taught me all the same if you want to change the world and you got to change the game.”
“Was that the best apology ever?”
“I think maybe it was”
“I am so confused right now.”
“You think you are confused? Take a walk through my head.”
“You think you know someone. Until you find out that you don’t.”
Hole in the Wall (s.3 ep.4)
“And now he owes me a muffin of my choice”
“Blueberry macadamia”
“There’s no such muffin”
“Then, I guess you have your work cut out for you.”
Cookie Monster (s.3 ep.6)
“Cyrus!”
“Hey! What’s up?”
“What are you doing Saturday?”
“Saturday. Saturday, well, my popular kids club meetings are on Friday, so, uh, yeah. I’m free on Saturday.”
“Wanna hangout”
“With you?”
“And my friends”
“Do they even know I exist?”
“Yeah, they know. I talk about you”
“Behind my back?”
“Well you’re not there, so, yeah. Are you mad?”
“Are you kidding? I’m flattered! I didn’t think anybody talked about me behind my back.”
“TJ was right you are funny”
“All right, lets go, Cyrus. Woo! You got this!”
“I got a great shot of you”
“You know what’s in the bag”
“Yeah.”
“I’m gonna go. Okay. I think you should too. TJ”
“You’re doing the right thing”
“That’s what my parents said, but I think TJ would disagree. He’s gonna hate me”
The New Girl (s.3 ep.7)
“He really wants to talk shouldn’t I at least hear him out”
“He obviously feels bad. He keeps calling.”
“TJ’s not sitting with his friends”
“Wonder why”
“I’m just gonna do a quick walk-by, make sure he’s okay”
“Is this swing taken”
“How’d you know I’d be here?”
“I’ve been stopping by. Seeing if I could get you without your body guards”
“I’m not supposed to hang out with you. I should go”
“No stay. I’ll go. Can I at least say I’m sorry first? I didn’t know Reed was going to bring a gun. I wouldn’t have gone and I definitely wouldn’t have brought you. Now you hate me. Classic TJ. Anything good, I got a ruin it.”
“TJ you said you were going to apologize”
“I just did”
“Actually you didn’t”
“Yes I did. I said I was huh. You’re right. Well, sorry for not saying sorry.”
“So, you’ve apologized for not apologizing but you still haven’t apologized”
“You can be a little annoying, you know that?”
“Well, you can be oblivious.”
“Well you can be very judgy.”
“Well, you can be intimidating”
“You know what else you are?”
“What?”
“The only person I can talk to like this. Okay if I stay?”
“I just want you to know it wasn’t me who told the police about the gun. I would’ve but they already knew.”
“Yeah. I told them. Surprise! I did the right thing.”
I Got Your Number (s.3 ep.8)
“Hey, niceburg!”
“Eh, it’s just his face. He’s not so mean anymore.”
“Everyone’s got something they got to deal with.”
“Fear of flamingos both real and plastic”
One in a Minyan (s.3 ep.11)
“Oh, I’m Andi Cyrus’ friend.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Oh, no, just friend.”
“Oy, vey iz mir. Why can’t that boy get a girlfriend already?”
“She didn’t know everything. I wish I told her when I had the chance. I was too afraid.”
“It is your choice who you tell and when, but you shouldn’t be afraid to do it. You underestimate how much people care about you, Cyrus.”
“You two made it, but how do I tell Jonah?”
“You just tell him. Anytime you want.”
“Okay, well,that of course is aunt Ruthie’s kugel. Uh, that’s you classic bagel and lox. That’s gefilte fish. Skip that. And I’m gay.”
“Yeah? Okay cool.”
“Okay. Cool”
“Is that TJ? You came”
“Of course I came and I brought chhhhhhallah”
“You shouldn’t chave”
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RAPTORS GET IT DONE: Toronto closes out NBA Finals series 4-2 in the final game at Oracle Arena.
“See you in the Bay, Aubrey.” Those were the words from Golden State’s Klay Thompson towards Hip-Hop legend, Canadian icon and Raptors ambassador Drake following Golden State’s 109-104 game two win in Toronto last Sunday.
Drake was not in attendance for games three or four in Oakland, so while the Warriors shooting guard Thompson probably didn’t see Aubrey in the Bay Area; what he did see was his team drop both at home and head back to Toronto on verge of elimination. Setting up an electric party in Toronto the following Monday night.
Monday nights game five also marked the return of Warriors superstar Kevin Durant, who missed the previous 11 games with an apparent calf strain. Arguably the games most dominant player, KD was cleared to play by the Warriors medical team and basketball operations. The Warriors star came to play as well, going 3/3 from three point range scoring 11 points and grabbing two rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time. It looked like KD might be the x-factor that Golden State was looking for; but with 9:46 remaining in the second quarter, that proved to not be the case. While being guarded and trying to pivot, Durant immediately grabbed the lower part of his right leg, hobbling to the sidelines. After being helped off the court, and then seen leaving the arena with crutches and a boot, it was confirmed that he in fact ruptured his Achilles’ tendon and would require surgery. It has also been reported that he will miss the entire basketball season next year.
Canadian basketball fans were at the centre of controversy surrounding the injury, cheering as Durant went down. I won’t touch much on this as it has been blown way out of proportion already. It’s reactionary, that’s all it is. Adrenaline is pumping and all you want is to see Toronto win. When a player of that caliber who is trying to beat you in your building goes down; I think that reaction would have happened anywhere. When the severity of the injury came out, most basketball fans and a lot of Canadians were nauseous. Not only because this is a mans health; but because the NBA needs KD. No basketball fan wants him sidelined. So Canadians keep doing you, the world loves your apologetic asses!
Rallying around the Durant injury were Warriors stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Stepping up and hitting big shots in the fourth quarter to steal the 106-105 victory in Toronto. Raps bench boss Nick Nurse was under some scrutiny as well for a time out called with just over three minutes remaining. Fans were outraged saying this time out killed the momentum that the Raptors has found late in the game. Nurse defended the call to the media citing the fact they lose that time out once the clock rolls under three minutes to play. Whether the time out was the right or wrong call, Toronto headed to Oakland for another chance at the title.
Thursday’s game six marked the final game played at Oracle Arena. The arena that has seen three championship banners raised to rafters in the last five years, will close its doors after the final buzzer. The Warriors will move to their new home, Chase Center in San Francisco, for the 2019-20 season. Obviously the Warriors were looking give their fans a win for their final send off, but the Raptors had another agenda. Coming out of the gates hot was the Raptors Kyle Lowry, putting up 11 points (3/3 from beyond the arc) in the first 2 minutes of the game. The game tightened up after that as we saw Golden State find their rhythm. The first quarter ended 33-32 with 15 points coming from the hands of Lowry. The first quarter was a great indication of how the game would go, with the half ending 60-57 Raptors.
The second half saw a lot of the same tight basketball, with no teams lead being more than six points. Tragedy struck again for Golden State however when late in the third quarter, the Warriors Klay Thompson went down holding his knee. This has been confirmed as an ACL tear. He is expected to miss 9-10 months. More heartbreak for Warriors fans. With Thompson gone, and still a whole quarter to play, the Raptors came alive. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam stepped up and made huge plays late to ensure Toronto would fly home champions, an not for a winner take all game seven.
With 18 seconds remaining, Warriors point guard Steph Curry sinks his second of two free throws to make it a one point game. Getting the ball back, Toronto calls a time out only to lose the ball again on an out of bounds turnover. Failing to capitalize on their possession, the Warriors, with 0.9 on the clock hand the Raptors a technical foul shot and a Andre Iguodala personal foul allows them to have another two. Of course Kawhi buries all 3. This ultimately put the game out of reach, a two possession game with less than a second to play.
The milliseconds ticked down as Steph Curry launched a shot from his own end. As the ball sailed through the air, the buzzer sounded cementing the Raptors as your 2019 NBA Champions. A final score of 114-110.
It would be a travesty not to mention Kawhi Leonard. Picking up his second finals MVP, Leonard was dominant all playoffs long. He has that clutch gene and he reminds me a lot of the Tiger Woods of old, an assasin. Picking up 22 points in game seven adding six rebounds and three assists and went 7/8 from the free throw line. His “not done yet” mentality and championship pedigree rubbed off on his teammates, with everyone buying in, this truly was a team victory. This morning Kawhi is a god to Raptor fans, let’s wait and see what free agency brings.
25 years of Raptor basketball has never seen this. Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Chris Bosh and many other Raptor greats haven’t been able get it done. It took some tough decision making to make this come together. Firing the coach of the year and trading a superstar for a better one. The Raptors management are laughing all the way back to Canada as champions.
So when Klay Thompson told Drake he would see him in the Bay, I don’t think he meant seeing Drake celebrate with the college sports team, the Toronto Raptors, with a 9-10 month recovery ahead of him. Safe to say Aubrey Graham got the last laugh.
It’s Millsy signing off again, thanks for scrolling.
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31 Inspirational Stephen Curry Quotes To Help You Succeed
Stephen Curry is considered one of the best basketball players along with being a member of the Golden State Warriors. He’s one three NBA championships, won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, and is currently the highest paid player.
1. “Every time I rise up, I have confidence that I’m going to make it.” – Stephen Curry
2. “I can get better. I haven’t reached my ceiling yet on how well I can shoot the basketball.” – Stephen Curry
3. “Basketball isn’t just a sport. It is an art, one that must be mastered to succeed.” – Stephen Curry
4. “There’s more to me than just this jersey I wear, and that’s Christ living inside of me.” – Stephen Curry
5. “I can do all things.” – Stephen Curry
6. “We have to have the mentality that we have to work for everything we’re going to get.” – Stephen Curry
7. “Success comes after you conquer your biggest obstacles and hurdles.” – Stephen Curry
8.
Image Credit: Goalcast
9. “I do a little sign on the court every time I make a shot or a good pass and I pound my chest and point to the sky – it symbolizes that I have a heart for God. It’s something that my mom and I came up with in college and I do it every time i step on the floor as a reminder of who I’m playing for.” – Stephen Curry
10. “Play like you’re in first. Train like you’re in second.” – Stephen Curry
11. “If you take time to realize what your dream is and what you really want in life — no matter what it is, whether it’s sports or in other fields — you have to realize that there is always work to do, and you want to be the hardest working person in whatever you do, and you put yourself in a position to be successful. And you have to have a passion about what you do.” – Stephen Curry
12. “I can’t say enough: how important my faith is to how I play the game and who I am.” – Stephen Curry
13. “I’m not the guy who’s afraid of failure. I like to take risks, take the big shot and all that.” – Stephen Curry
14. “I’d rather be a non-All-Star playing in the Western Conference finals than an All-Star who’s sitting at home in May.”- Stephen Curry
15. “Each game is an opportunity to be on a great stage and be a witness for Christ. When I step on the floor, people should know who I represent, who I believe in.” – Stephen Curry
16. “Success is born out of faith, an undying passion, and a relentless drive.” – Stephen Curry
17. “Basketball was mine, and that’s what’s carried me to this point.” – Stephen Curry
18. “The more years I go, the more experience I have, the more that nutrition and eating the right foods is important for recovery and things like that.” – Stephen Curry
19. “It’s all about winning. Stats really don’t matter, I mean, guys have great series and all that, and people take notice and take their place in history with those stats and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning and what you can do to help your team get to that point.” – Stephen Curry
20. “I try and use every game as an opportunity to witness… When I step on the floor people should know who I represent, who I believe in.” – Stephen Curry
21. “Kids put life into perspective. I never have a bad day. Life happens and you get bad news sometime, or things don’t go your way at work – for me that might mean I lose a game or not play well – but that doesn’t affect my mood from day to day. I love going home and seeing the smiles on my daughters’ faces being happy to see me, and that makes everything all right.” – Stephen Curry
22. “All 14 guys on the team have sacrificed something to get to this point.” – Stephen Curry
23. “I really cherish everything that basketball brings; and I think, for me, it’s been a great ride and I’m not done yet.” – Stephen Curry
24.
Image Credit: AZ Quotes
25. “Sometimes people make it seem like you have to have certain prerequisites or a crazy life story in order to be successful in this world.” – Stephen Curry
26. “Make sure you live in the moment and work your butt off every single day, and I hope I inspire people all around the world to just be themselves, be humble and be grateful for all the blessings in your life.” – Stephen Curry
27. “Be the best version of yourself in anything you do. You don’t have to live anybody else’s story.” – Stephen Curry
28. “To excel at the highest level – or any level, really – you need to believe in yourself.” – Stephen Curry
29. “We overload in our workouts so that the game slows down in real life. It helps you become a smarter basketball player.” – Stephen Curry
30. “I try to make it look easy, but the behind-the-scenes stuff is the challenge.”- Stephen Curry
31. “Honestly, I could care less about other people’s opinions about me.” – Stephen Curry
Which Stephen Curry quote is your favorite and why? Comment below!
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2021 NBA Mock Draft
1) Detroit Pistons - Cade Cunningham, PG, Oklahoma State
Cade Cunningham is the obvious first overall pick, just as Zion Williamson was in 2019. While Cunningham isn’t on Zion’s level, at least not yet, he stands at 6’ 8”, 220 lbs while possessing point guard skills. He compares to Ben Simmons with a bit worse defense and much better shooting.
2) Houston Rockets - Jalen Green, SG, G League
The second pick is where things get interesting, as there are three players in play: Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs. A great case can be made for any of them, but the current rumors are the Rockets want a highly-talented wing duo in Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Green is an elite scorer with explosive athleticism and a great shot. He and Porter Jr can form a duo similar to what the Celtics and Clippers have from their wing spots.
3) Cleveland Cavaliers - Evan Mobley, C, USC
The fit is questionable, as Jarrett Allen is a restricted free agent and the Cavs want to retain him, but what’s not questionable is that Evan Mobley seems to show far more potential than Allen. Mobley can score from all three levels and is skilled defensively, being very switchable and having the ability to guard just about anyone on the court.. He’s reminiscent of both LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Bosh. The Cavs could draft him and work on a sign-and-trade with Jarrett Allen.
4) Toronto Raptors - Jalen Suggs, PG, Gonzaga
The Raptors were big draft lottery winners when they jumped into the top four, and now can choose from the last of the tier-two players remaining, which would be Jalen Suggs. Suggs is athletic and tough defensively, a great scorer, and a fierce competitor. With Kyle Lowry likely leaving in free agency, Suggs would be the perfect replacement.
5) Orlando Magic - Jonathan Kuminga, PF, G League
Jonathan Kuminga has lots of room to develop, and while he has as much potential as just about anyone in the draft class, he’s a very unfinished product. His size allows him to score in the paint at will, and while his handle and shot are a work in progress, he’s shown many flashes of both; if those develop well, Kuminga will be a superstar. His combination of athleticism, strength, and agility will allow him to make an immediate impact for a team on the defensive end.
6) Oklahoma City Thunder - Scottie Barnes, PG/PF, Florida State
It’s difficult to pick just one position for the 6’ 9”, 227 lb star from Florida State, so I’ll list him at both PG and PF. Barnes is nearly identical to Draymond Green: skilled playmaker, one step ahead of the opponent on both ends of the court, unmatched defensive tools, zero shot. The fit with the Thunder could be better, but with a plethora of young talent and draft picks, GM Sam Presti should be focused on adding any players with upside.
7) Golden State Warriors (via Minnesota Timberwolves) - James Bouknight, SG, UConn
Bouknight is one of the best pure scorers in the draft, possibly the second best after Jalen Green. He’s athletic, has a nice array of moves to get open, and is a lights-out shooter. Bouknight reminds me of Zach LaVine and Devin Booker, as he’s someone that can get a bucket at ease. The Warriors can use someone who’ll take pressure off of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, because the star duo is getting no younger.
8) Orlando Magic (via Chicago Bulls) - Davion Mitchell, PG, Baylor
Davion Mitchell is an older prospect at 22, which hurts his draft stock, but his talent is undoubtable. Defensively, Mitchell is never afraid to go up against the opposing team’s best player. He’s got great tools on that end of the court and is always playing at 100%. Offensively is where things get tricky: he has an explosive first-step which allows him to get past his defender and attack the basket, but his shooting is a question mark. In his three college seasons, he raised his three-point percentage from 28.8% to 32.4% and then to 44.7%. Oddly, his free throw percentage went from 67.7% to 66.3% and then to 64.1%. Mitchell is a great one-on-one scorer due to his burst, seems to have potential from beyond the arc, and is elite defensively. That should make him a good pick in the back-end of the top ten despite the concerns. He and Kuminga can help give the Magic an extremely bright future.
9) Sacramento Kings - Moses Moody, SF, Arkansas
The Kings finished the season with the league’s worst defensive rating, and Moody can certainly help there. At 6’ 6”, 205 lbs with a 7’ 1” wingspan, his size and length make him a very talented defender. Offensively, he’s an elite three-point shooter with an effortless release. Moody is developing other parts of his game, and has shown that he can be a secondary ball handler and make plays in transition in addition to being a plus rebounder. Moody would remind fans of both Mikal Bridges and Khris Middleton, who went head-to-head in the Finals.
10) Memphis Grizzlies (via New Orleans Pelicans) - Corey Kispert, SF, Gonzaga
Corey Kispert is a perfect fit for a Grizzlies team that needs shooting around Ja Morant. Kispert is a top-two shooter in the draft (with the other being Chris Duarte out of Oregon), and is very possibly the best. Last season, he attempted 6.5 shots per game from beyond the arc and knocked them down at a 44.0% clip. The issue with Kispert is that he struggles in just about every other part of his game. He doesn’t do much offensively outside of being a catch-and-shoot threat, and defensively his lack of athleticism hinders him. Kispert plays like a Joe Harris or Kyle Korver clone.
11) Charlotte Hornets - Keon Johnson, SG, Tennessee
Keon Johnson is a terrific on-ball defender with freakish athleticism, even setting the record for the highest vertical at the combine. His offense has a ways to go, but he’s shown flashes on that end of the court. As that part of his game improves, he could grow into a player similar to Jaylen Brown. The Hornets already have Gordon Hayward, but he’s aging and injury-prone.
12) San Antonio Spurs - Alperen Sengun, C, Turkey
Alperen Sengun put up monster numbers, winning the Turkish League MVP at just 18. He’s talented at scoring in the paint because of his great understanding of spacing, cutting, and screening, and to all of that he adds a soft touch. Sengun is a good free throw shooter and has range for a big man. With the right development, Sengun can be a similar player to Domantas Sabonis or Nikola Vucevic. The Spurs lack options in the frontcourt, making Sengun a perfect fit.
13) Indiana Pacers - Josh Giddey, PG, Australia
Another international prospect, Giddey is from Australia. The 6’ 8” point guard has incredible vision and creates for others at a level that’s reminiscent of LaMelo Ball. Giddey controls the pace of the game and has an impressive handle. His biggest weaknesses are his outside shot and his lack of athleticism on the defensive end. Nonetheless, he’s a great talent to build around.
14) Golden State Warriors - Chris Duarte, SG, Oregon
Chris Duarte is an elite shooter, possibly the best in the entire draft. Last season, he knocked down 42% of his threes. Duarte also has solid athleticism, which makes him a plus defender. The Warriors held a workout on Sunday with a select group of draft prospects, and Duarte was invited. Golden State certainly has interest in the Oregon product.
15) Washington Wizards - Jalen Johnson, SF, Duke
Jalen Johnson was a five-star prospect and has undeniable potential, but he quit Duke midseason and therefore there are questions surrounding him. Will he quit on a team that’s doing poorly? How much do his college numbers reveal, given the small sample size? That aside, Johnson has point-forward skills. He’s big-bodied at 6’ 9” and 220 lbs, but he has a nice handle, makes plays in transition, and hit 44% of his threes. The three-point percentage, though, came on just 18 attempts. If he has a legitimate work ethic, Johnson can be the steal of the draft.
16) Oklahoma City Thunder (via Boston Celtics) - Franz Wagner, SF, Michigan
With his handle, playmaking, and basketball IQ, Wagner has shown flashes of point guard skills. He’s an efficient scorer, shooting over 80% from the free throw line and 34% from three. Defensively, Wagner is an impact player; he’s by no means a lockdown defender, but he’s definitely above average on that end of the court.
17) New Orleans Pelicans (via Memphis Grizzlies) - Trey Murphy III, SF, Virginia
The Pelicans badly need shooting around Zion Williamson, and Murphy fills that need to perfection. He’s a very similar prospect to Moses Moody out of Arkansas, though not quite at Moody’s level at this stage. An extremely talented shooter and a solid defender, what he lacks at this stage is a more well-rounded offensive game. That might come with time.
18) Oklahoma City Thunder - Isaiah Jackson, C, Kentucky
Isaiah Jackson is a rim-runner, blocking shots in the paint and being a lob threat. His offensive game is lacking, but he’s an impact player defensively. His 12.7 block percentage was eighth in the nation, and he has the athleticism to be very switchable. The Thunder can play Aleksej Pokusevski at power forward and Jackson at center full time.
19) New York Knicks - Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn
Sharife Cooper is undersized, listed at a very questionable 6’ 1.” Still, the point guard is lightning quick, a crafty ball-handler, and he has excellent vision. A true point guard, his ability to set up teammates is superb.
20) Atlanta Hawks - Tre Mann, PG, Florida
Mann shot 40.2% from downtown on 4.7 attempts per game, he’s a good ball-handler and he can create space. His ability to create for himself, and knock down shots when he does, make him a player with lots of potential. Mann had a late growth spurt and now stands at 6’ 5”, allowing him to play and defend at either guard spot. He can back up Trae Young due to his point guard skills, or play alongside Young as a shooting guard. That makes him a great fit with the Hawks.
21) New York Knicks (via Dallas Mavericks) - Kai Jones, C, Texas
Kai Jones offers many of the same qualities that Mitchell Robinson has. He’s a talented shot blocker and great lob threat, and what he has that Robinson doesn’t is the potential to be a stretch big. Jones converted on 13 of his 34 three pointers (38.2%), and he’ll also be on his rookie contract for five years, whereas Robinson is due for an extension within the next year. With Jones, the Knicks can get a cheaper and potentially better option at the center position.
22) Los Angeles Lakers - Ziaire Williams, SG, Stanford
Ziaire Williams came into college as a five-star prospect, yet had a subpar season by his standards. That being said, he’s a great pick in the back-end of the first round. Between his length for a shooting guard (6’ 10” height and wingspan), handle, shot, and high-energy defense, Williams has intriguing potential. Still, he’ll need to add some strength and continue developing his game.
23) Houston Rockets (via Portland Trail Blazers) - Usman Garuba, C, Spain
Garuba is short for a center at 6’ 8”, but he’s 230 lbs with a 7’ 2” wingspan. Powerful, mobile, and graceful. Garuba’s energy is unmatched; he’s always doing the little things like setting screens, running the floor, and being a smart defender that uses proper positioning. At the moment, his offensive game is simply scoring, although he’s shown glimpses of a midrange game, ball-handling, and passing.
24) Houston Rockets (via Milwaukee Bucks) - Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU
Cameron Thomas is a big-time bucket-getter. Just about every other part of his game is a work in progress, but Thomas knows how to score the ball. He could play in a Lou Williams role at the next level, and the Rockets can use any scoring they can get.
25) Los Angeles Clippers - Jaden Springer, PG, Tennessee
Jaden Springer is an elite defender. He has great size for a point guard at 6’ 4” with a 6’ 8” wingspan, and he plays with great intensity. Offensively, he handles the ball well, shows good quickness and can score from all three levels. With Reggie Jackson entering the free agent market, the Clippers can get a younger and cheaper option.
26) Denver Nuggets - Jared Butler, PG/SG, Baylor
Butler is a well-rounded combo guard. While not a pure point guard, he does a solid job of creating for teammates. He’s a great scorer, as his strong upper body allows him to attack the basket, his plus handle helps him create space, and his shot (49% from the field and 43% from three) is one of the strongest in the draft class. Butler can play on-ball and create for himself, or play off-ball and space the floor.
27) Brooklyn Nets - Miles McBride, PG, West Virginia
With both Spencer Dinwiddie (PG) and Bruce Brown (SG) possibly leaving in free agency, the Nets will need to add to their backcourt. And that’s where McBride fits in. McBride is a strong, hard-nosed player with plus athleticism and good defensive tools. While only 6’ 2”, his near 6’ 9” wingspan gives him the ability to defend one through three, and sometimes four. He’s one of the best defenders in the draft class with his length, intensity, and basketball IQ. McBride has a ways to go offensively, but did shoot 41.4% from three and 81.3% from the free throw line, and his strong build allows him to attack the paint. Defense, leadership, shooting, and toughness can go a long way, so the Nets would be happy to draft McBride.
28) Philadelphia 76ers - Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, PF, Villanova
Robinson-Earl is a big power forward at 6’ 9” and 242 lbs. He’s surprisingly quick for his size and has an advanced skill level for his position, as he can hit shots from the outside, handle the ball fairly well, and make good decisions with the basketball. On the defensive end of the court, Robinson-Earl plays with good positioning. He should be able to make an immediate impact at the next level, something the 76ers will be looking for.
29) Phoenix Suns - Ayo Dosunmo, PG, Illinois
Whether Chris Paul opts into the remaining year of his contract or opts out in order to re-sign on a three-year deal, it’ll be extremely difficult for the Suns to retain Cameron Payne. Dosunmo, though, can serve as the perfect replacement. He’s not great at any particular thing, nor does he have any glaring weaknesses; he’s. simply extremely well-rounded if unspectacular. The Suns don’t need to swing for the fences with this pick. They can go with Dosunmo, who would be the perfect backup to Paul.
30) Utah Jazz - Josh Christopher, SG, Arizona
The Jazz have the most depth in the league and are at a point where they can take a gamble on a prospect like Christoper. He’s at his best with the ball in his hands, where he can use his size to bully his way into the paint, or hit a shot from mid-range or deeper. He’s a threat to score from all three levels, though his shot selection, passing, and playmaking will need to develop.
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Diving into University Sport Part 2: New Beginnings
Jacob Smith
The first weeks of the women’s team was basically the same as the men’s for me, if not more anxiety. This women’s team I was joining, like the men’s, had a core group of veterans that kept things going and the chemistry of the team felt much like a family. For me, while I was comfortable with my job, I definitely wasn't confident, I hadn’t felt like I proved myself yet and I definitely believed nobody really had a reason to know who I am. I would walk into practices in September and immediately go do what I was instructed to do and what I knew I would have to do from doing it for the men the previous year.
I didn't talk to basically anyone aside from Rao and I was slowly getting used to being around the squad. I felt star struck I guess. I was around all these people that I had looked up to for years and I was now in charge of getting people to their games. I walked into practice every day and would see Jess and Tatti, Baelie and Allie, Kristin and Shannon. I was the new guy at work except work is 18 good friends and you’re the 19th with no real connection to anyone. Shit got my heart going that's for sure. I knew I had to get to know them so my job would be easier but I had no idea how I would do that. All I knew for sure was I really didn't want to fuck this up, so I had to get to work.
One of the first players I got to know was Jenneke, transferred from the University of Windsor. Her birthday was about 2 weeks after I started the job. Trying to figure out how I was going to do a post on social media wishing her a happy birthday when she was a new addition to the team and I was still getting settled into the new team was interesting. I wasn't exactly a photographer at that time and marketing hadn’t really gotten going yet because there was still about a month and a half until the season actually started. I was trying to figure out how to get a post out wishing the new transfer a happy birthday, get her name out there more amongst the Brock community that she’s so involved in having been raised in St Catharines. The idea I came up with wasn't exactly what you’d call professional but it got me off on the right foot, not missing a task.
I figured out a way to introduce myself to the girls I guess. Through posts and asking for different things for social media. I met Jenneke through that request for a photo taken from my iPhone against the wall in Bob Davis gym. Over the course of the next 3 years she would end up becoming one of my closest friends, a person I care about a lot and one of the most committed people I’ve ever met. Her, along with a few others, really made me feel at home when I was with the team and she fueled my passion for what I do because I constantly reminded myself that I was doing it for her and not for me. I wanted to do all I could for her because she was always so nice to me, and that thought carried with me for the years to come, and it still does.
The mindset of not doing what I do, for me, but for the players and staff on the team, pushed me to do things I didn't think I was capable of doing, and that mindset only got drilled in further as I met more and more people on the team.
The next person I started to get to know was Elise. Before every practice I would shoot around, and you could say I enjoyed a 3-pointer. I started extending my range for fun and that turned into half court shots. I think with some interest gained from players seeing the half court shots, a half-court tournament started happening at the start and end of practices with Cedi, Elise, Sofia and myself with Taylor going in when he could. We bet chocolate milk tokens, tim hortons, other meals, anything you could think of. That went on throughout the season and it allowed me to get to know Elise who is one of the most positive individuals you will ever meet, and made me laugh constantly.
As the first semester went on and I spent more and more time around the team I got to know 2 people who had pushed me to join the women’s team in Baelie and Allie. As I mentioned, I looked up to them during my first two years at Brock, so I was incredibly excited to get to meet them, once I got the confidence to do so. I had reached out to Baelie near the end of the 2017-18 year once we got back from Nationals because the WEAREREADY team was doing a series where we interview players and Baelie was one of them, but we never got the chance to really introduce ourselves to each other so we were still not so acquainted. I of course did what I did for Jenneke, reached out to them about content for social media, and our discussion stemmed from there. They proved me completely correct on my presumptions about the type of hard worker and selfless people they were. They became my best friends rather quickly and they’re still people I hold very close to my heart and will always do whatever I can to help them even a fraction of the amount that they’ve helped me. I can go on and on about the two of them but as I talk about what transpired throughout the year I think you’ll get the idea.
So back to what transpired throughout the year. September went by rather quickly. Practices, couple exhibition games meetings, prep for the season, the standard things teams do in the off-season. I spent a lot of September kind of in the shadows, still getting my footing with the team and figuring out where I stand and what kind of liberties I would be able to take. I had a plan for social media but September was still a time to experiment and watch to see if there’s something else I could do, perhaps stemming from the closeness of the team and the relationships within. I slowly started working on more things, putting my writing into effect as fast as possible because that was something I definitely wanted to grow, putting a lot of effort into. I got used to the birthday posts and alongside my excellent partner Mackenzie, we devised a plan for the season and how promotion and game days would work.
October came around, the season was now under a month away. On the basketball side I was still getting used to being around everyone and used to my role. The feeling of being the new guy never went away that season. On the promotional side, I could really feel myself getting into a groove. I knew what I was doing and I was getting to a point where I was so efficient at what I was doing that I felt like I needed to add more. The basketball articles I was writing were taking a maximum of 30 minutes to do. Despite the fact I was doing a significant amount between practices, full course schedule, writing, planning and general management of social media, I felt like I wasn't doing enough because I had so much time to spare. I felt like since I had this free time and I was so committed to going above and beyond that season with what I was doing with the team, I had to devote that time to basketball and do more than I was doing.
Could I really tell myself I was doing all I could if I had so much extra time at night after doing school work? I could be using the extra time to write more articles, plan more projects, study more film, get to know the players better, something that would help me with my position. So that's what I did. I wrote articles about other teams to grow my writing skills. Wrote an article about Jensen Murphy of the women’s hockey team, Laura Condotta of the women’s volleyball team, I had written an article about Taylour Hurd of women’s rugby in September. I started using the time to get better at my craft and become more productive.
This led to what some would call an insane work schedule. By the start of the season and throughout the year I would wake up at around 6-6:30am, catch the 6:50 416 bus to Brock to get there just after 7am, and I would be on campus, whether it was in class, practice, or the office, until the last 416 bus came at 11:30pm. This became a regular occurrence for me, even on weekends where I’d be on campus in the office from 10am-7pm.
I wanted to give as much as I could to the team to help them as much as possible. I wanted to spread the word about them and help drive conversation towards their team and what they were accomplishing. I say “their team” because for the first while I was still struggling to accept that I was a part of the team. For the first months I felt more a part of marketing which didn't really exist in the form it did the previous year, as I did the team whose practices I attended 5 days a week. I felt like the guy who just brought people to their games and attended practices so I could know what to talk about, not like the guy who was a team manager and assistant to go along with my marketing role.
Going back to the home opener and driving people to their games, that was probably the best turnout aside from seniors night that we had all year. If I remember correctly we sold out the home opener, as we usually do and it created a buzz that I could try and build off. Unfortunately the turnout didn't exactly get better. This is where I’m going to talk about my biggest regret of the year. I couldn't figure out what it was but no matter what happened, the turnout never matched that of the home opener. The games following that significantly decreased, and throughout the month of November it got visibly worse.
That made me do more, I wanted to push their attendance higher but what I was doing wasn't working, so I worked harder. I thought about new ideas on the promotional side like individual feature articles on top of the ones I was doing. I put out more content on social media and gave people a better look at the team with the hope of driving interest. I kept working 12-15 hours a day. I spent every waking hour of the day at school and I dedicated all of me that wasn't being occupied by classes, to the team. I came on more weekends when there wasn't games and earlier when there was. I pushed myself more and I really wanted to figure out what the key was to driving fans to games.
The meridian game came and that was the biggest shock of the year. The game is usually something we smack out of the park. We do everything at a higher level than we ever have and the night turns out to be an unforgettable one. For this game against Ryerson it was one I wanted to forget. I guess I thought I was doing a better job than I was doing but that night left me with so much disappointment. The arena was maybe a quarter of what it usually is for those games, the crowd that was there wasn't the loudest bunch aside from the group of Ryerson students that took the trip down. People definitely noticed the lack of fans and I saw and heard several comments myself regarding the emptiness, and it hit me hard.
The biggest night of the year and by what I was hearing, it did nothing but let people down. I thought I could handle doing the job myself and I thought I could keep up with what we were doing the previous year but boy was I wrong. Nothing like going through photos and seeing nothing but empty seats in the background to really let you know shit could’ve been a lot better.
That got me down for quite a while, not going to lie. I thought about that Saturday night and I still do. I still wonder what I did wrong because I felt like I was doing everything at the time. It got me down, and it annoyed me, to the point where I came back in January following the winter break with a mindset and determination I never had for anything before. I was pissed off at myself and I felt ashamed for the product I had put out on the biggest night of the year. I put that anger into my work ethic and I pushed the hell out of myself in the month of January.
I wanted to make up for that night and the letdown that it was. I did 3 hallway promotional walks, put up posters, posted on social media every day of the week leading up to the meridian game, wrote 2 articles during the build-up, and it all led to nothing. I wasn't going to let that be my legacy with the team I joined ready to lead it to new heights. I got a camera over the winter break and I was coming back in January ready to add another asset to my what I do. If what I was doing wasn't enough, there had to be more, and there was.
The second semester started with a trip to Niagara College for 2 days and 2 games. It started out with quite the debacle that I wasn't expecting but I think it brought me closer with a lot of the players on the team. There was an issue with the timing of practice and the clarity around how long it was and whether it was optional or not. By this point in the year I wasn't exactly close with many people aside from the coaches, Elise, Jenneke, Baelie and Allie. We had our Niagara College games in the afternoon but practice before hand was in the form of a shoot around. What had been told to everyone is that shoot around is for 30 minutes and you can show up any time within the hour the gym was open, as long as you were in there for 30 minutes. I got a drive to the gym and then to Niagara with the two people I was the most comfortable with at the time, Baelie and Allie.
We showed up part way through the hour, an issue arose with the scheduling and miscommunication, I ended up explaining what the issue was in front of the entire team and it was probably the most anxious thing I did that year, but things were cleared up and nothing came of it, so I would say situation well handled.
Long story short, a situation blew up larger than it had to be, I got anxiety from it, the players respected it and me sticking up for them and we were on to Niagara College. Needless to say we won both games very easily. The OCAA competition that took part in that event wasn't exactly up to our level. We had actually played at Niagara at the start of October before the season started and I was told at half time to stop keeping score as they weren’t going to finish the game. I don't know if they told the same thing to the players but that evening was a great confidence booster.
We went on to start the second half of the season against the injury riddled Western Mustangs, got a nice W and things were on their way. It was the last month and a half of the season already and I had to kick things into gear if I wanted my legacy to really improve. Thankfully 2 weeks later I got the chance to cement my legacy and I feel like I did just that. Something that didn't really hit me with WEAREREADY, was just how much effort went into the Bell Let’s Talk and Shoot for the Cure games, I just saw it from the perspective of a very small cog in the machine. By this point in the year, my work all day every day in isolation was in full swing. I was working 7am-11pm Monday to Friday and 10-7 on Saturday and Sunday to build the brand that is Brock Women’s Basketball, disappointing people with outcomes of fans, hating myself for it and trying again harder the next week. I was determined to knock one out of the park even if the results didn't show that.
I wasn't going around talking about my hours on campus working, unless they were curious or brought it up. I was very much stay in the office until everyone went home, go for a stroll to stretch the legs, get food and go back to the office that nobody knew how to find unless you had been in it before. I lived in my little work filled isolation and the hours flew by, mostly without me realizing, until the weeks of Bell Let’s Talk and Shoot for the Cure when I decided to keep track, and it surprised me even though I knew what I had been doing.
13 days in a row working on campus, 182 hours over those 13 days. That includes the hours set for classes but I figured that counted as me working and taking in information on campus, instead of the many things people could do off campus to spend their time. That number blew me away and made me realize I really could do anything. I was passionate about what I do and that showed it. Leading up to the Shoot for the Cure game we had a table set up in the Walker Complex which I organized and beautifully designed if I say so myself. Getting people to register to sit at the table was slightly easier than getting them to register for a hallway promotional walk which was good, but the one constant at the table was me. I was there basically all day that the table was. I would be there when players got there and I’d be there when they left. I oversaw the entire operation and by the end of the game we had raised over 700$ which I and the team was very proud of.
The following night was the Bell Let’s Talk night which required a bit less promotion but ran just as well and was just as impactful. So overall the 13 days in a row were very rewarding as we successfully ran 2 events with 2 very important messages. That did take everything out of me though, and boy was I ready to go back to just working 13 hours a day in the office writing and planning. I think those two events and the 13 days leading up to them really cemented the legacy I had tried all year to build. A guy who would do anything and everything if he was put into a position he’s passionate about and a guy with a work ethic that was unmatched, though that is still up for debate. I was extremely proud of what I had done that month and especially those 13 days and I felt like I was really setting myself apart, and putting Brock Women’s Basketball in a place it hadn’t been in a long time with its standing in the public and the media. I stuck with my mindset of everything im doing being for other people, I found ways to always push spotlight onto others and I felt like I had found a rhythm that fit me, what I was trying to do and I loved every part of it.
January came to an end, and let’s do a little recap of where I am at this point. We only had 3 home games remaining and 2 away games. My social media promotional aspect of the job was quickly coming to an end as it does every year and I only had a few more chances to knock it out of the park. I would say I was good friends with everyone on the team by the end of January. I had gotten more chances to meet the people whom I had looked up to when I was just a wee freshman, and I was pumped. What I was doing was being noticed by players, especially my best friends Baelie and Allie who always asked what was new, how long I had been working and how long I plan on working, and always shocked when my answer to both was “all the time”. I had talked with both Baelie and Allie significantly more as the season went on and they continued to be the amazing people I thought they were and they pushed me constantly throughout the year. If I had no other motivation, they were it. So many days where there wasn't a game for another week and no real event to promote, the reminder that people like that were on the team I was on, pushed me to want to do more.
Two other people that were my motivation when nothing else was, was Jess and Tatti. The two other people I had idolized two years before and the two I was probably the most eager to be around once I heard about their return on that cold evening in August. It took me a long time to say something to them during the year. That even became a joke with Rao one practice. Somehow we ended up talking about being nervous and I brought up how I was nervous to talk to Jess and Tatti because I was the new guy. It was true, I always felt like the new insignificant guy and I backed away from starting conversation with them because of my anxiety. It didn't effect my job because at that point the stuff I was writing was strictly basketball based and I could write that by just watching film. I still asked them about basketball things but when it came to off the court getting to know them as people, that was a bit of a struggle.
They were the vets and I was the new guy and I couldn't break the aura of them being the elite vets for quite a while, but I slowly got to know them and as I got more comfortable that they were in-fact the incredible humble, hardworking and compassionate people I thought they were, I became more comfortable around them and they were people I did everything I could for because they meant so much to the program and they were such incredible people. I got to learn more about Tatti’s life outside basketball and her business she owns and operates. I got to know about how committed Jess is to her future, how smart she is and how much she takes out of every day regardless of what is going on. They became more than just idols but two people I really learned from and two people who shaped me as a person and who inspire and motivate me on a daily basis. If you told me to name 5 people from my years with Brock Basketball that impacted me the most beyond just the team, those two would be on that list. They were incredible basketball players and even more amazing people and I can’t begin to talk about how much of an honor it was that I got to spend the time I did with them, and it’s another thing that makes being a part of a basketball team so awesome, you gain connections and relationships with people you’d never expect and you learn that the people you see on the court are far more than athletes and they have phenomenal stories.
On the work side of things, the last 3 home games were the final stand, and I was ready to finish strong. Ending with seniors night on February 9th where my good friends Allie and Courtney would be graduating alongside Kayla Teeter who was the team trainer and another friend of mine. That was the final game of the season so selling tickets wasn't as difficult, just like selling tickets for the home opener was, so the focus went to the execution of the event. I worked alongside the gameday operations crew to facilitate how it was going to work and it went off without a hitch. By that point I was in such a groove that the gameday activities were normal for me and didn't require much thought. I had been through everything and I was ready to get done with the night, the regular season and end off on a bang.
I didn't exactly knock any of them out of the park, though seniors night did drive a great crowd of parents and graduating players friends. The regular season didn't really end how I had imagined it would but the season was done. The two away games at Lakehead to end the year didn't require much work from me and I set my sights on playoffs and the home game we had.
We had 1 playoff home game against Laurier and I treated it almost like any other game honestly. I had already been doing everything I felt I possibly could for home games so there wasn't much else I could add to make this game special from a promotional perspective, other than unique messaging and increased promotions. The one thing I remember from that game was that we put the clamps on Laurier and it was not a very competitive matchup. I would say I remember the fans but with that game I was so focused on delivering the in-game messages and making everything look as professional as possible that the only thing I was thinking about was what I was about to say, and what was happening in the game.
Our last playoff game against McMaster, for me, was an opportunity to show how far the team had come. After the game against Laurier we used the messaging that we hadn’t won a first round playoff game in a long time, and that built up the hype for our road game in the next round. Once we got to McMaster, the messaging shifted to an underdog mentality and showing how far this team has come and how we’re entering the Marauders gym ready to fight and we shouldn't be taken lightly.
That McMaster game was one of the best games I’ve ever covered as a part of Brock Basketball. The energy was electric, both the Badgers and Marauders were scrapping it out for all 40 minutes and it came down to the final minutes. Though it ended in disappointment, the energy around the team was one of accomplishment and gratitude for what we had been through as a group. That was hard to capture in the moment but once I got to writing the post-game article, that was immediately my focus.
It had been a rollercoaster of a year, going on winning streaks and following it with an equivalent losing streak. Fighting to stay at .500 while keeping playoff hopes alive. Promoting a large group of new players to the Badger fans and getting them, including me, accustomed to the Brock Women’s Basketball lifestyle. Trying to impact the way people looked at Brock Women’s Basketball and spread the word, all while learning as much as possible about the game itself.
2018 was a year of serious growth for me, and a year of making an impact and feeling accomplished once that season ended. Though the results from a fans perspective wasn't exactly what I had been working for and I never really got that “knock it out of the park” feeling with games, my efforts did get noticed and at the end of March 2019 I felt like everything I did had paid off in some form.
The 2018-2019 Brock Athletic Banquet was a unique one. Instead of meeting in a banquet hall in the city like we had the year before, this one was held in our own Ian Beddis Gym. Teams sat together as they usually do and the entire gym was draped in black and red. For a gymnasium, you would be surprised at how fancy they made it look. Aside from looking up and seeing basketball nets above you, you wouldn't be able to tell you were in a gym. Players of the year, teams of the year, athletic therapists of the year were all announced. Teams clapped, recognition was given and everyone was having a great time, oh and great food was consumed as well.
There was one award that wasn't given to athletes or coaches, and that was the Marilou Iusi Memorial Directors Service Award. That award was given to a person who had dedicated their life to Brock Athletics over the year and who was at every meeting and practice, always helping out the coaches and players with whatever was needed. That person was me. I won a Directors Service Award, much to the surprise of me. The players found out, I don't know how or when but they had a picture of me working, put onto a canvas and everybody on the team signed the side of the canvas. I was blown away.
Here I was thinking as much as I worked my ass off, the results were never there and my impact would have to be more from a personal perspective, but damn. Rod Mawhood started reading the description of the person who won the award and when he started describing a work ethic that was mine and mentioned Women’s Basketball, a wave of emotion came over me, then all the players started cheering and another wave came over me. I had never been so overwhelmed with happiness in my life.
Everybody, Baelie, Allie, Ginny, Kristin, Jess, Jenneke, Elise, Miranda, they were all cheering and clapping for me. Baelie filmed the event and I still have the video saved on my phone because it still feels so surreal. I cant believe I was one of the first people to win that award who was currently a student when they won it. Out of everybody, me. The dude who struggled to find confidence to even talk to people, had his work recognized at that level. I had and still have a hard time believing that I deserved that award but if theres anything that would make me feel like it was all worth it, all the long nights, busy days and hours by myself inside the office determined to grow the program I had been lucky enough to join, it was this award.
What an unexpected thrill, and the night got even more special as I actually went with a few of the players to Jess house for an after party pre going out to the bar. It turned out to be truly a night of celebration that I had no clue was coming, and even with the restlessness and severe anxiety that came after it all ended, that's a night I will never forget, and put a cap on the unbelievable 2018-2019 season.
Unfortunately, that was the last season I would have as the social media coordinator, as I graduated from Brock in October of 2019 after finishing classes over the summer. It ended rather abruptly as my job with social media and the website suddenly stopped. The marketing team informed me they would be “hiding” the page I had been writing for because I was graduating, which was upsetting to me because I had already had my portfolio deleted with the order to take down the weareready website, but hey that's how it was going to work. I spent the summer taking classes online to finish up and I finished everything in August, with commencement scheduled for October. I continued my time in the basketball industry with an internship with Ontario Basketball in September and for 4 months I focused myself on the next level, but due to push from the coaches and few players, my time with Brock Women’s Basketball wasn't completely done, and I got settled into the 2019 season just a few weeks into my Ontario Basketball internship started.
Here we go again.
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Western Illinois, Year 36, 2042-2043
There’s only five seasons left in our College Hoops 2K8 sim, and we still need two national titles to tie John Wooden’s record.
Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.
Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 36, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:
Coming off a devastating buzzer-breater loss in the Elite Eight to Florida State the year before, Western Illinois returned only two starters but had four seniors in the starting lineup. We held our own against a difficult non-conference schedule and went unbeaten in the Summit League again to earn our automatic bid to the NCAA tournament at 27-4 overall.
We earned a No. 8 seed to the NCAA tournament and beat NC State in the first round, Seton Hall in the round of 32, Nevada in the Sweet 16, and South Carolina in the Elite Eight, and then lost to Wisconsin in the Final Four.
We recruited for four scholarships and landed four players: No. 6 center Brody Munoz, four-star shooting guard Bernie Doyle, four-star small forward Floyd Keller, and three-star power forward Oscar Fray.
Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 36:
(As mentioned at the bottom of the Year 35 post, these ratings are from the start of our NCAA tournament run because it’s the only clean screenshot we have. The accurate beginning of the year ratings are listed below)
Our goal is to surpass John Wooden for the most championships in college basketball history before the series ends after Year 40. We have eight national championships to Wooden’s 10, and we only have five seasons left before the game forces us to hang it up.
If we win national title No. 9 this year, we’re going to have to do it without any seniors on the roster. On the flip side, our redshirt juniors who were once ranked as the No. 5 recruiting class in the country now fully enter the spotlight. We begin the year ranked as No. 23 in the preseason polls.
Let’s meet the starters:
PG Arvydas Hardy, 91 overall, redshirt junior: Hardy is the second highest-rated recruit in program history (No. 12 overall), and it’s time for him to become a star. The 6’4 point guard is a great three-point shooter (A- rating) and has A ratings in ball handling and passing. He’s capable of stockpiling a ton of points quickly when he gets hot, but his tournament run last year ended on a huge bummer: a 5-point performance on 2-of-10 shooting in our Final Four loss to Wisconsin. This man needs redemption. Projected lottery pick out of Mesa, AZ with C- potential.
SG Augustine Bruthelieus, 88 overall, redshirt sophomore: Bru earned big minutes off the bench for us on our tournament run last year, and now steps into the starting lineup as a well-rounded 6’5 guard. While he only has a mid-70s rating in three-point shooting, Bru is a physical defensive guard who can also handle and pass the ball well for a two. We’re already thinking about putting him at point and Hardy at the two during stretches in the NCAA tournament. Former No. 42 overall recruit out of San Diego with C+ potential.
SF Reece Mascoll, 91 overall, redshirt junior: I really feel like Mascoll has a chance to go down as an all-time great alongside Hardy. A massive 6’9, 250-pound wing, Mascoll is a pretty good three-point shooter (75 rating) who is a load to handle in the paint. He can seamlessly switch to the four and provide matchup issues at whatever position he’s playing: he’s too big for threes, and too quick for fours. He was a consistent double-digit scorer off the bench for us last season, and now we gets a chance to be a star. Former No. 40 overall recruit out of Riverside, CA with C potential. Projected lottery pick.
PF Al Reece, 86 overall, redshirt junior: We’re excited to have a gigantic 7’1, 266-pound power forward like Reece to help us fortify the paint on both ends. Reece is an aggressive offensive player who will let his jump shot fly even if he isn’t the most skilled shooter. Where Reece is really good is as a shot blocker, where his high-80s rating is the best on the team. We love that he can slide to the five in a pinch, and should tower over his matchup regardless of what position he’s playing. Former No. 138 overall recruit from Glendale, AZ with C- potential.
C Felipe Hopes, 89 overall, redshirt junior: Hopes had the highest potential rating (B+) of any member of his recruiting class, and feels like a lock to leave for the NBA draft after this season. We’re just hoping to get one great tournament run out of him. While he’s not too big at 6’11, Hopes is super quick, shows impressive aggression as an inside scorer, and can hit the glass and defend the paint at an above-average level. Former No. 139 overall recruit (No. 8 center) out of Federal Way, WA. Projected lottery pick.
Hopes, Hardy, and Mascoll all could leave for the NBA after this year. We really need to make this season count.
We’re going to have a nine-man rotation with four guys off the bench. Our sixth man will be redshirt sophomore shooting guard Jerald Elliott (86 overall), a quality three-point shooter at 6’6 who looks like he can play 1-3. We have three redshirt freshmen debuting in the rotation after him. Ketshner Evertsen is a 6’8 shooting guard who we’re sliding to the three. Cam Kately is a 6’6 point guard with developing shooting ability. We also have 7’2 center D.J. Foster out of Chicago who will be our lone big off the bench.
We are also welcoming four new freshmen to the team. All of them will redshirt. This is the last recruiting class in school history that will have the potential to stay all five years.
SG Bernie Doyle, No. 36 overall prospect: 76 overall, C potential. Has already grown an inch to 6’8. I’m thrilled to see he already has a 78 rating in three-point shooting.
SF Floyd Keller, No. 101 overall recruit: 76 overall, C+ potential. 80 rating in three-point shooting.
C Brody Munoz, No. 169 overall recruit: 74 overall, B potential. Has already grown an inch to 6’11.
PF Oscar Fray, No. 118 overall recruit: 74 overall, C potential.
With no seniors, we have no scholarships to recruit for this year. This is going to be a quick regular season. Let’s hope it gives way to a long tournament run.
How did the non-conference slate go?
We started the season 8-0 and climbed as high as No. 11 in the polls. Our season-opening streak included wins vs. Michigan, Valparaiso, South Florida, Stanford, and Texas A&M. Then we ran into No. 25 Indiana and lost a heartbreaker, 67-66.
Our next game was against an 10-1 Colorado State team, and damn, we lost that one, too:
Then we had No. 8 Wisconsin, the team that smoked us in the Final Four last year. We won, 87-83, behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Hopes, 17 points from Reece, and 15 points from Mascoll. Big dub, and suddenly this team is starting to feel special.
We beat Illinois by one the next game behind 19 points from Mascoll, and the 13 and 10 from big Al Reece. We beat Cal next behind 24 points and 12 rebounds from Felipe Hopes. We’re 11-1 as we enter the Summit League play, let’s go!
Can we go undefeated in the Summit League once again?
Uh, what the hell?
After running up a 19-2 record, we faced an 11-9 UMKC team that handed us our first defeat in conference season in what feels like 10 years (someone can check the records for me if they want and drop the exact number in the comments). I honestly can’t believe that happened.
Surely, it can’t happen again, right?
Oh my god. Oral Roberts entered at 5-20 overall, and upset us 62-57. Only Hopes and Foster scored in double-figures, and both only had 10 points. I am stunned. Are we going to lose in the Summit League tournament?
Thankfully not. Despite a close game in the final against UMKC again, we won and punched our automatic bid to the big dance. We’ll be entering the tournament at 28-4 on the year.
Before we sim to the tournament, let’s check out our end of season stats:
Hopes was as good as we hoped: 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and more than an assist, block, and steal per game. Mascoll was excellent too, averaging 14.2 points per game and hopefully setting the stage for a big tournament run. Reece was also awesome with averages of 13.8 points and 6.5 boards per game. Hardy was a little underwhelming, but maybe that will work out in our favor: he’s dropped from a projected lottery pick to a projected first rounder. Mascoll has suffered the same fall, while Hopes remains a lottery pick.
It feels like this is the final run for Hopes, but Mascoll and Hardy could go either way in terms of returning for their senior seasons or turning pro. This isn’t the time to think about next year, though. Let’s go win a damn ship.
2043 NCAA tournament
We’re a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, and draw a matchup against No. 10 seed Colorado State. Yes, the same Colorado State team that beat us in the regular season.
We enter the tournament rated as a 98 overall, while the Rams are a 90 overall.
Before we get to the tournament rematch, let’s take a look at our roster:
While our starters didn’t improve a ton during the season, our bench did. I’m feeling pretty good about the prospect of getting Ketshner Evertsen and Foster and Kately some minutes. Elliott is practically our sixth starter as a 90 overall.
Ultimately, this run feels like it’s going to come down to the four juniors — and especially Hardy and Mascoll. Can they take the next step and become all-time greats within the program like former legends Wilky Henry, Nic Cummings, and Billy Assell? I think they have the talent to do it.
We need revenge on Colorado State to start off this run. Not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous.
As always, we’re watching a simulated game between the computer. I’m not controlling the Leathernecks. Let’s go!
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Win, 92-80! We’re going to the round of 32.
Man, that was not as easy as I would have liked for a first round game. Colorado State was leading most of the first half, but we entered the break with a three-point lead after Ketshner Evertsen beat the halftime buzzer.
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Shner was the breakout player of this game, and legitimately looked like a future star in his first NCAA tournament game. He finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. A 6’8 natural shooting guard who we’ve moved to the wing, Shner has the size and shooting to be a big time weapon for us. Can’t wait to see what he does next.
Bruthelieus (16 points despite 1-of-5 three-point shooting) and Mascoll (15 points on 5-of-15 shooting) didn’t have their best shooting nights but still contributed to the win with timely scoring. All three of our bigs — juniors Al Reece and Felipe Hopes and freshman D.J. Foster — looked huge and great and each finished with 10 points.
Hardy was not good — six points on 1-of-7 shooting — but did finish with 10 assists. I really expected him to be a takeover scorer, but I’d be okay with him turning into a passing savant, too. Just need a few shots to fall next time.
The win sets up a round of 32 matchup with No. 2 seed UNLV
UNLV enters at 28-4 and rated as a 96 overall. We’re 29-4 and enter at 98 overall.
This looks like it’s going to be a super tough game. The Runnin’ Rebels are a legit No. 2 seed with great senior guards and some big wings on the roster. We’re really going to need our front court to show them who’s boss.
Sweet 16 on the line. I need a dub. Let’s go!
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Win, 90-88! We are back in the Sweet 16.
Wow, that one was close. UNLV dominated early by forcing us into nine turnovers in the first half. We went with our own full court press in the second half to wrestle away the lead, but it was still a one-point game with under two minutes left. Hardy shook free for a layup late to put us up three, and from there Hardy and Bru knocked down enough free throws to ice the win. I was straight sweating in those final minutes. Thank gosh we were clutch from the line, going 21-of-23 on the night.
I thought Hopes absolutely kicked ass, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals. An absolutely tenacious performance on both ends of the floor — that’s why that man is a lottery pick. Bru was solid again with 18 points and four assists. Hardy finished with 16 points and four assists and did a nice job taking care of the ball late after some early turnover troubles.
Mascoll only had 11 points, but he had some big plays. First, this three-point at the halftime buzzer gave us the momentum we needed going into the break:
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While he didn’t have his best shooting night, Mascoll has always been at his best rumbling his way to the basket. The jumbo forward also had our best dunk of the night:
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Foster gave us really good minutes off the bench, too. As for Shner, he led us in scoring in the first half with eight points and then didn’t score again. Is it possible to hit the rookie wall in the second round of the NCAA tournament?
The win sets up a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 3 seed NC State
Our run to the Final Four last season started with a first round victory over the Wolf Pack. I’m sure they want nothing more than to knock us out this year.
NC State enters at 27-6 overall and rated as a 94. We’re 30-4 and rated as a 98.
We need a win here to continue to hunt for national title No. 9. Let’s go!
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Loss, 107-104. A shocking and completely heartbreaking defeat to end our season early.
NC State controlled the game in the first half as Hardy (two fouls) and Bru (three fouls) both had to be pulled for long stretches because of foul trouble. We eventually took the lead and fought to keep it over the final 111 minutes.
With 2:30 left, the ball found Hardy for a quick catch-and-shoot three, and he drained it to put us up five. It was his sixth three-pointer of the game and gave him 20 points on the night. This is the type of performance we’ve been waiting for since he entered the program:
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Unfortunately, we didn’t score after that the rest of the night.
We just couldn’t buy a bucket down the stretch, with Mascoll and Hardy both missing wide open shots that likely would have given us the win down the stretch. We did have one more chance with under four seconds left on the clock, but Shner’s three fell just short.
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I honestly can’t believe we lost that game. We don’t choke down the stretch like that often, but maybe that’s what happens when you have a team without any seniors.
Every tournament loss hurts at this part of the dynasty, and this one feels like it’s going to eat away at us. The one thing that’s keeping me going right now is that we should have a great team next year, depending Hardy and Mascoll’s draft decisions. We may have found a future star in the 6’8 redshirt freshmen Everstsen, who went off for 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three in defeat. It was an incredible performance and has me so excited for his future:
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Foster is going to be a great replacement for Hopes as a 7’2 center. I think big Al Reece should be in for a productive senior year, too.
This loss stings horribly, but I know we will be back.
Offseason
Florida wins the national title
HARDY AND MASCOLL ARE BACK! We lose Felipe Hopes to the NBA draft, but everyone else is returning. We’re going to be absolutely loaded next year.
My career record now sits at 1,042-199
We have no scholarships to recruit for, so this is going to be a quick offseason. Let’s set our schedule for next year:
Creighton, NIT Season Tip-Off, Illinois State, Hofstra, @ UConn, Bradley, @ NC State, @ Kentucky, DePaul, Golden Bear Classic
Year 37
Here’s a first look at the roster for Year 37:
We start the year at No. 3 in the preseason polls.
This should be one of the deepest and most talented teams we’ve ever had. Let’s go win No. 9.
We’re going to be streaming the NCAA tournament in Year 37 on Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET on my Twitch channel.
Watch Western Illinois’ Year 37 tournament run
What: Western Illinois’ Year 37 NCAA tournament run
When: Sunday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET.
Where: My Twitch stream
For email updates on this series, subscribe here.
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All of the 70 asks thanks :-)
01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents?
It’s dece!
02: Who did you last say “I love you” to?
With all three words? And not “lurv” or “luv”? And in person and not text? Yikes idk maybe my mum
03: Do you regret anything?
Regret is a strong word for all the little things that haunt my mind example responding to someone’s “nice to meet you” with “oh haha… um you too” with a slowly fading voice
04: Are you insecure?
aRe YOu INsEcurE¿ No what gave you that idea
05: What is your relationship status?
Single and ready to be alone forever
06: How do you want to die?
Preferably shot while shielding someone with my body and then bleeding out in their arms while they tearfully say wow ur heavier than u look.
07: What did you last eat?
Yummy Lindt truffle cappuccino flavored *heart eyes*
08: Played any sports?
Ooo dabbled in lots! Basketball, swimming, tennis, karate (is that a sport?), volleyball, and football
09: Do you bite your nails?
Nah but once I tried to before my piano lesson to trim them by biting right before my piano lesson so my teacher wouldn’t admonish me for my long nails
10: When was your last physical fight?
I punched a kid in the arm for beating me in Mario Kart once but she didn’t punch back so don’t think it counts as a fight but like literally my closest thing
11: Do you like someone?
Like a million celebrities
12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours?
Lmao no I can barely stay up like five before needing a nap
13: Do you hate anyone at the moment?
Stable genius
14: Do you miss someone?
My frandssssss
15: Have any pets?
No :
16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment?
Shleepy and stressed
17: Ever made out in the bathroom?
Shucks no but all the fics make it sound amazing
18: Are you scared of spiders?
Irrationally yes but like calmly I can respect their space if they don’t crawl on me or touch my food
19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
I’d go back and tell past self to watch vine while it’s happening so you’re not left out of all the references in the future
20: Where was the last place you snogged someone?
Their house haha lmao lol
21: What are your plans for this weekend?
Move back to school and mebbe go to a sports game
22: Do you want to have kids? How many?
Idk cuz like it’d be cool to raise a tiny human but also RAISING A TINY HUMAN ASDJFKL; But if I do, at least two cuz sibs I think sibs r gr8
23: Do you have piercings? How many?
7 ;) jk only two, one on each ear
24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)?
Math on my good days! Physics in high school but then college happened and that flew away like a sparrowhawk
25: Do you miss anyone from your past?
Many! Talking to the master of holding on to things here
26: What are you craving right now?
Affection. But will take pizza as consolation prize
27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart?
Definitely
28: Have you ever been cheated on?
Don’t think so!
29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?
Um probably not but who rly knows
30: What’s irritating you right now?
@Michael what do you want from me
31: Does somebody love you?
What really is love
32: What is your favourite color?
Red. Like blood
33: Do you have trust issues?
Answered in previous ask but if you need a reminder the answer is woohoo yes! :)
34: Who/what was your last dream about?
Sophie Cookson don’t wanna talk bout it
35: Who was the last person you cried in front of?
@blackdowning Yikes that was embarrassing sorry
36: Do you give out second chances too easily?
Nope most of the time people deserve second chances and third and fourth and fifth and
37: Is it easier to forgive or forget?
Definitely forgive I can remember stuff for five centuries for every single transgression made towards me don’t wrong me I’ll bring it up on your deathbed
38: Is this year the best year of your life?
It’s only been like eight days calm down don’t pressure me
39: How old were you when you had your first kiss?
Big ol two - oh
40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked?
Yikes nope
51: Favourite food?
Sushi! Could eat that ish foreverrrr
52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
Maybe some things but not everything? Like was there a reason I dropped my phone trying to take something off the shelf? Yes and that reason was clumsiness.
53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night?
Go on tumblr
54: Is cheating ever okay?
Idk I have a daydream/headcannon that there’s this one spy that has to for the sake of national security so good for the country but kinda messes up the family yikes
55: Are you mean?
I think I’m pretty average yeah
56: How many people have you fist fought?
None :(
57: Do you believe in true love?
Yessssss
58: Favourite weather?
Sweater weather! Or non-sweaty tshirt/shorts weather
59: Do you like the snow?
Fresh snow omg yes sign me up
60: Do you wanna get married?
I think so? Tax benefits pls
61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby?
Um dunno since it hasn’t happened. I do like pet names tho so idk.
62: What makes you happy?
Other people being happy!
63: Would you change your name?
Umm maybe if it’s super cool but I’m also v attached to my name
64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?
Yikes yes
65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?
Stab them and yell what’s wrong with you. But actually probably just pretend I don’t know until I can’t and then get real stressed and maybe cry. Wait, do I like them back? Cuz that would change things. Also wait is this current bff of op sex cuz hahahahahhahahahahahahah refer to first statement.
66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around?
Pretty close I’d say! But like what really is my complete self yk
67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to?
In person? My dad
68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?
Um my friend Alex!
69: Do you believe in soulmates?
Yep
70: Is there anyone you would die for?
Lotz of people! Not a huge selection barrier
Asky me thingys
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64 Quotes I Enjoyed From 2017
Below are my favorite quotes from 2017. Though most occurred throughout the year, some took place before but were encountered during.
(Allison Greene)
The irony and thematic implication of this first quote -- transcribed in January -- is not lost on me.
1) “I wish you all a Happy New Year. Meaning that I wish for your New Years Eve to be happy. It’s hard to wish hundreds of thousands of people to have an entire happy year. That’s a lot. That feels greedy and hopeless and also some of you might not deserve a happy year. Everyone deserves a happy moment or day now and again but a whole happy year I would wish on maybe eight people and four of them are terminally ill children.
Also please remember that the turning over of one year to another is a mental construct that bears no more weight than the things that keep us apart and in competitive categories as human beings. Time is not moving. You’re not losing or gaining ground. You’re not separate from ‘them’ anymore than you’re separate from your own umbrella. It’s now, we’re us and this is here. If you’re in pain, this too shall pass. If you’re in luxury, this too shall pass. Ask an old lady how she’s doing. The internet is not real. Draw a picture on a napkin.” - Louis C.K.
2) “Flowers cost money you could spend on alcohol.” - Tracy Cunningham
3) "Never make fun of people for mispronouncing a word. It means they learned it by reading."
[that one felt profound when I first read it, but there are probably holes you can poke]
4) “Middle America does not have a monopoly on tough times.” - Drew Magary
5) “The whole point of going to a wedding is to complain about it.” - Drew Magary
6) “The world is too noisy and distracted to probably ultimately survive. Everyone needs to shut the fuck up. The answers are in the silence. Monks set themselves on fire to protest and make this point.
Just consider it.” - Garry Shandling
7) “The fact that Chargers fans get to live in San Diego isn’t as much of a solace as you think, either. When you’re unhappy, Southern California can be the loneliest fucking place in the world. Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by people whose lives are seemingly more perfect than your own. And the fantastic weather acts a kind of lingering nag... an irritating reminder that you SHOULD be happy even if you’re not. When you live somewhere miserable, at least you have an excuse for it. People leave you alone, or they help you drink the pain away indoors. You’re not surrounded by a bunch of fucking Jack LaLannes and Navy steakheads making it worse.
[...]
This is how the San Diego Chargers ended, and their fans deserved better. There won’t even be rain to help water the team’s grave.” - Drew Magary
8) There is no meeting without a Gentry story. He tells the story of Doug Collins’s college coach at Illinois State, Will Robinson, putting Collins in front of a mirror and saying, “Now, that’s an ugly motherfucker.” Then Robinson gets a basketball, hands it to Collins, and says, “Now you’re a handsome motherfucker.”
-- “Seven Seconds or Less” by Jack McCallum
9) "This is gonna be bad. So be good." - Patton Oswalt, on the next four years
10) REPORTER: You always hear about guys in the zone. What’s it like to be in that zone and have that moment two games in a row?
DION WAITERS: Oh man, I love that moment. I mean, you can never shy away from that. I just feel—one of my favorite quotes is, uh ... I forgot it already. One of my favorite quotes. But yeah, can’t be afraid of taking them shots.
11) "No person can be explained in one trait." - Jason Benetti
12) That Federer could dig so deep without losing the spirit of grace and generosity he has carried for much of his career--amazingly, it didn't sound insincere when he told the crowd in Melbourne that he would've been happy if Nadal had won--was enough to make Agassi introspective. He fired off a text to a friend, fellow American ex-pro James Blake. Watching Federer, Agassi wrote, "makes me feel like I was much more of a broken person than I even realized."
-- the 2017 Australian Open
13) “Do you, because everyone else is taken.” - Uber driver
14) Federer's physical skills have tended to obscure just how he resilient he has been throughout his career--a point not lost on him. "My mental toughness has always been overshadowed by my virtuosity, my shotmaking, my technique, my grace," says Federer. "That's why when I lose, it seems like, 'Oh, he didn't play so well.' And when I win, it looks so easy." He says it has been that way since he was young. "Just because I don't sweat like crazy and I don't grunt, I don't have this face on when I hit the shot like I'm in pain, doesn't mean I'm not trying hard," he says. "It's just how I play. Sorry."
15) "I’ve always said the only way to change anyone’s opinion is to make him laugh first. It still is." - John Waters
16) “Women like babies. Men like their sons and daughters.” - Kevin Haack
17) “At once, Federer would triumph over his two greatest rivals: Nadal and Hawk-Eye.” - Chris Almeida, on Roger Federer’s 2017 Aussie Open win
18) “Brady did everything in Super Bowl 51 short of fertilizing crops with his own feces to feed his teammates.” - Bill Simmons
19) “It's still hard to believe the Falcons actually lost this game. They're the first team in Super Bowl history to lose with a pick-six in its pocket, one that felt like an unlikely gift given that it came from Brady. Some will throw around the "choker" label, which is inelegant at best and condescendingly incurious at worst. If choking means running after a quarterback on 68 dropbacks until there's hardly any air left in your lungs, the Falcons choked.” - Bill Barnwell
20) “Keep in mind: Plenty of people already think Chance The Rapper is corny. Plenty of people have been thinking it for years. Plenty of people who now love Chance The Rapper had to get over the corniness threshold, to train themselves to love the yawpy ad-libs an the voice-cracks and the general hyperactive teenage energy. When Chance won Best New Artist and howled the word 'God' in his acceptance speech about 32 times, I saw plenty of grumbling — We get it, dude, you believe in God — in my Twitter timeline. Someone even said that the music industry had figured out how to manufacture a marketable version of Christian-rap figurehead Lecrae. And that gets at another common complaint about Chance: that he’s an 'industry plant,' a creature created by the music business, one who uses 'independent' as a buzzword rather than as any kind of unifying philosophy. Those of us who love Chance, that line of thinking goes, have been somehow hoodwinked or manipulated into it. And there have been plenty of other perceived sins over the years: the overalls, the KitKat commercial, the constant references to Nickelodeon cartoons, the persistent smiling. Whether or not you love Chance, there is a strong possibility that he’s annoyed you once or twice.” - Tom Breihan
21) “Traveling is the antidote to ignorance.” - Trevor Noah
22) "But mostly, it's in how Celebration Rock treats every day like the last day of school, raising a glass to the past, living in the moment and going into the future feeling fucking invincible." - Ian Cohen
23) “In fact, it turned out that there was nothing ‘dangerous’ at all in picking on women and refugees. People will pay you good money for that. The dangerous ideas are the ones they don’t pay you for, the ones that don’t get you on HBO. You’re actually dangerous when you do what Yiannopoulos did in the ‘pedophile’ tapes: defend society’s most hated outcasts, and tell the truth about the complexities of gay men’s sexuality. You’re dangerous when you stick up for those on the fringes rather than kicking them. There’s nothing courageous or edgy in bullying the despised and excluded. But it might be dangerous if you dared to empathize with them.” - Nathan J. Robinson
24) [Taj] Gibson was asked if his dunk over Dwyane Wade was his favorite moment as a Bull. "It really wasn't. That was just a dunk. It really wasn't one of my favorite moments of my career, to be honest with you. I had a lot of shining moments in my career. Just being around Thibs, he taught me that people don't look at, some of the games, most of the games, they look at the bright spots. I have a lot of different bright spots in my career. The biggest one in my career would have to be just being on the team when guys were down and having a coach look at me and know that he can count on me. No matter what position, no matter what time in the game. And he would trust some of the most important plays for me to do. Those were the most important moments of my life, just having a guy between Fred and coach Thibs, knowing guys that are ahead of me, making twice as much money as me, and he's still calling my name through crunch time. Those were the best moments of my life."
[have some, Carlos Boozer]
25) “You can't let politics dictate what you read or who you fuck.” - Chuck, “Girls”
26) “Watching Kawhi Leonard play basketball is like when you get the email you’ve been waiting for and it says all of the things you were hoping it was going to say.” - Shea Serrano
27) “This isn't a choice, like my diet. This is a necessity, like my drinking.” - Ben, “Veep”
28) “It's like how love songs never go out of style because no one's ever written one that's closed the book on the subject.” - Brian King, Japandroids
29) Pitchfork: A lot of the lyrics on the album take advantage of this universal, mythic rock'n'roll language, like on "Fire's Highway": "Hearts from hell collide/ On fire's highway tonight/ We dreamed it, now we know."
Brian King (Japandroids): Personally, I really like the concepts of good and evil, heaven and hell-- the extreme boundaries of how people can feel and how fast things can change. I like that that language. I'm not talking about just some night you felt a certain way, I'm talking about the night you felt that way-- that one time. People have always alluded to those extremes as a way of characterizing the most intense feelings since blues and the early days of rock. A blues singer won't be like, "We broke up." He'll say, "Satan stole my baby from me." You just pick it up.
30) “Friends of mine, hitting partners, are Federer fans for real. They own his racket, his sneakers, the hat with his RF logo. When he loses, they're wrecked; when he wins, it's only slightly less painful, because it's one fewer win they get to witness.” - Rosecrans Baldwin
31) “Bad ideas rarely spread when the population is educated about better alternatives.” - Greg Graffin
32) This entire story (9:47 to 10:15)
youtube
RIP, Don Rickles (1926-2017)
33) “Being pregnant is cool and weird: Your bones ache, your gums bleed, your ligaments basically just start giving up. (A hormone called ‘relaxin’ is involved.) You plan decades ahead, then worry you’re jinxing it all. You’ve got a decreasingly nebulous imaginary friend there to listen to your hopes and fears at all hours and you occasionally get the hiccups. But the strangest thing about being with child is the way your body becomes not yours, and not even the baby’s, but the world’s. Complete strangers reach out and touch. Internet commenters opine. Photos of yourself splayed postpartum on a gurney, hair matted to the side of your face, one boob swung free, are triumphantly text-messaged to fathers-in-law without your express written consent.
It’s not fair, it’s never fair, but it’s nevertheless the shared experience of so many women during a powerful, vulnerable time.” - Katie Baker
34) "I just watched Deadheads spin around for three hours looking for miracles." - Brad Back
35) “Comparison is the thief of joy.” - Theodore Roosevelt
36) "The Spurs’ run of NBA success is now old enough to vote, and in a couple of years it will be legally old enough to share finely aged red wines with Popovich, although I suspect he’s been slipping it glasses at home for a few years now. One of the cornerstones of that success has been an ability to find talent where nobody else looked." - Rodger Sherman
37) "Cutting at the right time is more important than being fast." - Bill Belichick
38) “You run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. You run into assholes all day, you’re the asshole.” - “Justified”
39) “An asshole is not a brilliant visionary just because a toilet has a bottomless appetite for what comes out of it.” - Albert Burneko, on the passing of Roger Ailes
40) "He would’ve been a rock star no matter where he’d been born, or when." - Rob Harvilla on Chris Cornell
41) "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house." - Rod Stewart
42) “I have never regretted taking a walk. Every time you walk, a bunch of cool shit happens. You burn calories, for one thing. You think of cool ideas. You also get an immediate sense of the layout and vibe of wherever you happen to be. It’s a cheap shortcut to feeling like a local. I walked around downtown Atlanta for two hours once, which was long enough for me to realize, ‘Oh hey, this is the part of town that sucks!’ Then I went and walked around a cooler part.
Also, walking forces me to pocket my phone and actually look around for a bit (in theory…sometimes I check the phone while walking, which is galactically fucking stupid and could get you killed). I can actually feel GOOD about the world when I walk around, because I’m seeing it as it stands now, instead through the horrifying prism of online news and discourse. The sun still shines out there. People are smiling. It’s not bad. You wouldn’t even know we’re all gonna die soon. Not everything has rotted away just yet. You can leave the shifting sand dunes of the day far behind, to borrow a phrase from Professor Fartsniffer up there.
Also, you don’t have to look for a parking spot.
I walked today. I walked past a school and saw a bunch of kids playing touch football and they accidentally launched the ball over the fence and into the road, where they couldn’t get it. So they asked me to grab it for them. I hucked it back over and one kid shouted ‘YOU DA REAL MVP!’ And you know what? For that one little moment, I was, indeed, da real MVP. Step aside, Kevin Durant’s mom. I saved touch football. What did you ever do?
That kind of experience isn’t really possible when you’re sitting in a car. When you drive, you’re basically in a kind of self-imposed purgatory. The goal is to get wherever you’re headed so that you can resume your life again. I have tried to slow down and savor my surroundings while driving but it rarely works out because A) It’s not safe and B) I want to make good time. I have my eyes on the road and my ears on my SWEET TUNEZ, and I’m only slowing down to gawk at an overturned milk truck. ‘Wow, that looks BAD.’
The most important moments in life usually happen when you’re walking. Ever ask someone you’re dying to go out with if they wanna go for a walk, and they say yes? It feels fucking GREAT. That’s gonna be a good walk. Then maybe you two walk down the aisle after you get married, and then walk through the hospital to see your new baby in the nursery, and then walk with that child as takes its first steps. And then maybe someone close to you dies, and you have to walk with their casket to their gravesite. I’ve made some of these walks. I haven’t forgotten any of them.” - Drew Magary
43) "‘A great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and corrects them.’ - George W. Bush
Let us again state clearly for all to hear. The Confederacy was on the wrong side of history and humanity. It sought to tear apart our nation and subjugate our fellow Americans to slavery. This is a history we should never forget and one that we should never ever again put on a pedestal to be revered." - Mitch Landrieu
44) "Just found out Joyce Manor is playing in Bristol on 7/13. When god closes a door, he opens a moshpit." - Chris Trott, after missing the Captain, We're Sinking Show in Chicago on 7/12 due his England trip
45) “The most prestigious honor in music isn't a Grammy. It's ‘I like this band enough to see them at 10:30 p.m. on a Wednesday.’” - Steven Hyden
46) “I think of you every time I speed up my podcasts.” - Christine Jastrow’s 31st birthday tribute to yours truly
47) "A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery." - James Joyce
48) “Personally speaking, a millennial is anyone younger than me who gets on my fucking nerves. I don’t think of like, Dak Prescott as a millennial, because he seems cool. But Chris Brown? Fuck him sideways.” - Drew Magary
49) "It's a scientific fact that a beer tastes better when it travels more than 5 feet in the air" - @PFTCommenter
50) Dustin Brown perfectly summed up what it's like to play on Centre Court. "It would be nice if we're playing every match out there. It's very comfortable. Even when things aren't going your way, it relaxed me a bit to say 'this is where you always wanted to be,'" he said after his Wimbledon second round loss to defending champ Andy Murray.
51) "One thing I’ve always found fascinating about Federer (or, rather, the way we talk about Federer) is that there’s never been any backlash. Normally, when an athlete has been around as long as Federer has, and has been as great as Federer has, and is on the receiving end of so much adulation, some sort of noticeable backlash occurs. Never with Fed.
Relatedly, people root for Federer unabashedly, and did so even during that stretch in the 00's when he was as dominant a force as any sport has seen. Casual fans tend to root for the underdog, but Federer was so sublime that he made people root for Goliath." - Andrew, Deadspin reader
52) “‘Federer manages to scamper across himself’ is one of the more Federer tennis calls I've ever heard.” - Brian Phillips
53) “Everything before the word ‘but’ is horseshit.” - Jon Snow
youtube
54) “Be present.” - Megan Filip
55) "The successful person is one who finds an opportunity in every problem. Unsuccessful people find a problem in every opportunity." - Lou Holtz
56) “It ain’t a hit till Nate Dogg spit.” - Mack 10
57) "Nobody goes to work tomorrow. General strike, fuck this country." - some of Blake Schwarzenbach first words at the Jawbreaker reunion
58) “It’s hard getting good news -- you don’t know what to do with it.” - Blake Schwarzenbach, at the first Jawbreaker show in forever
59) “When I was a child, I spoke like a child.” - Davis,“Treme”
60) “In one sense, the story of human history is just people inventing progressively more advanced ways in which to be awful idiots, in groups.” - David Roth
61) "Reality gives nothing back and nor should you." - Kobe Bryant
62) “Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
63) "Brevity is the soul of wit" - William Shakespeare
64) "If I shoot an airball, call the foul." - Dirk Nowitzki
#quotes#2017#jawbreaker#game of thrones#roger federer#treme#nola#lou holtz#nate dogg#drew magary#deadspin#shakespeare#f. scott fitzgerald#kobe bryant#the ringer#captain we're sinking#joyce manor#england#rod stewart#greg graffin#japandroids#pitchfork#veep#girls#trevor noah#bill simmons#the daily show#uber#patton oswalt#louis ck
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John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a quick turnaround after Auburn’s best win of the season.
Date: Saturday December 21st
Opponent: Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Location: Auburn Arena
Time: 5PM
Network: SEC Network, Auburn Radio Network
Al Davis always said “Just Win Baby.”
It hasn’t always been pretty this year for Auburn, but the Tigers have played 10 games and they have 10 wins.
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl with a quote that should be tattooed on every fan's forehead:
"Auburn basketball is not going to be as pretty this year."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) December 20, 2019
I’ll take ugly wins over pretty losses any day of the week and twice on Sunday FWIW. Anyways, Auburn is 22-1 over their last 23 games, an absolutely remarkable feat beginning on February 27th with a win at Georgia. Thursday night’s 79-73 win over North Carolina State allowed Auburn to remain 1 of 4 undefeated teams in America.
Today, the Tigers play their final game before Christmas as they welcome the Lehigh Mountain Hawks out of the Patriot League to Auburn Arena.
Get to Know Lehigh
You may remember Lehigh as the school that current Portland Trail Blazers star C.J. McCollum plays for along with being the school to knock off Duke in the NCAA Tournament back in 2012 as a 15 seed.
Lehigh has consistently been one of the better teams in the Patriot League but this year, but haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2012. This year, they’re off to a 3-7 start. Today is their first game since December 7th and I can’t imagine waiting 2 full weeks between Auburn Basketball games, 9 days was bad enough. Lehigh lost 3 of their top 4 scorers from last year’s team. One of them was Pat Andree, who played against Auburn Thursday night for N.C. State.
As a team, Lehigh averages 67.8 points a game, and shoots 30.9% from 3-point range.
Likely Starting 5
Senior Guard Jordan Cohen (#11) - 13.9 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.9 APG
Junior Center James Karnik (#13) - 12.5 PPG, 8 RPG
Sophomore Forward Jeameril Wilson (#1) - 9.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Freshman Guard Evan Taylor (#5) - 7.4 PPG
Freshman Guard Reed Fenton (#15) - 6.9 PPG
What to Expect from Auburn
To me, I hope this game will give some of the young guys and opportunity to get some much needed reps before SEC play. Bruce has gone to a 9 man rotation and my hope is that we’ll get to see a bit from the freshman trio of “Turbo” Jones, Stretch Akingbola and Jaylin Williams. I have a feeling at some point, Auburn is going to need at least one of these guys to step up and take on a bigger role than they have so far this season.
Headband Samir returned last night after a game hiatus and scored 24 points to lead Auburn to their win. His 3 at the end of the game to ice it reminded me a tad of his big 3 last season against Tennessee. He and Markell Johnson went back and forth all night long but Samir got the last laugh in this one.
I can’t stop thinking about this shot. pic.twitter.com/BAlmtLvnDt
— AOT Fan Account (@aubawn) December 20, 2019
Prediction
This is Auburn’s best start since the 1998-1999 season when that team started 17-0. The Tigers are coming off their best win of the year so we’ll see how the team fares playing twice in less than 48 hours. All in all, this game is an opportunity to go into your Christmas break on a high note with 1 more non-conference game next weekend before SEC play begins the following weekend. I think Auburn takes care of business today.
Auburn 86 Lehigh 62
from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/12/21/21032458/12-auburn-vs-lehigh-game-preview-and-open-thread
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