章 55: Butler's Progress
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Butler University, Indiana, USA.
The sun had just risen in the early morning, casting a light red glow on the horizon. It was not yet time for school to start, and the campus was mostly quiet, with only a few people around.
Butler walked along the peaceful path with his bag slung over his shoulder, munching on a piece of bread. He glanced at his watch. It was August 27th, just a few days before the start of the school year, and soon he would officially become a college student.
However, he wasn't particularly excited about his new identity.
For the past two months, he had explored almost every corner of Butler University, getting used to college life ahead of time.
Of course, the main focus of his life remained basketball practice.
After the first two weeks of wandering around campus out of curiosity, Butler had spent every day at Hinkle Fieldhouse, training hard. He arrived earlier than the security guard and stayed later than him.
Eventually, the security guard just gave him a key, so he wouldn't have to wait outside for long. He was the second person to earn that privilege, after Curry.
Still chewing his bread, Butler arrived at the gym, swiftly changed into his training gear, and began his daily routine.
Swish!His first attempted three-pointer swished through the net, and a satisfied smile crept across his face.
It looked like today was going to be a good day.
The training plan the coaching staff had prepared for him was complex, covering many areas, but it focused particularly on spot shooting and defense.
Over the past two months, Butler had followed the plan rigorously, and his skills had improved significantly.
The morning passed quickly as Butler concentrated on his training.
Around noon, after completing the last drill of the day, he collapsed onto the court, exhausted and gasping for breath.
In fact, his training plan didn't require him to do so much, but he secretly added more drills to challenge himself. For example, 50 stationary three-pointers became 100, and 20 sets of lateral slides became 30 sets...
"Phew…"
Butler lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, but his mind wandered elsewhere.
What should I eat for lunch today... Oh, and I need to ask Coach Liam for some money. My living expenses are running low. I can only get by for another two days…
He did the math in his head, feeling a faint sense of satisfaction.
These past two months had been the happiest of his life.
He didn't have to worry about where his next meal was coming from, and he no longer endured the judgmental stares or harsh comments from his peers. Nor did he have to constantly monitor his appearance like he did when staying at Leslie's house.
Here, all he needed to do was practice.
He could dedicate himself entirely to basketball without worrying about anything else, without being discriminated against.
This was the life he had always dreamed of.
And he knew it was all thanks to Liam Gonzalez.
Coach Liam had given him the opportunity to attend college, allowed him to practice basketball at the university ahead of time, provided him with a free apartment, and gave him a living stipend regularly. Whenever they spoke on the phone, Liam always reminded him not to save too much and to make sure he ate well.
Butler wasn't very expressive, and he didn't say "thank you" very often, but he remembered every single thing Liam had done for him.
He didn't know how to repay the coach, so he poured all his effort into training. He practiced tirelessly, wanting to give his all for the Bulldogs.
Coach Liam hadn't made any specific demands, but Butler pushed himself as hard as he could.
After resting for about ten minutes, Butler slowly got up and meticulously stretched out his muscles.
It was this attention to detail that allowed him to push his body to the limit every day without suffering muscle soreness the next morning.
After his stretching routine, he showered, packed his things, locked the door to Hinkle Fieldhouse, and went to the cafeteria to buy lunch before heading back to his apartment.
Normally, after lunch, Butler would return to the gym to rest and then continue training in the afternoon.
But today was Sunday, his only rest day of the week.
Click.
As Butler turned the key, the lock clicked smoothly, and the door opened. He paused, confused, because he distinctly remembered locking it when he left that morning…
"Hey, you're back! Come and eat. I brought some delicious food from Colombia."
Butler opened the door to see Liam standing inside, smiling warmly at him.
"Coach! You're back!" Butler exclaimed in surprise.
"Jimmy, were you practicing basketball?" Liam asked, looking him up and down.
"Yes, I just came back from buying lunch." Butler lifted the plastic bag in his hand as he spoke.
"Here, try this. My mom made it. It's definitely better than cafeteria food."
Liam led Butler to the table, where the dishes had been reheated in the microwave.
Butler speared a piece of fried pork and popped it into his mouth, his eyes lighting up in surprise.
"Is this pork? It's not greasy at all!"
"If you like it, have some more. It's a specialty from my hometown… Were you going to practice this afternoon?" Liam asked, smiling.
"Um... no more practice for today," Butler said, his mouth full of fried meat.
He had been eating boiled chicken breast every day, and frankly, he was getting tired of it.
But it was worth it—he was noticeably stronger than he had been two months ago, and he had even grown a little taller.
"That's perfect. I was planning to go into the city to pick up a few things this afternoon. Want to come with me?"
"Really? That sounds great!"
That afternoon, Liam took Butler into the city, and they had fun shopping together for half the day.
In the following week, Liam personally coached Butler during his training sessions, noticing the significant improvement in his shooting and ball-handling skills. Liam was very pleased.
A week later, the new school year finally started, and the Bulldogs reunited, resuming training in preparation for the upcoming season.
The player who had shown the most progress was Butler.
He had grown 4 centimeters over the summer, now standing at 1.97 meters, or about 2 meters with shoes on. His strength and athleticism had also greatly improved, as had his shooting, especially his spot-up shooting, which had reached the elite level of the NCAA.
The most surprising development, though, was his defense.
Although Butler still struggled to defend Curry in practice, his improved physicality allowed him to showcase strong one-on-one defensive skills and excellent help-side defensive instincts.
It seemed as if Butler had an innate sense for defense.
Liam was excited to see how Butler's defense would develop after he gained more experience in real games.
As for Curry, he had also made noticeable progress in his strength and dribbling.
Before college, Curry had mostly played as a shooting guard and hadn't focused much on ball handling.
Last season, his drives to the basket were effective but lacked sharpness.
However, after a summer of focused practice, Curry had significantly improved his dribbling and passing.
Of course, his shooting had only gotten better—more accurate and from greater range.
After testing, it was clear that Curry's three-point shooting not only met NBA range but also maintained high accuracy.
In the past, he had needed to shoot long-range three-pointers without much defensive pressure, or else he would be easily disrupted.
Now, long-range three-pointers had become one of his reliable weapons.
End of this chapter
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Chugamc
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