章節 8: Chapter 6: Become the Top Player in the State of Washington First
Yu Fei hadn't lost his reason, he knew he had to play two games today, and besides shooting, physical strength was his most urgent weakness to improve, so the spectacle of running full speed from the backcourt to the frontcourt for a slam dunk was enough to be played just once.
He had successfully attracted everyone's attention, now he just needed to use his talent to play good defense, and let his teammates counterattack at will.
Counterattacks are the mainstream of high school basketball.
Especially in an era that hasn't yet embraced the three-pointer for all, there are not many long rebounds in a game, and the direct impact of rim protectors on the game is huge.
Yu Fei had never known that his blocking instinct was so good.
No wonder, in his previous life he had never been a rim protector in the paint, without many opportunities for help defense and blocks, how could he confirm his talent?
Now, Yu Fei's body made him realize that he might possess defensive qualities similar to those of Anthony Davis.
Help defense and blocking came to him as naturally as instinct.
Jeffrey Dai, with his dignity bruised, was eager to restore it, choosing to forcefully attack Yu Fei nearly every time.
And Yu Fei used the same tactic each time; feign weakness, then jump up to block and stop his advances.
During the whole game, Dai attempted to score on Yu Fei fifteen times, succeeding only three times and drawing three fouls.
However, in his direct matchups with Dai, Yu Fei faced him and blocked him seven times, successfully defending twelve out of fifteen one-on-ones, scoring a beastly triple-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 blocks, leading the Royal Team to a victory by a 27-point margin.
Yu Fei completely destroyed Jeffrey Dai.
He didn't think the other's ability was that strong, at best he was an early bloomer with brute force, okay for high school, but not effective in college, and as for the NBA? Don't even think about it.
At the end of the game, Yu Fei's piece of trash talk shattered Dai's confidence, causing him to lose his rationale.
"Didn't you say that I would see you on TV in a few years?" Yu Fei asked amiably with an outstretched hand, smiling, "Could it be you have plans for a sex-change operation soon? After becoming a woman, you might have a chance to play in the WNBA, and then I could see you on TV."
Jeffrey Dai, heralded as the leading high school post player in the State of Washington, couldn't bear the humiliation, his eyes turning bloodshot with anger, and while crying pearls, he let out a roar and shoved Yu Fei hard.
Yu Fei's teammates, quick to react, stepped forward to intervene.
The scene turned into utter chaos.
Yu Fei, however, sat on the ground laughing, expressing regret at Dai's rage and his attempt to hit him: "You should continue being a man, just the thought of there being a woman as ugly, self-loving, and hot-tempered as you in this world is enough to break me down."
"I'm going to slaughter you!"
Dai roared furiously.
Even Bobby Jonas, the former captain of the Royal Team, couldn't help but lecture his junior: "You should talk less!"
Yu Fei spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
The outcome of this fiasco was that Jeffrey Dai was expelled from the court; he couldn't even stay on as a spectator, while Yu Fei was led by an official to the media to have his photo taken.
This was supposed to be a pre-contest no one cared about.
It only became a focal point because of Jeffrey Dai's participation.
However, Dai's media attractivity ultimately made Yu Fei, who would become a star the media would pay great attention to, even if the Royal Team's AAU journey ended here.
Afterward, the Royal Team had only two hours to rest before facing a team from the Seattle Bay Area.
Since there were no high school stars like Jeffrey Dai on the day's second opponent, Yu Fei didn't feel any pressure with individual matchups.
In that match, Yu Fei once again had a double-double in blocks, but since the Royal Team was playing a fast break game throughout, with not many set plays, his scoring was meager, with just 8 points, but 17 rebounds and 10 blocks.
The Royal Team achieved two consecutive victories and officially qualified for the Nike regional tournament.
That afternoon, some college scouts approached Hank Sylvan, wanting to learn more about Yu Fei.
Sylvan rejected them all.
Want to gain the advantage of being nearby? Not so easy!
This was just like the Japanese underworld scouts harassing the beautiful girls on the streets to descend into their world.
Only those who can be swayed by a few words on the street are considered mediocre, disposable products on the assembly line for the industry. The true big shots are like Arisa Oda, who insure their bodies for a hundred million yen, or Suzu Honjo, who wouldn't debut without ten thousand pre-orders for her first album.
By that logic, Yu Fei was now a hot item.
Selvan hoped that from next season, the scouts would fill the stands at Royal Team's games. Only then could Yu Fei's exposure be truly maximized, and he could also showcase his talent in front of the college basketball world. This was his best opportunity to escape the "hell of Kent."
Apart from Yu Fei, some of his teammates also received additional attention.
For example, Bobby Jonas, the captain of the previous term who had graduated.
As the top scorer in Royal Team's history, it was always a regret that Jonas didn't get an offer from the NCAA First Division League.
This time, in front of a group of college scouts, he demonstrated his excellent ability in rotation offense.
Though lacking in height, vision, and only average in organizational ability, and still not very good at shooting, his scoring ability was evident for all to see. His fast breaks were threatening following Yu Fei's blocked shots.
A few colleges took an interest in him.
And Anthony Lawson, the current captain of the Royal Team, went directly to Yu Fei's hotel room to express his gratitude.
He brought Yu Fei's favorite pork cutlet rice.
"Fei, do you know? There was an assistant coach from UCLA at the game today, he talked a lot with me," Lawson said excitedly, "I really feel like I might be going home with a college offer."
"Mhm..."
Yu Fei wasn't listening to him at all, just focusing on his pork cutlet rice.
Pork cutlet isn't that delicious to talk about, and taste-wise, it's definitely not as good as chicken cutlet.
But for some reason, Yu Fei just loved the slightly woody and slightly gamey meaty aroma of pork cutlet, which made for a very satisfying meal.
"Fei, if you can get into a First Division League school, which one would you like to go to?"
The pork cutlet rice was too dry, which was the biggest problem with American food—it was filling but not balanced. The pork cutlet rice came with no side dish to cut the fat, and he always had to drink a lot of beverages.
While drinking, Yu Fei heard Lawson's question clearly.
After thinking for a moment, he simply replied, "Any is fine."
"Any? I think you'll get offers from dozens of colleges. Even Jeffrey Dai, whom you outplayed today, got offers from over a dozen colleges, let alone you," Lawson said.
Yu Fei didn't take his words to heart.
In fact, compared to playing in the NCAA, he had a bigger plan in mind.
After Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady—the three top high school players in the country—found success in the NBA, going from high school straight to the NBA was no longer problematic. No one doubted the ability of high schoolers to fulfill their potential, and NBA executives were eager to tap into that kind of sustainable raw talent at the draft.
In a way, the participation of high schoolers in the draft indirectly led to the unwritten rule for future stars of the NCAA First Division League to "play for only one year."
The younger and more talented you are, the sooner you earn money, the sooner you play top-level basketball to develop your potential.
This is why people love the young.
Yu Fei entertained this thought because he felt he was now similar to Anthony Davis, who had experienced a sudden growth spurt and evolution in physical fitness without losing his original skill and sense of the ball.
Until today, it was just a passing thought, but after getting the better of Jeffrey Dai, he felt that maybe he really could skip college.
However, before making this decision, he first had to test his mettle against top American high school players like Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, and Tyson Chandler.
Only by going head-to-head with them could Yu Fei gauge his strength at the NBA level, but that was a concern for later. For now, his goal was to become the MVP of the Nike Regional Invitation, just as he told The Seattle Times reporter that afternoon.
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"T-MAC wants to leave Toronto, stating his reason as wanting to get closer to a championship, but we all know that's not the real reason." — The Toronto Star.
"Michael Jordan gestured 'five' to the public, promising that the Wizards would achieve a 50% win rate next season." — The Washington Post.
"With Rick Barry at the helm and Clyde Drexler leading, the official confirmation is in: an NBA Legend Team will be visiting China this August." — Old Wave Sports.
"Today, Frye Yu is still an unfamiliar name in high school basketball, but I believe it won't be long before we're comparing him to Kwame Brown, Kelvin Torbert, and DaJuan Wagner. But, as he said himself, he needs to stay grounded and become Washington State's leading player first." — The Seattle Times.
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