1. AUDITION(6)

HALF-TIME

Team Blue 36 : 24 Team White

Maybe it's because it's my first 5:5 in a while.

It may be because I was drenched in sweat, but I felt very refreshed. Although I was slightly out of breath, it was easy to adjust to the team because they were all good players.

"(That was very impressive.)"

"Th-thank you."

Praise breeds willingness.

I felt as if the world belonged to me because of Dwayne's compliment.

"(Your understanding of the game seems to be really good.)"

"Huh?"

"Very smart. Okay?"

It was in middle school when I first wanted to join the NBA.

The first time I played against players overseas was at the Universiade that was being held in Japan. Intimidating teams from Japan, China, Philippines, even Germany and Spain were participating.

I was surprised at how strong Japan was and because of how weak China seemed to be.

However, I was mostly in awe at how strong the players from Germany and Spain were.

Their physical ability was no doubt great, but their understanding of the game itself was in a different dimension. Because I wanted to spend more time with these teams, I was able to be coached by them through my dad, who was working in the Military base at that time.

There were people on base who were coached in middle school and high school.

"(Can you play for the second half too?)"

"Uhm, y-yes!"

After a while, I understood what Dwayne was trying to say to me.

As he softly tapped my shoulders indicating his approval of me, he began to walk to the other side of the court. At the same time, David came to me.

"So, what's your impression on them?

"It's insane! These guys are monsters on the court."

"No offense, but that's because they're on a different level than you."

It was insulting, but he wasn't wrong. Therefore, I had no choice but to accept the criticism.

"You see that guy over there?"

"Yeah?"

I am told there is going to be a player swap from Team White.

"Dennis Howard. He's a player that received a lot of attention from the entire nation."

"The guy you said was the 8th best player?"

"Yup."

I'm not sure when he came into the gym, but I noticed the guy was laying on the floor doing stretches.

He had a bizarre hairstyle as if there was a building on his head.

"This is going to be a great experience for you. So, keep playing like the first half, okay?"

Although I honestly wanted to play better than the start, I am allowed to be here only because I slowly gained favor and stuck to the status quo.

I was very curious how the players gain fame and attention in such a huge country.

In the mid-2000's, the guard position was the center of the attention. It was agreed upon that in order to have a good team and have good results, you would need to draft good guards.

The center role's importance seemed to be diminishing from importance.

'One of the best in the US, huh?'

And just like that, I couldn't take my eyes off of Dennis.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

While playing in the first half, something I learned was the fact that Mater Dei was good at switching defense.

That was often used in games.

"Switch! Switch!"

On the other hand, Koreans didn't really use this tactic often.

The main reason is that it was a universal tactic when a close defensive stance is taken. David said that there's a 50-50 chance of this scenario, but I felt that from an amateur game, it is more likely to be a man-to-man defense play.

If you get used to zone defense, it'll get easier to adapt to different play styles.

So, when I did personal training, I would watch closely the defensive plays of European teams or the NBA.

"Come back, Kim! Come back!"

One specialty of American basketball is highlighting the importance of screening.

Pick and roll or pick and pop was a given, but the movement in the areas not around the ball was always important. The goal was to create a mismatch or an opportunity to pass to the shooter in these areas.

Therefore, it is emphasized to use big men for brick-like defenses.

It is also vital for a big man to be able to read a play swiftly and accurately when it comes to hedging and recovering.

Just like Montrell Evans.

"I got him! Ack!"

Montrell overflows with competitiveness, even outside of the game.

Just a few moments ago, White Team was able to penetrate through good screening but had their layup swatted away like a fly. If this were to happen at home, everyone would be cursing at you for the misplay.

It was apparent that Montrell's forward plays were not as strong as his defensive abilities.

A hedge is a defensive play in a switch situation, limiting the movements of a shooter. This is done by stepping back slightly or disturbing the guard's movements with your upper body. A recovery is when you return to the original opponent you were guarding after a hedge.

Montrell was excellent at both of these strategies.

From the perspective of a guard or small forward, it was extremely advantageous to be on the same team of a big man who was good at this. This meant that they didn't have a weak defensive team.

*EEEEEK*

"Kim!"

I am told I am getting swapped with a player on the bench.

It was a shame, but what could I do? I'm not a player of this team. I was just a gatecrasher put into a team. Even so, I didn't feel like that was the reason I was swapped out.

Dwayne gave the whistle to someone else and ran to me.

"(This is amazing.)"

I knew for sure he said, "this is amazing". Is he trying to praise me?

"(We've never practiced together, but he doesn't seem to be 'awkward'.)"

"He says your plays are very natural."

"…"

Although I didn't reply because I was drinking water, Dwayne did not seem too concerned. He kept moving his lips, while David continued to translate for me.

"(I'm sorry to say this, but if I were to judge simply on your 1:1 and workouts, I wouldn't want to pick you up. If it were simply based on those 2 points, there would be middle schoolers who are better than you.)"

The situation seemed a little bad at this point.

"(However, basketball is a team game. If you have an understanding of how to play 5:5, any team will welcome you. Not a lot of people can fit the puzzle piece perfectly. I wanted to be able to understand your concept. That's why I pulled you out.)"

Like that, Dwayne continued to stress the importance.

It may seem unlikely that an NCAA Division 1 major or a mid-tier team would pick me, but a minor team picking me was very possible.

There's the ACC along with the Big-12 that are part of a 6 division major conference, 12 mid conference, and 14 minor conferences. These are all divisions of the NCAA Division 1.

"(Do you happen to know Danny Green?)"

"No, not at all."

"(Hmm... what about Channing Frye?)"

"The one who plays for Phoenix Suns, right?"

"Yes! It's him!"

In the end, David was right.

3&D. That was the direction I had to pursue.

"(Then you can play. Hmm. If that's the case, you're going to have to choose your college carefully. The NBA may give 3&D players high scores, it's not the same in college. We have to find a coach that likes that style of play.)"

3&D are players who are exceptionally good at 3-point shooting and defense.

During the 2004-05 season, the trend in hand checking changed significantly. Hand checking is when a defensive player will disturb the forward movement of an offensive player.

This role was introduced in the 90's but wasn't fully utilized until the mid-2000's.

Ever since hand checking was trending, the NBA's play-style had a drastic change. The tempo of offensive plays went up, and the importance of screening became even more emphasized. As the defense began to utilize their hands, they began to maximize the area in which they were able to fill with their movements.

Due to the natural movement of the defense and offense alike, the empty areas became very important.

They called this technique stretching, utilizing areas that are empty.

The goal for an offensive player is to put as much distance from players who are in the outskirts but, because of this, the offensive court's footlight was in these such areas. These players are positioned on the outer sides, 90 degrees from the hoop.

These players are called Wing players and are usually good defensive players who specialize in 3-point shooting.

So, you'll need a lot of stamina and very strong defensive skills to play this position.

"(Your 1:1 defense isn't very strong, but your understanding of 5:5 defense is excellent. So, I want to give you a special role. Do you understand? Now I have to leave. I'll be back again.)"

"Got it."

While I was listening to Dwayne, I felt very tense for some reason.

Not because I thought he knew I respected him a lot, but rather because I've never received professional advice in the past.

I felt sorry for the people that were guiding me, but those who take the lead with the American infrastructure seems to progress at a much faster speed. Almost every piece of advice I received in Korea was abstract and speculative.

But within 10 minutes of meeting, Dwayne was able to give me crystal clear advice on how to improve my play.

++++++++++++++++++++++

I eventually switched from the elbow position to the corners.

At the same time, I listened to Dwayne and focused on how the players of Mater Dei moved in these corner areas. I also diligently kept my eyes on the defense players.

Whenever I was positioned to the right, Team Blue would go on the offense on the left side. Likewise, when I was to the left, they would play to the right.

They weren't treating me as an outcast, but rather, they were trying to balance the court.

Although it was because local defense was not permitted, whenever the opposing team would play forward, we would spread out the defense. Having Clarence, who was good at breaking through, proved to be a massive help.

"(Open!)"

Clarence evaded the defense with a well-placed 45-degree angle screen.

At the same time, the player who was guarding me switched to guarding the hoop. Seeing this, instead of shooting the ball, Clarence lightly passed the ball to me.

Since the second half of the game began, we've had 4 chances to score a point. So far, 2 of these chances were mine.

"…"

*SWOOSH*

"(Nice! What's up with this Asian dude, he's pretty good!)"

Bobby, who was guarding me, did not seem too happy.

Dwayne's judgment proved to be wise after all. Bobby proved to be a good 1:1 defense player because I didn't get much time with the ball.

*SWOOSH*

"(Hey Bobby, switch with me!)"

"(What?)"

"(I'll guard the Asian kid!)"

Is it Bobby's fault? Team White's Dennis thought so.

Dennis chose to guard me in place of Bobby. Dennis, who was 188cm, was well below 10cm of me.

Should I just stand under the hoop?

I looked toward Dwayne to see if he agreed, however, he shook his head from side to side. He didn't agree.

"SHIT!"

The same pattern began.

Clarence broke through the defense and Dennis put some distance between us. Once again, Clarence passed the ball to me.

"Huh?"

However, as if Dennis knew this was going to happen, he swiftly shifted his body back towards me.

He was still quite far from me. I shouldn't have to worry about shooting the…

*SMACK*

What? That can't be?

He was definitely too far away. However, Dennis jumped from that distance and, before the ball left my hand, was able to touch the ball.

"Too slow."

"What did he say?"

"(Your shooting release is too slow. If someone can predict it, there's plenty of time to block you.)"

What is he saying?

I never would've thought that my dreams would be crushed from here on out.