Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 165: There is always a time for separation, and there will be a time for reunion

Chen Fang found that today's training was particularly strange. Several people were doing extra training. It was already 6:30 in the afternoon, and Chen Fang's personal training was coming to an end.

When Tatum left, Theo came over.

"Chen Fang." Compared with other Chinese surnames, the pronunciation of these two words is more friendly to foreigners. This is a respectful attitude, calling the full name.

When people are abroad, they usually give themselves an English name to facilitate communication, but Chen Fang did not do that.

This was influenced by Lu Yun. During a casual chat after dinner, Lu Yun said that there was no need to have an English name. He just liked to see foreigners frowning and calling your name. Otherwise, how could he get back at the hard work of learning English.

This is a bit of a bad taste, but Chen Fang was more or less affected. He has been in the United States for more than half a year, but he still hasn't picked a nickname. It's already good enough to be given a nickname.

"Are you guys having trouble?" Chen Fang saw that everyone else had gathered around him, including Hyde, Logan, and Murphy.

Several people looked at each other, and Theo, who had the closest relationship with Chen Fang, asked, "Everyone heard that you signed up for EYBL?"

"Yes." This was said in the TV interview, so Chen Fang had nothing to deny.

"We want to go too," said Theo.

This sentence made Chen Fang stunned. He looked around at the four people, who were considered the core organization of Team B.

"Can you tell me why?"

"We want to go to the national tour with you and get more exposure opportunities. The training value of the state league seems to be less now," Murphy replied.

"It seems to cost quite a lot, are you sure?" Chen Fang reminded.

"The previous bonuses and savings should be enough. We have calculated it."

Chen Fang looked at Hyde. As the stingiest person in the team, he was said to have already started saving money for his wife.

Feeling Chen Fang's gaze, Hyde's face was tangled, but he nodded: "Yes, I want to take a gamble."

"Wait, I still don't understand. If you participate, can you be on the same team with me?" Chen Fang didn't understand.

As soon as these words were spoken, the four of them laughed.

"It seems that our Great Falcon hasn't figured out the situation in the EYBL. In fact, the EYBL can form a team." Theoko said, "It just needs to be a founding team. With us, there are exactly five of us. We can go to the Missouri competition. If the results are good, we can be named and retain the backbone to play in the national competition."

"So we team up to fight?" Chen Fang was quite surprised.

"Yes, we stayed here until now today just to ask you in person what you think."

"Of course, I'm definitely willing. Okay, brothers, we can get together and play ball again." Chen Fang was very happy.

"Then let's go sign up, and you can apply for the qualification to compete as the captain."

After they separated, Chen Fang took a quick shower and found Rami's contact information.

The call was connected quickly, and Rami's enthusiasm almost seeped through the microphone onto Chen Fang's cheek.

When Chen Fang told him the purpose of his visit, Rami's enthusiasm came to an abrupt end, but he soon returned to normal.

"If that's the case, the naming and registration fees, and the team must also accommodate other people to form 12 people." Rami paused. It was his original intention to build the team with Chen Fang as the core, but now it means that Chen Fang has to bring in four people, which is against the rules.

But any deal involves trade-offs, and compared to Chen Fang, everything can be negotiated.

So he said, "The rules need to be convincing. Let them sign up first, and then see their level."

"Of course, I will text their names to you later, sir. Don't worry, this will be a very strong team of 17-year-olds."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Fang sent the list of names and started walking home.

The empty house made him feel so uncomfortable that he didn't even have the desire to light a fire and cook.

But this scene also reminded him of his lonely and tragic life in the south before his rebirth, and he suddenly became alert.

You can't be lazy, you can't slack off, and you can't be complacent.

After making himself a nutritious meal, Chen Fang started his AP credit journey in the living room. Not only that, he was also preparing for the SAT exam in March. If he wanted to skip a grade and enter college, he also had to have this test score (compared to the American college entrance examination, but the time is once every two months, there are 3 test opportunities throughout the year, which is more flexible.)
There is also the ACT. You have to choose between the two. No matter which one you pass, you will be eligible to enter college.

In order to enter the NCAA, Chen Fang needs to put in more effort and time than ordinary people, not only in training but also in studies.

Therefore, please do not look down on any Chinese player who enters the NCAA. The efforts they make far exceed those of ordinary people like us.

※※※

This is Ramey Arena, the most down-to-earth place in St. Louis and where the community’s basketball dream begins.

Countless poor children hope to gain attention and the favor of coaches through this community basketball game. They come from various high schools and have different identities, including JV, FT, and first team.

As a currently popular high school student, Chen Fang's appearance attracted a lot of attention. Many high school students looked at him with eager eyes, hoping to beat this popular new star through a game or a one-on-one match. Maybe scoring a goal in front of Dashun would make the exposure worth it.

On the court, four players from Chaminade were fighting fiercely with another local team. Even if Chen Fang did not play, their strength was enough to crush them.

The other team is a community team whose players are from public high schools. Maybe they are very motivated and motivated, but the gap between them and Murphy, who was able to transfer across continents, is huge.

Theo showed his ability to play both offense and defense. You can't even imagine that he is responsible for rebounding and defense in the team, but now he is performing like a Duncan.

Murphy was like a little shark, turning the opponent's inside line upside down, while Hyde turned into Chen Fang on the outside, proficient in breakthroughs, jump shots, three-pointers, assists, etc.

Logan has become Xiaoka, and whoever he defends will collapse.

This is the level difference. Many fans are pure TV basketball fans. They have never even watched the live game and cannot feel the difference intuitively. If you have watched street basketball, then went to the CBA, and finally watched the NBA live up close, you can feel the difference very intuitively.

Unfortunately, this kind of experience is rare. Even in the United States, there are many such fans. There is an interesting story. A power forward who averaged 2 points per game in the NBA was scolded online, so he challenged someone to a fight offline, transformed himself into Jordan, and beat everyone.

This gap in physical strength, skills, and game experience is very difficult to overcome. (I would like to mention here the so-called basketball cheat time travel articles. Some things do not mean that you can play in the NBA just by possessing a rookie or genius, because with your own knowledge and experience, you don’t even have the chance to touch the ball on the court. So this is a paradox. No matter whether you have a cheat or not, no matter how awesome the cheat is, as long as you are your own soul and knowledge, you can’t play in the NBA. How can you play in the NBA with your ordinary basketball experience and experience? It’s ridiculous. How many basketball games have people who can enter the NBA played, how much time have they trained, and how much time have they accumulated? Even if these accumulations are still in the original body, are you sure you can use them? This is like you copying the homework of Peking University’s Wei Shen. Do you understand it? Just a tactical run, your brain instantly understands it?)
Chen Fang watched and cheered exaggeratedly. He said to Lamy, "Are there any questions now?"

"Of course! No!" Rami's face was full of smiles. He didn't care who was on the team. What he cared about was whether he would go to Missouri and the subsequent games under the name of Rami.

After the game, Chen Fang came to the locker room and said loudly to everyone: "Guys, we did it."

In response, there were shouts of celebration, and Theo shouted, "It's time to come up with a name."

"What's your name?" Logan asked with a smile.

"Big Falcon?"

Chen Fang immediately shook his head: "Of course not, we are a team!"

Then everyone started to name the children happily, but there were always people who objected to every name.

In the end, two team names remained, the Wild Falcon Team and the Hunting Falcon Team.

Chen Fang weighed it up and realized that everyone was still taking care of him, so he said, "Falcons prey on birds. On the court, opponents who can fly and hide are our targets. And we are all falcons, coming from all over the United States, so let's call ourselves the Wild Falcons Team."

"Yes, that's the meaning." This explanation was very convincing and everyone agreed.

Chen Fang's flattery made the name finalized, and thus the Rami Wild Falcon Team was established.

The Wild Falcons, which is mainly composed of Chaminade B team, will represent St. Louis in the Missouri competition, and then accumulate enough points to rush to the EYBL.

(Yes, Chui Yang represented MOKAN and played in the EYBL national tour!)

"Let's hope our Wild Falcon team makes it to Peach Jam!"

"See you at Peach Jam!" everyone chanted, and the five of them put their hands on each other's shoulders and formed a circle.

"We are still missing a slogan!" said Murphy.

Chen Fang answered without hesitation: "Hunt time!"

The four people's eyes lit up immediately. Theo laughed: "I like this slogan!" "That's it, Hunt time!"

"Hunt time!" five people shouted in unison.

※※※

Throughout February, the Chaminade Red Devils were competing in the state league. They frequently played cross-regional games. In order to ensure sufficient physical strength, the team once again started the AB mode. The 14-member team was divided into two teams, led by Chen Fang and Tatum, who played two quarters each.

In fact, the last quarter was almost all played by Chen Fang, because Tatum has begun to turn to personal training. He will undergo closed-door training for two months after the state league, and then go to Duke in May to start entering NCAA life early.

Perez also left St. Louis to start his annual scouting work again, and he will not return until July.

Due to Chen Fang's success, Chaminade also opened a channel for international students, accepting students with basketball expertise from all over the world.

Chen Fang's performance became more and more stable. At this moment, the Red Devils were in a transition period between the old and the new. Tatum took the initiative to give up his position and Chen Fang took over decisively.

More and more media outlets regard Chen Fang as Mr. Missouri 2016. His only rival, Porter Jr., is suppressed by Chen Fang both in terms of team points and personal performance. It is said that he will leave Missouri and go to New York at the end of this semester.

In the semi-finals of the state 5A league, the duo of Chen Fang and Tatum started again, facing their old rival Oak Park High School. The two teams are considered enemies, and Oak Park has the upper hand in the number of historical encounters.

But this year, everyone knows that the Red Devils are unstoppable. Even Oak Park head coach Kette said helplessly: "Tatum alone is already a headache, plus Chen, this is an unbeatable team."

Even the most ardent Oak Park fan, board member Ryan Stevens, a man in his seventies, was refused permission by his relatives to go to the stadium, thus interrupting his 30-year tradition of attending every game.

The reason is that they are afraid of losing too badly and causing a heart attack, which would be troublesome.

This is the fact. The Red Devils were so fierce that they burned Oak Park High School to ashes, winning by 108 points, 70:38, creating the biggest score difference in the history of the two teams' battles.

塔图姆拿下40分12篮板的超级数据，而陈放也有21分17助11篮板的三双表现，现在陈放的三双已经来到16次，并且打破了密苏里5A级州联赛的记录，连续12场三双表现。

The two of them together scored an invincible performance of 61 points, 23 rebounds and 24 assists, worthy of the title of No. 2016 in the United States in .

The label of the Red Devils' duo has become the most widely recognized term. Everyone knows that this is Chaminade's peak moment, and there will never be such a grand occasion again.

On February 2, in the Missouri State League finals, facing De Smet High School, an old-school state powerhouse, Chaminade showed its final madness. Amid the cheers of tens of thousands of Red Devils fans, the team launched an attack from the first minute of the game.

(Surprisingly, in the 24-25 game, Chaminade ranked first in Missouri Class 6A. Yes, 5A became 6A, and everything is moving forward.)
De Smet High School has three three-star players, facing two five-star players in the top ten of this year's ESPN top list (in mid-February, ESPN updated the latest rankings, and Chen Fang ranked 3th, becoming the highest-ranked five-star high school student in Asia in history.)
Tatum was trembling with fear, and extremely excited. In his sophomore season, he won a championship with the team, but he was just a rotation player. Now as the core of the current team, this state championship means a lot.

上半场结束，他已经拿下24分8个篮板3助攻2盖帽2抢断的全面数据。

Chen Fang quietly scored 11 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

Just when some fans of the Big Falcons were getting anxious and felt that Tatum had stolen the limelight, Chen Fang used his signature style in the second half, dribbling 2 three-pointers in 3 minutes and completely ruining the state finals.

With that, De Smet High School gave up the game and it entered garbage time.

Their fans also began to leave in the fourth quarter, and when the final whistle sounded, the entire stadium was a sea of red.

Tatum hugged the basketball and lay in the center circle LOGO, while Chen Fang watched with a smile.

Yes, Tatum gave his all today. He scored an amazing 47 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks and 5 steals. He deservedly became the MOP of the state finals and naturally became Mr. Missouri of the year. But to Chen Fang's surprise, he also won it.

Missouri has unprecedentedly awarded a single state teacher honor.

Standing with Tatum, listening to his excited chatter, the two of them stood in the center circle with their shoulders linked, being filmed by countless cameras. Under the flash lights, both of their smiles were very sincere.

But Chen Fang knew very well that if nothing unexpected happened, this would be the last time he and Tatum would stand together as teammates and accept praise.

Tatum will be the opponent for a long time in the future. Maybe one day, standing on the knockout stage, the two will look at each other with naked and sharp belief in winning.

Cherish today.

Chen Fang thought about it and couldn't help but hug Tatum's shoulders tighter, and the latter looked over.

"This is the most beautiful memory, Jason. Remember the days when we fought side by side!"

Jason was stunned for a moment, then he understood something. His eyes were a little dim, but also a little relieved.

As early as a week ago, Jason brought Old K's recruitment. The old man hoped that Chen Fang could also come to Duke, but Chen Fang refused as before, saying that now is not the best time.

And what Chen Fang said at this moment was undoubtedly a rejection.

Tatum looked at the spotlight again. It was so bright that he had to squint.

This week of torment and contradiction finally came to an end.

He was conflicted about Chen Fang going to Duke with him. There was no doubt that Old K was not Bennett, and if Chen Fang went, he would likely be able to suppress him.

But out of the desire for honor, Tatum is reluctant to let go. This year is the most comfortable year for him. He can devote himself to the attack without any pressure and ravage the opponent's position as he pleases.

There have always been two voices in his heart, one reminding him that basketball needs helpers, and the other warning him that to become a strong person he needs to go forward alone and transform under pressure.

So after telling Chen Fang, he did not take any further action until today, when Chen Fang gave the answer.

Looking at Chen Fang's smiling face again, Tatum suddenly understood.

Chen Fang thought so too, maybe this is right.

Without worrying about anything in his heart, Tatum threw himself into the celebration with abandon. They celebrated wildly with champagne in the locker room, and then returned to school for a grand entrance ceremony. The carnival lasted for three days.

By the fourth day, Tatum had everything ready. He would leave Missouri with Drew and head to the West Coast to start his own personal training.

Chen was doing recovery training in the gym. He hadn't had any systematic training in the past few days, so he didn't dare to slack off.

The two walked on campus, which was a bit like a couple's farewell. The weird atmosphere lasted until they reached the school gate and saw Drew's car, and they both stopped.

"Where do you want to go?" Tatum asked a confusing question.

But Chen Fang answered very clearly: "It should be a medium-sized D1 team."

"To be the boss?" Tatum smiled.

"Yes, just like when you went to Duke." Chen Fang replied.

"Do you have enough credits?"

"Almost there, I hope I can pass the SAT in March." Chen Fang was quite troubled.

"Of course you will pass, you are a big falcon!" At this moment, the two of them had calmed down, and Tatum started joking.

"You are also REX!" Chen Fang said with a smile.

"See you in March Madness!" Tatum extended his hand.

After shaking his hand, Chen Fang replied, "See you at the tournament!"

Letting go of his hand, Tatum left without looking back. Chen Fang stood there and watched him leave.

Perhaps this is the meaning of pursuing dreams, separating, gathering, and then separating again because of various different goals.

One day, we'll see each other again.

There will always be a time for gathering and separation, and there will always be a time for reunion.

　Separation from Tatum is inevitable. If Chen Fang wants to grow and take on the responsibility of a team's progress, he must lead the team alone.

　　In fact, when I went to the United States, my original plan was to go to Duke with the Rex Rabbits, the Blue Devils, and then win the NCAA.

　　Later, the more I wrote, the more I felt that it didn't fit the plot and character setting, and it wasn't a good stage content. Although I like Duke and admire Old K very much, I still reluctantly revised the outline. (In fact, there is no outline, just a rough outline. Friends who know me know that I always think about what I will write the next day before going to bed the night before, and then I will detail it while writing.)
　　Thanks to everyone in December. The monthly votes and recommendation votes are very powerful. As I said, sincerity will be rewarded with sincerity. I will continue to work hard!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)