Capítulo 22: Who is This Guy?
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Townell continued his undefeated streak in jump balls against Drew, tipping the ball back to his own backcourt. Moore took two quick steps to grab the basketball and carried it into the frontcourt, where the Bulldogs were already set up in their defensive formation.
Under Coach Liam's arrangement, the Bulldogs were employing a modified 2-3 zone defense. Except for Curry, who was shadowing Kerr closely, the other players were responsible for their specific defensive areas. When the ball handler entered a defender's zone, the Bulldogs would apply pressure.
Moore advanced to the top of the arc, and Graves stepped up to challenge him. However, Moore's hopes of isolating Curry were dashed. Undeterred, he dribbled in various directions, using his agility to slip past Graves with ease.
Coach Liam on the sidelines remained calm. He had anticipated this situation. As Indiana State's leading scorer, Moore possessed explosive athleticism and a strong ability to drive to the basket, making it nearly impossible for Graves to contain him one-on-one. But as Moore broke through the initial defense, Mike Green stepped up from the left side to help—right in his defensive area. Moore was trapped by Green, and Graves caught up from behind, forcing Moore to pass the ball to Arnold, who was being guarded by Green.
Arnold, finding himself momentarily open, hesitated instead of taking the three-point shot. Green quickly recovered to cover him. Arnold scanned the floor and passed the ball back to Moore. Attempting another drive, Moore was thwarted once again by Green and Graves. With the passing lanes to the interior tightly sealed by Drew and Campbell, Moore was left with no choice but to take a hurried three-point shot, resulting in Indiana State's first offensive failure.
McKenna sighed and shook his head on the sidelines, while Coach Liam crossed his arms and smiled. Everything was going according to plan. Indiana State's roster, mostly composed of athletic players, lacked consistent shooters outside of Cole. This allowed Coach Liam to confidently deploy a zone defense, which was proving highly effective.
Now it was the Bulldogs' turn to attack. Curry, who had been relatively quiet on defense, took control of the ball. Moore stood in front of him, barely raising a hand in defense. This wasn't surprising—Curry was just a freshman who had never played in an NCAA game before. McKenna, unfamiliar with his skills, had underestimated him and merely told Moore to keep an eye on him.
Curry signaled for Drew to come up and set a screen. Townell, however, stayed inside, refusing to come out. Drew's screen was solid, momentarily trapping Moore. Curry found himself with a brief open look, shifted the ball to his right, and launched a three-pointer.
Bang!
The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced into Townell's hands. He quickly passed it to Moore, who exploded into action. Shaking off Drew and a trailing Curry, Moore sprinted toward the basket, taking off just inside the free-throw line and slamming the ball into the hoop with a powerful tomahawk dunk!
After landing, Moore pounded his chest and roared, inciting boos from the home fans.
2-0.
Curry shook his head, visibly disappointed. Coach Liam clapped his hands and called out loudly, "Stephen, keep playing like that!"
On the next possession, Curry once again took the ball. He called for another pick-and-roll with Drew. Like before, Townell stayed in the paint, refusing to leave. Moore got caught behind Drew for a second time. Without hesitation, Curry launched another three-pointer.
Swish!
This time, the ball went through the hoop cleanly, leaving Townell, who was ready to rebound, shrugging.
"Kid, you got lucky," Townell thought as he retrieved the ball from the baseline.
The scoreboard now read 2-3, with the Bulldogs taking the lead.
Indiana State resumed their attack. Moore spent a considerable amount of time dribbling outside, but the Bulldogs' double-team zone defense held firm. Kerr was tightly covered by Curry, leaving him no room to shoot. Eventually, Arnold was forced to take a rushed three-pointer, which missed. The long rebound bounced right into Curry's hands.
Curry swiftly advanced to the frontcourt. Moore was the only defender between him and the basket. Retreating to the three-point line, Moore gave Curry space. Curry stopped a step behind the arc and launched a long three-point shot!
Moore turned around, preparing to grab the rebound, only to see the ball drop perfectly through the hoop.
2-6.
A loud cheer erupted in the stadium as fans waved their arms in excitement. Curry patted his chest, pointed to the sky with one hand, and grinned widely.
Indiana State, again struggling against the Bulldogs' tight zone defense, passed the ball around the perimeter. This time, Moore found his rhythm and knocked down a three-pointer.
Coach Liam glanced at McKenna with a curious expression and asked Stevens, his assistant coach, "Isn't he going to change his tactics?"
"Not everyone can adjust as quickly as you do," Stevens replied with a chuckle. He vividly remembered last season when Gonzalez, then an assistant coach, often suggested key tactical adjustments even before the head coach, Lickliter, could assess the opponent's strategy, helping the team turn games around on several occasions.
Despite his slow adjustment, McKenna realized he couldn't let Curry continue taking uncontested three-pointers. He yelled loudly from the sidelines, "Guard him closely! Don't let him have any easy looks!"
Townell and Wozniacki exchanged puzzled glances. Easy looks? The kid just shot from way beyond the three-point line!
Still, they dared not defy their coach's orders and silently took the blame.
On the next possession, Curry once again initiated a pick-and-roll with Drew. This time, Townell came out to the three-point line, leaving no room for Curry to shoot. Curry smiled, refraining from forcing a three-pointer. Instead, he dribbled to the right-wing, waited for Drew to cut inside, and delivered a precise pass.
Moore tried to disrupt Drew's shot from behind, but Drew held the ball high and executed a smooth hook shot.
2-11.
For the entirety of this play, Townell was stuck on the perimeter, watching helplessly as the Bulldogs scored inside.
McKenna's face turned green. How did their defense fall apart like this? A mere freshman had disrupted all their pre-game plans.
"What happened to team basketball?" McKenna muttered under his breath. "Why let a freshman take all the shots? Is that how you coach?"
His eyes narrowed with resentment as he looked at Coach Liam, his earlier sense of superiority completely gone.
Just as Stevens had said, McKenna was slow to react to changing tactics, leaving Indiana State struggling on both ends. The Bulldogs, while still relying heavily on Curry's shooting, adjusted to team basketball when needed. Curry wasn't yet at his peak, and his ball-handling and speed weren't as refined as they would be in the future. When Indiana State started focusing their defense on him, Curry wisely reduced his shooting attempts, allowing the team to share the ball more effectively.
Still, this made Indiana State's defense easier to manage, and the Bulldogs' offense cooled down. The lead Curry had built early on kept them ahead. But their success rate dropped significantly without him dominating the ball.
Bang!
Coach Liam frowned as he watched Mike Green miss another shot. But he had no choice. He couldn't let Curry hold the ball for the entire game, could he? Even if he arranged it that way, Curry's stamina wouldn't sustain a full game of intense ball handling.
After all, Curry was just a freshman entering the NCAA, inexperienced in handling high-pressure games. His skills, mentality, and athleticism were still developing. The dazzling performance at the start was largely due to Indiana State underestimating him.
With the game clock approaching the 15-minute mark and the Bulldogs leading 32-24, McKenna finally realized the danger. If things continued this way, they would lose!
He quickly called a timeout and picked up the tactical board, speaking rapidly:
"Townell, position yourself at the free-throw line. Moore, when you get double-teamed, look for Townell. If they keep zoning, the free-throw line will be open. Take the shot confidently, Townell! And if they come to help defend, kick it out to Cole or Adam on the perimeter. Got it?"
The players nodded in agreement as McKenna continued, "That number 30 guy has already scored 13 points. Tighten up on him! Don't let him get any more easy shots, especially from beyond the arc!"
"Moore, use your strength to throw him off his rhythm. On the pick-and-roll, switch and ensure someone is always contesting his shot!"
With McKenna's fiery instructions, the timeout ended. The two teams returned to the court, ready for the game to resume.
End of this chapter
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