Game Date: Mar 13th, 2049
Elmhurst
Alfredo Rubio - SF
Team: Elmhurst Bluejays [ID #817] 
Location: Elmhurst, IL (Central)
Conference: II.2 [Division 1]
President:
bhardin22
[since December 24th 2023 | last seen January 01st 2026]
Coach: Rafael Ferguson
Arena: R.A. Faganel Hall
Rating: 217.29 - Overall Position: #107
Fan Mood: 110.33
Alumni Mood: 141.30
Prestige: 90
Team Notes:
• Feb 20 2049: 3-star prospect Çınar Selçuk committed.• Dec 26 2048: 3-star prospect Terry Seay committed.
• Dec 26 2048: 3-star prospect Victor Wickens committed.
• Aug 27 2048: Promoted to conference II.2.
• Mar 08 2048: Made the national tournament field.
• Feb 22 2048: 2-star prospect Shane Dupree committed.
• Feb 13 2048: 2-star prospect Farrell Stratton committed.
• Oct 03 2047: Desmond Dent was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Oct 03 2047: Assistant coach Brady Waterman was let go.
• Aug 29 2047: Brady Waterman was hired as the new assistant coach.
Record:
Wins: 20 Losses: 22 Pct: .476 Conf Wins: 14 Conf Losses: 16 Conf Pct: .467 Conf Rank: 9 Last10: 4-6 Streak: L1Pts Ave: 74.0 - 74.2 Pts Diff: -0.2 Team Power Index: 147.6
Press Releases:
Mar 12 2049: FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE Ferguson Declares Season Over, 8 Ball Retired, Announces Engagement in Same Presser - by bhardin22 on December 31st, 2025New York, NY — Elmhurst’s season ended with a conference tournament loss to Methodist University, eliminating the Bluejays from national tournament contention and redirecting them into what head coach Rafael Ferguson immediately labeled “a participation trophy tournament.”
“That one ended it,” Ferguson said. “No nationals. We’re out and that’s on them.”
Asked about the upcoming postseason opportunity, Ferguson did not hesitate.
“We’ll play in it, sure,” he said. “But let’s call it what it is — it’s a development tournament. Probably gonna play the young guys, if you’re a senior, congratulations on the free vacation.”
When the conversation turned to his decision-making process this season, a reporter asked whether the Magic 8 Ball would continue to influence the program.
Ferguson sighed, “No. I’m done with it,” he said. “I’m not considering its opinions anymore.”
He paused.
“It’s still sleeping in my trunk. I haven’t talked to it. I haven’t shaken it. I don’t even know if it’s alive.”
Then Ferguson casually added, as if no big deal:
“Oh — and the shaman and I are getting married this offseason.”
The room froze.
“She quit ghosting me,” Ferguson explained. “Came back around. Energy shifted. Mercury stabilized. It happens.”
Asked how he managed to win her back, Ferguson shrugged.
“What can I say? I make great selling points. To recruits and to the women in my life.”
A reporter asked if the engagement was related to the team’s midseason spiritual cleansing last season.
“Absolutely,” Ferguson said. “You don’t survive a hex together and not build something real. That’s trauma bonding. That’s chemistry.”
Ferguson closed by reflecting on the year.
“Disappointing season, I feel for the seniors. Learned a lot. Melly should be going to The League. Mad Max is leaving to pursue head coaching opportunities. I’m engaged. The 8 Ball’s in timeout. Next year’s already aligned,” he said. “I didn’t need the 8 Ball to tell me that.”
He exited the room, leaving behind stunned reporters and at least one unanswered question about where the wedding registry might be located.
Feb 20 2049: Bad Night, Big News: Ferguson Learns of Selçuk Commitment After 62–61 Loss at Wake Forest - by bhardin22 on December 25th, 2025
WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Moments after Elmhurst suffered a gut-wrenching 62–61 road loss to Wake Forest, head coach Rafael Ferguson received news that immediately shifted the tone of the evening.
Via video call, Ferguson was informed that Çınar Selçuk, the 6-foot-11 standout from Istanbul, Turkey, has officially committed to the Elmhurst Bluejays.
Ferguson, still seated in the hallway outside the visiting locker room, processed the update in real time.
“Terrible loss,” Ferguson said. “Awful way to end a game. But that call? That changed the temperature of the room.”
Selçuk’s commitment completes what the staff has already begun referring to as The Trinity of Terror, a three-player, globe-spanning class set to arrive next season:
Terry “Scary Terry” Seay — combo guard, St. Louis, Missouri
Victor "von Doom" Wickens, — guard, Sudbury, Ontario
Çınar Selçuk, “The Istanbul Iso” — big man, Istanbul, Turkey
“This is the group,” Ferguson said. “This is the vision. Length, shot-making, toughness, international menace. You don’t accidentally assemble something like this. I feel like Thanos assembling his little Infinity Stones.”
Asked about Selçuk specifically, Ferguson smiled for the first time all night.
“The Istanbul Iso is real,” he said. “Footwork, touch, physicality, range, it's all there.”
Ferguson acknowledged the contrast between the loss and the magnitude of the recruiting news when ending his availability.
“We lost by one,” Ferguson said. “But we just won something much bigger.”
Jan 30 2049: POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE: Melvin Carlson After 27-Point Night at Trinity - by bhardin22 on December 19th, 2025
SAN ANTONIO, TX — After torching Trinity University for 27 points in Elmhurst’s road win, senior forward Melvin “Melly” Carlson sat down at the podium, exhaled deeply, and delivered a medical update.
“My back hurts.”
A reporter followed up, asking if Carlson was dealing with an injury.
“Spinal,” Carlson said, without blinking.
The room paused.
Carlson elaborated.
“I’m being serious. You carry a team on your back long enough, things start acting up,” he said. “I’ve been lifting a lot of emotional and physical weight out there. Minutes. Possessions. Expectations.”
Another reporter asked if the issue was something that could linger.
“I don’t know,” Carlson said. “I’m not a doctor. But I do know the school should probably look into a full-time masseuse. Not a student intern. I’m talking licensed. Benefits. On call.”
Carlson went on to explain that while he was happy with the win, the workload was adding up.
“Some nights it’s scoring. Some nights it’s rebounding. Some nights it’s leadership. That’s a lot of strain in one lumbar region,” he said. “I’m just saying — if I’m gonna keep doing this more games than not, we gotta be proactive.”
Asked if he was joking, Carlson shrugged.
“Half-joking,” he said. “But my back isn’t.”
Carlson finished the night shaking hands, stretching carefully, and reminding the room:
“Great win. Loved San Antonio. But if anyone from administration is listening — my spine is accepting applications.”
He then stood up slowly and exited the press room.
Jan 14 2049: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coach Ferguson Eviscerates Offense, Declares Mortal Enemy After 73–59 Loss at Northwestern - by bhardin22 on December 14th, 2025
EVANSTON, IL — Following Elmhurst’s 73–59 loss on the road at Northwestern, Bluejays head coach Rafael Ferguson delivered a postgame press conference that oscillated wildly between tactical praise, existential despair, and the formal declaration of a blood feud.
Ferguson opened with a blunt assessment of his team’s shortcomings.
“Our offense was atrocious,” he said flatly. “Just horrible. Outside of Hank, we couldn’t score in a gym with the rim lowered. And free throws? Don’t get me started. We shot them like they were optional. Like suggestions. Like coleslaw on the side.”
Elmhurst finished the night shooting under 50% from the line, a stat Ferguson referred to as “basketball malpractice.”
Despite the loss, Ferguson did single out one area of success: the game plan to neutralize Northwestern star Pat Gregg, who was held well below his season average.
“I’ll give the guys credit — we iced Pat Gregg out exactly how we drew it up,” Ferguson said. “No rhythm, no clean looks, frustrated him all night. Textbook execution. That part? Chef’s kiss.”
Then came the pivot. Without prompting, Ferguson turned his attention to Northwestern senior guard Connor Morse, who poured in timely buckets and repeatedly punctured Elmhurst’s defensive momentum.
“Connor Morse,” Ferguson said, leaning into the microphone, “is now my mortal enemy.”
The room went silent.
“I don’t know what I did to him in a past life. I don’t remember recruiting him. I don’t remember cutting him. But every time I look up, he’s hitting another shot, smiling that little smile. That’s villain behavior. That’s personal.”
Asked if he meant the comment metaphorically, Ferguson shook his head.
“No. I mean it spiritually. Competitively. Possibly cosmically. That guy has haunted me tonight, and I won’t forget it.”
Ferguson concluded by circling back to his own team.
“We defended well enough to win. We followed the plan. But you don’t beat good teams, let alone good teams on the road, when you can’t make free throws and your offense looks like five guys lost in the wild.”
He stood, gathered his notes, and paused one last time.
“We’ll fix the shooting. We’ll fix the offense. But Connor Morse? That’s forever.”
With that, Ferguson dramatically exited the press room, swearing to have his revenge.
Dec 31 2048: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coach Rafael Ferguson, openly emotional and openly petty. - by bhardin22 on December 10th, 2025
Elmhurst stunned Wake Forest at home, powered by the unlikely hero: Fredo Rubio, who erupted for a career-high 25 while starting at the 4 for only the second time ever.
Coach Ferguson entered the presser looking like his son just landed the lead in a school play.
“I’m emotional tonight. That was beautiful basketball. Fredo—my large adult son—played the four like he’s been doing it since birth. Footwork, physicality, actual defensive awareness… I nearly cried.”
He nodded. “Fine. I did cry. Right there. Bam. Second Half. Real tears.”
“That kid has taken a beating from me this season—verbally, HR was very clear—but tonight? He grew up. Twenty-five points. Boxed out like a man who’s seen the light.”
He thumb-pointed at himself. “And who moved him to power forward? Me. The visionary with the 8 Ball.”
Then a reporter ruined the moment:
“Coach, thoughts on the Australian outlet leaving you off their Top 30 Coaches list?”
Ferguson leaned forward like he was ready to brawl the entire continent.
“That ranking is FAKE NEWS. Completely unfounded. Made by a second-rate journalist from a second-rate outlet probably run out of a kangaroo pouch. Biggest win of our season, the Fredo Redemption Arc, my coaching MASTERPIECE—and some dude in Perth leaves me off? Brother, I’m coaching while you’re out there wrestling spiders the size of Labradors.”
He lifted the Magic 8 Ball.
“I asked this thing if those Australian journalists were fools.”
Shake.
Face drop.
“It says: ‘Very Doubtful.’”
He glared at it. “This plastic traitor waits until after our biggest win to gaslight me.”
He tucked it under his arm like a misbehaving toddler.
“Anyway—great win. Fredo’s a budding star. Australia’s dead to me. And this 8 Ball is sleeping in the trunk tonight.”
He walked off without taking another question.