Chapter 16: 2. GAP(6)
February 11, 2012. Ogden, Utah. E 21st Street. Liberty Park
Time went by as I couldn't find the reason for this strange feeling.
After waking up and taking care of business, I headed toward the Liberty Park area that Freddy told me to come to. Since it was only a few blocks away, it took about a 10-minute drive to arrive at our destination.
There were street vendors scattered throughout the park. It seemed like college students were selling and the people buying were normal people.
"Hmm- You wanna eat this?"
After disappearing for a bit, David returned with corn dogs in his hands with one in his mouth.
"No, I'm fine. I just ate breakfast not too long ago."
"Eh, oh well."
As he shrugged his shoulders, it seemed like David was lost in the atmosphere of the flea market.
All I could focus on was the basketball game that was going to start in 30 minutes. On top of that, I couldn't wait to be able to meet Damian Lillard.
"David. It looks like it's over there."
After scouting the park a little more, I noticed a basketball court deep inside the park.
Both the outdoor basketball court in L.A and the court here didn't use urethane. Instead, it was an elevated asphalt court.
"(Hey! Our guest has arrived!)"
Freddy came to me with both arms extended and gave me a hug. The guys behind him did not show any sign of approval. In fact, I think I heard a few of them scoff at me.
"(These are my players.)"
"(Your players?)"
"(Oh my! Have I not told you?)"
As Freddy placed his hand on my shoulder, he started to act extremely friendly and started talking to me.
"(Team Great. We tour the country and make money while doing it.)"
Team Great.
Freddy said he made money through these players. But how?
"(Just as WSU has special players, so do we! That guy over there is the newest addition to our team. Hey, Keenan!)"
Freddy called over a guy that had a fierce look to himself.
A tatted guy started to walk toward us and stared at me as he touched his beard. He looked as if he was going to throw punches any second.
What was going on?
"(It was quite expensive for me to get Keenan. I gave him my Porshe.)"
"Minhyuk. Hold on."
"(Excuse me for a minute.)"
As David noticed the strange atmosphere, he pulled me aside. At the same time on the opposite end, I noticed faces that I am very familiar with.
It was Stanley and the WSU players.
"(What the hell is going on...)"
As Stanley saw me, his face immediate turned red with anger and walked toward us.
I really had no idea what was going on.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"(Why the hell is he over here?)"
"…"
Stanley wasn't mad at me. As his face turned red, he went up to Freddy's face and yelled at him.
As people started to gather around to see what was going on, Stanley threw the F-word at Freddy multiple times.
Leon came to me as this all unfolded.
"(Oh man. Who would've known you were the guy Freddy was talking about.)"
"(Huh?)"
"(David! Come translate for us!)"
Franklin D. Jones
With the alias Fra.D, Freddy popped into Utah 5 years ago out of nowhere. He was able to befriend almost everyone, but he smiled and talked so much, he didn't even realize the impact he had on people.
His voice could be quite overwhelming.
"(Around 3 years ago? Freddy scouted one of our own players.)"
"(He scouted one?)"
As David was surprised at the statement he was translating, he asked Leon a question and started translating again.
3 years from now, WSU had a very good forward player. His name was Benjamin James, in line to be nominated for the NBA draft. There was a high possibility for him to get 2nd picked.
That's when Freddy approached Benjamin.
Benjamin wasn't in a great situation. The only reason he was able to attend college was thanks to Stanley. He gave Benjamin's family a place to stay. That place is the house you are staying in now.
"…"
From 2009, the lower-level NBA salaries were around 5 million dollars. But after taxes, from 1/3 to nearly half of that was taken off.
After fees for your agent, college tuition debt, the players were not left with much.
"(It seems like he got quite a bit of money. He could've made a lot in a year.)"
NBA second-round players' contracts are usually non-guaranteed.
With that being said, players will apply the split system. If you are part of a 15-man roster, you may receive a proper salary, but if your team falls to the G-league, you may only receive 5-8 million a year.
Similarly, taxes and other fees were applied to this amount.
Benjamin, who's been fighting poverty all his life, couldn't resist Freddy's offer and took it and has played for Team Great for 2 years.
"(Just 2 years?)"
"(Benjamin past away last year.)"
"…"
In a Brooklyn alleyway, Benjamin James' body was found with knife wounds on him.
"(Stanley was very upset at the whole situation.)"
I learned that once Stanley found out, he threw punches at Freddy. Right at Café Vilebella, the very place I was studying at.
"(That's why this tournament was created in the first place.)"
After the incident with Benjamin, Freddy continued to scout WSU players.
On top of that, he would find undrafted NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 players, offering them a lot of money. But what do these guys do?
"(They do a lot of stuff, but they're definitely not legal.)"
To say what Leon was saying in different terms, they played underground basketball and made their money in those ways. However, that alone was not enough revenue, so they used another method that was easy for athletes.
As we were talking, I began to notice Freddy was starting to get a little ugly.
"I guess it's a game."
"…"
Even if David didn't interpret it, I could understand what was going on.
Even just in Korea alone, sports gambling made a lot of money. So, would it be safe to say that since America is a much larger country, the scale is larger? I could understand why Stanley didn't like Freddy. No one would want to see students that he taught to be used in such a terrible way.
But why did he get mad after seeing me?
As I asked this question, Leon once again answered my curiosity.
"(There's another guy Freddy is interested in.)"
"(Damian?)"
"(Haha. Of course not. He's going to be going to the NBA. There's a guy named Atimus McRae. He's graduating this year, and he does seem very desirable.)"
We were told that Atimus McRae is going to be playing for Freddy's team today. If Freddy's team wins today, not only will Atimus be playing for Team Great after graduating, but Freddy will be allowed to continue scouting from WSU.
On the other hand, if Stanley's team wins, Freddy was to no longer steal players from WSU.
"(But Freddy made one condition.)"
Out of the 5 players, Freddy got to choose one.
Whether it's a WSU student or not, no matter who it is, he has to accept them. From Freddy's standpoint, there was no need to even have this competition, because you're allowed to scout freely.
It's up to the player to choose where they want to go and Stanley wasn't allowed to stop that. No one really thought this game was going to happen in the first place.
With a player from WSU, he's intentionally ruining the competition.
"Hold on."
Does that mean what I think it does?
"(It seems like you're that player Freddy has chosen.)"
"…"
I stopped doing everything and took a second to think about the situation.
He chose a player from the opposite team to play in a game that he has to win?
As Leon said, it would've been expected for him to choose a player that wasn't really good. There's no way I am that player.
"Son of a bitch."
Did I just get disrespected?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thankfully, Stanley wasn't mad at me for being here. It was because Freddy took advantage of someone who just arrived in Ogden.
"(Whew. Anyway, let's talk more about it later at home.)"
There was a possibility that he's upset at me.
"(Good. As you guys may know, Minhyuk is our last member.)"
"(I hope we can play well today.)"
Leon was very welcoming to me, but everyone else looked at me differently.
Although I've been recruited by WSU, the players seemed to be a little nervous to play with someone who's never practiced together. I was also very nervous.
I thought it would be a simple street basketball game, but I didn't know there was such huge bet on the line.
"(Minhyuk will be in the wing. Take it easy on the layups.)"
Leon has spent the most time with Damian, who was WSU's main point guard.
The second score leader is the combo guard, Davion Berry and the 6'10", 225 pound Kyle Tresnak. They will be playing in this game as well.
2 guards, 2 forwards, and one center.
Just as Stanley said, layups won't be played much in this game.
"(They may be a street basketball team, but don't let your guard down. In reality, they are a semi-pro level team.)"
They may not be NBA level, but Team Great plays at an equivalent level as WSU. The age range was from 23 to 30, and the veteran players probably will pull off dynamic plays.
As I watched Lillard do his routine with a serious expression on his face, I began to realize this game was going to be taken seriously.
It was a little disappointing that I've never gotten to talk to him.
"(Minhyuk, this game is going to be divided into 2 halves, 15 minutes each.)"
2 halves, 15 minutes each.
In order to play this game out according to NCAA rules, there was an NCAA referee. As I started to carefully stretch my body, I listened to what Stanley was saying.
David was next to me helping me as much as he could, basically talking about where I was to position myself. I tried my best to focus on what he was saying because we didn't have much time, but I couldn't stop turning my attention to Freddy.
As he showed me a big smile, I awkwardly waved my hand at him.
'Oh man.'
Something my mother would always say while watching TV.
The world is a big place and there are a lot of sons of bitches.
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