บท 57: Big Victory
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At 7 p.m., a huge crowd gathered outside Hinkle Fieldhouse, forming a long line at the entrance.
In half an hour, the Bulldogs would face Tulane University in their first game of the 2007-2008 Horizon League season.
Although Tulane University was a bottom-ranked team, fans still showed up with great enthusiasm to cheer for the Bulldogs in their season opener.
Louis stood in the middle of the crowd, but his mind wasn't focused on the upcoming game. Instead, his attention was fixated on the girl in front of him, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Thank you, Louis, for helping me get such a great ticket."
While he was lost in thought, the girl in front of him turned around and smiled, thanking him in a gentle voice. It was Christie, the law school student he had met during March Madness.
"Oh, it's nothing, really," Louis snapped out of his daydream and replied quickly.
Since meeting Christie, Louis had kept in touch with her.
But after March Madness, finals came, and despite his attempts, Louis couldn't manage to ask Christie out. Then, summer vacation hit, making it impossible to see her.
It wasn't until September, when school started again, that Louis regained his interest. This time, he finally succeeded—he asked Curry for two front-row tickets and invited Christie to watch the game.
As the two chatted and laughed, the line moved forward until they entered the arena and found their seats.
The Bulldogs had made it to the Elite 16 last season, raising fan expectations even higher. Hinkle Fieldhouse was packed, with fans cheering for the Bulldogs.
Louis, on the other hand, was still focused on Christie, sharing funny stories about the Bulldogs he had heard from Curry.
Finally, it was time for the players to take the court.
First, the visiting team, Tulane University, entered the arena. The on-site DJ announced them unenthusiastically, and the fans booed intermittently.
The Tulane players didn't seem fazed at all. This treatment was expected for visiting teams, and they were used to it.
Next, it was time for the Bulldogs' entrance.
The stadium's dome lights suddenly went out, and the entire scene plunged into darkness, with only a spotlight shining on the players as they entered the court.
The DJ's voice grew more excited:
"Now! Welcome our small forward, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall, Mike Green from the Franklin Learning Center in Philadelphia—"
The crowd cheered, indicating Mike Green's popularity.
"Welcome our shooting guard…"
As the DJ continued his enthusiastic introductions, each Bulldogs player entered the court, greeted by varying levels of applause from the fans.
But when Butler came onto the court, there was a brief silence. The fans didn't recognize him, so they offered polite applause.
Finally, it was time for Curry's entrance.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome our point guard, the 2006-2007 NCAA scoring champion, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, Stephen Curry from Charlotte Christian High School!" The DJ's voice soared, almost breaking.
"Oh~Curry, I love you!"
"Baby Face Killer! Baby Face Killer!"
The fans erupted into cheers louder than at any previous moment, filling Hinkle Fieldhouse with excitement.
After Curry entered, the dome lights came back on, and the game was ready to begin.
Louis and Christie stood up, waving to Curry. He noticed them and waved back at Louis with a smile.
Christie, excited, grabbed Louis' hand and shook it, saying,
"Look, Louis, Curry is looking at us!"
"Of course, he's my roommate, and we're close. He always waves at me before every game," Louis said proudly, enjoying the moment.
Of course, he wouldn't tell Christie that he had specifically asked Curry to do this the night before.
"I'm sorry. I always thought you were just making that up…" Christie said, smiling sheepishly.
"It's okay, I don't mind." The beauty's smile nearly sent Louis' heart soaring. He waved his hands dismissively, feeling secretly overjoyed.
With their misunderstanding cleared, the game finally began.
Tulane University was an average team at best and was completely dominated by the Bulldogs at every position. Drew easily won the tip-off, besting Tulane's center.
Curry caught the ball and dribbled to the frontcourt.
Facing the opposing point guard, he used a change in rhythm to easily break free from the defense and launched a shot from just beyond the three-point line.
Swish!
Under the watchful eyes of the fans, the ball sailed through the air in a perfect arc and swished through the net!
After the ball went in, Curry chewed his mouthguard, tapped his chest, and pointed to the sky in celebration, marking a great start to the season.
He had kicked off the Bulldogs' season in the most familiar way possible.
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. After more than half a year, they finally had a game to watch!
On the next play, Tulane struggled to find a good scoring opportunity and ended up forcing a bad shot that missed.
The fans cheered even louder.
The entire game followed this pattern—Bulldogs dominating while Tulane repeatedly failed to score.
In the end, the Bulldogs defeated Tulane University with a massive 74-34 score, kicking off the season with a strong win.
This blowout happened despite Liam substituting players early on. Otherwise, the score might have been even more lopsided…
Curry, who only played the first half, effortlessly scored 21 points, dished out 6 assists, grabbed 7 rebounds, and recorded 3 steals. If you didn't see the name, you wouldn't guess these were point guard stats.
At such a young age, Curry was already showing the brilliance of a future NBA star.
Fear him, O'Neal!
Butler also had a good game. Though he started on the bench, he subbed in early for Campbell just 4 minutes into the first half, playing nearly like a starter.
To help him adjust quickly to NCAA games, Liam gave him plenty of playing time—Butler played a full 30 minutes, scoring 13 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, recording 3 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks—a solid performance.
What was most impressive was Butler's composure. Despite this being his first NCAA game, he played calmly and steadily, never rushing or forcing plays.
Of course, this might have been helped by the fact that Tulane University wasn't a strong opponent.
In any case, it was the perfect season opener for the Bulldogs.
After the game, Christie finally accepted Louis' invitation, and they went on their first date.
Later that night, Louis returned to the dorm and, upon seeing Curry, hugged him without saying a word:
"Thank you, brother!"
Curry looked puzzled:
"What's gotten into you?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm going to watch every one of your games from now on!" Louis said enthusiastically, patting his chest in promise.
"You're weird…" Curry muttered, shaking Louis off and sitting back down at his desk.
On his computer screen, updates from his friends on Facebook were visible.
Looking at a photo of a girl, Curry smiled:
"Ayesha, I'll find you again—with a championship…"
End of this chapter
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