Chapter 8 introduces someone who is not very skilled at playing
The newly joined high school prodigy Nate Hale, ranked 89th in the United States, has a performance that is somewhat lacking, but at least it is not as rough as last year's Sam Clancy. He is decent and frequently provides excellent assists to Scarabrian.
Li Ao asked uncertainly
Henry Bibby asked: "Are you afraid of this?"
Seeing his teammates full of enthusiasm, he couldn't help but feel a bit dejected
On the other side, at the main training ground, dozens of team members were divided into 6 teams, with 8 players in each team, and began intra-team training matches on 3 courts. The rules were consistent with those of NCAA games, with each half lasting 20 minutes.
After a 5-minute break, Henry Bibby made personnel adjustments, placing Li Ao in position 3 of Team A
He seems to understand what Sam Hayes means by 'special'
In the midst of their surprise, their reactions varied.
From being assigned to a small training camp for special training to directly joining the strongest team to participate in the competition, they felt that Li Ao was too excited
I did not have the opportunity to participate on the first selection day, and afterwards ... ...
The head coach still wore that disapproving expression towards Li Ao, while Brown merely smiled and remained silent
Not long after, the first half of the match between Team A and Team B came to an end, with Team B taking a 5-point lead thanks to the outstanding performance of Sam Clancy, with a halftime score of 45 to 50
It is evident to everyone that Li Ao enjoys a special treatment within the team
There are still a few remaining team members, but like Li Ao, these individuals do not even have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the main roster
Currently, the only player left with a strong defensive presence on the front line is Shelby Jordan. This individual not only has a peculiar personality but is also from the class of 1996 and is about to graduate from college.
Li Ao decisively retorted: "Who is afraid of whom, little dog! We agreed that I would go up, right? If you go back on your word, you are also a little dog!"
Moreover, the training content mentioned by Li Ao, in his view, aligns with the current training progress, and it is acceptable to have such training sessions occasionally
At 8:30 in the morning, Li Ao arrived at the Memorial Stadium, and by the time he changed into his training outfit and came out, more than 50 people had already gathered.
Both of them are sophomore students, and Sam Clancy has already sensed a crisis
However, at this moment, Henry Bibby, who was watching from the sidelines, had a strange expression on his face
Nate-Haier is very familiar with his competitor Granville, knowing that although the latter is fast, he lacks long-range shooting ability. As he directly sprinted to the backcourt, he successfully blocked Granville on the left side of the three-second area. However, just as he blocked Granville, he saw Li Ao almost simultaneously arrive at the three-second area with both of them!
Sam Hayes recalled the recent special training, and his indifferent expression became complex as he said, "His defense is quite unique, and I believe it will surprise you"
If it weren't for his original position being further out and him sprinting back to the backcourt with all his might, he might not be faster than Li Ao
The power forward position is held by freshman Rob and * Tu * Shu Eres, a black player invited to join the team during the summer. He possesses excellent jumping ability but is fearful of inside confrontations, with few other strengths.
At this moment, Sam Clancy was both shocked and angry; feeling humiliated, he irrationally changed direction and continued to charge forward, while Li Ao kept pressing on.
He exclaimed angrily: "Sam, are you trying to scare me to death... that child? Who are you talking about? The one from the small training ground?"
The two individuals have just met in the finals of the campus competition, and in this encounter, both are putting in even more effort.
But to deliver a surprising performance ...? ... It certainly does not mean that he wants his teammates to be astonished by how poor he is at the game
In fact, at the beginning, the special training time arranged by Henry Bibby was not that long; both shooting and defense were completed in one large group. It was Li Ao who, through his positive attitude and outstanding physical fitness, secured more special training time.
Over the past month, although he has been undergoing intensive training, he has also been paying attention to those teammates who have been showing promise. In addition to the information gathered by Liam and Vivian, he has not formally collaborated or competed with these individuals, but he is already well aware of the general situation regarding his teammates.
Xavier Johnson is quite dissatisfied with Henry Bibby's selection this time. Although he also believes that Li Ao does not deserve a spot on the roster, he still thinks he should at least be given a chance
Through the narrow fitness area, three individuals arrived at the main training ground
Intra-team training matches have rules that are not particularly strict, and it is common for players from other competing teams who perform exceptionally well to be transferred to a group with stronger overall capabilities for competition
Xavier Johnson did not refuse; upon seeing that Li Ao had his own training ideas, he felt very pleased, as this proved that Li Ao was also thinking for himself
The number of beginner lottery draws! Equivalent to 1,000 achievement points
The outer net, Haier, directly ran back to the defensive zone to prevent Granville's counterattack. He saw Li Ao immediately launching a fast break after the block, but he did not pay attention to it. Sam Clancy had already caught up with Li Ao, and he had great confidence in this athletic forward teammate.
He noticed the subtle movements of Li Ao when he concluded his defense
Li Ao did not have time to think much and immediately followed Sam Hayes alongside Xavier Johnson
After Sam Clancy took on the main attacking role for Team B, Team A was completely unable to withstand his impact
He is very confident; no matter how poorly he performs, it cannot surprise them
Li Ao leaped with great effort and managed to hit the ball thrown by Sam Clancy
This substitution surprised the players of both teams currently in the match
This news is quite sudden
Alex Ayuso is still the best, a perfect combination of offense and defense. In 1997, it was thanks to this European tough guy that they made it to the finals after many years. Their performance in the past two years has also been quite good, just a little short of reaching the finals. Unfortunately, this former captain has graduated from university
Newcomer, please meet
The small forward position is held by Sam Frank, who is 201 centimeters tall, very strong, not particularly fast but possesses excellent explosiveness, is daring and tenacious, while his technical skills are a weak point
Just as Li Ao had taken a five-minute break and the special training was about to begin, Sam Hayes arrived, leaving behind a message: "The head coach wants you to go play in the game" before departing
This time, Li Ao is more confident. From the earlier confrontation, he confirmed that although his strength is slightly inferior to that of his opponent, he can completely withstand it
However, as he just mentioned, this young man started receiving professional basketball coaching too late
Objective: To deliver a performance in this internal training match that astonishes the coach and teammates
Seeing the other 9 individuals already on stage, Li Ao shook his head, stopped his idle thoughts, and decided to just get it done
Team A
With a glance, Li Ao quickly recalled the information of the other 9 individuals on the field
However, after entering the rotation phase, the situation began to tilt in favor of Team B
Xavier Johnson was certainly not without work this evening. Before receiving a call from Li Ao, this assistant coach was conducting shooting drills with the women's team. Upon receiving the call from Li Ao, their head coach insisted on summoning him, which led to a lengthy complaint from the women's team head coach
Reward: 1 chance for a beginner's lottery
Li Ao became more excited and asked: "Team D? Or Team F?"
On Team A, the point guard is Granville, the team's star point guard, standing at 175 centimeters tall. He is known for his speed, excellent at breaking through defenses, possesses good court vision, and has outstanding passing abilities. However, his weakness is a lack of long-range shooting.
The center is Franky Evanisco, a junior standing at 211 centimeters tall, with a long wingspan that is his strength. He excels in pick-and-roll situations, while his other skills are not particularly outstanding
This is not about how strong Sam Clancy is; in the eyes of Henry Bibby, this high school prodigy only knows how to rely on his physical strength. However, David Lutzenthaler from Team A dislikes confrontation, and Jarvis Turner, being a lanky power forward, is simply unable to stop him
As the head coach, he holds significant authority, yet this player truly behaves poorly. On the court, he plays without question and puts in great effort, but when it comes to expulsion from the team or internal penalties, neither physical punishment nor fines are effective, as he is completely indifferent to them
Henry Bibby remained expressionless and after two seconds of silence replied: "Yes"
Trepanier has acquired better teammates, and he is determined to avenge Scarabrian for a previous defeat
Henry Bibby disdainfully remarked, "What can he do?"
However, Li Ao's situation is not like this; he didn't even make it onto the list of 48 competitors
Sam Hayes nodded
The center position is held by the team's star center, Costa-Charlis, who stands at 211 centimeters. He is proficient in rim protection, excels at shot-blocking, and has decent footwork in low-post offensive plays. He is a mature senior player.
Ge He - Tu - Shulan Weier Dunk, Li Ao leaps with great effort, slamming the ball into the basket in mid-air
This is no longer just a surprise; it can be considered a shock.
Nate - Haier is in a mess, so fast
However, Sam Clancy's defense is quite poor, easily giving way. Lucentabul's offensive skills are diverse, allowing Team A to barely maintain the situation.
Seeing that Li Ao did not respond, the few of them did not find it strange either
Compared to the last season, Granville, Trepagner, and Scarabrian have all made significant progress
The teammates staying in the backcourt were even more astonished as they witnessed Li Ao and Sam Clancy simultaneously take off. Sam Clancy had a slightly faster start, but by the time they exited the three-second zone, Li Ao had already reached the same position as Sam Clancy. When crossing the midline, Li Ao had already pulled ahead of Sam Clancy. Even though Sam Clancy exerted all his strength, he still could not catch up!
The contracted Granville seized the ball and initiated a counterattack
Even if Li Ao is only 18 years old and possesses talent, it is estimated that it will be next year before he can be utilized effectively
Henry, you may allow that child to give it a try
After the training ended yesterday afternoon, Henry Bibby informed him that the special training would continue today
While contemplating how to inspire with two encouraging phrases, Henry Bibby also caught fire, but I cannot let this kid take the stage and unleash his fire, otherwise he would become a little dog
... ...
He dashed to Henry Bibby’s side at a speed comparable to a hundred-meter sprint and asked, "Coach, do I have a chance to play as well?"
Yesterday, when making the decision, he had a dispute with Henry Bibby, but he is the head coach, and the decision made cannot be changed by him
He aims to uphold the pride of being in the top 50 high school students in the United States
Li Ao and Xavier-Johnson exchanged a glance, and the latter reacted first, quickly saying: "Hurry up! The opportunity has arrived!"
He is excited because the task has arrived
Watching his teammates play with great enthusiasm in the match, Li Ao felt a moment of envy, but soon remembered that it seemed he was also about to take the field
Henry Bibby pointed ahead and said: "Here, you go to Team A"
Henry Bibby watched Li Ao on the court, beginning to learn new things. The almost inexperienced newcomer fell into a clumsy state again, but he was actively and diligently making adjustments based on the guidance of the assistant coach
Henry Bibby is observing the match of the 16 individuals he values the most, a showdown between Team A led by Trepagny and Team B led by Scarabrian
In both college basketball and intra-team competitions, Sam Clancy's offensive success rate is noticeably higher.
This signifies that the first roster selection day is unrelated to him
Henry almost jumped aside, but fortunately he held back; otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing
As he stepped onto the field, Li Ao took a moment to observe the people on both sides.
The defense of both teams made Henry Bibby let out a sigh of frustration
Sam Clancy was unexpectedly pleased rather than alarmed, as the violent force burst through... "Bang"... the crisp sound of muscle colliding reached the ears of those nearby
At present, Sam Clancy is not afraid of Li Ao in terms of strength, but what about in the future
However, this is not how it appears to others
Seeing Li Ao regain his spirited expression, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, no longer overthinking, and adopted a calm mindset to provide proper guidance
At this moment, Sam Clancy has lost his composure, forcing himself to make a strong throw over Li Ao's head... "Bang"... It's a hat!
Seeing Li Ao and Henry Bibby entering a cold war mode, Xavier Johnson, who hurriedly caught up, felt helpless as well
During the main confrontation phase, both teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle, and Henry-Bibi was quite satisfied.
The former graduated from our school and chose to join after receiving an invitation from Henry Bibby, while the latter took advantage of a bargain. After Sam Hayes was dismissed from the University of Kentucky, Henry Bibby was the first to extend an invitation, and the other party came just like that
Opposite, the 89th-ranked high school genius Nate Hale continues, possessing a significant advantage with a height of 190 centimeters, exceptional athletic ability, and decent shooting and passing skills
Upon seeing this, Henry Bibby shook his head helplessly
Sam Clancy plunged forward at close range, but his speed did not increase, failing to generate any impact
At this moment, he is already prepared for his first year as a sparring partner
The two teams, grouped in pairs, possess comparable strength. Through previous training and intra-school competitions, the coach and scouts of the Trojan team have gained a relatively clear understanding of the abilities of each player
Just as Sam Clancy was gearing up for a violent breakthrough to crush Li Ao, unexpectedly, Li Ao took the initiative to move closer to him
Li Ao has already practiced several sets of shooting, and his body and feel have warmed up. He is ready to try the training task again and directly told Xavier Johnson how he wants to practice next
He doesn't want to ask, so what can be done? These two probably have conflicting zodiac signs, and they can't exchange two good words when they meet.
Fortunately, he had quietly tended to his wounds last night. After arriving at the internal training facility with Xavier Johnson, he readjusted his mindset and focused on training diligently
The date has arrived at October 2, Saturday, when the USC Trojans entered the roster selection phase
Brandon Granville provided strong assistance to Trepagnyer, continuously supplying him with ammunition, which resulted in consecutive hits.
He is a barefoot novice, playing poorly yet without shame; what if he performs well by chance
Sam Clancy looked at Li Ao with a contemptuous gaze, determined to destroy this newcomer
Xavier Johnson and Sam Hayes are both renowned technical coaches in the college basketball arena. In recent years, the Trojans have shown improvement in their performance, and in addition to the strong coaching abilities of Henry and Tushubi, these two assistant coaches have also made significant contributions
However, contrary to what others expected, after the confrontation, although Li Ao was pushed back a little, Sam Clancy was also forced to stop!
Suddenly, a voice came from beside him, startling Henry Bibby
Nate received the serve and advanced to the front court, passing the ball to Sam Clancy, who was directly requesting the ball at the top of the arc, while Li Ao was defending against him
Shooting guard Sandy Fletcher, a newcomer in the competition for the roster, is a junior who has spent the past two years as a practice player. Standing at 190 centimeters, he is a typical Caucasian player with a solid build. He has a decent shooting ability, but his athleticism is average
At this moment, Sam Clancy has just arrived at the free throw line
Henry Bibby was indeed curious about how this capable defensive technical advisor, who had been abandoned by Kentucky due to personality reasons, could make such an evaluation
Trepa Gnier also came to encourage Li Ao with a few words, while B team's center Costa-Charlis came over to warn him to be careful, as he would give him a big block
On Li Ao's side, he was indeed excited, but not because of this; he had just adjusted his emotions and prepared himself for the upcoming ordeal.
With the graduation of Spanik and Alex University, their front line has become very weak, and the only strong offensive player left is Brucenthal. Shelby-Jordan is now also unknown as to where he is fooling around. It is said that this guy went to Las Vegas to gamble when he was almost out of money, and surprisingly won a large sum, continuing to enjoy life with his girlfriend.
The third position of Team B is assigned to Sam Clancy
Such a lack of ambition
Perhaps I have truly stumbled upon a treasure
Step on this annoying guy! Let the coaching staff know that he is the one worth focusing on for development
After some consideration, he nodded in agreement with Sam Hayes' suggestion
The shooting guard currently on the court is Rashad Jones, who stands at 188 centimeters tall. He possesses decent physical attributes and his technical skills are also satisfactory, though none are particularly outstanding. Throughout his freshman season, he served as a substitute and his performance was average
With newfound confidence, his steps became more agile, closely following Sam Clancy
It is not that Henry Bibby intentionally wanted to set up Li Ao; he merely wanted to see what Sam Hayes meant by 'special'
He is indignant and unwilling to accept it
This decision is truly hurtful
After both teams of players took the field, the trainer serving as the referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the second half. Team B, which lost the jump ball at the beginning, was the first to attack.
The 206 cm tall Brucenthal plays as a power forward, possessing a robust physique, excellent skills, and outstanding rebounding ability. His greatest shortcoming is his reluctance to engage in physical confrontations, and his athleticism is average.
Granville, who had been mistreating Li Ao at the School of Computer Science, approached Li Ao and patted him on the backside, saying, "Perform well, and I might pass the ball to you."
Two chief teaching assistants take turns providing him with special training; this treatment is such that even last year's highly anticipated Sam Clancy feels envious