Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 142 Chen Fang's First Step

The Red Devils’ preseason game attracted several local media outlets, including self-media anchors, and this was also Chaminade’s first home game of the season.

Chen Fang was not qualified to play. In addition to him, last year's old team members also did not play. So the seven new players plus the three players transferred from the second team formed a rotation team and played a warm-up match with the visiting Roosevelt High School.

St. Louis has 13 public high schools and 36 private high schools, a total of 49 schools, forming three levels of state leagues. (St. Louis is the city with the most private high schools in the United States. It has turned to education economy since the 3s and 80s and has fully accepted international students. Some private high schools have as many as % international students.)
There are 5 schools in the 18A league.

After the regular season and playoffs, the city champion is decided and qualified to participate in the state championship.

Based on the team's performance in the previous league, seeded teams will be selected to avoid strong confrontations too early, so there will be multiple rounds of games.

The first round, second round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals are all one-match knockout matches.

The time span is the regular season and playoffs in November-December, the state tournaments in February, and then the whole country gives way to the NCAA's March Madness.

Although the championships in each state may have different times due to the number of participating teams, they will basically end in early March. At this time, many state champions begin to be invited to participate in the national tour.

And because the entire state league has three stages of intermission, many strong teams will participate in national invitational tournaments during the intermission.

For example, in mid-January, Springfield, the capital of Illinois, USA, will invite the 25 best teams in the United States to conduct the T25 ranking of national high schools.

This is the highest sought-after honor among high schools in the United States, and last year’s Red Devils team didn’t even qualify.

After talking about the team, there are more important individuals.

American high schools attach great importance to personal exposure. The star players of the team will choose to apply to join the AAU team in their state. After passing the application, they will participate in the brand AAU leagues established by various large companies. For example, Nike's EYBL league is divided into three stages: U3, 15, and 16. (AJ Dybantsa, the highest-rated player in the United States in the 17th session, led his team to win the EYBL championship in the U25, 3, and 15 age groups for three consecutive years.)
However, if you want to join a team in this league, the recognition you need is an extremely high threshold.

St. Louis has only one EYBL base team, the St. Louis Hawks.

To join the Eagles, one must stand out in the Eagles' Ramy Autumn League, so that one can have a chance to join the Eagles and compete in the EYBL National Tournament.

Last year, Tatum led the St. Louis Hawks to the fifth finals of the league, and only then did he begin to attract national attention and receive invitations to higher-level events.

For example, Nike's TOP100 (invite 100 people from all over the United States to participate in training camps and rank all the people), Adidas' ABCD training camp, Under Armour's East and West Decisive Camp, Gatorade's Best Ace Camp, etc.

Tatum performed well in this series of challenges, so he was recruited by Klopp himself and entered Duke University. He then received higher-level attention and eventually participated in the draft, becoming the third pick.

Therefore, when you understand the whole process, you will find that this channel for discovering talents leads directly to the ninth heaven. Although the difficulties are as great as mountains, it is indeed a feasible path.

20 years later, almost all NBA players in the United States entered the NBA through this path.

Now Chen Fang's goal is to copy Tatum's path. He must first show his strength in the regular season and playoffs, and then be eligible to play in the Ramy Autumn League, strive to join the Hawks, and compete in the EYBL National Championship with the team.

As a veteran, Tatum is too old to participate in EYBL, so he told Chen Fang the clear route and provided his valuable letter of recommendation. He firmly believed that Chen Fang could do it.

The two sat on the bench, watching their players play and taking the opportunity to communicate with each other.

"Tevin's pass was good this time and his organizational skills are good." Chen Fang commented.

"If he plays point guard, how would you score?" Tatum raised a hypothesis.

"Actually, I can play 1-3, it mainly depends on the opponent." Chen Fang thought for a while.

"If you hang inside, I will stand diagonally to you, attract someone for you, and then you can back-up."

"I can't call you, but you can't call me?"

"Almost. Either you hang on one side and I go to the other side?"

"That requires a middleman, preferably someone tall."

"Theo."

"I actually think Raymond is also capable of doing the job."

Chen Fang did not argue much about this. This is Tatum's old teammate, and saying more would only annoy him.

Next, the two had another argument about the choice of shooting guard.

Chen Fang chose Hyde, as he felt a third scoring point was needed, while Tatum chose Bud, as he felt someone who could score independently was needed.

As for Logan, neither of them considered it because Logan had almost no scoring ability.

But as the game progressed, the two began to discover Logan's strengths.

"He's very smart defensively," Tatum said after a steal from Logan. "He'll cut the ball from the blind side. No wonder he has such a high success rate."

"When a team has a cutter like this, it will make it difficult for the opponent."

Chen Fang agreed: "It would be even better if he had the ability to shoot."

"I don't know which of our choices is better!" Tatum began to think about it.

Chen Fang seemed calm. He said, "This is not what we care about, but what the coach is worried about."

With just one sentence, the trouble was resolved. Tatum nodded and said nothing more.

Compared with the comments of the two, head coaches Bennett and Perez appeared to be more professional.

"After the first quarter, the starting lineup will be split up and formed into two secondary lineups?" Perez asked.

"Yes, Jason will lead Bud, Tevin, Vio, and Raymond to play in the second quarter."

"Chen will play the third quarter with Murphy, Hyde, Logan, and Theo."

"Back to the starting lineup in the last quarter?" Perez was very interested in this plan.

"Let Chen and Ta rest for one quarter each, play for 30 minutes, and each bring four substitutes, so that all 4 players can be used." Perez thought about it and objected: "This is equivalent to diluting our top combat power."

"No, it's about averaging every section and maintaining sufficient intensity."

"We can lead the opponent in every quarter and force them to maintain enough strength so as not to fall behind too much. With this style of play, the opponent will most likely collapse physically in the fourth quarter."

Perez: "Since we have this idea, I think we can adjust our thinking."

"You say." Bennett was very clear about his old partner's level. In fact, he was good enough to be a head coach, but because of their relationship, it was not easy to leave.

"There are still four preseason games left. Why not have them play two games each and compare them?"

"Good idea!" Bennett thought it was a good idea.

"Since everyone thinks it's okay, let's divide them into Group A and Group B and let them each choose 6 people."

"Okay, there's competition." No matter how long the two have been working together, many decisions are made with just one sentence.

The strategy was set, and the two of them couldn't help but look to the side. Chen Fang and Tatum were still talking and laughing, not knowing that the coaching staff had bad intentions. ※※※

When Chen Fang was called to the coach's office, he was a little confused. He found Bennett fiddling with something on a huge tactical board. When the coach turned sideways, he couldn't help but laugh.

On the tactical board, there were 12 round icons with their heads on them, which helped the coach to arrange the troops. After seeing Chen Fang, Bennett waved and said, "Come on, if I asked you to choose 7 people, which ones would you choose?"

Having said that, he also placed the three avatars of the second team on it.

Chen Fang still didn't understand, so he asked, "Are there any conditions?"

"Of course, Jason can't choose."

"Okay, I think I understand." Chen Fang immediately understood what the coach meant.

"you sure?"

"Is it a group competition?" Chen Fang asked.

Bennett was surprised. He admired the Chinese people's intelligence and nodded: "Yes, I plan to divide the team into two teams in the preseason and play two games respectively."

"I'll take one, and Jason will take one?"

"Yes." Bennett then laid out his entire idea, because in his opinion, Chen Fang was another fulcrum of the team and, like Jason, had the right to know about the team.

Chen Fang pondered for a while, then came to the tactical blackboard. First, he picked up Theo Ortiz and placed him inside.

"If you can, tell me why you picked up each player badge."

"Defense can go further. Theo's help defense and double-teaming ability will make outside players afraid to attack the basket easily. Then outside shots will make our rebounds and offense and defense transition faster."

"Great, next one!" Bennett did not express his opinion, but gestured to choose the next one.

"Hyde Ramirez, I need a cold-blooded shooter, and apparently, he is the coldest killer on our team."

"Logan White has the ability to defend on the outside and the mobility to assist in defense. I will choose him to deal with the opponent's key players."

"Wesley Murphy is an excellent center who protects the frame. Although he is not very fast, he is always the most important shield in our defense."

"This is the starting lineup I chose. I will choose the road in the second team. He is my brother. I know him very well. He can replace me and do what I can do."

"Cooper Leighton, I was impressed by his tireless running on the field. He is a bulldog. I need to have players like him to inspire the whole team."

Bennett lined up the six players and looked at them. He asked, "Why didn't you choose the one who is better at offense, but chose the one who is better at defense? Tell me, Chen, in your basketball world, do you think defense is more important than offense?"

Facing the coach's question, Chen Fang did not pause, but answered directly: "Yes, defense is more important. The second reason is that I am confident in my connection. We will score a lot."

"If we don't have enough scoring ability, then what we need to do is to drag the opponent into a situation where it is more difficult to score."

Bennett was surprised by Chen Fang's last sentence. He repeated it silently and raised his head. "Then go and prepare. You will lead the team in this afternoon's match. Play a game and prove it to me."

"As you wish!" Chen Fang issued a military order.

"I will convey this order during the afternoon training. You are now the captain of Team B."

"Thank you coach for your support and recognition." Chen Fang's face was calm.

"Can I ask, does my choice overlap with Jason's?" Chen Fang remembered that Tatum had been called before he came.

"Yes, but not much. I'm glad you chose a different direction." Bennett wrote down the list of Team B on a piece of paper. He looked up and smiled at Chen Fang: "Big Sword and Thick Shield. I'm looking forward to it."

Chen Fang was not too surprised by Tatum's choice. First of all, he would not abandon his old teammates, which would take up 3 places. Next, organization is indispensable. Tevin must be selected. Bobby and Bud's offense is indeed second tier. There is no problem in him forming an offensive team in this way.

"Me too." After answering, Chen Fang left the office. In fact, he could overlook the entire stadium from the window glass. The wall behind the baseline on the north side of the court was hollowed out on the third floor and covered with floor-to-ceiling glass, allowing coaches and important visitors to watch the game in a relatively quiet environment.

It is equivalent to the VIP box at the stadium.

After returning to the court, Bennett soon appeared. He blew the whistle to call the whole team together, and then directly separated teams A and B.

Lu Yun was a little puzzled, but he quickly winked at Chen Fang, who ignored him and remained serious.

"From now on, Teams A and B will rotate their preseason games. Today, Team B will play against Reston High School."

After the news was announced, there was an immediate commotion, but soon, the noise died down because the coach's eyes were fixed on them.

"Each captain will be pulled to his own area and begin training. The plan will be issued by the captain."

"Pa pa!" Chen Fang clapped his hands: "Guys, follow me now."

After taking Team B to a remote corner and confirming that there were no other people there, Chen Fang said, "I believe everyone is surprised and has some questions."

"Not long ago, the coach gave me six spots in the office to choose a strong team in my mind, and I chose you."

"We will be competing with Jason's A team, which is going to be very interesting, and I believe everyone thinks so too."

"Chen! Does this count as competing for the starting spot?" Logan asked.

"Pretty much, for more playing time."

"Yeah!" No one could refuse. This was the purpose of coming here from afar. Everyone here was preparing to enter D1.

"I believe everyone is aware of each other's characteristics and strengths. You're right, I chose Da Jia who is good at defense, while Jason is mainly good at attacking."

"In today's game, our strategy is to use defense to wear down the opponent."

Chen Fang expressed his thoughts, which were recognized by everyone. In fact, everyone was of the same type and preferred defense, otherwise they would not have these characteristics.

"Let's start the next training towards this goal."

Back on the court, Tatum should have conveyed his message, as the two fist-bumped in the center circle of the court.

"It's up to you today."

"If it doesn't work, I'll always be there!"

Facing Tatum's provocation, Chen Fang's answer was equally sharp.

"I suggest you bring a book. Maybe you'll have a chance to enjoy the pleasure of reading a book in a busy city."

It is important to win this challenge and establish my position in the team.

Chen Fang knew clearly what to do in the first step.

(End of this chapter)