Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 152 The storm is surging and the thunder appears

The Arena was bustling with activity.

This is the final of the invitational tournament. As the home team, all the students and friends of the Missouri University Preparatory High School are present to cheer for the home team.

Of course, there were also Red Devils fans who drove from St. Louis, and together with the local fans, the stadium with a capacity of 10,000 was packed.

It was a grand spectacle, with flashlights, tripod cameras like bushes, and shadowless lights on the ceiling like the sun, lighting up the arena like daylight.

This was the first time that Chen Fang had so many people watching a game, and he enjoyed it very much. After yesterday's game, he had been sublimated both mentally and physically. He was full of confidence, and his actions on the court constantly aroused exclamations and cheers from the stands.

The game has entered the fourth quarter and the score between the two teams is 71 to 62.

Under the leadership of Chen Fang, the Red Devils suppressed Porter Jr.'s team.

31分11助攻10篮板，还有3帽3断。

Finally, there is the almost forgettable zero mistakes.

Two consecutive triple-doubles. Strictly speaking, these are back-to-back triple-doubles. The value of these is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye.

Chen Fang and Theo passed the ball to each other, and then took advantage of the half second that Porter Jr. was delayed in setting a screen to raise his hand and shoot a jump shot.

The ball rolled very fast and hit the basket like a sword.

"OHHH!" There was a cry of surprise in the stadium, followed by thunderous applause.

No. 21's performance was convincing. Kansas City fans are picky, but they are also knowledgeable. This level of performance has not been seen in many years.

There are often people who score explosively, but there are too few who can connect the team and help their teammates.

He can also take care of defense and intimidate opponents inside and outside the court, and without a second thought, they will all appear in one person.

Chen Fang's performance in the two games was convincingly stable. It was not an accident, but he was born with this talent.

Porter Jr. was very frustrated. He had prepared himself mentally before the game, but as the game went on, he broke down.

Dissatisfied!
With a height of 206cm, he played from the 2nd position to the 4th position. Everyone said he was a genius among geniuses and that the NBA was within his reach. However, facing No. 21, the huge gap almost made him want to give up immediately.

This is a must-lose game.

But Porter Jr. can't. He knows that there are many scouts in the stands who are looking at him. Once he is labeled as weak-willed and lacks fighting spirit, it will not be good for his draft prospects.

No. 21 attacked again, and Porter Jr. called on his teammates to pay attention to assist defense. He took the initiative to stick to him and used side defense to suppress the opponent.

This was the countermeasure the coach thought of overnight. Duan's defensive strategy against Chen Fang was correct. In comparison, Porter Jr. had better physical talent, and logically, the impact on No. 21 should also be greater.

But after experiencing Duan, Chen Fang had more corresponding means to deal with such defensive strategies.

Chen Fang dribbled the ball out, and Porter Jr. kept his distance, but with the arrival of the pick-and-roll, he was forced to get closer quickly. Just when he got close, Chen Fang suddenly pulled back and changed direction, throwing him flat and wide. Chen Fang accelerated to rush inside, and the two defenders immediately moved closer to assist.

But Chen Fang made a horizontal pass and gave the ball to Bud who rushed in from the other side.

Bud got the ball and attacked the basket, finishing with a two-handed dunk.

This is Chen Fang’s response. When I am closely guarded, I will assist my teammates in scoring.

Head coach Bob Sanders felt helpless. He thought of many ways, but that's how basketball is. Offense and defense cannot be perfect. The threat of No. 21 is huge. If he is not controlled, he will act alone.

There were many scouts in the stands today, and Wallace also saw several familiar faces, all of whom were old enemies, which made him even more uneasy.

Seeing Chen Fang still performing well and becoming the focus of the court, this made him feel uncomfortable.

He wanted more, but the current situation was that Chen Fang's outstanding performance attracted too many wolves. What should he do?
He is thinking.

"Koch, you are very familiar with this team, can you do me a favor?" he suddenly begged.

"Actually, not really." Koch was alert; he didn't want to get into trouble and lose his job.

"I'll buy you a ticket back home, and you can put the reimbursement in your pocket. No one will know." Wallace rolled his eyes and put forward the conditions.

A few hundred dollars is not a small amount of money. Koch hesitated and asked, "What do you want to help with first?"

"Get me to the Red Devils' dressing room."

"Impossible!" Koch flatly refused.

"Where are you sending it to?"

Koch hesitated: "The corridor."

"Deal!" Wallace achieved his goal. No one could go to the locker room unless they were insiders, and the corridor was enough.

The game has come to the last three points and the outcome has been decided. Porter Jr. cannot compete with Chen Fang. Basketball games are like this, you can't let go and you can't catch up, and what awaits you is failure.

"Come on, take me there now." Wallace made up his mind.

When the final buzzer sounded, all the Red Devils players rushed into the field. This was their first invitational tournament championship, honor and money, already in their hands.

For a teenager of sixteen or seventeen, this is the best gift from God.

Chen Fang was surrounded by people, and Murphy shouted: "MOP, MOP!"

The organizers were very efficient. The trophies and medals had already been brought to the center of the stadium. Chen Fang arrived at midfield surrounded by a crowd of people.

Someone passed the topic to him, and the others were very tactful and made room for him.

The spotlights were all on Chen Fang. The dazzling light dazzled Chen Fang for a moment. He suddenly felt this American glory very tangibly, so directly.

The whole audience kept shouting Twenty One until Chen Fang brought up the topic, and then they gradually stopped.

From noisy to quiet, it was just a blink of an eye. Chen Fang was very excited, but at the same time he was restraining himself from losing his composure.

"First of all, I want to thank the organizers for their perfect preparation. I feel the warmth of home. And then, this championship!" Chen Fang raised the trophy. "It's the power of the team. Thank you to all my brothers. This is the best reward for our fighting side by side. At the same time, I am grateful to every participating team. I have learned a lot from this invitational tournament. I am proud of you and all basketball players. Thank you to everyone who came. You are the source of motivation for us to give our all."

The whole audience was in an uproar, the decibel level soared, and in the midst of the noise, Chen Fang handed the trophy to Perez.

"Coach, come cheer with us." Surrounded by Chen Fang, the whole team pushed Perez to the middle. The salutes sounded, streamers flew all over the sky, and everyone stood together to be photographed by the cameraman.

Chen Fang didn't leave out any of the teams, catering to all four groups. His poised and confident speech surprised many. Scouts place a high value on certain qualities, such as personal integrity and media communication, which are crucial because they signify you're not a troublemaker and won't let down the efforts and expectations of others.

The reason why Yao Ming quickly gained a foothold in the NBA is inseparable from his humorous remarks and stable media connections.

Americans inherently appreciate people of high quality because they believe that your joining and coming here makes this place a better place.

They like it.

Chen Fang did not expect that his performance on the court was not as touching as his speech just now. Many scouts and columnists who were still hesitant began to want to promote him. This No. 21 had the conditions that made it impossible for them to refuse to report and hype him.

Half an hour later, Chen Fang came out of the shower room and shouted, "Hurry up, I'm worried that your color will be washed off."

"Damn it, screw you, I'd love it if that really happened!" Logan laughed.

Only competition can enhance friendship the fastest. After two victories, everyone's attitude and relationship towards Chen Fang has entered a new stage.

I went out and returned to the locker room, but I didn't expect it to be a meeting to divide the spoils.

The organizer was indeed generous and moved the prize money directly to the locker room. Now, everyone was waiting for Chen Fang to come back and then start distributing the money.

Giving money is the best way to reflect status. Chen Fang took over 30,000 US dollars from Perez. According to the previously agreed distribution, this was his gain from this competition.

"Tomorrow, I'll treat you to the best restaurant in Kansas City!" Chen Fang immediately made a promise.

This brought cheers from the whole team, and Perez watched it all with a smile.

The agreed-upon split of 30 yuan was split 21% between the coaching staff and the players. Of the 105000%, the main players would take half, and the core players would take half of that. (I know some of you are good at math, so the players would get 52500 yuan, with the main players taking yuan and Chen Fang and Rex Rabbit splitting yuan. Since they didn't play in two games, according to the agreed-upon appearance count, Chen Fang would get yuan.)
Therefore, Chen Fang's 3 is much more than others. A treat can quickly offset the impact of this imbalance in income and expenditure.

This Chinese person is so reassuring.

Logan finally came back, and what greeted him was a room full of flying banknotes. He was stunned to see this scene.

"I love today so much!" He cheered and joined in the revelry. When everything calmed down, Chen Fang and Lu Yun walked out of the locker room and got on the bus back to the hotel.

There was a middle-aged man with red hair, standing in the corridor, looking at him with a smile.

Seeing him appear, the man raised his hand and waved: "Chen, let go."

Although his pronunciation was not correct, it was the first time in the United States that Chen Fang heard someone calling him by his full name, which meant respect, so Chen Fang stopped.

"Can I talk to you alone? I only need three minutes!" Wallace was overjoyed when he saw this, but he controlled his facial expression and spoke very seriously.

"I'll go first." Lu Yun didn't say much. It was just scouts and advertisers, and Chen Fang could handle it.

Seeing Lu Yun leave, Wallace took out a business card and introduced himself: "I am a public scout. My main clients are managers and coaches in the D1 league."

This opening line piqued Chen Fang's interest, but he didn't show it either. He put the business card in his pocket and asked directly, "How can you help me?"

“More offers.”

Talking to smart people is that simple. Chen Fang nodded: "Is it what I want, or is it something you control?"

This sentence is very insightful, Chen is asking for the dominant position.

Wallace nodded immediately: "You are the master. I can help you wherever you want to go. If you don't know the secrets of the more than 1 major and minor alliances in D, I can provide you with all the advice you want to know."

"Are you here today?" Chen Fang asked.

"Yes, I watched ten of your games!"

"Thank you. If I want to go to D1 right now, where do you think is the best place?"

Wallace was clearly unprepared for this question, but he didn't panic. Instead, he said, "There are many options. Generally speaking, D1 managers and head coaches are thinking about the same thing."

"what?"

"Immediate combat power!"

Chen Fang nodded, understanding a little. Wallace continued, "D1 needs two types of players. One type is relatively mediocre, but can improve year after year. These players are called team players. They can play in college for at least three years and have a clear understanding of the tactical system and division of labor. They are the ones who support the operation of the D3 league."

"The second type is draft players. They are talented and have the potential to be picked by the NBA and become draft picks. These players are rare, but their presence can help teams recruit better future potential stars."

"Which one am I?"

"Of course it's the second one. You have the potential, go to the NBA." Wallace said seriously.

"Thank you for your recognition, but I'm confused. I believe I'll meet many of your peers soon. How will I choose?"

Wallace was prepared. Hearing this, he said, "I can help you a lot, but what can I get in return?"

"What did you get?" Chen Fang was a little surprised. He became more interested in this man named Lian Wallace. This rhetorical question made him realize that this man was ambitious.

"What do you want?" In fact, Chen Fang didn't know what he had, so he pushed the question to the other party again.

"Exclusive, even recruitment rights."

"Recruitment rights?"

"Yes, when I announced that I had recruiting rights over you, and then in fact, you did go to the university I announced."

Chen Fang understood. To put it bluntly, it was exclusive information, just like James' decision. If anyone knew it in advance, he would naturally be a guest of honor for the entire league.

"You think too highly of me." Chen Fang replied.

"No, I can see that coming."

"Okay, here's my phone number and MSN. Let me see your strength first." Chen Fang asked the other party for the phone and entered the number.

"Don't worry, you'll receive offers soon. Lots of them, from reputable companies. But I have a concern. You seem to be in the 11th grade."

"Don't worry about that. My AP credits are increasing all the time, so they'll be enough soon."

"It seems that you are very far-sighted!" Wallace also realized that this Chinese man had been planning to skip grades. It seemed that he wanted to confirm his D1 status before next summer.

Knowing the truth, he was excited. Nothing could make him more excited than planning this.

"What's your attitude towards hype?" Wallace asked at the end.

"It doesn't matter. I won't accept the interview. I am stronger than you think in terms of external pressure." Chen Fang gave Wallace an answer.

"Understood." Wallace felt relieved.

The two chatted for a while, including finding out which climate Chen Fang preferred, and Chen Fang casually answered the West Coast.

"why?"

“There are more Chinese people there.”

"Yes." Wallace understood.

The two shook hands and parted at the door to avoid being known to more people. Chen Fang left for a while. The bus was parked there. I believe Lu Yun must have given him an excuse.

As expected, Perez was concerned: "Why do you suddenly feel uncomfortable in your stomach?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for delaying everyone's bus journey." Chen Fang said quickly.

"Let's go back to the hotel first." Perez said nothing more and instructed the driver: "Drive steadily."

Sitting next to Lu Yun, the two began to chat in Chinese.

"A scout."

"so what?"

"Please check for me if you have any connections." Chen Fang handed over the business card.

"It should be fine for an ordinary person." Lu Yun took it.

"With you around, I have less to worry about." Chen Fang said with emotion.

"I want half of the 30,000!" Lu Yun's next sentence ruined Chen Fang's good mood.

Lu Yun was serious: "In order to prevent you from asking me for help endlessly and making my friendship cheap, I will start charging. Anyway, you can make money now."

"I owe you." Chen Fang gritted his teeth.

"No, I only take cash."

"Fuck, I don't want you to investigate anymore. Where can I find such an expensive detective?"

"Whatever you want!" Lu Yun yawned. He looked at Chen Fang's sad face and suddenly hugged him.

"Haha, you're such a money-grubber! You were exposed right away after the test. Over 10,000 yuan, is that really that serious?"

"As for this, this is my hard-earned money, can it be the same?"

The two of them played around for a bit, and the team member next to them didn't say anything, just closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

This is the status in the team. If it was just Lu Yun, do you think someone would scold him and tell him to stop making noise?

Human relationships and social conventions exist everywhere and have nothing to do with race or nationality.

"What are your plans next?" Lu Yun asked.

"Go to EYBL. For the rest of December, I have to at least enter Missouri's EYBL." Chen Fang was very confident that he would not be rejected because he already had the qualifications.

When the wind blows and the clouds gather, how far can the thunder be?

(End of this chapter)