Chapter 21: Fuck it!
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"To be honest, I doubt his ability. He's only a few years older than us, and he's Colombian. Colombia is like a desert for basketball. Apart from a few exceptions, I don't believe anyone there truly understands the game," said another Black student with dreadlocks.
"Man, I don't think so. Since the school chose him to be the head coach, there must be a reason. It's said that he took over the head coaching position because Coach Lickliter strongly recommended him. Coach Lickliter led the team into March Madness four years ago," a thin white boy expressed a different opinion.
"Hmph, if the team loses to those guys from Indiana University today, I'm going to beat up that Colombian guy!" the Black boy waved his fist and shouted loudly.
"Okay, it's our turn; let's go in first..." the white boy reminded.
Such voices were not uncommon, but they were drowned out by the fans' frenzied cheers. In the NCAA, no one publicly questions the head coach before the game, but if the Bulldogs lose, it will be a different situation.
Liam was naturally unaware of the fans' doubts about him. At this moment, he was giving a speech in the locker room, making a final call to the team:
"...Guys, the preseason games don't count. This is our first game of the entire season. Play according to the arranged tactics and bring out your best. We will definitely win! Those Indiana guys are just paper tigers! Let me repeat it again: Stephen will control the ball, and everyone else will do their job. Drew and Pete will set screens; Mike and AJ, always look for offensive opportunities through off-ball movements. Julian, be ready; you will be our surprise weapon. Okay, come on, one, two, three, Bulldogs, charge!" Liam shouted loudly, speaking at an incredibly fast pace.
After he finished speaking, he felt his neck tightening a little, so he loosened his tie, and sweat was faintly visible on his forehead.
The players sat on the benches, looking at each other. Mike Green whispered to Julian Beko beside him:
"Is the coach a little nervous?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was very obvious in the quiet locker room and was heard by Liam.
"Okay, it seems you all have noticed that I am indeed a little nervous," Liam let out a long sigh.
He paused and continued:
"Since I took over as head coach, I have received a lot of criticism. I believe you have all heard more or less that 'Liam is too young,' 'Liam doesn't know anything,' 'Liam is Colombian'... I just want to say, screw them!"
Liam suddenly waved his hand fiercely, and the expression on his face became very intense:
"Those guys don't know how much I've worked to become a head coach! I've read countless tactical books and watched hundreds or even thousands of game videos! The notes I've taken alone could pile up into a mountain! But these people just look at my skin color and age and then say condescendingly that I don't understand basketball! I've had enough; I want to prove to them that I deserve this position!"
It was the first time everyone had seen Liam lose his composure like this. They were all stunned, looking at their head coach in surprise.
"It's not just me. Stephen, do you remember what happened before this summer? How many schools rejected you?" Liam suddenly looked at Curry.
Curry said word by word:
"Duke, UNC, VT… they all thought I couldn't play in the NCAA!"
"What about you guys? Do you remember how those guys from Indiana State mocked you after they won last year?" Liam looked at the other players.
"I'll never forget the contemptuous look that bastard Tonell gave me!" Drew said, gritting his teeth.
Tonell is Indiana State's starting center and Drew's opponent.
"They almost pointed at my nose and called me a loser!" Even the usually calm AJ Graves became indignant.
"Did you see that? We are all losers!" Liam clenched his right fist and swung it vigorously. "There are countless people who want to laugh at us. They are just waiting for us to fail so they can come over and step on us hard! Only by winning can we avoid all this. Only by winning can we hold our heads high and not disappoint the fans who support us!"
He suddenly stopped, glanced at everyone's eyes, and asked, word by word:
"Are you willing to be losers forever?"
"No!" Everyone roared in unison, the sound even spreading out of the locker room and echoing faintly in the players' tunnel.
"Since we are unwilling to fail, then let's win. Starting from this game, keep winning. As long as we win, we can get everything! Glory, spotlight, flowers, applause... Let's win the game and win everything!" Liam took off his suit jacket, threw it heavily to the ground, and shouted loudly.
His face was fierce, and his eyes were red, like an angry bull.
The emotions that he had been suppressing finally burst out.
He didn't know which god sent him back to 2006, but he never wanted to see those reports questioning him in the newspapers again.
He no longer wanted to be talked about behind his back while walking on the street.
He no longer wanted to see people looking at him strangely after learning that he was the head coach of the Bulldogs.
He wants to win; he wants to prove that he is an excellent head coach!
Liam's words reminded the players of being looked down upon, and anger rose in their hearts. After hearing this, they responded loudly:
"We want to win!"
Although the voices were not uniform, the momentum was amazing.
Liam walked to the door of the locker room, kicked it open with a bang, and waved his hand:
"Go, kill them!"
The players responded loudly and walked out the door aggressively.
Liam stood at the door and hugged every player when they passed by.
The last one to leave was Curry. Liam hugged him and whispered in his ear:
"Stephen, go ahead, this is the beginning of our legendary journey!"
Curry nodded heavily and said in a firm voice:
"Coach, we will definitely win!"
After he left, only the coaching staff remained in the locker room. Liam let out a long sigh, walked to his seat, picked up the suit jacket on the ground, and carefully brushed off the dust.
After pretending to be cool, you still have to wear a suit.
Fortunately, the players did not see their head coach blowing air and shaking his clothes; otherwise, the momentum that had just been built up would have been immediately lost by half.
Stevens walked up to Liam and looked him up and down several times, as if he had just met him.
Liam put on the cleaned suit and looked at Stevens strangely:
"What's wrong, Brad? Is there anything I didn't clean?"
"No, I'm just a little surprised," Stevens shook his head and said, "I've never seen you so excited. I thought you never took these things to heart."
"Ha, how is that possible? I was just enduring it before," Liam shook his head and laughed, "Because I know that no matter what I say, I can't dispel other people's doubts about me. Only victory can be the most powerful response."
"What if we lose today?" Stevens asked.
"Then I'll just treat it as a last-ditch effort before I die," Liam straightened his clothes and strode out the door. "Besides, I have a season to prove myself. Even if I lose this game, the worst that can happen is that I'll be scolded for a few more days. I don't believe that my team can lose a whole season!"
Stevens looked at Liam leaving and suddenly felt that his back looked so wanton and unruly.
He suddenly smiled and followed.
Stevens was now certain that Coach Lickliter's decision was correct and that Liam is an extremely outstanding head coach.
He was able to fully mobilize the emotions of the players with just a few words, which made Stevens admire him very much.
At this time, the Hinkle Fieldhouse was filled with noise. Fans waved their hands rhythmically and cheered for the team under the guidance of the live DJ.
The Bulldogs players came out of the tunnel one by one, causing cheers.
Liam then walked out, and the cheers in the stadium suddenly became much quieter.
He didn't care. He smiled and waved to both sides, then walked to the technical desk.
Indiana University head coach Kevin McKenna also came over and shook hands with Liam.
McKenna looked at Liam curiously and said with emotion,
"I was very surprised to hear that Coach Lickliter was injured. Is he feeling better now?"
"He has been discharged from the hospital," Liam said.
"Don't feel pressured; just take it as an opportunity to gain experience. I hope both sides can present a wonderful game to the fans," McKenna said in a connoisseur's tone, as if he were instructing Liam as a senior.
"I'm just worried that you'll lose too quickly. You'd better give it your all," Liam was not to be outdone.
McKenna chuckled and returned to his coaching seat.
He picked up the tactical board and said to his players:
"Did you see that? The head coach on the other side is the same age as you guys. He's a young kid. I even doubt if he can tell the difference between zone defense and man-to-man defense."
The Indiana players burst into laughter and looked over to the Bulldogs' coaching booth.
There is only one Colombian head coach in the NCAA, and he is so young. They looked at Liam as if he were a monkey in a zoo.
"Butler changed their starting point guard. I don't know what that Colombian guy was thinking. He replaced the experienced Ben Slayton with a freshly graduated high school student as the starting point guard. And that Stephen Curry used to play as a shooting guard!" McKenna shook his head and looked at Moore, the team's top scorer. "Gabriel, Curry is very weak. He is in your hands. Look for more opportunities to single him out. Do you understand?"
As a bitter rival, McKenna also has a deep understanding of the Bulldogs.
"Understood, coach!" Moore responded decisively and confidently.
He couldn't wait to tear that baby face to pieces!
Finally, both sides were ready and stood on the court. Drew and Tonell stood at the center line, staring at each other fiercely.
The Bulldogs' starting lineup is point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard A.J. Graves, small forward Mike Green, power forward Pete Campbell, and center Drew Streicher.
Indiana State's starting lineup was point guard Gabriel Moore, shooting guard Cole Holmstrom, small forward Adam Arnold, power forward Trent Watts, and center Jay Tonell.
"Beep——"
The referee blew the whistle, and the game officially began!
End of this chapter
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