Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 147 A sudden turning point

"It seems that if we want to see the red and white match, we have to wait until the semi-finals." Wao Koch was a little disappointed.

Wallace smiled: "Isn't it good now?"

The two scouts, who met after watching a Red Devils game, met again after receiving an invitation from the Red Devils to participate in this tournament and appeared together at the Kansas City Arena.

This is the main stadium. You can watch the game for a whole day by buying a ticket. There are 10257 seats for you to sit in.

Today is the quarterfinals, and the Red Devils face the Sacred Heart team from Notre Dame High School.

The Red Devils suppressed the team. Although Sacred Heart's star player Tremont Waters scored 23 points, the team still fell behind by 8 points.

It was already the second half of the fourth quarter, and the Red Devils were not in a hurry. The AB lineup rotated on the court. At this moment, Tatum showed his star style. He had scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Under his leadership, Team A seemed to be full of firepower, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Sacred Heart had no chance of winning.

Wallace cast his eyes on the silent No. 21 on the bench.

今天21号拿下13分10助攻6篮板3抢断2盖帽的全面数据，上场时间还没有20分钟。

This is already very good data, but for Wallace, who has been following No. 21 for almost a month, this kid from China did not give his full strength.

Chen Fang, the double king of points and assists in the World Youth Championship, was recruited by Tatum to join the Red Devils. He is 201cm tall, with a wingspan of 211cm and top-notch static talent.

Wallace spent a lot of money to get this information. He has already compiled a scouting report for Chen Fang. Now all that is left is the final revision. This invitational tournament is the best opportunity.

"Who will the Red Devils play after they qualify?" Koch asked.

"Parker Tudor High School!" Wallace answered without hesitation. He continued, "That's the highlight. Both teams have dual cores and four All-Stars. That's what makes this game interesting."

"Yeah, not every family has two All-Star players!" Koch sighed.

"Do you think Chen is too?" Wallace asked with a smile.

"Yes, I made a simple scouting report and sent it to the school. As for what they will think, I'm not sure." Koch spoke frankly. He actually had a very complete report on Chen Fang because he could contact Tatum, who gave him a lot of inside information.

For Tatum, it would undoubtedly be exciting if Duke could give Chen Fang an offer.

"Why don't we take advantage of the boredom now and have a couple?" Wallace knew Koch's relationship very well and tried to ask him questions.

"Okay, it doesn't matter." Koch knew this, but Wallace was quite generous. He paid for all the expenses of their relationship. As the saying goes, one should be grateful to the person who has helped him. It was hard to deny this favor.

The communication between scouts is actually very concise.

"10 is the full score, let's count one by one." Wallace cheered up.

"Athletic ability?"

"9."

“Body size.”

"7."

"Strength 7, speed 9, leadership 7, shooting 8, IQ 8, passing 9, willpower 7." Koch gave his judgment without waiting for Wallace to ask.

Wallace frowned and thought for a moment. He felt that some of the numbers were wrong.

"Shooting 9, didn't you notice? Chen takes very few shots, but his shooting percentage is as high as 75%."

Koch rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you think is fine with me. But it's because he takes so few shots that I can't accurately judge his shooting percentage."

Wallace also fell silent. To be honest, this was just his prediction. There was no more data. He had watched Chen Fang's nine games, and his impression was that this person was very introverted and did not have too many emotional fluctuations. Perhaps it was because Tatum's shadow was too big, which caused many of his characteristics to be obscured.

Seeing Wallace remained silent, Koch offered comfort: "Without 50 games, it's hard to judge, but I still stick to my opinion. This Chinese man is still a long way from the NBA."

"His body is explosive, but his endurance is yet to be seen. A match of this intensity cannot reveal his true physique."

"Leadership and willpower are also very important. He is only the second-in-command of the Red Devils team. It will only be possible when he can lead the team alone."

"Single-core?" Wallace frowned.

"Yeah, maybe if Tatum is injured or something, he will have a chance, right?" Koch said without thinking.

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole audience exclaimed, and then saw Tatum fall directly to the floor while being chased by his opponent during a layup during the offense-defense transition. He rolled over while holding his right ankle.

Koch was stunned, and Wallace's mouth opened wide.

When Koch saw the Red Devils carrying Tatum off the court, his face was still pale.

"This..." He was speechless and felt like God was watching him.

"I won't tell anyone, I swear." Wallace raised his right hand.

"Please don't." Koch said with a sad face.

"So, maybe we'll see Chen's true performance soon?" Wallace's next sentence made Koch even more frustrated.

Chen Fang on the bench also had a gloomy face. The legendary and durable King Rex Rabbit was actually injured, and it looked like the injury was serious.

Bennett was so angry that his face turned red. He roared at the referee and demanded that the damn player be expelled, but the referee said it was just an accident. Tatum accidentally stepped on the opponent's instep, causing his ankle to be sprained.

Bennett looked at Chen Fang helplessly.

"Go on, win this damn game." Bennett regretted painfully. He was about to replace his beloved disciple in just one minute.

Chen Fang nodded, took off his coat and stepped onto the court. In fact, there were still three minutes left in the game and the score was 10 points apart. He just needed to hold on a little.

This was indeed the case. Although Team A began to feel overwhelmed by Tatum's injury, Chen Fang was slowing down the pace, so much so that Raymond exercised his captain's rights and took the initiative to reach out for the ball.

But Chen Fang ignored it and gave Bobby a better chance.

However, Bobby also vented his inner dissatisfaction by making a mindless drive to the basket.

Waters grabbed the rebound and used his speed to quickly advance across half court, recovering two points in a single game.

Next, facing Raymond's request for the ball again, Chen Fang finally gave it to him, after all, he was in the right position.

Raymond exerted force as soon as he got the ball, turned and entered the penalty area, and was about to dunk, but was slapped down by the opponent's center.

The offense and defense switched immediately. During the half-transition process, Waters took advantage of the Red Devils' unstable defense and made a three-pointer to narrow the score gap to 5 points.

The two thousand people in the stands immediately became interested, and all kinds of noise began to appear.

Chen Fang remained calm. This was Team A's style of play. They didn't pass the ball often, and everything depended on individual ability. Since the team had been stable before, the coach had substituted in all the veteran players.

To be honest, Chaminade was not strong last year. Tatum shined in the EYBL, not in the league. If they were really strong, they wouldn't have failed to make it to the quarterfinals of the state championship.

It seems that I have to come by myself!

In the stands, Wallace was excited: "That's it, that's right, show your skills, why are you hiding anything? Chinese people, why are you all like this?"

Chen Fang dribbled the ball across half court. He looked up at the time. It was the last two minutes. According to the rules, everyone should read the clock. It was 95 seconds, 3-4 rounds.

After quickly going over it in his mind, Chen Fang knew clearly what he had to do.

He held the ball in the high post and waved to Raymond to go up to the top of the arc to set a pick-and-roll for him, but before he got halfway there, Chen Fang accelerated and deceived him and the two opposing defenders.

Chen Fang cut in from the left with the ball. Facing the opponent who was helping defend in the elbow area, he pushed the ball to the right to make the opponent move sideways. After giving up the route, he passed the opponent by the left side with the ball around his waist.

He made a layup to stop the bleeding.

Wallace praised him highly: "Chen has a very high level of strategic preparation when attacking the basket. He has a very accurate prediction of the route and what is about to happen."

"It's a pity that there are too few such attacks on the basket. He doesn't seem to like going in." Koch relaxed a little and continued.

Wallace retorted: "It's just because he doesn't need to do so. He shoots a few balls from the outside, which is enough. He is more responsible for organizing the offense than himself."

Waters had a strong desire to win. He needed a bigger stage. The stage was right under his feet. He would not allow failure. He dribbled the ball continuously and cooperated with his teammates after a pick-and-roll, facing Chen Fang alone.

Facing Waters, Chen Fang was still very vigilant. He knew that Waters had a low base, fast bursts of power, and a strong rhythm.

To deal with such a player, don't stick to him, but put him to one side and block his shot.

Because of his height, his shooting point must be within his own blocking range. He concentrated, held his breath, and kept resetting his steps. Waters felt the pressure. There were still fifteen seconds left, but what he wanted was to speed up the number of rounds rather than waste time.

With a cross step, he changed hands under his crotch and suddenly accelerated. Seeing Chen Fang step down and turn sideways, he immediately pulled back to pass the ball and shoot. But Chen Fang knew very well what Waters wanted to do. At this time, the only possibility was a long shot. Attacking the basket from the top of the arc was not an option for a short guy.

As he took a step down, Chen Fang pushed off the ground and rushed forward, keeping his hands still, and pointed towards Waters.

As soon as the basketball left Waters' hand, it was touched by a hand that stretched out from the side.

Waters was shocked, but his second reaction was quick. He immediately looked for the second landing point, but Chen Fang's reaction was even faster than his. Before he could hold the basketball with both hands, he made a lob, which was quite similar to the lob in football.

The basketball passed over Waters' head, and Chen Fang jumped over him and grabbed the basketball.

Throwing the ball forward, Waters turned around and chased after him, but he found that this person was even faster than him. When he ran across the center line, he saw No. 21 had already taken one step inside the three-point line to get the ball, took a step with both feet, then jumped high, held the ball in front of him with one hand, and used an ultra-long three-step layup to pick the ball into the basket.

7 points difference.

The tide is gone.

One attack and one defense, perfect!

Wallace kept clapping and cheering, and said to Koch: "He is actually a two-way guard. His offense is no less than Tatum, and he plays smarter."

"Yeah." Koch had no choice but to agree.

His job is to follow Tatum. He was able to submit a scouting report to Duke about Chen Fang's performance, which was beyond the scope of his job.

With Chen Fang's score this time, his score in this game reached 17 points.

Lu Yun on the bench had a thoughtful look in his eyes. He had no idea what Chen Fang was up to. He had clearly said that he wanted to make an effort, but in the first game he only scored 14 points and 11 assists and stopped.

If Rex Rabbit hadn't been injured, the score would have been even higher than the previous game.

After hearing the final whistle, Chen Fang walked off the court. He first asked about Tatum's condition. After learning that he had been sent to the hospital for an MRI, he returned to the bench and sat down.

Next to him, Lu Yun asked in Mandarin: "What's your plan?"

"The stands are full of spies from other teams. Why should I be exposed?" Chen Fang knew what Lu Yun was asking.

"If you want to fight, fight the strongest one. You can win in one fight!"

"But now...!" Lu Yun laughed.

Chen Fang also smiled bitterly: "Plans can't keep up with changes, so I can only make efforts in advance. It doesn't matter, it will happen sooner or later."

Perez came over and called Chen Fang over. The two of them came to a slightly remote place.

"The next game is up to you," Perez said.

"understand!"

"Tatum won't be able to play in this invitational tournament." Perez felt sorry, but his eyes revealed expectation when he looked at Chen Fang.

"Show your true level. I know you are capable of more than this."

Chen Fang was stunned. He didn't understand why the head coach of the second team and the chief scout of the first team said this.

"I suggested to Frank that he play all the games of the 15-16 season with you as the core, but he still believed in Jason."

"I understand that, that's fine, but I've always believed that you can help the Red Devils more than Jason."

"Thank you!" Chen Fang was very grateful for the coach's recognition of him.

"This is an opportunity to change everyone's prejudice against you!" Perez's eyes lit up. He patted Chen Fang's arm and said forcefully, "Put aside your worries and be yourself."

“Remember, opportunities for people will not always be there!”

After saying that, Perez turned and left. He began to yell, "Everyone, get your things ready. Let's go back to the hotel!"

Bennett naturally went to the hospital as a caregiver. Now, Perez came to lead the team temporarily and perform the duties of head coach.

The news about Tatum's injury quickly spread throughout the competition area, and some people were happy while others were worried.

"It seems that we still have to wait for the complete version!" Many media outlets were very disappointed.

"It might be an opportunity. What will be the result if he leads the team on the 21st?" The internet celebrity self-media [Poker Rabbit] who has always been optimistic about Chen Fang refuted it online.

"Chinese? I think the kitchen is more suitable for them. If the court is in the kitchen, I will bet on him to win." There are also some ignorant idiots who made provocative remarks.

"OHHH, the Red Devils are going to be eliminated." Some teams that were beaten badly by Chaminade began to gloat.

"It's impossible to beat Parker-Tudor High School. Even with Tatum, it's a 7- situation!" This was the public statement made by Ryan David, editor-in-chief of M Sports Network, and his statement was unanimously supported.

"Jaren and Brian have shown us what it means to be a state champion. I think they'll be in the top 10 this year. Their competition will be on the East and West Coasts, not here!" Scoops Sports Network editor-in-chief Scorpius Carlson agrees. As a University of Missouri alumnus, he loathes everything about St. Louis, having publicly denigrated it as a crime capital and a Gotham. (It seems there's a version of Grand Theft Auto set in St. Louis; if you're interested, please share.)
There is almost unanimous pessimism, with many anti-fans of the Red Devils mocking the semi-final that will start tomorrow on social media.

"I'm willing to pay $30 for a ticket for number 21," wrote a person whose profile picture showed the University of Missouri logo.

Chen Fang watched with great interest, and Lu Yun couldn't help but praise him: "Not bad, your state of mind is first-class."

"None of my business!" Chen Fang threw his phone away.

"These black and white people know nothing about cyber violence. They have never seen the trolls in our country." Chen Fang blinked. Ever since Perez supported him as a coach, he felt much brighter.

It’s not that Perez’s words are important, but that he made Chen Fang realize that there are coaches in the United States who can break racial discrimination.

This is very important, and it gives Chen Fang more confidence about the future.

Every Chinese fan in the past life knew how difficult it was for Chinese people to be recognized in the NBA.

The phone suddenly rang. It was Tatum calling.

When the call was connected, Tatum's frustrated voice came through.

"Brother, it's up to you."

"Don't put pressure on me, I'll try my best." Chen Fang said politely.

"How are you now?" Chen Fang asked.

"There's a problem. Drew has already contacted Mayo for me. The coach plans to accompany me personally. Oh, what the hell!" (Tatum's ankles have always been a problem because his feet are too small. He's 203cm tall with a size 47 foot. This results in insufficient support from his feet when he performs movements, which easily causes him to roll over. From 22 to 24, in his three-year NBA career, he missed 3 games due to injuries, 11 of which were due to ankle injuries.)
"Then will Perez take over temporarily?" Chen Fang's head tightened.

"Yes, sorry, this was a good opportunity." Tatum still felt regretful, and he was also looking forward to his first collaboration with Chen Fang.

"Wait until you come back. Relax, this is not a big deal." Chen Fang comforted.

"Of course, we still have many challenges waiting for us."

After chatting for a few more sentences, Chen Fang hung up the phone.

He looked at Lu Yun who had been paying attention and said, "This may be the turning point for my takeoff."

"Our opponent is very strong." Lu Yun remained cautious.

"I know. Let them come. I also want to see how strong the so-called five-star high school students are."

Yes, Jalen is very strong, but that will be in the future, not necessarily now.

　It seems that the free version is limited. There are more collections in the past few days, and some people come without reading the book and directly criticize it. I am too lazy to reply. What you say makes sense, and you can do whatever you want. I don’t have time to deal with such people who don’t understand the purpose.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)