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Old 02-08-2007, 11:42 AM   #251
aztarheel
High School JV
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Steve Victory Journal - Season Opener 2028-29



Berkeley is buzzing as the seventh-ranked Wolfpack takes the floor for the 2028-29 season opener against the homestanding Cal Golden Bears. Victory experiences a twinge of sadness/regret as he watches the boys in red and white – all of whom he recruited – warm up at the opposing basket.

“Man they look sharp,” Victory says to lead assistant Matt Cotton. “And for some reason they look a lot bigger than they did when I was at State. I hope we can hang with them.”




Though considered the underdog at four of five positions, Cal comes out looking like the seventh-ranked team in the nation (not sure how they got ranked so high). The Bears take a pleasing 43-32 lead into halftime, and the crowd howls with delight. Victory is like a hyped-up football coach as he heads for the locker room, high-fiving anyone and everyone in gold and blue (even a few fans).

The second half, though is another story. The Sheriff pumps the Pack up, and small forward Calvin Carstensen goes off. He finishes with 33 points as NCSU rallies for a 75-71 triumph. Carstensen, a player Victory treasured while at State, swishes 5-of-7 from behind the arc, goes 8-of-10 from the line, grabs 11 rebounds and even has two blocks, two steals and an assist for good measure.

“One fine basketball game,” Victory tells him afterward. “I miss you, kid. Wanna transfer?”

“Thanks coach, we miss you too. But your little bro ain’t so bad,” Carstensen says. “A little weird that’s all. Don’t get him started telling stories. What’s this about the Bahamas and an amputated finger?”

“Never mind that,” Victory says, putting one hand in his pocket.

As the coaches shake hands, The Sheriff has a certain satisfying gleam in his eyes, as if finally free of a burden. “Remember who built this team for you,” Victory tells Wilt in a joking manner but with a hint of seriousness behind it…

“And remember who left it to come here,” The Sheriff says, not resisting one last jab before walking off...

Last edited by aztarheel : 02-08-2007 at 11:48 AM.
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Old 02-09-2007, 01:06 AM   #252
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Season Wrap 2028-29

The season goes pretty much like the State game for Victory’s Berkeley boys. Cal is competitive, but sometimes fades at the end of games.

Final record: 15-17 overall, 9-12 against Pac-10 teams. No post-season, but Cal was close – winning two games in the conference tournament. The Bears nearly won three but fell to fourth-seeded Oregon in overtime in the semis.

Victory’s first win as Cal’s coach comes in game number three. After losing to State and then Maryland, the Bears win at Tulane 81-77.

Other good wins come against:
• #9 Oklahoma 87-78 a few nights later
• Washington (CRI 61) on the road by a 72-71 score early in the Pac-10 season
• #21 Arizona 74-73
• Arizona State (CRI 69) on the road by a 75-73 score

“Good” losses, if there is such a thing, come against:
• Duke on the road, 84-82 in OT
• UCLA, 65-64 at home
• Five other Pac-10 games by 6 points or less…

The biggest victory comes against the worst team in college basketball, Navy. The Bears murder the poor Middies 119-47. Victory remembers what it was like to be a 320 CRI team but shows no mercy here. Seven players reach double figures in scoring, including subs Larry Jordan (19 points) and Louis Sykes (13). Cal leads 63-28 at halftime. PG Josh Archey leads all with 21 points.

Cal comes alive in the tournament, beating ninth-seeded Oregon 91-77 (Archey 26 points, walk-on Glosier with 9) and then top-seeded Arizona 80-69 (Larry Jordan scores 19 points, while Frederick and Lekivicius net 13 and 12 respectively).

The Pac-10 tourney is full of upsets. Washington, a sixth seed, wins it.

Over in ACC country, State and Maryland duke it out (no pun intended) for supremacy all season. The Sheriff-led Pack wins the regular season title but the Terps trip State in the ACC tournament championship game. Both get high seeds for the NCT.

State has the last laugh over the Terps, though, reaching the Final Four of the NCT for the fourth time in five years – going as the champions of the West Region. Victory attends every NCSU game, finally and somewhat begrudgingly OK that his little bro is getting more of the spotlight than him. (He does pout sometimes…)

The first Final Four semifinal pits NCT rivals State and Illinois. The winner faces either UConn or Arizona, which obviously recovered from its early exit from the Pac-10 tournament.

Unfortunately, the weekend belongs to the Fighting Illini. Coach Harris Rowell’s boys edge the Pack 70-69 (heartbreaking!!) and then rout Arizona 87-61. The Illini get their second NCT title in three years. Victory and Wilt are not pleased… Some questionable calls seemed to decide the semifinal contest… But State still finished 31-8 – much better than Victory’s Cal squad… That has Victory redoubling his efforts to do much better next season, hopefully getting State back on the schedule for a rematch…
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Old 02-09-2007, 10:33 AM   #253
aztarheel
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Posted by: yanksare

April 10, 2029

Freddie, I feel amazing. The final four in our first year at State. Not too shabby. Not to mention my first win over the “great” Steve Victory. Nothing can bring me down now my friend.

That’s great Jeff but have you seen the News & Observer today?

No. Why? Do they have an article about how they expect a championship next year?

Not quite. Err, take a look.

"Victory poised for breakout season at Cal"

What in the blue hell is this all about? I’m the one who is coaching now. I took them to the f——— final four in my first f——— year here. If it wasn’t for that Helen Keller f——— ref we coulda been in the f——— finals and even won the f——— championship.

It’s ok Jeff. We had a great year. Calm down. It’s just an article about an old coach. No big deal. Let it go.

I need a f——— drink. Are you f——— coming or not?

Uhh, yeah. I’m right behind you Sheriff.
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Old 02-09-2007, 10:38 AM   #254
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Wrapping up 2028-29

Some parting thoughts on Victory’s 26th season as a head coach, his first at Cal-Berkeley:

• Cal administrators don’t fire the coach for not meeting expectations (NCT berth) but are pretty insistent that the Golden Bears be in the Big Dance next season. “We’ll be there,” Victory promises. “I hope,” he says to himself.

• The Pac-10 is well-represented in the Almost Championship Tournament (ACT) as Oregon and Arizona State meet in one semifinal. ASU wins but falls to Georgia Tech in the championship 89-78 (the second ACT title for the Jackets in four years). Cal and ASU could be the teams to beat in the Pac-10 the next few years… maybe…

• Three N.C. State players get drafted by NBA teams – Calvin Carstensen, Jean Sykes and Beau Williams. “I recruited them and coached them for awhile, but my little bro will get credit for them as his player development,” Victory sighs.

• Cal senior Russell Slaughter bows out having averaged a double-double (15 points, 10.2 rebounds per game) for the season. He also had 2.3 blocks per contest. Victory appreciated his leadership. No NBA for him, however. He’s off to law school sporting a GPA of 3.5 in his final semester at Cal.

• Other top scorers included PG Aaron Thomas (a sophomore) with 13.8 points per contest, PF Miran Lekivicius (a freshman) with 13.2 points, senior SF Larry Jordan (senior) with 12.3 points and PG Josh Archey (a sophomore) with 10.3 points. Nice that three of these guys should be around for awhile… C Ben Frederick, one of Cal’s seven-footers, finished with 7.1 points per game in his first college season… Leading the rebounding, other than Slaughter, were Jordan and Lekivicius with 7.5 boards per contest each. Leki and Frederick also had two blocks a game on average. No Cal records were broken this year…

Stevie Victory Jr. has a phenomenal freshman year at College of Charleston (OK, I overdid the ratings for him). He led the Cougars with 14.5 ppg. He also dished out 4.3 apg and had 1.4 steals per game. Dad is proud.

Coach Victory is amazed to see (for real) that his son is named to the NATIONAL All-Freshman Team (must have been the last name that helped him get noticed). Amazingly, he’s not the Frosh of the Year in the SoCon, though he is part of the league’s All-Frosh team. “Pops, I’ll be in the NBA before you know it,” Stevie tells his dad after Charleston’s final game in the ACT.

“Don’t rush your college years,” wise old dad replies.. “This is a magical time. Stay in school. Two words for you: Joseph Forte. Remember him? I didn't think so. He jumped early and sat on the pine. He could have been a real star at Carolina.”

• Job offers: Steve Sr. gets some amazing ones. Alabama comes calling again. “Look, Mr. Zorro. Stick with Michael Bliss,” Victory tells the ‘Bama AD. “I coached him and he’s a stellar player with a great mind for hoops. He’ll turn this thing back around, just like he did when he played for me.”

Other schools that offer: Texas Tech (again?), Texas A&M, Kansas State, Miami, Southern Cal, Villanova and West Virginia. Had Victory’s alma mater of Miami come calling last year, he might be in South Florida right now. But the coach has committed to finish out his career in Berkeley, Calif. “Talk to Fred Franks,” Victory tells Miami’s AD. “He might want to get away from The Sheriff by now anyway…”

• Cal’s lead assistant, Matt Cotton, is leaving. He’ll be the new coach at Western Carolina. “Say hi to the Tar Heel state for me,” Victory tells him as he cleans out his office. “Thanks for being here during the transition.”
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Old 02-09-2007, 10:41 AM   #255
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Recruiting 2028-29

Coach Victory had five spots to fill in his first year at Cal and lands a nice class (it will be named third in the nation behind Duke and Providence before the start of next season). The coach doesn’t really get any blue-chippers, and that’s by design. He wants five solid guys to sign with Cal, and so attacks the “second tier” of recruits with a vengeance, not risking much $$ in recruiting top-10 guys who might opt for the NBA out of high school anyway. In the end, the Golden Bears are getting five solid guys! Here’s the breakdown:

1) PG Pat Matthew (#44 in nation, 6-2, from California): Victory’s first catch comes from his new home state!

2) SF Scott Ward (#42 in the nation, 6-8 from Washington): Victory likes his size and potential.

3) SG James Bennett (#43 in the nation, 6-4 from Oregon): Victory works the West pretty well for a rookie coach here…

4) PF Sammy Crowell (#40 in the nation, 6-9 from Kentucky): Nice addition from Victory’s old stomping grounds, the South Region. He was overlooked by bigger schools but has all “Good” ratings and stellar HS stats (17 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 bpg).

5) SG Adam Dunn (#96 in the nation, 6-3 from Florida): Victory’s connections help land this diamond in the rough, who has “Excellent” potential and “Good” ratings on offense, defense and handling…

The building of the Cal Golden Bears has begun, as noted in newspapers around the country, even Raleigh, NC.

“Just make the tournament next year,” administrators remind Victory.

“We will,” the coach says for the 100th time… “We will...”
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Old 02-09-2007, 10:43 AM   #256
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Season #27 (2029-30)

Thankfully, coach Victory delivers on his promise. The Cal Golden Bears do break an eight-year NCT drought!

The Bears post a respectable 19-9 record during Victory’s second regular season, 11-7 against Pac-10 goes (good enough for fourth place). The coach had dreams of winning his first Pac-10 tournament title in only his second year in on the Left Coast, but Cal loses to UCLA 90-73 in the championship game. They beat fifth-seeded Oregon and top-seeded Washington to get there. The fans still appreciate the effort.

Here are some highlights from the regular season (before we get to the post-season fun):

Cal’s prestige goes up to 63 after Victory’s first season

Those five freshman mentioned in a post above are considered superior. The overall talent is considered very good and the challenge is considered very easy. Victory disagrees with the “very” part of easy. He’s still getting used to his new school

N.C. State’s prestige goes to 76 (high), and the Wolfpack starts the year ranked number one in the nation (Cal at #24)! The State bigwigs want to see another NCT title from the boys in red and white. The Sheriff did a “solid” job in his first of recruiting for NCSU, according to the .400 folks.

Cal starts slowly, losing to Northern Arizona and Colorado in the first few weeks. The Bears regroup and win their last five non-conference tilts – over Texas Tech, Eastern Washington, North Texas, Indiana (!) and Northeastern.

After a loss to a strong Washington squad to start the Pac-10 (68-57), California wins seven of its next eight. That puts Victory’s team back in the rankings (around 20-22). State at this point is still at the top of the polls, rolling out to a 17-1 start (16 wins in a row).

The rest of the conference slate proves a grind – for both Cal and State. Washington nips Cal by a point in the rematch, and Arizona and Arizona State both prove too tough to overcome. State meanwhile goes into a strange slide, losing four of five during one stretch and then finishesby losing two of the last five… yikes… someone hide the alcohol.

Junior PG Aaron Thomas lands on the All-Conference team for Cal (and promptly announces he’s declaring for the draft next year). He finishes the regular season averaging close to 16 ppg. SG James Bennett gets named Frosh of the Week a few times (10 ppg) but doesn’t make the Pac-10’s All-Frosh team. Miran Lekivicius leads the scoring for the year, with an average over 16.3 ppg. Victory made him a small forward this year, and the sophomore responded by getting 8 rpg and 2.5 bpg as well. PG Josh Archey averages 14 ppg but misses a bunch of contests with injuries.

Sophomore C Jerome Frederick had a monster game against Stanford – 18 points, 14 boards and seven blocks. He had 17 points and 16 rebounds vs. Oregon. Nice to see a center actually contribute! It’s neat to see some of the frosh contribute as well. In addition to Bennett, PF Sammy Crowell starts on occasion and finishes with 7 ppg and 6 rpg. Pat Matthew scores about 5 ppg as a reserve guad.

Getting back to the NCT. Cal’s going to the 2030 Big Dance as… a number nine seed in the East… Yikes. One win gets the Bears a date with a number one seed, which in this case is ACC power Maryland, which rocked The Sheriff’s N.C. State team in the conference tournament championship game 95-63… “At least we made the tournament,” Victory says. “That should make the administrators happy.”
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Old 02-11-2007, 08:54 PM   #257
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – NCT 2030

Cal draws Harvard in its NCT opener. The Ivy League team is no slouch. They finished 28-6 and proved impressive enough to garner a number eight seed for the Big Dance. Fortunately, Victory’s boys make pretty easy work of Harvard and win the first NCT game for the Bears since 2021. Final score: 94-70. Guards Thomas and Bennett eat up Harvard’s defense for 26 and 22 points respectively. Lekivicius adds 17 and Frederick scores 12… “And now on to Maryland,” Victory says. “I’m hoping my little bro can help me with some scouting.”

Of course, Victory himself knows the Terps well after facing them for seven years as coach of NC State. But they will be tough – a 30-5 record. Cal is 22-10.

Amazingly, pundits give Cal the edge at three positions and in the overall as well. Sure enough, the Bears pull the huge upset!! Thomas scores 21, Lekivicius nets 18 and Frederick powers for 13 as California knocks Maryland from the tournament 82-66. Cal leads by 12 at the half. Frederick is a monster inside, finishing with 12 rebounds… “Thank you little bro,” Victory says after the big win. Cal fans are loving it!

It’s on to the Sweet 16 for the Bears!! The first time since 2017… Another number one seed falls in the second round as Pitt upsets Michigan State. N.C. State is still alive, as are Pac-10 teams UCLA and Washington. Alabama is still kicking after two victories – in the ACT…
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Old 02-11-2007, 08:57 PM   #258
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Sweet 16 (2030 season)

Unfortunately for Cal fans, the NCT run ends after two games. The Bears get fried by the Friars of Providence 85-50. The game is pure ugly from the opening tip. Cal goes scoreless for the first nine minutes and falls behind 42-20 at the break. Miran Lekivicius is the only guy in double figures, and he scores just 10. Providence’s top players score 24, 16 and 12 points respectively. Cal hits just 17 of its 57 shots from the field…

“That is probably the worst basketball game I’ve ever been associated with,” Victory tells the press afterward. “We looked like we didn’t even deserve to be in the ACT. I apologize to our fans. We were pitiful, and that ultimately reflects on me… I promise this will not happen again… I will not rest until we are in contention to win an NCT title – and even then I will not rest…”

The NCT tournament is rough on Victory’s little bro as well. State makes it to the Elite Eight, but the Pack loses to Florida 78-75, a team both coaches hate since both are Miami alums. That sets The Sheriff on a cursing spree that forces CBS to quickly cut to other coverage. “Easy little bro,” Victory says to his TV set as Greg Gumble Jr. apologizes profusely to viewers.

While Victory blamed the Providence loss on himself, there is no stopping the Friars as they roar into the Final Four. Once there, they take out Florida 77-67 and trample Pac-10 entry Washington for the 2030 title 79-67. Providence was a number four seed but played more like an NBA team during its three-week run…

Illinois gets the Big Fade award. After winning two NCT titles in three years time and making four Final Fours over the past six years, the Illini go 14-17 and miss the entire post-season. They started 7-0 before hitting major bumps in the road… You won’t find Victory complaining even though it breaks Illinois coach Harris Rowell’s string of NCT appearances at 27… “Happens to the best of ‘em,” the coach muses.

TCU beats Dayton in the ACT final. Miami makes the ACT Final Four. So does Weber State.

Stevie Victory Jr. is the second leading scorer for College of Charleston this season (13.5 ppg). The Cougars lose to Purdue in the opening round of the NCT, however. And Li'L Victory announces that he’s going pro!! The elder Victory just shakes his head. (Told you I made his ratings too good)...

“Even if you get drafted, you have a long road ahead of you,” he tells his son. “Why don’t you pull your name out and go back to Charleston. I worked hard to get you that scholarship there.”

“No can do, Dad. I’m on a mission. I gotta win an NBA title before I retire from playing. I’m giving myself 15 years to do it. See here’s my plan on this napkin here. Play as a reserve for 3-4 years, then land a starting job, then...”

Boy, does that sound familiar. Like father, like son… Stevie Jr. does get drafted, picked 43rd by Sacramento… (How cool for the game to do that – he’ll be closer to his dad out in Cali!!)

Stephanie Victory finishes a subpar second season at San Diego State. She averaged about 8 ppg as a reserve point guard for Lianne Perry’s Aztecs. She didn’t play much as a freshman either. Maybe next season she’ll land a starting role… She suffered a little bit from kidney disease this past season…
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Old 02-12-2007, 08:57 AM   #259
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL - Season #28 (2030-31)

You can look at Steve Victory’s third season at Cal in two ways.

First you can be impressed that Victory led the Golden Bears to 31 wins – the most for the school since the calendar rolled into the 2000’s. They earned a number one national ranking during parts of the season, went 14-4 in Pac-10 play and advanced to the Pac-10 tournament championship game for the first time in awhile. Haas Pavilion was rocking on most nights!

Or, you could be depressed that the Bears won only two games in the NCT. Even though Cal went as a number one seed in the Midwest Region, Southern Illinois KO’d them from the tournament in the Sweet 16. [This author is even more depressed because he resimmed Cal’s season for the heck of it starting with the Pac-10 championship game and led the Bears to the NCT title with just a few adjustments!! Too bad that doesn’t count].

Which path do you think Victory takes? Yes, he’s pretty depressed. With this group, he expected a Final Four berth at least. He really thought all season that Cal could win the NCT but they tanked (choked?) against the 12th seeded Salukis. “What the heck is a Saluki anyway?” Victory kept muttering afterward.

Of course, Southern Illinois lost to Marquette by 20 points in the Elite Eight. And of course, one of Victory’s arch-enemies while at Alabama, Mississippi State, won the NCT title. “It could have been us,” Victory said again and again. It was the worst he’s felt since winning 40 straight games at N.C. State only to lose to Illinois in the NCT title game (one of the losses that may have led him to flee to Berkeley in the first place)…

Victory’s little bro knows exactly how Steve is feeling. N.C. State also made an early exit from the NCT, falling to UConn in the second round. Not a good year for these two...
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Old 02-12-2007, 09:01 AM   #260
aztarheel
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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Season 28 recap (2030-31)

OK, after a few weeks the frustrations subside for Victory. Yes, he hated losing that Sweet 16 game to Southern Illinois but overall it was his best season at Cal. The program is on the way up!! And it only took three seasons to put it on course.

Here are some highlights:

1) Victory fired his entire coaching staff leading up to the 2030-31 season. He brought in David Henry (Montana State) who has 5 Excellents and 3 Goods in his ratings; Aron Wallace (Cal Poly SLO) who has 5 Es and 3 Gs and Blake Radford (Washington), who has 4 E’s, 3 G’s and 1 Average. Henry and Radford are excellent recruiters in the West… Wallace is solid in the East… A great staff if they stay for awhile… And no, Victory doesn't have pet names for these guys...

2) Victory’s newest recruits, Peter Madic and Othella Williams, are considered the best recruiting class in the country! Wow! Both are power forwards. Cal needs some power in the paint. (Alabama has the third best class in the nation!)

3) Cal wins the Alaska Challenge, defeating of all teams, the eventual NCT champs, Mississippi State, in the title contest. The Bears had an easy time with the Bulldogs 80-62. It’s stuff like this that burns at Victory when he ponders the season.

4) MSU was ranked #2 at the time they lost to Cal. Maryland is ranked first when they fall to the Bears a few weeks later. And check out this score – 75-56 Cal! Oh what could have been with this team!

5) Other big non-conference wins come against Kansas (85-63), Kansas State (81-72) and North Carolina (92-63).

6) Cal finished the regular season ranked third in the nation, behind only Mississippi State and Arizona State (the Pac-10 regular season champs).

7) Cal lost to UCLA in the Pac-10 title game, 84-72. Not a good game for the Bears – a foreshadowing of what was to come a few weeks later.

8) No post-season awards for Cal players, though all five regular starters averaged in double figures. Junior SF Miran Lekivicius averaged 15.5 ppg and 11 rpg but still no recognition. At least “Leki” is coming back next year!

9) The first two NCT games were easy. Cal smothered South Carolina State (94-64) and St. Joseph’s (90-46). While Lekivicius and PG Josh Archey scored 20-plus, St. Joe’s top scorer only managed 8 points.

10) Southern Illinois beat Maryland by 28 points to get to the Sweet 16, so it wasn’t so much of a surprise that they had the guns to beat Cal. The big stat: Bears PG Josh Archey had 10 turnovers. Overall shooting was terrible.

11) Arizona State did make the Final Four but lost to Marquette. Mississippi State beat St. Louis before topping Marquette for the title… Purdue crushed Wake Forest in the ACT title game…

12) Cal’s top two centers – Ben Ward and Jerome Frederick – both declared for the NBA draft, leaving school after their junior years. Frederick goes 17th to Chicago. Ward goes 56th to Orlando. Their departures (both started, with Frederick playing PF) will really hurt next year’s chances… No true stud center coming back…

13) Alabama under coach Michael Bliss made it back to the NCT for the first time in awhile. They lost in the second round, like NCSU.

Last edited by aztarheel : 02-12-2007 at 09:03 AM.
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Old 02-12-2007, 09:17 AM   #261
aztarheel
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Nov. 1, 2031.

Hello all, Steve Victory here. After writing my story for 28 years, AzTarHeel has taken a one-year sabbatical from dynasty posts. Hey, he’s earned it – all that writing in third person and switching back and forth between present and past tense can be pretty exhausting. He’s off in the Caribbean – or is it China. I’m not sure. Hope he comes back!

Anyway, for the season at hand – the 29th of my career and my fourth at Cal-Berkeley – you’ll get reports straight from the source. I’m certainly not the writer AzTarHeel is, but I promise to be a lot more interesting than my bro Daryl. Unlike him, I do speak and write in complete sentences. But that’s another story…

So, what’s in store for the Golden Bears in 2031-32? It’s going to be tough to reproduce our 31-win season from a year ago – the most wins Cal has had in hoops in several decades I might add – but I think we’ve got the guns to win the Pac-10 and maybe even make a run to the Final Four. I’m always up for a trip to the Final Four!

I am totally pumped by one player in particular, senior Miran Lekivicius. He’s only 6-5, but he’s as tough and smooth as they come. He’s been one of our leading scorers each season, and could contend for Pac-10 player of the year this season. I moved him from power forward to small forward two years ago, and he’s really adapted well. He’s ratings are through the roof…

Aside from Leki, this year’s team has a strange make-up. We don’t really have a stud point guard nor a true starting center. The NBA defections of should-be senior centers Ben Ward and Jerome Frederick could really hurt us this year, but I can’t be bitter. If someone offered me millions of dollars to play hoops at age 21, I would have jumped too. Well, maybe. I got mad at my son for leaving school after two years. And now he’s languishing at the end of the bench in Sacramento. At least he’s close by. And I get free season tickets to see the Kings!

It looks like sophomore Peter Madic will get the starting nod at center for us. He’s 6-9 and still really a year away from being a horse in the paint, but I think he’ll do well. If he falters, we’ll likely turn to redshirt junior Kyle Jacobson. He’s 7-1 but has really had a tough time adjusting to the college game. Maybe by next year, he’ll truly be a stud. Maybe. What is it with 7-footers struggling in my programs?

Junior Pat Matthew – my first recruit at Cal – could win the PG job and shine this year. Adam Dunn and James Bennett should be among our other top guards. Off the bench, I am pumped about PF Othella Williams and SF Scott Ward. Scotty is itching to take over Leki’s spot, but he’s learning from one of the best this year. Other subs who could contribute include SG Chris McKamey and SF Cameron Tolliver, two recruits from the past year. The other two new guys, C Jovan Vitas and SF Terrence Myles, will redshirt this season. We are excited about developing these two for the future… Let’s hope injuries don’t force them into action early.

Here’s what the so-called experts are saying about us during preseason write-ups. They call both our freshman and overall talent level “superior” – I like that. They tell us our national prestige really went up – 5 points! – to 68. I like that, too. My bosses in the administration building just want to see us back in the NCT. I don’t like that. I want more!! I want another NCT title and a fourth ring for my finger. We’ll be hard-pressed to do that this season, but you never know. Jim Valvano would remind us to never give up…

And so we’re off. Our first stop – back to defend our title at the Alaska Challenge. It’s going to be cold – and my lil bro The Sheriff gets to go to Hawaii with his NCSU Wolfpack – but I’m stoked about starting another season of college hoops. Stick around for a wild ride!

Cheers,
Steve
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Old 02-12-2007, 09:21 AM   #262
aztarheel
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From the Desk of Steve Victory

Nov. 17, 2031

Greetings, hoops fans. Steve Victory here. Just got back from Alaska. Thought the plane was going to crash coming into Berkeley, but we made it safely. I have great news to report – we won the Alaska Challenge!! It made wearing parkas everywhere – while my bro, The Sheriff, went snorkeling in the warm waters of Hawaii – totally worth it. We knocked off New Mexico (78-58), seventh-ranked UConn (79-74) and 18th-ranked Indiana (84-70). A nice way to start the year…

Miran Lekivicius (“Leki”) earned all-tournament status, scoring 23 points in the opener and 20 against Indiana. PG Pat Matthew didn’t start but could very well land in the starting lineup after leading us in scoring vs. UConn with 16 points.

Here’s something cool. The Sheriff’s N.C. State team also won its tournament. They beat one of our rivals, UCLA, for the Hawaii crown. And get this, the pollsters have put the Wolfpack first in the rankings and us right behind them!! Now that’s something for the scrapbooks. Dad would be proud if he were still with us. Of course he might remind us that it’s only November…

We play our home opener this week against Notre Dame. And to think I nearly took a job with the Fighting Irish a few years ago. I’m glad I came to Cal… I remember what I told Berkeley fans at the first press conference. “I never in my life thought I would be coaching at Cal. But now that I’m here, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Go Bears!” That was cheesy, but I still really feel that way… I miss State at times – the ACC is still the most storied conference in the land – but Cal has become home… Don’t worry, though Cal fans… No more job jumps for me. I’m a Bear until the end. Just when the end will be I’m not sure…
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Old 02-13-2007, 11:51 AM   #263
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Nov. 19, 2031

Greetings, faithful readers. Or maybe that’s faithful reader. As you can imagine I get tons of e-mails asking me lots of important questions. Things like “Is Victory really your last name?” and “Is that hair of yours for real?”

I don’t get a chance to reply to all of them, but during this season I’m starting an “Ask Coach V” column to go along with my posts. So fire away. What do you want to know from the coach? I’ll do my best to answer. Please, keep it clean. This is a family program.

Here’s the question for this week:

Coach V, great start to the season so far. Just curious, with you being a basketball connoisseur and all, what’s your favorite hoops movie? I like Blue Chips myself – Shaq Fu from Boise, Idaho

Well Mr. Fu, thanks for writing. I’d have to say my all time favorite is the classic movie Hoosiers. No, not the sequel staring Kevin Costner nor the recent remake. The original with Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper. What hoops fan doesn’t love a story of the underdog winning a championship (kind of like my team at Alabama way back when)? And of course, for me the Dennis Hopper character reminds me a lot of my little brother. You know, when they’re not “on the sauce” they can be pretty good coaches…

I’m also a fan of documentary that came out a couple decades ago. It’s called The Story of Joe Thomas: Through the Eyes of a Player. (Author's Note: referencing a good TDCB dynasty that was popular in its day). It’s a dramatic true story of one player’s rise from high school prospect to college standout at New Mexico University. Some great real-life stuff, good storytelling and all-around solid story. They don’t win a championship, but it’s inspiring nonetheless. I show it to all my players before every season. I have to wonder, though, where is ol’ Joe Thomas now?

Yes, Victory is really my last name by the way. And yes, the hair is real. Though coaching is making it receed nicely.
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Old 02-13-2007, 11:53 AM   #264
aztarheel
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Posted by: Astros02

Coach Victory:
How do you get your players pumped up? Do you have a good gym or do you use steroids?

Former California Governer
Arnold Schwarzenegger


Posted by: Duncan Limosani

This event actually took place in a local quickie mart in downtown Alberquerque...

“Hey man, can I have a super squishie, extra syrup...”

“Sure, that will be 2 bucks”

“Wait.. don’t i know you from somewhere??” the customer asks..

Looking around sheepishly the tall, athletic man behind the counter hushes his voice “No, I am just the squishy boy!”

“NO WAY! You’re Joe-bo Thomas! I used to watch you at The Pit, i can tell by that scar where ya broke ya head wide open!!”

“shh kid, most folks think i got a respectable job after college”

“Well what are the odds hey, Joe Thomas and Elvis working at the same quickie mart....”


Posted by: yanksare

Stevie,

How can you sleep at night knowing what you and Jeff did?

Daryl
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Old 02-13-2007, 11:55 AM   #265
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[Author's note: yanksare had a spin-off dynasty going for awhile on another Victory brother, Daryl. Good grief - how many VIctorys can there be?]

From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball coach

Nov. 20, 2031

Well, the e-mailbag sure has filled up quickly. As for the recent question on pumping up players, no steroids here. We run a clean program, though I admit to being tempted to use the restart button after some tough losses (especially that 40-1 season when we lost to Illinois). But those things bring shame and probation...

As for your question Daryl, that was a long time ago... let it go...

Steve
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Old 02-13-2007, 11:57 AM   #266
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Nov. 29, 2031

Lawd, have Mercer on me!

Hello folks, it’s Steve Victory here again. I’m on another plane flying cross country – I really hate all this flying this season – and I’m not feeling too good for many reasons. First, it’s a turbulent flight. Second, I think we had some bad hotel turkey for Thanksgiving. And third, we just got our fannies whipped tonight pretty good by Mercer. No not Miami or Minnesota or Michigan. But Mercer! Mercer!!! From the Atlantic Sun Conference (not the Atlantic Coast Conference)… On their tiny home court no less. Ugg… Who scheduled that match-up?

That’s right. We earn a number one ranking for the first time this season, then go out and play like a team that’s listed at 301. The wonderful news has already been posted on ESPN.com. I’m sure Mercer will bask in the glory for a few days in USA Today and other papers. I know this for sure – we’re having a five-hour practice tomorrow. I’ll be reading up on Bobby Knight motivational tactics tonight, believe me. We were way to cocky for this one...

At this point, we’re 7-1, which really isn’t that bad. But that one loss to Mercer (!!) sure makes the record seem more like 1-7. OK, I am overreacting. We’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s pretty embarrassing when fans from a mid-major are storming the court at your expense.

This is a crucial part of our season. We’ll try to bounce back against Western Illinois in a few nights, then we face Auburn and North Carolina at home – no slouch programs for sure. After a date against New Hampshire, we’re off on another key road trip through my home state of Florida. First we take on the Gators, then the Hurricanes (my alma mater).

Of course, we’ve already been hit by the injury bug. SG Adam Dunn crashed to the floor against Iowa State last week and broke his skull. I didn’t even know you could break your skull, but my trainer says he won’t play for 2-3 months. Dang… At least we beat the 15th-ranked Cyclones.
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Old 02-13-2007, 07:59 PM   #267
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Dec. 3, 2031

California 98, Western Illinois 55

Now that’s more like it! Nothing like putting a tough loss behind you with a cakewalk at home. Whew! The guys must have gotten the message after hours and hours of wind sprints…

Miran Lekivicius had the game of his life, scoring 25 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. Pat Matthew and Sam Crowell both scored 20 points. Amazingly the knuckleheads who put together the national rankings must not have seen that we lost to Mercer. We retained a #1 ranking in one poll and only dropped to #2 in the other. I’m not complaining. I really do think we can be a top 5 team as long as we don’t let down like we did against ye olde Mercer.

Auburn comes in this weekend. Then we have four days to get ready for North Carolina, a program that has fallen on hard times the past decade or so. The Heels look decent this season, with a CRI around 60…

Great news on the recruiting front this week. With only one scholarship to give (at least for right now), we went hard after small forward Gerald Jordan from Mobile, Ala. He’s considered the #5 pick in the nation, according to our five-star recruiting service, and he committed to us this week!!

He’s been a bit up and down as a high school senior, but his upside and his size (6-8) are tremendous assets. I used some old connections in ‘Bama to woo him out West. We look forward to what he can do for us…

Recruiting is far from over, however. If one or more of our players heed the NBA call (the date to announce is soon), we’ll need to sign someone else. That’s why we’re still working our networks pretty hard…

Last edited by aztarheel : 02-13-2007 at 08:01 PM.
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Old 02-14-2007, 09:55 AM   #268
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Dec. 7, 2031

Welcome back to “Ask Coach V” – a regular feature where I’ll try to answer readers questions. Here’s the latest query, following a similar theme as other posts:

First there were steroids. Then there were growth hormones. Now “editing” is all the rage in sports. Have you had any players who “edit” to try and improve their games? What do you think of it? – Hulk Hager, Sacramento, Calif.

Thanks for writing, Hulk. Nice name by the way. I have heard whispers of folks using various editors around college basketball to try and get better or heal quicker from an injury. The “Version 1.32” strain is the most popular brand from what I know. But that is strictly forbidden in my program. To my knowledge, no player of mine has ever “edited,” even some of my best guys who suffered season-ending maladies during a late-season run…

It has been tempting to experiment with editing, though, I’ll admit to that… Maybe I’d have a few more NCT titles, but then how could I live with myself? Building a solid program requires a good off-season training program and recruiting good players. Of course, it helps to have a little good fortune bounce your way from time to time...


[Author's note: my silly way of talking about the temptation to edit my players to make them better or hit "restart" when I don't like the way a game turned out... yeah, i know -- dumb.]

Last edited by aztarheel : 02-14-2007 at 09:56 AM.
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Old 02-14-2007, 09:58 AM   #269
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Dec. 21, 2031

Greetings from sunny South Florida!! Ah, it’s Christmas time in my old hometown (still love the version of that old song by Kate Smith), and things couldn’t be merrier. I’ll be heading back to the Left Coast later tonight with the team, but we’re of good cheer right now, riding a six-game winning streak!

After trouncing Western Illinois, we knocked off Auburn (79-67), North Carolina (77-63) and New Hampshire (88-69) at home. Then we played two of our best games to date to sweep our road trip through Florida. First, the Gators went down 83-63. Then we blistered my alma mater, Miami, 90-54. I don’t think the alumni club will be too happy with me (“thanks for running up the score, you jerk”) but hey, the ‘Canes just couldn’t keep up. What am I to do?

Florida was ranked #19 in the nation when we beat them, so that was a nice triumph. Miami was just outside the rankings, holding a CRI of 16. Hats off to reserve PF Othella Williams. He scored 18 off the bench to lead us at Florida. All five of our starters reached double figures at Miami, with Leki scoring 20 and Crowell 18. Madic and Crowell combined for 29 rebounds. We blew the ‘Canes away, pardon the pun, in the paint all night!

This is a sweet way to launch into our conference schedule, which begins right after Christmas. We’re 12-1, ranked second in the nation and back in the groove confidence-wise. Arizona is number one right now, so that’s great for the conference. My little bro and his NCSU Wolfpack are also in the top five. A Merry Christmas for the family indeed.

On the recruiting front, we did need to dole out a second scholarship after all. Junior Sam Crowell opted to throw his name into the NBA draft list. Needing a point guard badly, we went after Cy Billet from Betonville, Arkansas. He may be a bit of project – our recruiting service has him listed at #125 in the nation – but he, too, has a nice upside. He may redshirt a year to allow his excellent potential to pay off for us down the road… Good thing I still have my connections in the South… Cal might soon have to realign itself into the SEC, though!

Until next time. Merry Christmas and remember Jesus is the Reason for the Season – and the only reason I’ve survived almost 30 years of coaching college basketball!
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Old 02-14-2007, 10:01 AM   #270
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Jan. 25, 2032

If anyone doubts that the Pac-10 is the elite conference in men’s college basketball right now, just check the rankings.

We’re at #3 in the latest .400 Sports poll. Arizona State is #6. UCLA is #8 (with a win over us earlier this month). Arizona is #11 and Stanford is lurking just out at #29. Now that’s a powerhouse league! We’re in front in the rankings but technically not in front in the standings. That honor goes to ASU at 8-1. We’re 7-1, while UCLA and Stanford both have two losses. All four of Arizona’s losses this season have come in conference games, though we’ve yet to play them.

We’ve had a pretty good run since my last post. We beat Washington (87-51) and Washington State (61-60 – whew!) at home. Then we pounded Stanford 91-45, but that game seemed to wake them up. We topped USC on the road (84-61) and swept visiting Oregon (82-71) and Oregon State (98-37).

Yes, you read that last score correctly. We did stomp the Beavers by 61 points. We really exploited their weak perimeter game. It was 58-24 at the half. Here’s our top seven scorers – Pat Matthew (25), James Bennett (10), Miran Lekivicius (19), Scott Crowell (11), Peter Madic (13), Othella Williams (10) and Scott Ward (7). Crowell also had 16 rebounds. We had 41 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive rebounds, while holding them to 19 total boards. Our home crowd loved it! The Beavers looked so pathetic trying just trying to get the ball away from us.

The only stumble in conference so far came at UCLA. It was an amazing game by the way. A packed house in one of the most storied arenas in the land. Neither team able to pull away from the other. We just crumbled a bit in the last minute and missed a key free throw. The Bruins look tough – they also knocked Arizona from their perch as the nation’s #1 team at the beginning of January (The ‘Cats have continued to slide for some reason since that defeat). Can’t wait for the rematch in mid-February.

We beat Oakland in non-conference action last night (87-64) to get our 20th win of the season. We go to Oregon this week for rematches with the Beavers and Ducks. Then we host the Arizona teams for the first time… Things are heating up here in Pac-10 country, the best conference in the land…
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Old 02-14-2007, 10:03 AM   #271
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Feb. 14, 2032

Greetings hoops fans, Happy Valentine’s Day. This diary wouldn’t be what it is without you the readers… The drinks are on me today…



Well, a lot has happened since my last post. First, we won some more ball games! After knocking off Oakland, we swept Oregon and Oregon State in the great Pacific Northwest, then we won two big ones over Arizona and Arizona State (both were ranked in the top 10 at the time). That ran our winning streak since the UCLA loss to nine games. It also put us back on top of the national rankings!! (My lil bro’s team, NC State, isn’t that far behind – also in the top five!). The Mercer loss feels like forever ago — I’m proud of team for bouncing back. Mercer is 17-8 right now, so they’re no slouch...

We clobbered UA 90-65. Sammy Crowell had a big game with 21 points and 13 boards. Peter Madic added 18 points. One of our best post games in awhile… We beat ASU by a similar margin, 85-64. We held one of their studs, SF Larry Deeter, to 11 points. He had been averaging close to 20 per game. I think Deeter and our own SF Miran Lekivicius (17 ppg, 11 rpg) could be two of the best players in the country this season. Both are having phenomenal years…Stay tuned for post-season awards. It could be a harvest time for the Pac-10…

Of course, UCLA proved a tough foe again in the rematch. This time, the Bruins cut us down on our own court. We just don’t seem to match up too well with them for some reason. They beat us 77-69 – pretty convincing. Of course, I want to see them again in the tournament!

We rebounded against Southern Cal tonight, beating them 89-63. But all was not well on V-Day. We took a huge blow when our starting point guard, Pat Matthew, went down with a torn ACL early in the first half. You know, you never get used to hearing the pain that a player goes through when we blows his knee out. Matthew just crumpled over after making a hard cut to the basket. Fortunately, Adam Dunn has been back in action for a couple weeks. He’s a steady replacement but it’s tough knowing Pat won’t be with us the rest of the way…

We’re in good shape to win the conference regular season crown. We’ve got four games left, but all four are on the road – at Washington, at Washington State then the rematches with Arizona and Arizona State…
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Old 02-14-2007, 10:06 AM   #272
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Feb. 16, 2032

It’s time for another edition of “Ask Coach V.” Here’s the latest query:

Coach, good job so far this season. Sorry to hear about Pat’s knee. Man, how come so many of your players get injured? I mean, it seems like every year you’ve got guys with bum knees, ruptured discs, broken skulls, even kidney disease. Do you think maybe you push your guys too hard? Just curious – A.C.L., Berkeley, Calif.

Thanks for writing, ACL. Nice initials by the way. Well, it’s like this. I do push the guys pretty hard, but not any harder than other coaches. I’ve hired the best trainer around. All the scouts consider him “excellent” at his job. So do I. But he’s not the one making hard cuts, banging hard in the paint or getting stepped on awkwardly during games. As Forrest Gump once said, “It happens.”

That’s why recruiting good players from top to bottom is so important. Fortunately, we’ve got Adam Dunn and even Scott Ward ready to fill in for Pat the rest of the season. It’s their chance to shine now, and how well we do the rest of the way depends on how much they want to step up… If you’re not sure who Forrest Gump is, by the way, just head to the movie store and peek in the Classics section...

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Old 02-15-2007, 06:20 AM   #273
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aztarheel View Post
[Author's note: my silly way of talking about the temptation to edit my players to make them better or hit "restart" when I don't like the way a game turned out... yeah, i know -- dumb.]

Not dumb. It was actually pretty funny. I wonder if Steve knows that his son has been "editing"?
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:38 AM   #274
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Monday, March 1, 2032

If you’ve read your USA Today this morning, you’ve already heard the news. I was pretty stunned myself.

For the first time in my career, a player of mine has been voted an All-American!! Wow! I was stunned when AP called last night to let me know. OK course, so was SF Miran Lekivicius, who will surely go down as one of Cal’s best basketball players ever. Maybe better than Jason Kidd. That’s what you get for staying in school all four years. Miran could have jumped last year, but opted to stay for one more season and now he may lead us to a national championship as well…

Here’s the line on Leki, as we like to call him, going into Pac-10 tournament play:

Points per game: 16.5
Rebounds per game: 11.8
Blocks per game: 3.2 (wow! Great numbers for a SF)
FT percentage: 86.1 %
3-point shooting: 47.3 % (the dude is money!)
Steals per game: 1.5

The cool thing is that Leki also earned Player of the Year honors in the conference. His biggest rival, Arizona State SF Larry Deeter, also landed on the All-Conference AND All-American team. I had a hunch those two could both get on. Let’s hope they can go head-to-head one more time in the tournament.

As for the Cal Bears, we closed out the regular season on another nice win streak. We won all four road games – at Washington (88-56), at Washington State (77-64), at Arizona (67-65 – a nailbiter on Lute Olson Court) and at Arizona State (79-51). Leki had 20 in the ASU win, while Deeter only managed 9. That might have decided the POY award for the Pac-10.

It’s too bad you don’t get a banner for winning the regular season championship. We won this year’s going away. Here’s the upper half of the standings:

Cal 16-2
UCLA 13-5
Stanford 11-7
ASU 10-8
Arizona 9-9

Overall, we finished the regular season 29-3 and ranked number one in the nation! This is cool – N.C. State finished third in the nation behind us and Syracuse. A great year for the family. Of course, The Sheriff’s team didn’t actually win the ACC. Somehow Florida State won it, but pollsters think the Wolfpack is much better. The Seminoles are only ranked 16th going into the post-season.

Of course, none of this ranking stuff will matter now. It’s survive and advance time as one of my heroes, Jim Valvano, used to call it. Win and stay alive. Lose and go home. Of course, we can afford to lose in the Pac-10 tournament – we still should get a #1 seed – but I want a conference banner for the home gym! Plus, a league championship should keep us out West for the NCT…

It’s an exciting time folks! Stay tuned...
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:39 AM   #275
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Friday, March 5, 2032

OK, here’s the breakdown for the Pac-10 Tournament:

Ninth-seeded Southern Cal beat eighth-seeded Oregon last night, so we’ll play them in our opener. Seventh-seeded Washington State beat 10th-seeded Oregon State, so they’ll play conference runner-up UCLA. In the other two quarterfinals, Arizona (5) and Arizona State (4) will lock up, with the winner playing us (hopefully), and Washington (6) and Stanford (3) will lock up.

Crazy things tend to happen in conference tournaments. Usually, the number one seed gets picked off somewhere along the way. We’ve got to treat every game like it’s the NCT title or we’ll get bounced… Wish us luck (and no injuries)...
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:40 AM   #276
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Saturday, March 6, 2032

Whew! We took care of business in our Pac-10 tournament opener. USC, knowing its season would come to an end if they lost, hung tough but we won 86-64. James Bennett and Miran Lekivicius led us with 18 and 16 points, respectively. We got a lot of help off the bench as C Kyle Jacobsen and PF Othella Williams scored 10 points each.

Next up: Arizona, the number five seed! The ‘Cats edged Larry Deeter and the ASU Sun Devils 74-70. Washington State (7) and Stanford (3) are still alive on the other half of the bracket. I told you things get crazy around tournament time. UCLA (2) is already gone, falling to the Cougars by 4…

Part of me is happy to see UCLA bite the dust, but we would have loved to get another shot at the Bruins… Of course, all we’re thinking about now is Arizona this afternoon… Until next time (either tonight or tomorrow morning), wish us more luck (and no injuries)...
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:41 AM   #277
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Late, late Saturday night, March 6, 2032

It’s about midnight, and I don’t have much time to write, but we did win today!! We crushed those Wildcats from UA 90-61. It was an amazing game for reserve PF Othella Williams. Big O, as we like to call him, scored 20 points in about 20 minutes after our post starters got into foul trouble. Leki had 18 to help us cruise… We were up 48-23 at halftime…

We’re off to watch game film on Stanford (3) for a couple more hours. They beat Washington State 77-76 in a thrilling semifinal game. We’re hoping they don’t have much left for us. I desperately want to win my first Pac-10 tourney title here at Cal!! We’ve been so close before… There’s nothing like cutting down the nets after a championship, though my players may opt not to cut down the nets just yet. They want to wait until bigger and better games. I say, if we win, cut ‘em down. You never know what may happen in the future...

Again I ask: wish us luck tomorrow against Stanford (and no injuries)…
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:43 AM   #278
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Sunday evening, March 7, 2032

Happy Selection Sunday to you hoops fans. I’m sitting here at my laptop around 9 p.m. Pacific time, and I’m wearing one of the Pac-10 championship nets around my neck (I think Leki has the other one. I’m not sure). I’ve got a “Cal Bears – Pac-10 Champs!” T-shirt on as well. Yes, folks, we did it! We won the first Pac-10 title in my tenure here with the Golden Bears.

Stanford battled us well, but we got ahead in the first half and stayed that way. Final score: 78-68 Bears. I’m a little concerned with how we handled their perimeter game – their guards netted 36 on us – but we sealed it at the line. Check out these numbers: 33-40 FTs. Leki and Bennett led us in scoring with 18 points each.

This is the first conference title for Cal since 2021 – 11 years ago. Believe it or not, in 29 years of coaching, I’ve only won four league tournament titles (one at Charleston, one at ‘Bama, one at State and now one at Cal). Hey, March Madness is a tough time. Anything can happen and usually does.

Our 32-3 record has already surpassed last year’s 31-win tally. We finish the conference season with a 19-2 record. What a season!

Of course, now we’ll set our sights on the ultimate prize. My boys and I would love to cut down the nets three weeks from now at the Final Four!! That would be my fourth national title. But as they say, we’re just going to take things one game at a time…

In other news regarding the family, my little bro Jeff Wilt, didn’t even coach today. His Wolfpack was upset by sixth-seeded Clemson in the ACC Tournament semifinals – I told you this was a wild time of year. Don’t worry, The Sheriff still likes how the NCT selection committee seeded his team. More on that later…

We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, then start getting ready for the Biggest Dance of them All!!!

Kept wishing us luck (and no injuries). So far, that’s working just fine…
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:47 AM   #279
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edit - double post ... sorry about that. carry on ...

Last edited by aztarheel : 02-15-2007 at 11:49 AM.
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:47 AM   #280
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Tuesday, March 9, 2032

Hello hoops fans from high above the Earth. We’re on our way to Denver now for the first round of the NCT tournament. What a magical time. You should see the looks in my players’ eyes. They’re all glowing, like Christmas morning or something. This is definitely the best part of the year – I live for this.

Here is how the 2032 NCT is shaping up:

As expected, we got the #1 seed from the West Region. Our first foe is Middle Tennessee State. Don’t know much about them, but we’ll know soon enough. We’re in the same bracket with St. Louis (8) and Providence (9). I remember Providence very well. They rolled over us two years ago on their way to a national title. I consider them a very dangerous “lower” seeded team. But one we’ll welcome if we can get past MTSU...

Colorado is the #2 seed in our region. Arizona is #6.

The other #1 seeds are Syracuse (East), Pittsburgh (Midwest) and N.C. State (South). Good job, Brother Sheriff… My little bro and I are #1 seeds again… Let’s see if we can do something with it this year… Can you imagine – Cal vs. State in the NCT title game? The family would go nuts, especially Daryl. Who would he cheer for? Probably neither of us.

UCLA is a #2 in the East. Arizona State is a #8 and Stanford is a #11 in the Midwest. Washington made the ACT along with a couple of my former haunts, Alabama and Central Florida. Nothing for Charleston this year… Can’t see why Alabama can’t build a more solid program… Michael Bliss is a great coach – I know he was a stellar coach on the floor when he played for me…
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Old 02-16-2007, 09:49 AM   #281
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Wednesday, March 10, 2032

Hello from Denver. Just got back from our first official practice of the NCT. The guys were a little skiddish, and the rims felt stiff. I’m hoping the nerves will pass once we jump the ball up Friday afternoon… There is a lot of pressure being a #1 seed, especially when you crashed last season…

Time to dip into the mailbag again for our regular “Ask Coach V” feature:

Hey coach, my name is Matt Young, and I’m a freshman at College of Charleston this year. I remember watching your son play for the Cougars a few years ago, and I’ve heard stories that you coached here a long time ago before moving on to Alabama, State and now Cal.

Just wondering – do you have ever dream about what things could have been like had you stayed at Charleston? Do you think you could have won an NCT title here? Would you ever come back if they offered you the job again? We probably couldn’t afford you now, though…


Thanks for the questions, Matt. I will forever be a College of Charleston fan. And I will forever treasure my four years as the Cougars coach. I have thought from time to time about what life would have been like had I stayed there, but you can’t linger in the “what ifs.” Life is full of choices, and once you make a move you had better be looking forward not back.

As for winning an NCT title with CoC? It would have been tough but I see no reason why the Cougars couldn’t have won one with me as coach – or why they can’t still win one now… As for coming back to Charleston, I’ve made my last move – at least I’m 99 percent sure it’s my last move, you never know what life will throw at you. Unless something absolutely strange happens – like Cal disbands as a university – I’m coaching out my career with the Golden Bears. I’ll still cheer for the Cougars, though. And we’ll try to get them on the schedule when we can… Too bad they aren’t playing in this year’s NCT...

[author's note: a few months after I wrapped up the Steve Victory dynasty, I did an "Alternate Universe" dynasty, where Victory decided to stay at Charleston to see if he could win the NCT in 15 years there ... It fizzled out, but I did get CoC to the Final Four one season. Not sure if I still have this dynasty story saved anywhere or the game save.]
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Old 02-16-2007, 09:53 AM   #282
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Sunday, March 14, 2032

Well, the first weekend of the NCT is in the books, and we’re still on the Dance Card! I got a little nervous in the first half of our opener Friday against Middle Tennessee State. They were right there with us for awhile. But we took care of business and beat them 87-60. A big surge at the end of the first half put us up by 18, and we coasted home… Miran “Leki” Lekivicius – Cal’s first All-American in forever – led us with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

The win over MTSU gave us another shot against Providence, the team that knocked us around two years ago 85-50 on their way to the NCT crown (ugg – seeing that score still hurts). Well, pay back sure is fun. We tripped the Friars 69-58 in this meeting in the Round of 32. Again, we weren’t 100 sharp, but at this time of year I’ll take an “ugly” win over a “pretty” loss any day.

Providence did a great job holding our guards in check. James Bennett and Adam Dunn really struggled to break free for shots. Fortunately, Leki bailed us out again with 20 points. Othella “Big O” Williams added 13 off the bench.

So we’re off to the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row! It’s nice to have put Cal on the map so quickly! Of course, success breeds rising expectations, so nothing short of a Final Four berth this year will satisfy most fans… We’re giving it our best shot…

Our next foe is another team on a Cinderella mission – 13th-seeded Stephen F. Austin. SFA has a respectable record of 26-8 and the following of the nation as they strive for their third upset of the tournament. Of course, this is familiar turf for us. We got knocked off by a #12 seed last year in Southern Illinois. I’m confident we won’t get tripped up again. Last year’s loss may in fact help us – its memory will drive us to not let that happen again…

As you may know by now, The Sheriff and his Wolfpack will be joining us in the Sweet 16. We’re still on that collision course to make it a family Final Four!! But the Pack first will have to get past an old nemesis – a team that the Sheriff and I have both had trouble with – Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are primed for an upset…

Stay tuned as we strive to be the last one’s on the dance floor by month’s end… Cal vs. N.C. State for all the marbles? It could happen...
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Old 02-16-2007, 09:54 AM   #283
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Posted by: yanksare

Raleigh, NC
March 15, 2032


This is the year. I tell ya this is my year. Jeff Wilt leads the Wolfpack to the 2032 NCT championship. That has a nice ring to it. Who am I talking to? I really gotta quit drinking.....Or maybe drink more. Either way, this talking to myself thing is getting a little weird. Ok, you’re still talking. Shut up. No you shut up. God, I’m drunk.

What time is it? Shooo, 3 am. Hey there’s a message.

Beeeppppp.

Hey Jeff. Congratulations on the win. Good luck with Mississippi State. Give me a call if you wanna talk strategy. Can’t wait to see ya at the Final Four. And, Jeff, don’t drink too much. I worry about my little brother. Alright, call me soon.

Beeeppppp.

Don’t drink too much. Don’t drink too much. Worry bout my little brother. little brother. Ask Coach V. Stevie, I’m gonna kick your a** this year. Then everyone will know that I’m the best coach in the family. Not you, not Daryl, not even Jennifer. This is my year. My year I tell ya. Who the f*** am I talking to? Where’d I put that bottle...
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Old 02-17-2007, 04:00 PM   #284
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Friday, March 19. 2032

It’s close to midnight, and boy has this been a day for upsets in college basketball!! Fortunately, the Cal Golden Bears weren’t one of the teams that took a dive. We survived our Sweet Sixteen match-up with Stephen F. Austin, prevailing 87-63!!

Stephen F. held our All-American SF Miran Lekivicius to just 5 points, but we had plenty of contributions from the other guys to get over this hump for the first time in my tenure here. SG Adam Dunn scored 18. PG James Bennett netted 17. C Peter Madic scored 15 and PF Sammy Crowell added 12 more… Whew!! We’re alive and kicking into the Elite Eight!!

Unfortunately, two #1 seeds bit the dust in this round, as did some of the #2 teams. LSU upset #1 Pittsburgh (may not be much of an upset since LSU is always pretty tough). And, sorry to hear this one, Mississippi State knocked off my little bro’s top-seeded N.C. State Wolfpack. It was a close game, but MSU made it a great day for the SEC with a 6-point win. A rotten day for the family, however. I have plenty of bad memories of Mississippi State and LSU both...

The toughest part was watching The Sheriff in the final minute as reality was sinking in that State wasn’t going to win. While March Madness is a glorious time for hoops fans, it’s also a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching time for those who fall short of their dreams. I just hope my little bro takes care of himself. He’s been known to go off the deep end sometimes when adversity hits… Maybe I’ll call him tonight. Of course he may not want to hear from me since we’re still playing… And of course he may not have the capacity to talk either, if you know what I mean…

OK, so we’re 3-0 in this tournament – halfway to the NCT title!! Our next obstacle, a very scrappy Manhattan team, which has won 33 games this season and definitely deserves to be in the national quarterfinals. We’re favored but everything’s a toss-up from this point forward in my opinion.

You know the drill. Wish us luck (and no injuries)! So far, so good... Thanks for tuning in…

Yours,
Steve (Coach V)
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Old 02-18-2007, 05:26 PM   #285
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Sunday night, March 21, 2032

Dear Cal students, faculty and staff, alumni, and faithful fans of Bears Basketball. I’d like to personally and cordially invite you to travel with us to Seattle this coming weekend for the Final Four!!

Yes, folks, the Golden Bears are going to the biggest part of the Big Dance for the first time in many decades. We’re going for the school’s first national championship since 1959, the year Cal upended Jerry West and West Virginia in the NCT title game. And we want you there to be with us, painting the Dome in California colors! Let’s bring tens of thousands of spectators and fill that place up – then celebrate like mad on Monday when we cut down the nets.

Our first foe is Oklahoma, the number two team out of the Midwest Region. They are 29-7 and have looked impressive during their tourney jaunt. Syracuse and Kentucky will play in the other semifinal. Some big names will be in Seattle. We need all the fan support we can get.

I’ve got to tip my cap, so to speak, to the Manhattan Jaspers. What a great season they had, finishing 33-5 (yes you are reading that record correctly!). We were fortunate to get past them in our Elite Eight match-up earlier today. If you saw the game, you know how much this team had me sweating during our 68-62 triumph.

Fortunately, our defense really shut their inside game down. Their starting forwards and center only managed a handful of points. Meanwhile our guards, James Bennett and Adam Dunn, really tore them up – combining for 33 points and a bunch of assists. Miran Lekivicius played well to get 16 more points.

So, it’s off to Seattle and my fifth Final Four. The pundits are really calling this year’s championship ours to lose. While that makes me squirm knowing the crazy nature of March Madness, it’s hard to argue if you’re looking at this strictly from a numbers perspective. We’re 36-3 and ranked number one in the nation. We’ve been playing winning ball of late and have avoided the injury bug outside of Pat Matthew’s ACL tear (which I think could have a big impact against a tough foe like Oklahoma)… We’re definitely not going to Seattle to lose, I can tell you that…

I’ll have more from the Great Northwest as soon as we get settled in. My secretary just put our travel plans on my desk. I’ve got goose bumps…
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Old 02-18-2007, 05:31 PM   #286
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Thursday, March 23, 2032

We flew into Seattle yesterday, and had our first practice at the Seattle Dome a few hours later. Like I expected, the guys were bouncing off the walls with energy, excitement and anxiety (one of my guys even hurled after dinner he was so wound up—maybe it was just the flying). Knowing we wouldn’t get much done in the strategy department, we pretty much made this first public workout a dunk session and team highlight reel for fans and the rolling TV cameras. Boy, can backup SF Scott Ward throw ‘em down when he wants to. Can’t wait to see what he becomes next season when the starting job is all his. But we’ll worry about that later.

We got down to business this morning and really worked on solving Oklahoma. As any coach in my spot would say, “I’m worried about them.” And I am. They are tough and physical. They have seven losses, but they are playing as good as anyone right now.

As the time for tip-off for the big game comes closer, I’ll answer another letter from a Cal fan as part of my “Ask Coach V” segment.

Hey V, this will be your fifth Final Four, and I know you’ve been to plenty more to schmooze with your coaching buddies. I was wondering if you could describe just what it’s like to be in such a highly charged atmosphere. I’ve never been to a Final Four myself, and TV just doesn’t seem to do it justice — Daryl V, Greensboro, N.C.

Hi Daryl. Thanks for writing. Wow, a fan from my old stomping grounds in North Carolina! Yes, you are correct. The Final Four gets great coverage on TV, but there is nothing like being there in person.

For me, being at floor level during a Final Four contest can be a sacred experience. You walk out of the tunnel and onto a glossy court surface. You can barely think there is so much noise around you. You tell the kids to just treat this like any other basketball game, go through the normal warm-up routine and not gawk at the surroundings. Then as you settle into your seat you can’t help but gawk yourself. Tens of thousands of folks surround you on all sides! You immediately smile when you see all who are wearing your school’s colors and screaming their heads off.

Everything seems bigger at the Final Four. The first one I went to as a coach, back in my Alabama days, the rim seemed 25 feet off the ground. The court seemed as long as a football field when we were running a fast break. Every player from the other team looked seven feet tall. The ball even seemed bigger and more magical as it glowed underneath the arena lights.

But then about five minutes into a game, all of that fades into the background. Suddenly, it’s all about basketball again, and you focus on beating your opponent. Sometimes, the game gets away from you if let the surroundings affect you (like we did when I was at NC State and we folded against Illinois in the NCT title game a few years ago)… I try to feed off the energy when I can, but honestly when it’s game time I try to stay locked into the fundamentals...

Well, gotta go check out some more film on OU. Hope to see you at the Dome on Saturday. If you can’t get tickets, at least come join the parties in Seattle. Wish us luck and as always, no injuries… Go Bears!
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Old 02-19-2007, 08:44 AM   #287
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Posted by: yanksare

San Diego, CA
March 23, 2032


You ready Steph?

Yep. Let’s get going. Uncle Jeff, can I ask you somthin?

Shoot.

Why do you and Dad have such a weird relationship?

Shew. It’s complicated dear. To tell you the truth, it’s been this way for years. Competition. Ya know how you and Stevie jr. used to fight all the time?

Yeah, as kids.

Good point. Maybe, I just haven’t grown up yet. Your dad’s a great man though. Sometimes I just wish I could be the one that came out on top.

You’re not so bad yourself, Sheriff.

Ha, ha. Very funny little girl. Seattle’s calling. Let’s go see Steve before they take on Oklahoma.
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Old 02-19-2007, 08:51 AM   #288
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Tuesday, March 28, 2032

Well, it’s about 4 a.m. on Tuesday, and the post-championship parties are still going on in Seattle. The nets at the Seattle Dome have been clipped. A cache of new T-shirts and hats have hit the streets proclaiming the new kings of college hoops. Already, newspapers are circulating with photos and articles on the 2032 title game.

Unfortunately, it’s the Oklahoma Sooners getting all the glory and continuing to whoop it up in Seattle. We were the favorites, according to most of the pundits, but we lost to OU 64-58 in Saturday’s semifinals, then Boomer Sooner rolled over Syracuse 87-72 in a rather uneventful title game. OU led by a bunch at halftime…

I’ve already gotten an e-mail from my old buddy, Fred Frank, who once again called me Mr. Chokefactory. Yes, yes. Let’s come up with something new, will ya? Actually, I owe a lot to ol’ Frank Fred. He’s helping my little bro through a lot of drinking, uh, issues. And you can’t fault a guy for wanting a championship, right? Of course, the shoe goes both ways on this one because he’s an assistant for my bro at N.C. State, which lost in the Sweet 16… The Wolfpack also took a number one seed into the tournament... Poor Sheriff…

A lot of folks have put the blame for this loss on my shoulders and said I was out-coached. Frankly I have to agree. I debated over two schemes to throw at OU, and we obviously made the wrong choice (Author’s note: breaking character: a resim using the other idea I had worked, and Cal won the NCT title easily over OU and Kentucky – arggghh!!). We’ve never scored fewer than 60 points this season yet Saturday we only managed 58. They were up 11 at half and pretty much coasted home, though we made a late push to pull within 6.

I feel the worst for the kids. They really believed we were going all the way. It was almost sickening to see how hard Miran Lekivicius took this defeat. He gave up an early jump to the NBA to stay with us this winter and lead Cal to a national title. He played his heart out in the semis, but his shot just wouldn’t fall. He managed 9 points on 3-for-12 shooting. He did have 10 boards and six blocks. Great kid. Hard worker. Lots of heart. I hope an NBA squad has enough sense to draft him. He might not have all the pedigree of your typical NBA star, but he’ll succeed in the pros…

Adam Dunn and Sammy Crowell led us in scoring vs. OU. But they only had 12 points each. We only made it to the FT line nine times and made just five. Oklahoma swished 16-of-20 from the stripe. Another difference maker…

Obviously, there is a lot of heartache in Golden Bears country right now, but when time passes I think folks will see we had a great season overall. We finished 36-4, which is one of my best records ever and I believe Cal’s best in school history… All but two of these guys (Leki and Sammy Crowell) will be back next year, so whose to say we can’t win the 2033 crown... But man, we were so close to taking it all this time around… so darn close…
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Old 02-19-2007, 08:58 AM   #289
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

May 15, 2032

Hello again. Coach V here. I wanted to touch base one more time before taking off on a little vacation in Charleston, S.C.. We’re supposed to have a big family reunion later this week, but you know how those things can be.

Jeff may have to meet a recruit prospect in Florida. Stephanie just finished up her final semester at San Diego State and may be too exhausted to make it. Stevie Jr. of course is still playing in the NBA, though he’s kind of turning into a journeyman, now playing for the Mavericks. If he’ll work harder, he can get into the starting rotation. I know it. As for Daryl. Well, he probably won’t show up at all, like usual. If he does come, he’ll probably ignore me and stay in the other part of the house… Then there’s mom trying to keep us all together… It’s like a sitcom I tell you…

Anyway, a few wrap-ups on the season. Basketball is a much more pleasant topic:

Scoring Leaders for 2031-32: Miran Lekivicius 16.2 ppg, James Bennett 13.1, Pat Matthew 11.9, Sammy Crowell 11.2, Adam Dunn 10.8 and Peter Madic 10.5. I love that six guys finished averaging in double figures, though Pat missed some games late with his ACL injury.

Rebound Leaders: Leki again led us with 12 per game. Wow! Crowell got 8.5 and Madic got about 7.

Assists: Pat Matthew 5.8. See why it hurt us when he went out?

Steals: Leki and Matthew averaged 1.4 per game

Blocks: Leki averaged 3.2 per game. Opponents never learned that this guy can jump and reject shots!

I was glad to see an NBA team take a chance on Leki. In case you missed it, he got picked #33 by the Wizards. Then coming in right behind him at #34, Sammy Crowell. He got taken by the Warriors. “From Golden Bears to Golden State” was the headline in the paper the next day. Hope he doesn’t mind playing for coach Chris Weber. Not sure why the Warriors gave that guy a job but maybe he’s reformed…

Miran Lekivicius will leave the Cal program as one of the best players in school history. He started since his freshman year (switching from PF to SF after a season). He now has his name on two single-season records and six career records. His 547 free throws are the most made by anyone in the Pac-10 Conference – and the nation! We’ll miss him here, definitely…

On another note, PF Othella Williams set the national single season record for free-throw percentage this year – a whopping 95.5 percent in swishes. It’s funny, but I’ve coached three or four guys in my career who keep breaking that record. I guess I know how to teach FT shooting...

I got some interesting job offers after this season. Texas Tech came calling again. I guess they got over that little “incident” back when I was at State and some Raleigh-ites poked fun at Lubbock. Texas A&M and Georgetown also gave me the hard sell, but I’m staying committed to Cal. Coming up short in the Final Four has increased my resolve to win it all this season…

Well, I guess we’ll be talking to you again in the fall. Until then, keep praying for no injuries as my guys play summer ball. Get your season tickets now for the 2032-33 campaign. My 30th season as a head coach (yikes, I’m going to be 60!) is just around the corner…

No word on when AzTarHeel will be resuming his diary posts. Didn’t really hear from him this season, except a “good luck coach” right before the Final Four… That third-person writing thing really wore him out I guess…

Yours,
Steve
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Old 02-19-2007, 09:01 AM   #290
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From the Desk of Steve Victory, Cal Basketball Coach

Oct. 20, 2032

Greetings hoops fans!! Guess what’s just around the corner? Yes sir, the Cal Golden Bears are set to rev things up again. We’re coming off a great 36-4 season that included the school’s first visit to the Final Four in forever, and we have 11 players coming back – including three starters.

If you thought hopes were high last season, wait till you see all the preseason magazines this year… We’re plastered all over them, at least out here in the West, especially returning senior PG Pat Matthew and senior SF Scott Ward, who played in Miran Lekivicius’ shadow last year but is ready to break out and make a name for himself…

I heard from AzTarHeel last week, and he said he plans on extending his sabbatical from writing one more year. I guess I still owe him that after 28 consecutive years without a break (if you deserve a sabbatical for every seven years of work, then AZ may be entitled to take the next three seasons off)…

Anyway, realizing that I’m a better coach than writer I’ve decided to turn over the posting chores this season to one of my players. He’s a redshirt senior, actually the last holdout from the former coaching regime. He’s hard to miss standing at 7-1 – center Kyle Jacobson. He’ll be checking in from time to time as we go for a return trip to the Final Four. He told me he’d like to go into sports communications some day after graduation, so this is in a sense his first big assignment...

Kyle is a neat story really. He came to California pursuing a dream to play in the Pac-10. He wasn’t a blockbuster player for his Colorado high school and frankly scouting services weren’t too high on him at all. But former Cal coach Colon Dahl recruited him because of his size. Then Dahl was fired, and the Bears brought me in.

Since 7-footers aren’t really a part of my plans – I like a smaller and quicker lineups with hard-nosed 6-6 to 6-9 center types – I decided to redshirt him his freshman year. He was pretty discouraged and we talked quite a bit about him transferring to a smaller school where he could get more playing time. Finally, he decided to stay at Cal, even though for three seasons he basically languished at the end of the bench. He actually didn’t play a minute as a sophomore (mostly because he got into my doghouse for his attitude).

But Kyle finally turned around and kept working, kept putting in time in the gym and weight room. Now he’s poised to contribute in our rotation as a senior. He might very well even break into the starting lineup from time to time… I think you’ll enjoy Kyle. He’s grown up a lot, and has become like a son to me (even though I look up at him by several inches). He is hands down a team captain for us this season, along with Pat Matthew. Who knows, maybe Kyle will get the winning dunk in the NCT championship game… We all can dream, right?

Enjoy the season. Look forward to seeing you at the games the next few months. We’re sold out on most of them, but I think some single-game tickets are still available for some of them. Our goal – Atlanta, Ga. and the 2033 Final Four… Start looking for low plane fares now...

Yours,
Steve

PS: don’t ask about our family reunion this past summer in Charleston and please don’t press us about that beach volleyball incident. I mean, Sheriff Jeff, please. Have some self-control... I guess I can’t blame Daryl for not coming... At least Stephanie had fun... And met a boy. Some guy named Robert Something Winchester the Fifth. Kind of a quirky dude...
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Old 02-19-2007, 09:03 AM   #291
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Steve Victory Career File

After 29 Seasons

(Sorry about the holes in information for those of you detailed types)

Year School Overall Conference
2003-04 Central Florida 10-20 5-12
2004-05 Central Florida 7-22 6-11
2005-06 College of Charleston 15-16 7-11
2006-07 College of Charleston 21-9 13-4
2007-08 College of Charleston 25-7 14-4
2008-09 College of Charleston 20-13 14-6
2009-10 Alabama 10-20 5-12
2010-11 Alabama 3-27 2-15
2011-12 Alabama 3-26 1-16
2012-13 Alabama 12-18 4-12
2013-14 Alabama 23-11 9-8
2014-15 Alabama 29-7 15-4
2015-16 Alabama 20-12 12-5
2016-17 Alabama 16-16 11-8
2017-18 Alabama 23-12 13-6
2018-19 Alabama 30-11 12-7
2019-20 Alabama 20-17 12-7
2020-21 Alabama 21-11 10-8
2021-22 NC State 14-16 9-8
2022-23 NC State 12-19 6-12
2023-24 NC State 27-7 15-4
2024-25 NC State 29-11 9-9
2025-26 NC State 36-3 15-2
2026-27 NC State 40-1 19-0
2027-28 NC State 32-7 15-4
2028-29 California 15-17 9-12
2029-30 California 23-11 13-8
2030-31 California 31-7 14-4
2031-32 California 36-4 19-2

Totals 601-378 ... 310-222


Victory's Teams in the Post-Season
2007 College of Charleston 0-1 in ACT
2008 College of Charleston 0-1 in NCT
2009 College of Charleston 0-1 in NCT
2014 Alabama 4-1 in ACT (runners up to Arkansas)
2015 Alabama 1-1 in NCT
2016 Alabama 1-1 in ACT
2018 Alabama 1-1 in NCT
2019 Alabama 6-0 in NCT (national champs over Louisville!)
2020 Alabama 4-1 in ACT (runners up to Florida State)
2021 Alabama 0-1 in NCT
2024 NC State 1-1 in NCT
2025 NC State 6-0 in NCT (national champs over Oklahoma!)
2026 NC State 6-0 in NCT (national champs over Utah)
2027 NC State 5-1 in NCT (national runner-up to Illinois)
2028 NC State 3-1 in NCT
2030 California 2-1 in NCT
2031 California 2-1 in NCT
2032 California 3-1 in NCT

Totals NCT 36-11 ... ACT 9-4

Victory's All-Conference Players
2007 PG Augustinas Dmitrovic (College of Charleston)
2015 PF Michael Bliss (Alabama)
2019 PG Mark Bell (Alabama)
2020 PG David Smith (Alabama)
2022 PG Rogers Gravitt (NC State) - Player of the Year in the ACC
2024 PG Andre Anderson (NC State)
2027 PG Ian Demory & SF Jalen Hemphill (NC State) - Player of the Year in the ACC
2028 PG Ian Demory & SF Calvin Carstensen (NC State)
2030 PG Aaron Thomas (California)

Victory's NBA Draft Picks
2015 Alabama — Michael Bliss taken 12th overall by Indiana Pacers
2018 Alabama — Alex Henry taken in first round & Michael Slater taken in second round
2019 Alabama — Loren Tracy goes No. 16 to Dallas & Darrell Wynn goes No. 50 to the LA Lakers
2026 NC State — Toni Zupic goes No. 11 to Milwaukee, Michael Stokes goes 25th to Detroit and Andre Baker goes No. 28 to Orlando
2027 NC State — Deon Brown goes No. 10 to New Jersey and Jalen Hemphill goes No. 37 to Memphis
2028 NC State — Marcus Hill goes No. 16 to Cleveland and Ian Demory picked No. 37 by Philadelphia
2031 California — Jerome Frederick goes No. 17 to Chicago and Ben Ward goes No. 56 to Orlando
2032 California — Miran Lekivicious goes No. 33 to Washington and Sammy Crowell goes No. 34 to Golden State


National Champions By Year
2004 Marquette
2005 Notre Dame
2006 Oklahoma
2007 ??
2008 Kentucky
2009 St. Joseph's
2010 Oregon
2011 Missouri
2012 Arizona
2013 Mississippi State
2014 Georgetown
2015 Arizona
2016 Pittsburgh
2017 Kansas
2018 Oklahoma State
2019 Alabama
2020 Louisville
2021 Illinois
2022 Xavier
2023 Kansas
2024 Colorado
2025 NC State
2026 NC State
2027 Illinois (over Victory's NC State team)
2028 Wake Forest
2029 Illinois
2030 Providence
2031 Mississippi State
2032 Oklahoma


ACT Champions By Year (i.e. NIT)
2004 Nebraska
2005 Ohio State
2006 TCU
2007 ??
2008 Fordham
2009 Maryland
2010 Notre Dame
2011 Western Illinois
2012 Siena
2013 UConn
2014 Arkansas
2015 North Carolina
2016 Kentucky
2017 Nebraska
2018 Oklahoma
2019 Washington State
2020 Florida State
2021 Indiana
2022 Miami of Ohio
2023 Texas A&M
2024 ???
2025 Nebraska
2026 Georgia Tech
2027 LaSalle
2028 Southwest Missouri State
2029 Georgia Tech
2030 TCU
2031 Purdue
2032 ???
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Old 02-20-2007, 10:05 AM   #292
aztarheel
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Oct. 31, 2032

Happy Halloween sports fans, and greetings from lovely Berkeley, Calif.

Hi, my name is Kyle Jacobson, and I’m a fifth-year senior on the Cal Bears basketball team. I’m filling in for AzTarHeel this season as .400 Sports tracks the life and times of our coach, Mr. Steve Victory. It’s hard to believe he’s been at this thing for 30 years now – almost a decade longer than I’ve been alive!!

The publishers wanted a more insider look at Coach V this year, and I guess I’m it. I went back yesterday and reread his entire story and his crazy relationship with college hoops, his start at Central Florida, his moves through Charleston, Alabama and North Carolina State, and how he landed in California.

I asked coach to show me the infamous Napkin where he first laid out his plans to win an NCT title in 15 years, but he declined. “You focus on making baskets and getting rebounds,” he told me. That’s our coach.

Anyway, a little bit about me. As you know from earlier posts, I’m a 7-1 center from Colorado, who’s basically been riding the pine much of my college career. I did think about transferring to Pacific, Northern Arizona or even Division II Adams State (in Alamosa, Colo.) after my freshman season here but just couldn’t leave the thrill of Pac-10 basketball. Plus coach started us really believing in ourselves, and we’ve made a rapid ascent up the rankings. Will I make the winning dunk in the NCT title game? Hard to say, but that’s part of the dream that has kept me here for five seasons now.

Last year was heartbreaking to lose in the Final Four to Oklahoma, so I’m glad I redshirted my freshman year and will be around for another shot at a championship. Hopefully over the next few months, I’ll be able to chronicle our march to an NCT title! We want it bad, and I think we’ve got the goods to take it all this year. Of course I’m biased but get used to hearing the names of Scott Ward and Pat Matthew. They’ve both got a shot at All-American this season, I believe.

We’ve got an intrasquad game tonight, and we’re expecting a full house at the Haas Pavilion (Cal’s home since 1999 from what folks tell me – I love it when the place is full of rowdy fans!).

Coaches tell me I’m still in the hunt for a starting job, and I’m hoping to prove myself tonight. It’s going to be a fun the next few months. Stick around, and get that insider’s look! And feel free to write in with comments, questions, suggestions, etc. I’ll try to dig up as much dirt on Coach V as I can… Ha ha – not if I want to land that starting job… Anyway, Go Bears!

Until next time. Cheers!

KJ
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Old 02-20-2007, 10:08 AM   #293
aztarheel
High School JV
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Nov. 2, 2032

Seven points. Eight rebounds. Two blocks.

That was my line from our intrasquad game two nights ago. Pretty average, eh? I really didn’t help my case for landing a starting job, now did I? Well, I’ve just got to keep working at getting better. It did feel good to be on the floor again in front of a big crowd.

Hello all. Kyle Jacobson here again – the 7-1 redshirt senior center – continuing the story of our coach Steve Victory and his 30th season on the bench. We are now nine days away from the season opener in the Hawaii Classic in what we hope will be a three-game victorious stretch in the Aloha State. Our first foe is Nebraska, and we started looking at film on them today. Being from Colorado, I never really liked the Huskers, so I look forward to pounding them on our way to an NCT title!

My teammates gave me some hassle for my last post because I only gave props to a couple of them. So, before I get my size 18 high tops stolen again (I know it was you Adam Dunn), I’d better mention our entire 2032-2033 Cal Bears lineup. We’re going all the way folks!

Starting at point guard will be Pat Matthew. He’s a senior from Sacramento and is a co-captain with me. We really missed Pat Man last year in the tournament (he tore his ACL late in the season). We would have won the NCT had he not gone down. Anyway, he’s back, the knee is solid and we all really look for him to lead us.

Senior James Bennett and junior Adam Dunn (aka the shoe-stealer) have been battling for a couple seasons for starting jobs at shooting guard. It’s still a toss-up at this point, but I think JB will get the nod.

Senior Scott Ward will take over for departed All-American Miran Lekivicius at small forward. Don’t tell Leki, but I think Scotty can be just as good or even better than Leki was last season. Scott is a 6-8 machine and can throw some dunks down, baby! He had 34 points in our intrasquad game, and a lot of us just couldn’t help but stand by and watch as he created magic on the court.

It’s me and juniors Peter Madic and Othella Williams battling for starting jobs in the post. Pete and Big O are the more traditional sleek, strong post players that Coach likes, but I’m not going to give up a starting job in my senior year without a fight!

Our bench is strong as well, and we’re looking at getting some vital PT from sophomores Chris McKamey (SG) and Cameron Tolliver (SF) and freshmen Terrence Myles (SF), Jovan Vitas © and Gerald Jordan (SF). Jo-V and Terrence redshirted last year (and Jo-V still carries my bags by the way – ha!). We’re redshirting PG Cy Billet this season with the hopes that he will be one of our point guards of the future. Cy Borg’s got some moves but he’s still raw...

The preseason magazines are calling our talent level “Superior.” I have to agree. But, as Coach likes to tell the press, we’re just going to take things one game at a time. Ha, that’s the first time I’ve ever said that…

Well gotta run. I’ve got an eight-page sports med paper to get ready for tomorrow. Everyone on our team except for Cy has a GPA of 3.23 or better by the way. Until next time. Cheers

KJ
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Old 02-20-2007, 10:14 AM   #294
aztarheel
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Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Nov. 9, 2032

Yo, yo, Cal Bears fans! KJ here with the latest segment in the Coach Victory saga (he hasn’t complained about my work so far and I did get my shoes back from Adam!)

Well, we’re on the plane to Hawaii. We have a nice meal tonight after we land, practice tomorrow a couple of times, then have a tournament kickoff dinner and then start the season two nights from now against Nebraska.

My stomach’s churning just thinking about it. There is so much hype about us being among the NCT title contenders this season. It can be a circus sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Well, Coach V told me before we took off that I’m not going to be starting in our season opener. I had a hunch that was going to happen. Big O (Othella Williams) will get the starting nod at center instead of me, but Coach said I can expect to get some good playing time and not to get my head down about it.

I was pretty bummed when I heard the news, especially when some of the other guys told me that the assistant coaches had recommended that I start. But, I’ve just got to trust Coach, get better and win the spot outright. Plus, I’m just so glad to be a part of this team and this experience. When I’m not out there on the court, I’ll be cheering for Big O big time.

I’ve been perusing our Cal Basketball media guide on the flight. Here’s the stat sheet on me during my four years with the program so far. All-American credentials for sure (the picture is from my freshman year):



2028-29 – Redshirt
2029-30 – 31 games/4.5 minutes per game/0.5 points per game/0.5 rebounds per game
2030-31 – 0 games (my bad-attitude days – tough but I learned a lot)
2031-32 – 40 games/7 minutes per game/2 points per game/1.5 rebounds per game

I guess that’s why I’m the team writer this season…

My goals this season: play in all our games and average at least a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). I’d also like to make at least one three-pointer before I graduate. Ha! It’s brick city usually when I shoot from out there, though I did swish a few in practice the other day. I will hit one – you wait! I tried one last season against New Hampshire, and that clang could be heard for miles. Coach took me out of the game immediately. “You shoot from 10 feet and in,” he screamed. And it was only New Hamshire we were playing. The Cal student paper even wrote a funny editorial about my “quest” to hit a three.

Well, gotta go. They are passing out the food trays and we’ve got a movie after that. I’ll report back once we get to Hawaii! Go Bears!

Cheers.

KJ
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Old 02-20-2007, 04:53 PM   #295
aztarheel
High School JV
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Nov. 9, 2032

A little P.S. on my last post:

One of the big story lines of the Hawaii Classic is that Coach V is on a collision course to face his brother, coach Jeff Wilt (whom they call The Sheriff for some reason), in the championship game. The way organizers set it up, Cal has the number one seed for the tournament and Wilt’s N.C. State team has the number two seed. Two wins each, and we’re playing a family title game on the shores of the South Pacific. (Still don’t know why this Sheriff guy isn’t named Jeff Victory, so I’ll have to do some research on that. If we beat them, I can see the headlines now: Victory’s Bears wilt Wilt’s Wolfpack. Man, I should be a writer!)

Coach has tried to deflect attention from a possible meeting with the school he led to two NCT titles. But you can tell he really wants to beat his little bro badly.

I remember well the first time they faced off against each other. It was Coach V’s first game since leaving State, and The Sheriff’s first game with the Wolfpack (and my first game as a college player, though I was being red-shirted). It was like a war in Haas Pavilion. State went on to win 75-71, and it was like Coach V played it cool after the game but he kept delivering these backhanded compliments about his brother. “Good job but remember who recruited these players” that kind of thing. Weird family stuff, I tell you. I didn’t realize all the tension there was until I read about their history recently…

Anyway, it should be fun if one can play two in this tournament, though we’re supposed to be thinking about nothing but Nebraska right now. UCLA is here, too. Look forward to getting a sneak peak at them as well…

As for our schedule, Coach really went all out to get some of his favorite rivals on it. He calls it his “30th Year Victory Tour.” We’re hosting Colorado (the school I grew up rooting for) and visiting Alabama later this month. Coach always gets an icy reception in Tuscaloosa and this guy named Fred Franks or Frank Fred always appears behind the bench to heckle him.

We’re also playing the Tar Heels of UNC to start December and hosting Notre Dame just before conference. I remember the summer before my freshman year at Cal hearing reports that Coach Victory was one of the leading candidates to take over at Notre Dame. Good thing he didn’t. He chose the “long shot” and now we’re poised for an NCT title season. Yeah, baby!

We could be meeting the Sheriff’s Wolfpack twice this season. Victory worked out a mid-February game at N.C. State about two weeks before the post-season. Man, if both of us are having great years, that one could be another war between the brothers…

OK, enough for now. We’re about ready to touch down in Hawaii.

Thanks for following us. Go Bears!

Cheers…

KJ
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Old 02-20-2007, 04:55 PM   #296
aztarheel
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posted by: yanksare

Chuckems Sports Bar
Raleigh, NC


You want anotha one coach?

Whatta you think Charlie?

Dumb question, huh?

No problem. Keep em comin.

You read the paper today?

Naw. What’s in it?

That Tudor kid wrote anotha article bout my brother and me. Talkin bout Hawaii and the February game. Why can’t they just let me coach? Why do they always havta bring up Stevie?
Charlie?


Oh. I thought you were being rhetorical. Don’t make me say it again coach. You know why.

I know Charlie. NCT championship. This is my year Charlie. I feel it. Hey, where ya goin? Hit me again. A double.

Ok coach. Coach, I always wondered something.

Yeah, what?

How come your last name is Wilt and Steve’s last name is Victory?

Coach?

Oh. I thought you were being rhetorical? Heh, heh. Naw, just yankin your chain son. Same mom, different dads. Mom divorced Stevie and Daryl’s dad and then met my and Jennifer’s dad. Not that big a mystery, huh?

Makes sense to me coach. You want anotha?

I know, I know. Keep em comin.

[Author's note: this was news to me at the time ]
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Old 02-20-2007, 04:59 PM   #297
aztarheel
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Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Friday, Nov. 12, 2032

Nebraska 60, California 59

Yes, folks, you are reading that score correctly. After all this hype about us to start the season, we’ve gone out and lost our season opener. To unranked Nebraska of all teams. Arrgggg.

It was an ugly game from the opening tip. Both teams were out of sync. We took 71 shots and made just 22. They took 58 and made just 16, including 5-of-25 from behind the arc. The real killer was free throw shooting. We kept fouling, and they kept making them (23-of-25). We only tried 12 shots from the line.

It was a nightmare to watch them storm the court afterwards and see all that Husker red. For a Colorado native like myself, I almost threw up. Many are calling it another example of the Sports Illustrated jinx. Just last week, we were on the cover of their college preview issue under the headline “Holy Cal! This is the Bears’ year to reach the Holy Grail of hoops.” Right now, we’re pretty blue instead of golden.

The worst part was that our Hawaii stay was done. Unlike the old days, once you lose in a preseason tournament, you’re done. No loser’s bracket or anything. I think that’s pretty silly. Now the much-anticipated Coach Victory-Coach Sheriff showdown will have to wait until February. N.C. State did win its opener, as did our Pac-10 rival UCLA. It will probably be the Pack and Bruins in the finals. Meanwhile, we’ll be home running wind sprints until we faint.

Coach Victory’s words haunted me the most.

“So that’s the way it’s going to be,” he kept saying to us afterward. “So that’s the way it’s going to be. We’re just going to be the most underachieving team of the year. We think because we’re on a magazine cover in November that we’re something special. Well, we’ll be lucky to make the NCT if we keep playing like we did against Nebraska.”

With that, Coach promptly ripped up the magazine and forbid any of us to post any magazine covers of any kind in the locker room until we straight things out. He also promised to put out a lot of trash cans at our next practice. Dang...

Of course, to the press Victory repeated all the party lines. “It’s still early.” “You’ve got to give Nebraska credit.” “They gave 110 percent” Etc. Good thing the reporters didn’t make it into our locker room.

As for me, I did manage to record a career high 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of play against Nebraska, and I had two blocks. But I was 1-of-9 in shooting… Just gotta get better. We all do.

Until next time, here's to running until you heave...

KJ

Last edited by aztarheel : 02-20-2007 at 05:00 PM.
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Old 02-20-2007, 05:02 PM   #298
aztarheel
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Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Monday, Nov. 15

Greetings again, hoops fans. Just wanted to fill you in on how the Hawaii Classic turned out… As you know, we were dumped in the first round by Nebraska. UCLA beat Nebraska the next day 66-48 (ugg!) and coach’s brother, Jeff Wilt, led N.C. State to a 63-62 win over another one of our conference rivals, Washington.

We watched the championship game in the Cal athletic lounge on Sunday night, and it wasn’t pretty: UCLA outscored State in the second half 52-27 to win 81-61. The Pack had been up by 5 at the half. I guess the Bruins are for real.

We dropped to #14 in the latest polls, while NCSU is now #5 and UCLA is #2. We’re on the road again later this week, visiting Manhattan on Thursday. We know the Jaspers well after beating them 68-62 last season in a grind-it-out NCT Elite Eight contest. Coach Victory has been working us hard since we got back from Hawaii, and we’re hungry to make amends for our poor performance there.
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Old 03-05-2007, 10:21 AM   #299
aztarheel
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Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Thursday, Nov. 25

Happy Thanksgiving, hoops fans. We just got finished chowing down on a serious turkey dinner in the athlete’s cafeteria, and some of us are off to watch the Cowboys-Dolphins play their annual Thanksgiving Day clash. The Lions killed the Bears in the early game something like 38-14.

Anyway, I wanted to catch you up on the latest happenings in Cal basketball. Well, we’ve put that Nebraska loss behind us in a big way. We’re playing the way we knew we could all along.

We destroyed Manhattan in an ESPN game 82-52 — nothing like our NCT game last year. Then, two nights later we destroyed LA Lafeyette 85-46 in our home opener. The day before Thanksgiving, we entertained Colorado – the team I cheered for as a kid – and we mauled them as well 89-53. Things feel a lot better in Cal country right now than it did after Nebraska.

I had my best game vs. Colorado. I only scored 4 points against Lafeyette and Manhattan, but pumped in 8 points and had 7 rebounds against the Buffs. I made 4-of-5 shots. OK, OK, so it’s nothing special and won’t get me named player of the week or anything, but for someone who had been struggling all season it felt good to get the shots to go down… Scott Ward was our hero against Colorado, scoring 31 points and adding 16 rebounds. Man, he’s fun to watch!

We’re totally pumped about our next game. Tomorrow we fly out to Alabama to face Coach Victory’s old team, the Crimson Tide. One of his former players, Michael Bliss is now the ‘Bama coach. Victory has been extra intense in practice the past few days getting us ready.

Maybe I’ll make my 3-pointer against the Tide. Ha ha! I haven’t tried one yet, but I’m still holding out hope coach won’t bench me if I get off a good three-point attempt in one our blowouts…

Until next time. Cheers

KJ
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Old 03-05-2007, 10:23 AM   #300
aztarheel
High School JV
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
From the laptop of Kyle Jacobson, Cal Basketball Player

Dec. 15, 2032

Hello again, Cal fans. Sorry I haven’t written in awhile. It’s my final semester of classes (I technically graduate in December), and I’m trying to juggle my final projects and exams. On Dec. 18, I’ll be an official college graduate with a degree in communications (and a minor in sports medicine). Thank you. Thank you.

Basketball has been a bittersweet experience since I last posted. As a team, we are doing awesome. We haven’t lost, and except for the North Carolina game we’ve been creaming everyone. We’ve climbed back into the top-10 and folks are saying we look like national title contenders. The Nebraska loss is far behind us.

But on a personal note, hoops has been a struggle. I had high hopes of starting on this team, but I’m still in a reserve role and still just not playing as well I would like. It’s like I’m tentative on the court, especially when it comes to shooting. In practice, I have days when I dominate. But once the game starts, I tend to freeze. It’s frustrating. I expect more of myself.

Anyway, to catch you up we are now 8-1. Here are some scores with my performances in parenthesis.

11/27 – Won at Alabama 96-61 (I fouled out after only 13 minutes, scoring just 6 points – ugg)

12/2 – Beat North Carolina 64-61 (Just 2 points but 7 rebounds – a great game against a storied program)

12/5 – Crushed Albany 104-59. Would you believe they are ranked in the top 25? They probably won’t be after this week. We made them look awful. (Just 5 points in 17 minutes).

12/8 – Won at Rhode Island 87-68 (four fouls in six minutes, 0 points – my most frustrating outing maybe of my career; freshman Jovan Vitas took a lot of my normal minutes, which made me burn inside)

12/11 – Cruised at Cleveland State 104-52 (4 points and 5 rebounds)

We’ve got Notre Dame up next on the 17th. Maybe I’ll get my head on straight by then. Coach keeps reminding me that it’s a team game, and my role isn’t to score 30 points a night. It’s to get rebounds, play tough defense and hold my own while Big O (Othella Williams) and Big Mac (Peter Madic) rest up… Of course I wouldn’t trade this team experience for anything. Just hope I can contribute more in the future...

Till next time. Cheers.

KJ
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