Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 209 Heading to Rome
It’s time for the annual guessing contest again.

Columbia Broadcasting System, one of the three major broadcasting television stations in the United States, is abbreviated as CBS.

Every year before the NCAA tournament begins, CBS makes some predictions about the initial four and final four, which are very suspenseful.

This time, Bill Raftery, a famous American college basketball analyst and commentator, will be the main guest, accompanied by Jim Nantz, and three famous guests will be invited, namely Bill Walton, Grant Hill and Clark Kellogg.

This is the most important appetizer before the NCAA tournament and the starting point for watching March Madness. Tens of millions of NCAA fans will be waiting in front of the TV on time.

As for the participating teams, all of them will watch it without exception.

Times, the USC Trojans, all in the big conference room, watching.

"Look at what interesting topics these guys have to say." Andy laughed loudly, attracting some light laughter in response.

Chen Fang sat in the second row, next to Ilya and Metu.

"I want to see how they evaluate us." Metu is very excited. This is his second season and it is also a year of good performance. With the help of Chen Fang, his average points per game has reached 10 points and 6 rebounds. As a sophomore, this is enough to make him and his family proud.

Elijah, as someone who has experienced it, warned: "Don't think too much. 68 teams, one hour of program time, what do you expect them to say? They only pick the big teams because the audience prefers to hear the favorites like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, and Kansas."

"Chen, what do you think?" Metu asked.

Chen Fang yawned. He was going to bed at this time. Damn it, why did they choose 9 o'clock in the evening? He was not in a good mood, so he answered listlessly: "It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter if they say it. We should do our best."

Andy heard what Chen Fang said and turned around: "What Chen said is absolutely right, but this will excite many people and paralyze some people. I hope they will devalue us to nothing, that would be the best."

Is this the secret attack on Chencang in the Thirty-Six Strategies?
Chen Fang found that the coach was quite insidious, but there was nothing he could do about it. The small wealthy family wanted to move forward and knew that keeping a low profile was the right thing to do.

The show has begun, and the big screen at the back has listed the 68 tournament teams. The director then switches the camera, allowing all 68 teams to appear in front of everyone at a glance.

"Damn, UCLA actually escaped death and sneaked in." Andy shouted. In fact, he had known it for a long time, but he just wanted to show it in this way to arouse the fighting spirit of his teammates.

"They can even get fourth place. It really makes me wonder what the votes did!" Tony was also shaking his head. USC has always hated UCLA the most. When he thought that this guy actually made it to the tournament, he had a feeling of not having completely eradicated the evil.

(In the previous life, USC was eliminated by UCLA in the quarterfinals, and entered the first semifinals as the fifth place, and then made it to the second round of the tournament, which can be called a dark horse. From this, we can also see the gold content of the Parker League. There are a total of 12 teams, 4 of which entered the tournament, 3 passed the second round, and the Ducks entered the final four.)
The scene returned to the studio, and the five people, who are the most familiar faces of the NCAA, began to talk.

Raftery first talked to his old friend Jim: "Jim, do you think there is any difference between this year and previous years?"

"A lot. If I have to elaborate, I think tactically, all teams are upgrading."

"which aspect?"

"The bad aspects." Jim had already prepared a plan, and he began to name names: "Duke slowed down their offense and defense, Kentucky's rotation has always remained at 7 players, and North Carolina did not recruit better players, so it simply fought a positional war. This year's championship may be ugly."

"This guy is absolutely right. We are doing the same thing." Andy muttered.

"The quality of this year's stars is a little lackluster. I didn't see many outstanding players. Compared to previous years, the dominance of FR freshmen is the weakest this year." Bill agreed with his partner's opinion.

Then, following the topic of the players, the topic was introduced to some wealthy clubs. Just as Elijah expected, the hot topics all revolved around traditional strong teams.

Chen Fang didn't feel anything as he listened to the names one by one. He was indeed feeling sleepy, but suddenly he heard a very clear voice calling him, and he immediately sat up.

Then, he found that many people were looking at him, and Andy turned around and patted him: "Listen, they are talking about you now."

Turning his eyes to the TV, Chen Fang found that old Walton was having a heated argument with Jim.

"NONONO, I don't deny that Chen is an excellent player, but man, you exaggerate his ability. Troy is a good team, but it is very difficult to go far."

"What do you mean by not bad? We are indeed very average, Jim. Don't worry about our friendship. Go ahead and belittle us. Try to fool as many people as you can." Andy grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"In my opinion, Troy is one of the best teams in this tournament. Their tactical execution, teamwork, and core role are all things that many teams cannot do."

"The Parker League has very strong teams. The fact that the Trojans won the league championship speaks volumes. I believe that USC will make it to the Final Four in this tournament."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Andy jumped up, spinning around in place, pulling at his already thin hair, and yelled at Tony, "Is this bastard trying to show off his wisdom?"

"Who knows?" Tony also sighed.

Praising USC in front of the whole country is undoubtedly a disaster. It is conceivable to what extent they will be burned by the spotlight next.

"Is it the original four? I don't think they are as you said. Just as you predict every year, you are slapped in the face every year. Well, Walton, your love for Chen has made you deviate from the right course." Jim joked. Fortunately, the old friend was there to put out the fire for them.

Old Walton decided to ignore this guy and looked at Hill.

"Hey, Grant, as a star player, you can tell me about Chen Fang."

Hill was prepared. He shrugged and said, "He's the type I admire. He has a good basketball IQ and excellent athletic ability. He is the axis of the Trojans. If you ignore him, many teams will suffer."

Andy stopped spinning, looked at Chen Fang, and smiled bitterly: "What you fear will come true."

Chen Fang didn't feel anything. Instead, he felt very surprised to be evaluated in this way by a former superstar.

No longer feeling sleepy, he pricked up his ears and stared at the TV.

"He has the ability to tackle tough shots, he also has the ability to connect the ball, and he is good at post-up play. I personally think that his draft stock should not be outside the top ten. His average statistics are firmly in the top five."

Hill then said: "USC was able to win the league championship because of Chen. I think it is meaningless to discuss whether he can go far. I value his development potential more."

"You're right, Hill really understands basketball!" Elijah cheered.

Chen Fang was a little embarrassed for the first time, but when he saw the ugly expression on head coach Andy's face, he suppressed his smile.

Clark quickly changed the subject. He began to talk about Tatum, Lonzo, Monk, Josh, Fox and other lottery players. This made Chen Fang feel a little disappointed, but after thinking about it, he felt satisfied. He should be satisfied to be able to make a name for himself in the United States.

It was time for the final interview.

Traditional powerhouses such as North Carolina, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Duke, Villanova, Kansas, Michigan, Louisville, Purdue, and South Carolina were voted one by one by the five people.

Finally, the teams that made it to the Elite Eight in the Eastern Conference were Duke and Villanova; and in the Midwest, they were Kansas and Michigan.

In the West, there are Gonzaga and Notre Dame; in the South, the least controversial are North Carolina and Kentucky.

Andy stood up in surprise, and then burst into laughter.

"Our fault."

Many people still don’t know why the head coach laughed like that, but Chen Fang was the first to understand.

Because USC eliminated UCLA, the Ducks, and Arizona, its strength was underestimated. Not a single team from the Parker League was selected for the national top eight.

"Well, although the process was a bit bumpy, the result is good. Tomorrow we will do the final pre-match review and then rush to Utah." Andy seemed very happy. He was not only happy because the whole United States looked down on them, which gave them the opportunity to go further, but also because he was discrediting other people in his alliance.

"I believe they are thanking me right now!" Andy said happily, and then he sneezed several times in succession.

This made Chen Fang unable to hold back, he sat on the chair, looked up and laughed out loud, the other team members didn't understand why, the clever ones quickly followed suit, and finally the whole meeting room was filled with laughter. ※※※

"When a high draft pick faces a low draft pick, what is the first principle?" The next morning, an energetic Andy loudly asked his players in the team meeting room.

Several people raised their hands in succession but he was not satisfied, so he looked at Chen Fang.

Chen Fang said: "High ranking guarantees the lower limit, low ranking aims at the upper limit."

Andy's eyes lit up: "Your vocabulary is more essential than I thought, and the summary is very accurate."

"Yes, we have to ensure our bottom line. How do we do that? We have to be steady and use our normal strength to defeat our opponents."

"Players with low draft picks will try every possible way to improve, to get their ceiling as close to their opponents as possible, and to find a way to win in the impossible."

"The North Dakona Warhawks performed well this year and won the league championship. As the No. 15 player, they almost made it to the semifinals. I don't think they are that strong. Maybe they would have a hard time getting into the top eight in our league, so this round is a benefit for us."

"Come on, let's get to know our opponent."

“康纳#32、德里克#43、科里#1、吉诺#0、昆顿#21。”

"These are their starting lineups. The scorers are Derek and Quinton. They are the inside and outside fulcrums. As a senior point guard, Quinton has a lot of experience, but this is his first year participating in the tournament, so he is also a novice."

"His three-point shooting percentages were 25%, 33%, 38% and 44% respectively."

"This year, his three-point shooting percentage is 44%, which is a statistic we should be wary of. His three-point attempts are also 6 per game. I need someone who can stay focused at all times to keep an eye on him."

McLaughlin raised his hand: "Sir, I won't be distracted for one second. I promise."

"Okay, remember what you said. A man should remember every word that comes out of his mouth." The handover task was completed, and Andy proceeded to the next task.

"Derrick is a big man who can only shoot hook shots and eat cakes. He doesn't have a strong desire to attack actively, averaging 5.4 attempts per game. He only averages 7 points per game, but his rebounds are guaranteed to be 6, and he has 1.3 frontcourt shots."

"Nick, Metu, Benny, if I see him grab an offensive rebound over you, prepare to receive my vicious trash talk." Andy stared at the three men viciously.

"Understand sir, I won't give you the chance to scold me." Benny was the first to answer.

"Corey, their small forward, plays very smartly, can run without the ball, can cut, he is a very strong functional player, and half of the credit for reaching the championship lies with him."

“At the same time, he is second on the team in three-point attempts, 5.5, and needs someone with a wide range of movement to follow him.”

He looked at Elijah.

"Yes, this is my job." Elijah perked up and applied for it.

"No, let Shaqquin go with you." Andy said, "They have three strong points, and the others have no characteristics. They are not even as good as our second team."

"Come on, give the No. 15 seed a clear understanding." After Andy assigned the tasks, he started the next step.

"Next, it's our offensive strategy."

"This time, I plan to expose some weaknesses and switch with the opponent."

"The opponent lacks a point of support for transition. They still play a very traditional follow-up game with no rhythm to speak of. We play at a normal rhythm, which is not only a way to ensure our bottom line, but also a strategy to paralyze the opponent."

"Chen, control the tempo, trust that the other team will have tight defense against you, and make reasonable choices under the protection of your teammates."

"understand!"

"From now on, I will adopt a 13-man rotation. Everyone needs to make contributions. The main players' playing time will be set within 25 minutes according to the score. All the rotation players must get into the game rhythm faster. The first game is my test of you. Your playing time will depend on the first match against the Warhawks."

"Do you understand what I said?"

The coach's response was a group of people roaring.

Using playing time as a reward not only brings trust and morale, but also more abundant subsequent combat power.

If you want to go further, you need more physical strength.

After the meeting, Andy and Tony returned to the office. Tony was a little worried: "Will there be any risks in one production?"

"But opportunities also exist. If we have to fight hard against the 15th seed, how many games can we fight for?"

"What is our purpose? Don't you know, man?"

"The final four is our best chance to break the record."

The USC Trojans' best record in NCAA men's basketball is reaching the Elite Eight, a feat they achieved twice in 2001 and 2007.

So Andy and the coaching team, as well as the school, all hope to reach the semi-finals as the best outcome of this tournament.

As for the championship, no one dared to think about it.

This is not a matter of courage or lack of courage. This saying is widely circulated in the NCAA coaching circle.

What is meant to come will come, and what is not meant to come will not come, otherwise bad luck will befall you.

There is one more sentence to assist.

Do things to the limit of your ability, strive for the most desired possibility, fight endlessly, and honor will last forever.

Every NCAA coach keeps these two sentences in mind and incorporates them into their code of conduct as their motto.

On the morning of the second day, the entire USC turned into a sea of red. Forty-six thousand students came to the South Gate to see off the Trojans.

"Trojans!" Students kept shouting the team's name, and the sound waves shook over the campus, even evening out the morning glow in the sky.

Sitting on the bus, feeling the thunderous cheers, Chen Fang closed his eyes and savored this exciting moment.

"I really want to hear how shocking it would be if 40,000 people in the stadium cheered for us as Trojans." Chen Fang suddenly said to Elijah beside him.

Elijah's eyes widened, then he nodded desperately: "Yes, we will, we can do it."

"Yes, brother, let's go crazy this time." Chen Fang stretched out his hand, and the two of them held it tightly.

I don't know who started humming first, but soon the whole team followed along, the song of fight on, everyone sang loudly with their necks stretched. The team reporter Marshall took a picture of this scene and uploaded it to the official website immediately.

He wrote the title: "To Rome"

　There's nothing much to say. After thinking about it, the Chinese New Year is coming soon, so I'll wish you a happy new year first! Hehe!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)