One Guard Chapter 22: : The taste of champions
Stevenski looked out the window with a sad face in his office. The city of Philadelphia has been utterly displaced in the past few years.
Pedestrians hurry on the street, cars coming and going. But I don't know why, Stephensky just feels that the whole city is lifeless.
Since Allen Iverson left Philadelphia, the 76ers have been in a trough. Although they still have Andre Iguodala, known as the "little AI," facts have proved that the 76ers can't embark on the road to recovery with Iguodala alone.
Now that the 76ers have lost eight straight games, hopes for the playoffs seem to be getting slimmer. As the new general manager of the 76ers, Stevenski shoulders the important task of rebuilding a team!
Just now, Stephensky just had a meeting with Alan Iverson. If nothing happens, AI will be able to return to Philadelphia within a week! Stevenski brought Iverson back to the 76ers, which undoubtedly can soothe the hearts of the fans.
But everyone knows that it is impossible for the current 76ers to start anew with the old-fashioned Iverson.
What the 76ers really need is not AI, but a fresh blood that can take the team out of its predicament.
At this moment, Stevenski's office door was knocked quickly. The former Nets general manager tidied his suit, sat back behind his desk, and cleared his throat. "Come in!"
The door was pushed open at once, and the person who came was no one else. It was Sam Jones, the 76ers scout specializing in NCAA.
"Boss! New news!" Jones held up a report and walked quickly to Stephensky.
"What's the matter? Did Evan Turner and John Wall show off against the sky again?" The two names Stevenski said are the two rookies most desired by the 76ers this summer. .
"No, no, yes. He just officially announced that he will participate in this year's NBA draft! This is the detailed player report of Ye, I think you will be interested!" Jones knows that the 76ers have always been eager to get a control. The ball guard, to replace Iverson's mantle. Now, a potential point guard is another possible option.
Stevenski looked at Jones and picked up the player report. Yiyang's reputation has not been small in recent months, and even his NBA-level general manager has heard of him.
At the same time, in the general manager's office of NBA teams in major cities, countless scouts handed Yiyang's scout reports to their managers.
Some managers didn't pay attention to this, while others studied it seriously. In short, the impact of Yiyang's announcement that he is about to participate in the draft is undoubtedly much greater than he thought!
Many scouts actually prepared his report a long time ago, just waiting for Yiyang to announce his participation in the draft.
This yellow-skinned boy still doesn't know that he has already become the focus of observation for several NBA teams.
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Yiyang, who had just announced the news to the reporters, did not feel uneasy, but soon entered the training state after sending off the reporters.
"Are you nervous? In the future, your every move will be carried out under the magnifying glass of the scouts. Every shot and every mistake you make will determine your final draft pick." Stevens walked to Yi with concern. Around Yang, not everyone has the courage to announce their draft before the freshman year. Even Hayward, known as the "first white small forward", only dared to try this year. Shervin Mark, who is already a junior, decided to participate in the draft next year.
"Don't be nervous, just play as usual." With the experience of spending Christmas together last time, Yiyang is no longer so indifferent to Stevens now. Of course, it's far from enthusiasm.
"Tomorrow we will have to face Purdue University, their head point guard Amon Johnson is also a defender who is known for speed. You have to be careful, you can't announce that you will be a bad first game after entering the draft!
"Is he faster than Wall?" After Stevens finished speaking, Yiyang, who was practicing dribbling, raised his head and asked.
Stevens froze for a moment, then smiled slightly. Yeah, Yiyang is a guy who can compete with players of the level of John Wall. Amon Johnson, not surprisingly, will not cause any trouble to the Bulldogs and Yiyang at all.
The next day, Singer Arena was seated in no time. Countless Butler University fans in blue short sleeves poured into the stadium to cheer for Yiyang and Hayward, who also announced their participation in the draft.
Amon Johnson, although not as famous as Yiyang and Hayward, he is also one of the rookies to be drafted in the NBA this year. If you can successfully kill the Bulldogs, Amon Johnson's pick will surely rise!
However, the game had just begun, and Amon Johnson was slumped. He was about to put pressure on Yiyang from the first attack, and he relied too much on his strong body.
It is indeed an option to use the body to push through the weak Yiyang breakthrough, but Yiyang's precise steals also make this style of play take a lot of risk.
Amon Anderson's speed with the ball is close to Yiyang, before he can speed up, the basketball in his hand suddenly loses control!
Before I realized what was happening, Amon Anderson felt a whirlwind blow by, and Yiyang had picked up the basketball and started to move forward!
At the same time, Gordon Hayward also rushed quickly. This white small forward showed the world his super fast speed that does not match his skin color.
Yiyang didn't look back, he just tossed the basketball lightly on the backboard.
The basketball rebounded quickly after hitting the backboard. Heyward who followed him sprinted and grasped the basketball firmly with both hands. All that was left was the painful "groan" of the basket and the deafening cheers of the fans. !
"Haha! How do you know that I am behind!" Hayward happily hit Yiyang on the chest, and Yiyang just smiled slightly at Hayward.
This guy smiles more and more times on the Bulldogs.
"At the beginning of the game, YI and Hayward gave us an exhibition-like aerial relay. Amon Johnson should not be so reckless. Once he makes a mistake, there is no chance of recovery! Because also, he is the best player in the NCAA. One of the defenders who switched offense!" The commentator adjusted his sitting posture, and a wonderful performance had begun.
After a goal, Amon Johnson no longer dared to make a breakthrough. Yiyang's "magic claws" seemed to surround Johnson's side all the time.
As soon as just started, Yiyang made Purdue University's point guard lose his confidence. After the game, it naturally went smoothly.
Although he is strong and fast, Amon Johnson did not take advantage of it on the defensive end.
Yiyang's pass made the entire Purdue University undefeated, and his magical layup also prevented Johnson from exerting his own advantage in confrontation.
The whole game can be said to be a performance specially set up for Yiyang and Hayward to announce their participation in the draft. Through this performance, Yiyang and Hayward told the world loudly. "NBA, here we are!"
68 to 83, the first game after the Christmas holiday, the Bulldogs continued to maintain the momentum of victory. The fans at the scene screamed frantically that the era of the rise of Butler University has finally arrived!
After the game, Amon Johnson walked back to the player channel in frustration. The same player who is preparing to participate in this year's draft, but the huge gap between him and Yiyang and Hayward made this black guard almost lose his confidence.
20 shots, 10 points, 3 assists and 4 turnovers. This is what Amon Johnson showed to scouts. 15 points, 11 assists, 3 steals and only 2 turnovers. This is the surprise that Yiyang brings to everyone! The gap between the two is as obvious as the data.
The time has entered 2010, and NBA teams will begin to fight for the playoff spot. And the NCAA team must start to do their best for the March Madness Championship.
The Bulldogs, currently ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten League, have almost no suspense and will definitely be invited to the tournament. But the opponents of the Bulldogs will become even more crazy.
In the first game in January, the Bulldogs played against the University of Maryland, currently ranked fourth. The fourth place is a very embarrassing position. They can neither guarantee that they will definitely be shortlisted, nor have they completely lost their hope of being shortlisted for March Madness.
This kind of team is eager to win every game. Such teams are often the most effective!
Yiyang clearly felt that the intensity of today's game was completely different from before. He has been overturned by opposing players countless times, and even some fouls are malicious. The closer to March Crazy, the harder it is for Yiyang and the others.
Yiyang is not afraid, and the toughness he has developed in the Wood District allows Yiyang to perform unexpectedly in the face of high-intensity competitions.
The high-intensity competition at the University of Maryland put the Bulldogs in crisis, but in the last minute of the game, Yiyang made a successful shot in the only shot outside the three-point line. After that, he assisted Matt Howard for an unexpected aerial relay layup, which completely killed the game!
72 to 77, the five-pointer created by Yiyang became the last straw to crush Maryland.
16 points and 9 assists, Yiyang's data in this game is still beautiful. In terms of draft pick prediction, Yiyang has also successfully climbed from the second round to the 20th pick in the first round. You know, Hayward's draft pick prediction is only the 18th pick in the first round!
was able to reach the top 20 among hundreds of talented players participating in the draft. As a Chinese with yellow skin and black hair, this is already a very remarkable achievement.
In February, UU reading www. The uukanshu.com Bulldogs team experienced an unprecedented two-game losing streak. But this still couldn't stop the last game, Yiyang killed the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an NCAA career-high 23 points.
In this game, Yiyang's 3 of 4 shots from beyond the three-point line made Stevens jump up and down with joy. Of course, the Bulldogs also won the 2009-2010 NCAA Big Ten championship with the help of Yiyang.
Yiyang, who was standing on the stage holding the championship trophy and accepting the cheers of thousands of people, had a rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath. It turned out that the feeling of winning the championship is so beautiful!
A Big Ten championship is actually insignificant. Each minor league in the NCAA has its own championship, but only the winner of the March Madness Championship can represent true honor. But for Yiyang, who experienced this feeling for the first time, it was enough to make him happy for several days.
In the locker room, watching the trophy placed on the ground, all the players and coaches of the Bulldogs team sat together.
"When the next game starts, we will be in the NCAA March Madness Championship! The game will get harder and harder and the opponents will get stronger and stronger. We may meet Derek Favors and Wesley. Johnson, Paul George and even John Wall! But we cannot be afraid, we cannot give up! We must continue to win, and then..." Stevens said, paused intentionally.
"Stand to the top!" The players shouted loudly, making Stevens even feel that his ears are almost deaf.
It is worth mentioning that this time, Yiyang, who is taciturn, also joined the yelling ranks. .
Yiyang, who has tasted the taste of a champion, besides money, seems to have another thing that he wants to pursue...