Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 173 The First Bloody Murder in California High School History

Doug Mitchell drank his coffee leisurely and looked at the Chinese people in front of him.

"Coach, this is what I think." Wu Zhen said and lowered his eyelids.

"I've been waiting for your communication for a month, Wu, why do you Chinese people dislike communication so much?"

“This is just my personal problem.”

"Wu, you are excellent, but your inability to integrate into the team is your fatal flaw. I would like to see a helper provide strength and contribute to the team, but now you have been doing things that are a drag."

“I’m sorry that your communication came too late for me to change my decision.”

"If you are willing to continue to stay in the second team, I welcome you." At the last moment, Doug felt a little bit reluctant and made an exception to express his goodwill.

"I understand, sir!" Wu Zhen bowed slightly, then turned around and walked out without looking back.

This is his last dignity. When he first came to Meigao, he was not adapted, but now he is strong enough to be in the first team.

Head coach Doug abandoned him for the sake of team atmosphere, and also broke the promise he made to him when he joined the team.

Doug watched him turn and leave without trying to keep him. It was a neither high nor low level, so there was no loss if he lost him.

If he stood up and went to the window, he would find that there were two tall Chinese people standing downstairs. If he had sharp eyes and was familiar with current affairs, he would be able to recognize the tallest one among them, whose name was Chen Fang, currently ranked eighth in the United States.

When Chen Fang saw Wu Zhen coming down with a gloomy face, he knew that things were not going well.

As expected, Lu Yun stepped forward to ask, Wu Zhen shook his head. He looked at Chen Fang and showed a rare bitter smile: "It seems that I have to transfer to another school."

"Go ahead, but don't leave California. Get up where you fell. If you have a chance to face them, wake them up with your strength."

Chen Fang said slowly, he glanced upstairs and said: "Today, I will earn some interest for you first."

This was his original plan. If the communication went smoothly and Wu Zhen could be brought back to the first team, then he would demonstrate his strength today and tell him that the Chinese are not to be trifled with. But if this is not the result, I'm sorry, but I will make you remember it deeply.

With three top NBA real-time combat players at his disposal, Chen Fang was not worried at all.

You have a team, and so do I. Let’s show them off and see who’s better.

Back in the car, Lu Jie felt that the atmosphere was a bit heavy. He didn't ask any more questions and started the car silently.

The car drove to a nearby stadium where Tatum and his two teammates were training. At this stage, it was impossible to interrupt their daily training. This was a principle ingrained in their bones.

"Do you want to fight?" Chen Fang thought of a question.

Wu Zhen shook his head: "I will take revenge in my own way."

"Okay." Chen Fang said no more.

He looked at Lu Yun, who knew what he wanted to ask, and replied, "Don't worry, I paid a lot of money to hire the operations manager who is responsible for confrontation training. The team that was previously scheduled has been cancelled for some reason, and our late spring training team just happens to be the right one."

"Don't let anyone see the clues."

"No, it was originally scheduled for next week, and then I used a trick. This is just a normal rank-up. No one can see it. Once we get to the stadium, if we regret it, it will be like deserting the battlefield."

"I don't think Doug, as stubborn as he is, would do such a thing." Lu Yun sneered.

"I've hired a lot of media outlets that specialize in reporting on high schools, as well as internet celebrities. These are all open competitions, and I believe this afternoon will be very exciting!" A person's badness can only be discovered when he is doing bad things, but for someone like Lu Yun, you know as soon as you meet him that this guy is not a good person.

Time passed quickly and it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

Doug is asking assistant coach Pal Lewis about the upcoming scrimmage game.

This is the rule he set, two games a week, Tuesday and Friday, today is Tuesday. He hopes to improve the strength of the team as much as possible through high-frequency games. Using games as training has always been his basketball philosophy.

"What is a late spring training team?" Doug was curious.

"The team that was originally scheduled to come couldn't come, so this team filled in. Oh, the application materials said it was a national training tour team composed of high school students from all over the United States, so their strength is guaranteed to be no problem." Pal explained.

"All-American high school?" Doug didn't care. The whole world was full of scams and frauds.

He stared at the assistant coach and said, "If the level is not good enough, just switch to the second team. There is no need to waste energy on this."

"Okay, sir."

"You go and keep an eye on it first. I'll take a break." Doug ordered. He is almost sixty years old now and his energy is not as strong as before. He always takes a break in the afternoon.

Pal didn't care. In this kind of competition, he was basically the one in charge. Doug usually came over to watch in the second half.

On the way to the stadium, he passed by a public parking lot and found that it was full. This was a strange phenomenon. It was not until he arrived at the stadium that he understood what was going on.

"Why are there so many people today?" he asked the security chief who was in charge of public safety at the arena.

"Sir, I don't know either, but everyone has a ticket that they reserved online. I have no reason to deny them entry."

Pal didn't say much, he walked across the court and came to the locker room.

"We are facing a strange team today, and I hope each of you will cheer up."

"Don't worry, coach!" The one who answered him was Reid Lawson. As a senior, he had already received an offer from D1. He was also the first person on the team to receive a scholarship so early.

He is 195cm tall, a shooting guard, and averages 16 points and 4 rebounds per game. He was rated as a three-star high school student by ESPN, but was not included in the top list.

Despite this, he is already the biggest star at Montgomery High School, and as the captain, he believes he can have his own little place in D1.

"What is the name of this team?" asked Harlem Morgan, who is the team's white center. He is 204 cm tall and weighs 220 kg. He is a typical short, fat and flexible inside player. He is also the team's second scorer and the holder of a double-double.

"It was late spring, and there was very little information. All I knew was that it was a touring team of high school students from across the United States."

"Wow, All-American." The 188cm tall point guard Klein Riley shouted strangely. If Wu Zhen was here, he would definitely clench his fists, because this guy was the first to cause trouble, and when Wu Zhen fought back, he was attacked by this three-man gang.

In the end, he was kicked to the second team and treated coldly. He was not satisfied with this result and instigated the second team to isolate the Chinese man. After all, the punch in the cheek by Lu Yun still hurts a little.

"It doesn't matter. Keep it up and let's win the state championship again." Reid stood up and clapped his hands to boost morale, which drew a wolf-like response from the locker room.

Montgomery High School's boys and girls basketball teams have won 50 league championships in the past 40 years, as well as 20 CIF championships and eight state championships in the past 12 years.

This is indeed a long-established basketball powerhouse in California. They are able to recruit talented high school students every year. But it is a pity that they have never produced an NBA alumnus. However, this does not affect its honor. After all, it is a league with only 490 people.

Time did not allow them to dawdle in the locker room. When Reid arrived at the stadium, he found that it was already full of people. While he was surprised, he was attracted by another thing.

"The women's team is here too?"

"Yes, it's really rare!"

Montgomery's women's basketball team has a higher profile in California than their men's team and has been defending the title. The main guard Sheena Gak is a celebrity on social media with many fans, making her a famous high school internet celebrity in California.

Of course, she is also Ryder's dream girlfriend. When he saw Sheena, he was immediately excited and shouted to his teammates: "Guys, let me perform well today."

"Don't worry, Captain!" Ryan screamed.

In the stands, Hina’s best friend Lina, who is also her teammate, asked, “Why do you want to come to a competition?”

"I don't know either. My friends in the social circle told me that today's game will be very exciting and a lot of people will come." Xina responded. There are indeed a lot of people here now, including many internet celebrities who can only be seen on the Internet on weekdays.

They seemed to be waiting for something. There were so many camera equipment on the sidelines that it looked like a state final rather than an everyday competition.

Xina's guess was exactly what everyone in the audience suspected. Everyone vaguely felt that today would not be simple.

Because some of the internet celebrities received money and were responsible for creating hype, they knew deep down that something big was going to happen today.

When the clock struck 3:15, someone arrived at the entrance of the stadium.

The security guard checked them repeatedly, then looked at the five people and asked in surprise, "Are you here to play a game?"

"Yes, we are the protagonists today!" Little Potter grinned at him.

"But why are there only five of you?" The security guard was very puzzled. Every time there was a team of more than ten people, with a coach, a group of people.

But there were only five people in front of him.

"Five people are enough to play against Montgomery High School!" Trae Young said bluntly.

"Lu!" The security guard finally found Lu Yun.

"Hey, long time no see." Lu Yun smiled wickedly.

"Are you also on this team?" The security guard realized something.

"Yes, I'm back to help out, please make way." Lu Yun looked at the security guard with a smile.

He shivered for no reason and the security guard obediently moved out of the way. Yes, when this Chinese man was causing trouble, five or six people couldn't hold him down. He remembered it very clearly.

Chen Fang was the last one to pass through the gate. He smiled and said to the black security guard, "Excuse me."

An hour later, the black security guard realized the significance of the words "excuse me".

When the five people walked into the stadium, the sharp-eyed people immediately exclaimed. There was nothing they could do, except for Chui Yang. The momentum of three people over two meters tall walking side by side was very strong.

And leading the way is Tatum, a household name who has already been recognized.

"Tatum!"

"Gift Crab! Am I dazzled?"

There is no shortage of high school basketball UP hosts in California, and soon the names of the four spread everywhere.

"The top 20 five-star high school students in the United States by ESPN are teaming up to play against our Montgomery High School?" When Reid heard the news, he thought he was dreaming.

But there were four people right across from them, and they didn't even warm up, they simply stretched their legs, and then stood in the center circle, waiting for the serve.

No one understood what was happening, but someone on the team saw Lu Yun on the court and immediately realized something.

Pal's face was grim; he had a very bad guess.

This person who was expelled shook up a top high school group in the United States and came to take revenge.

"This money is well spent!" Lu Yun already felt the effect and he laughed out loud.

He then came to the sidelines and waved to the hundreds of people in the stands.

"You should all thank me. Look what I have brought to California and Montgomery High School!" Lu Yun looked too much like the dog translator who led the Japanese into the village.

"The most important thing is that the boss is happy!" Little Porter moved his shoulder joints and asked Chen Fang: "If we play well, will there be any unexpected surprises?"

"Then I can't guarantee it." As soon as Chen Fang heard it, he knew that this guy had really gotten sick of eating for free, and his mind was full of thoughts of taking advantage of others.

The referees are here, they are all official referees from nearby communities, and for the sake of fairness, no one from the school will be allowed to participate in the competition.

"This is the first time I'm refereeing a game for five-star high school students. Hey, guys, you guys are not fakes, are you?" The chief referee, a little old man, asked with a smile.

"As soon as you throw the ball, I'll start proving it to you!" Trae Young replied.

"Well, I can't wait either!" The old man blew the whistle, urging Montgomery to go on the court immediately.

In the stands, internet celebrities frantically took out their phones to post instant messages.

"A super high school group appears across the United States, and four five-star high school students start a California tour!"

"A Brutal Murder Is About to Happen, Carrie Will Report It Live for You"

"The Massacre is About to Begin, America's High Ceiling Transforms into the California Chainsaw Maniac" is a small workshop that produces a lot of material, and the sensational title strongly attracts traffic.

Reid gritted his teeth and cheered up his teammates. They also realized that the person who came today had bad intentions. The crazy Chinese man came back to cause trouble for them.

"Guys, there are only five of them. Arrogance is their fatal flaw. Remember, we are a team. The tradition of our Montgomery High School is not to fear strong opponents."

"Come on, shout slogans with me!"

"Who are you? Shaker!"

"Who are you? Shaker!" All teammates shouted in unison, which seemed to give them infinite courage and strength, and their morale was restored a little.

"Shaker?" Tatum asked curiously.

"The vanguard that breaks through the defense line!" Lu Yun replied.

"Wow, a vanguard! I like it!" Chen Fang looked around and saw the walls full of honor flags.

"Has there ever been an NBA player from here?" he asked.

This question also attracted the other three people.

"Of course not, you thought it was Chaminade." Lu Yun said unhappily.

Chaminade has an amazing feng shui. It has 4 NBA players, including David Lee and Bill, and now Tatum and Chen Fang.

(A real scene of the Montgomery High School gymnasium. The BMHS gym has retractable stands that can accommodate more than 300 people. The walls are hung with honors from previous years.)
Reid led his main players onto the court, and Harlem stood in front of little Porter. The six-centimeter gap was not big, but the way little Porter looked at him made him feel like a prey.

"There will be no countdown throughout the game. It will only start in the last two minutes. There will be three short and one long timeouts in total." The referee, holding the basketball in one hand and standing between the two players, introduced the rules of the game as usual. Then he rarely blinked at Harlem: "Good luck to you, kids!"

After saying that, he threw the basketball into the sky.

A war of revenge begins.

(It’s already 4,000 words, but I dare not stop writing and continue to bury my head in writing…!)

Before Harlem bent his knees and exerted force, he looked up and saw Porter Jr. leap high and kick the ball to the backcourt.

The late spring team is in line with the team logo, with a green gradient that looks extremely refreshing.

But the attack they launched was filled with the heat of early summer. As the game progressed, everyone would feel what it felt like to be burned.

Chen Fang jumped up and caught the ball, then threw it to Trae Young. He walked quickly forward, but unexpectedly, someone was faster than him. It was Trae Young. He was seen running down with the ball, and Tatum on the left had already rushed to the front.

Montgomery's team is called Vikings.

But at this moment, they felt that the other party was the pirate, rushing towards them like a hungry wolf.

Trae Young continued to shoot without slowing down, and threw it to the other side. Tatum was already waiting in the sky, and he caught the ball, smashed the rim and hit the backboard in one go.

After landing, Tatum did not celebrate, but turned around and rushed out of the Vikings' inside line.

But he didn't go far because he found that everyone else was still on the opponent's court. He immediately realized that it was a full-court press, so he found the nearest opponent and stuck to him.

Everyone present had a very intuitive understanding of what a five-star high school student is and how the selection is made.

The Vikings couldn't even kick the ball, forcing Pal to call a timeout. He held the tactical board and hurriedly said to the staff next to him, "Go call Coach Doug."

It was impossible to wait for Doug to come back and take charge of the situation. At least this timeout had to be presided over by himself. Pal suppressed his emotions and began to plan countermeasures.

But when he was on the court, he still couldn't pass the ball. Facing an opponent full of talent, his static talent was completely crushed.

"Dudu!"

The referee blew the whistle and called a serve violation.

Chen Fang played the ball from the sideline and passed it to Trae Young, who faced Riley, who was of the same height, and used dazzling dribbling to make him stagger, and finally ended the attack with a three-pointer.

However, the dilemma still exists, and the late spring team has not left and is still in the Vikings' half.

Fortunately, he had some tactical skills and after continuous screens, he finally passed the ball, but it was cut off by Chen Fang. He threw the ball forward, then took a big step and jumped high, caught the basketball in the air, and then made a big windmill move to smash the basketball into the basket.

After landing, Chen Fang was not like Tatum who did not speak, but shouted to the Vikings next to him: "Give some intensity, com'on!"

Reid was immediately furious and pushed Chen Fang with his hand, but Chen Fang spread his hands and shouted at him: "Wow, it seems that this is the tradition of your Vikings team. If you can't beat them, you have to fight? Com'on, let me see whether your fist is bigger or mine is more powerful."

The referee arrived immediately and separated the two sides.

Trae Young pointed his finger at Ryder and started swearing: "Fuck you, bitch, try pushing him down again? You bastard!"

To be honest, Chen Fang's words of intensity were by no means excessive, and the old referee was also very clear about this, but he still said to Chen Fang: "Listen, young man, control your temper and let the game continue."

"OK, but I don't want to see any more violations. Let's talk with basketball." Chen Fang shouted half to the referee and half to the Vikings.

When Doug arrived at the stadium, he saw this scene. His appearance calmed the Vikings. He already knew what had happened, but he remained calm and just glanced at Lu Yun on the field indifferently, and the latter returned a very gentlemanly smile.

"Please allow me to call another timeout!" Doug said to the referee.

"No, you are allowed to exercise your rights and control the emotions of the team." The old man also respects this coach who has been coaching for 20 years.

Doug called everyone to the empty area at the baseline and looked at the whole team. After everyone lowered their heads, he spoke: "First of all, basketball is a team game. They only have five people. We have to use our intensity to consume them. Second, I always believe in you. I also believe that after this game, we will all gain something."

"Remember, basketball is a game of bravery. Just treat this as a storm. The Vikings always like to go out to sea in strong winds and rough waves."

"Come on."

Watching the team go on the field, Doug returned to the bench. He looked at the livid Pal and said, "This is not your fault."

The game continued, but because of the conflict just now, the intensity was at its maximum, but it also aroused the temper of Tatum and others. They came here to work and bully the weak ones, but you didn't surrender and even dared to resist.

Don't blame us for being serious.

So, the Late Spring team's offense and defense were at full strength. Imagine, 203, 201, 208, three people with such terrifying static talents wandering around the court. With Trae Young in the ghost color scheme, it would be difficult for you to pass and dribble, let alone shoot.

Chen Fang and Tatum double-teamed the ball handler again and deftly snatched the ball from his arms. Chen Fang ran forward with Tatum on one side. Their cooperation has been proven to be able to make waves across the United States, and their tacit understanding has reached the point where they can understand each other's intentions with just a glance.

Chen Fang broke away from the defense. At this moment, the situation was two against one. Chen Fang suddenly passed the ball to Tatum, and the latter dribbled once and threw the ball to the backboard.

The basketball bounced off the backboard and a figure flew into the sky, caught the basketball at a height beyond the frame, then retracted his waist and abdomen in the air, showing a terrifying air suspension. The next moment, he swung the basketball with one hand and smashed it into the basket.

"Bang!" The basket exploded, like a fuse, triggering exclamations from the entire audience.

Look at the scene here now. It feels like the American High School All-Star Game. It’s such a shocking performance.

The internet celebrities on the sidelines were all so happy that they thought today's trip was totally worth the gas money.

Afterwards, Wanchun forced a 30-second violation on offense under defense. This time it was Porter Jr. who was performing. He won all the awards available in the United States in 2016. In terms of strength, there is no doubt, even though he is the weakest of the four.

A dragon, followed by a folding slam dunk to complete the score.

In the first four minutes of the game, the Montgomery High School Vikings were scoreless.

All I can say is that the serious Late Spring team was like a high wall, ruthlessly blocking the Vikings from scoring.

But Doug is an old-school coach after all, and he still has a way to deal with it. He stood on the sidelines and began to give on-the-spot instructions, calling on the players to actively perform off-ball screens and double screens. Finally, Ryder got a chance to shoot, ran into an open space, and scored a layup.

Seeing their home team score, many students cheered, even though they knew that such opportunities would not come often.

In fact, the difference in level is something that anyone with a discerning eye can see. Montgomery High School played against Chino Hills High School twice this year and was defeated by Lonzo like cutting vegetables by himself.

Those who have been doing podcasts on American high schools remember very clearly that in the Hoofar Elite Tournament, Chen Fang and Tatum's Red Devils team beat the shit out of Chino Hills.

Now the Red Devils have both their best players, plus Mr. Ohio and next year's favorite Porter Jr., there is no suspense in this game. It all depends on how these five-star high school students want to play.

Doug Mitchell also knows this, but he is the head coach and he cannot panic.

After seeing this goal, he waved his fist to show encouragement. After that, the opponent obviously had no intention of letting them go and continued with high-pressure defense and did whatever they wanted on offense.

What disgusted him the most was that this group of five-star high school students had no bottom line. On one side, they bullied his teammates, and on the other side, they fawned over Lu and even chewed the food they fed into his mouth for him.

As the whistle blew, Doug looked at the scoreboard bravely.

54: 12.

The first half was completely blown away.

Withdraw from the competition?

The thought flashed through my mind, but was then suppressed.

What's more terrible than losing is running away.

He held back all his emotions and shouted to his team members who had lost all their fighting spirit: "Cheer up, let's go through this storm, believe me, you will grow up."

No matter how excited you are, you can't change the gap in strength.

At the beginning of the second half, considering his physical strength, Wanchun took the initiative to withdraw from the full-court press, but something even more painful happened to Doug.

Everyone shot three-pointers.

Among these five people, only Lu Yun is not good enough. The other four are all quite good.

Trae Young and Chen Fang competed in shooting range, while Porter Jr. and Tatum competed in pull-up jump shots. As they watched the Nets being shot through again and again, they heard someone behind them say, "We must change the Nets after this game."

"I think even the basketball hoop needs to be replaced!"

The conversation between the two made the old man unable to hold his temper any longer. He turned around and glared at the two people who were talking, but what could he do?

Can it calm the storm on the field?
Every time Chen Fang made a hit, he would look towards the Vikings bench, and then he would simply stand in the corner, with his hands on his hips, watching other people perform.

Doug just stood there coldly, and Chen Fang suddenly said to him: "Hey, I know who you are. You are very famous."

Without waiting for Doug to speak, he said, "My friends all respect you, but may I ask, have you ever respected them?"

Without much explanation, Doug knew who the Chinese in front of him was talking about.

"Wu will prove you wrong. Today, I am only asking you for interest as his brother."

"Can't you see that they are being deliberately targeted and bullied by certain people in the team? I dare not compliment your management ability. This goes against your 20-year coaching record."

Having said that, Chen Fang felt that was enough.

He walked to his own half and said the last words to Doug: "I salute you with this defeat! Goodbye, Mr. Doug!"

Chen Fang ran back and shouted to the others: "Keep playing, brothers, let's go all out and set a record that has never been broken before."

At this moment, the scoreboard faithfully recorded the scores of the two teams.

115: 38.

The massacre is still going on, but the waves caused by this massacre, which is said to be the bloodiest high school basketball case in California in the past 50 years, were beyond the expectations of Chen Fang and others.

　Sorry, I'm out today. I set a scheduled release, but got the wrong time and it was tomorrow. I just realized it.

　　This is fine, two chapters with 12,000 words each, let’s read them together.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)