Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 210: Stunning skills, shocking the whole United States
"UCLA is in the East, the Ducks are in the Midwest, the Wildcats are in the South, and we are in the West."

"Guys, let's see who falls behind first!" Andy was in high spirits. He stood in the center of the Utah Jazz's home locker room and spoke loudly to the players.

This is the Vivent Arena Center, later renamed Delta Center. It will be the main arena for the Western Conference in March Madness.

Every year the competition for the main stadium is fierce because in the United States, the income from stadium operations far exceeds that of other investment industries. As the saying goes, the biggest part of investing in the sports industry is obtaining the right to operate the stadium.

Vivent Arena has just completed an upgrade with a larger LED screen, more green energy transmission, and more comfortable seats, making it the winner of this main tournament.

It is located west of downtown Salt Lake City, approximately 15 minutes from the Salt Lake City International Airport, just two blocks from the Salt Palace Convention Center, and within walking distance of hotels, restaurants, and Temple Square.

Today, 20,000 fans poured into the arena, with Trojan fans accounting for more than 60%. The red wave surged and roared in the south and west, and the loud singing continued to suppress the Warhawks fans.

The Green Warhawks fans, dressed in the traditional school colors, were not to be outdone, as they continued to sing the Eagle Song in praise of the team, with green flags flying over the arena.

There were about fifty media outlets that came to the scene to watch this game. This was the opening game of March Madness and no one would miss it.

(Interior photo of Vivint Arena, home of the Utah Jazz)
Old friends from the NCAA, Vitale and Jim, commented on the game for the whole country, and Hill, as a special guest, sat in the middle. Perhaps because he praised Chen Fang on the show, he was also surprised and did his homework a day in advance.

The more he learned, the more surprised and interested he became about Chen Fang, just like when he was answering Jim's questions now.

"Yes, that's right. The highlight today is FR freshman Chen Fang. As this is his first time participating in March Madness, whether he will be affected by the strong competition pressure is a suspense."

"But I believe he won't perform badly. I've watched many of his games. In the past two years, he has not failed in any crucial games."

"Well, I'm sure the Warhawks will pay special attention to him, how many points will meet the criteria?" Jim asked Vitale.

The old man said without hesitation: "More than 15 points."

"It's pretty much what I expected, Hill. Do you have any objections?"

"I think it will be 20 points, or even more." Hill smiled. He is one of the people in the circle who is most familiar with Chen Fang. He knows that this Chinese man has a strong scoring ability.

As they were talking, it was already time for the players from both teams to take the court.

The games in March Madness are all held in neutral stadiums, so both teams treat the games as at home. The Warhawks' appearance was very distinctive, with the mascot, a green-headed eagle doll, rushing out first, followed by a group of rotation players, then the main players came out one by one, and finally the team leader, Quinton.

Quinton Hooker is 1 meters tall and weighs 83 kilograms. His bald head makes him look extremely capable. He stands in the middle of the court, puts his hands on his hips and spreads them out like wings, and then all the Warhawks fans start shouting slogans.

"Fly! Fly! Fly!"

After the war eagle, the Trojans appeared.

This time, they modified the entrance ceremony. There were 52 backbone members of the Fan Knights, all of whom had experience in theater performances. They wore armor and weapons from the Roman era, formed a standard Roman policy, and were led by someone holding an eagle flag. With an incomparably solemn and dignified momentum, they slowly walked out of the player tunnel and finally came to the center of the stadium.

The entire stadium went dark, with only the court lit up in white.

As the 5*10 square slowly unfolded and occupied almost half of the field, the person standing next to the flag officer took a step forward, facing the south stands, and began to chant loudly in Latin.

This is an ancient ceremony for the Roman legions to go to war, which includes divination, sacrifice to the gods, and oath.

It has been simplified here, but the sense of ceremony is still very strong, which immediately reflects the rich history of the USC team.

Afterwards, the players came out in the order of substitutes, main players and core players. They came to the center of the field, and the legions formed Rome's best phalanx, defending in a square and leaving the middle area empty.

Finally, Chen Fang strode out of the passage alone. He came to the front of the entire square, the flag officer and the priest, accepted the priest's blessing, and took the eagle flag under the watchful eyes of the crowd. He turned to face the entire south stand, raised the flag with one arm, and shouted with all his strength: "Trojans!"

In response to him, there was a thunderous roar: "WIN!"

Duan Ran and Yang Yi, who witnessed the entire ceremony, could not control their high emotions. Duan Ran said with deep emotion: "This is the real college basketball, which makes every student love their alma mater and the team no matter how many years have passed."

Yang Yi felt numb. It was his first time to commentate on March Madness, and everything about it seemed new and shocking to him.

From the pre-game preparations and specifications to the on-site scenes and atmosphere, these specifications that exceeded those of the NBA made him deeply understand why the NCAA tournament is called March Madness.

At the same time, they felt very proud to be Chinese. When they saw Chen Fang raising the eagle flag and shouting slogans, they felt the same way.

After the ceremony, the Roman legions retreated like a tide. Chen Fang fist-bumped with the others and responded, "Thank you."

"You deserve it!" This person was none other than Velen, whom Chen Fang met in front of the Trojan statue when he first came to campus.

The entire ceremony was an idea that was planned overnight by the Knights of Velen, and it transplanted the opening ceremony of the rugby team. It was also a short rehearsal that the whole team completed before the game.

As the chief director, Wei Lun made great contributions, so there was this fist bump and expression of thanks.

Calming down his thoughts, Chen Fang came to the bench. At this moment, the lights in the entire stadium were turned on again, and it was as bright as day inside.

Andy began to make final arrangements before the game.

"Relax, this scene is nothing, there will be bigger ones later."

"Do you want to see it?"

"miss you!"

"Then win and we'll go watch together!" Andy waved his fist vigorously.

This is the pre-match chicken blood. Without a bowl of it, people will not feel at ease.

USC's starting lineup for this game: Chen Fang, Nick, Elijah, Shaqquin, and McLaughlin.

This is an offensive and defensive tactic with three forwards, one defender and one center. Only Andy would be so willful because he has three good forwards.

When the ball was thrown into the air, the Trojans followed the instructions of head coach Andy and launched a fierce attack at the start.

"To fight against each other, dig a hole first and let the war eagle fall into it!"

As soon as Chen Fang crossed the half court, he was hidden by two people. He tried to go to the other side and encountered the same situation. He knew what was going on without the head coach reminding him.

A pocket package exclusively for the four stars.

Andy had reminded us of this tactic before the game. Mediocre teams often use this to restrict the opponent's star players.

Hence the name: Star Pocket.

The characteristic of this tactic is that no matter where Chen Fang goes, at least one of the nearest defenders will turn to defend him. Chen Fang has experienced this tactic before, but after trying it later, he discovered the difference of the War Eagle.

Generally speaking, one person is responsible for defense and the other is responsible for assisting defense.

But the Warhawks used two people to double-team, resulting in a situation where the other three people defended four people, but the opponent's rotation was good and they could withdraw the double-teamers to fill the position at any time.

If his teammates don't have the ability to break through and connect, he will be greatly restricted.

This is the strategy of Warhawks head coach Raymond So. He knows that restricting Chen Fang would destroy half of the Trojans' offensive power.

But Chen Fang is not so easy to restrict. He has to prove himself under the nationwide live broadcast and with countless people watching.

He began to move towards the bottom corner. Going to the bottom corner was a desperate situation under this tactic, but it was also an option with unlimited vitality.

McLaughlin moved the ball to the wing on this side, forming the strong side.

Shaqquin came to the bottom corner, Chen Fang went to meet him, the two passed each other, then Chen Fang passed the ball to McLaughlin. At this time, the Warhawks' defense had a loophole.

During the rotation, Shaqquin had a brief open space, while McLaughlin was setting a pick-and-roll for Chen Fang.

After getting the ball, Chen Fang cut straight into the three-point line. Two Warhawks immediately doubled him, but Chen Fang only dribbled the ball once and made a bottom pass to Shaqquin who was running towards the basket.

For Shaqquin, who is 196cm tall, his impact ensures that he can cause damage as long as there is space in the paint.

He caught the ball, took a step, rushed up, faced the center who was in the replacement position, and scored the Trojans' first point with a two-handed dunk.

"Chen Fang's deadly pass is his strength. Double-teaming is effective on ordinary people, but if you double-team someone with a broad vision and outstanding passing ability, you are undoubtedly giving away points." Yang Yi loudly praised Chen Fang's first assist.

The whole team retreated quickly. On the defensive side, Andy thought that the opponent did not have strong offensive attributes, so he arranged a conventional defense and waited for the opponent to attack.

Corey's flexible movement made Shaq Quinn lose his direction, but Elijah immediately filled in, but he also lost Gino's defense. Under the cover of center Derek, Quinn briefly got rid of McLaughlin's defense. His ball-holding pressure forced Chen Fang to rotate and fill in, and he made a side pass to Gino on the wing.

The latter took a three-pointer without any defense.

The basket rejected him, and amid the sighs of the War Eagles fans, Nick grabbed the rebound and McLaughlin went to receive the ball, while he heard Chen Fang's instructions.

"Don't lose your position, stick to your man, don't rotate, let Nick guard the rim."

This is also what Andy meant before the game. If the opponent's cover quality is poor, then we will rotate to make up for it. If it is good, we will use man-to-man marking in the same area, and everything will be coordinated by Chen Fang.

McLaughlin raised his hand to show that he heard it. He dribbled the ball across half court and was tackled by Quinton, but the two were the same height, and there was no difference in speed or experience. On the contrary, McLaughlin was better.

(In 17, Quinton tried out for the Rockets but was not selected, while in 18, Mike successfully became a second-round pick.)
He accelerated and ran diagonally, and successfully crossed the half court despite being blocked by Chen Fang in the center circle.

He immediately passed the ball to Chen Fang. Chen Fang took a step forward and saw that his teammates had not yet completed their positioning, so he passed the ball back to McLaughlin.

The two stood on the left and right sides of the arc. When they saw Nick coming up and Elijah going down, McLaughlin, who had the ball, realized that the tactic was about to begin.

He first dribbled slowly towards Quinton, then made a cross step and changed direction to the left wing.

At this time, Nick had already set an off-ball screen to help Chen Fang get rid of the defense. Chen Fang ran to the free throw line, then cut to the left wing to set a second pick-and-roll for McLaughlin.

But this was a fake screen, intended to deceive the opponent's rotation and help defense. Sure enough, Quinton took the initiative to step forward and make a squeeze screen in advance, and Corey, who came over, also gave up Chen Fang and made an early high-pressure block to McLaughlin's upward route.

At this critical moment, McLaughlin jumped up and passed a half-high ball to Chen Fang.

Chen Fang had his back to the basket and facing McLaughlin. When he saw the ball coming, he turned sideways before catching it. As soon as the ball touched his hand, he had already turned to face the basket.

The view also captured the running position of teammates on the weak side at the first time. Nick, who had just finished an off-ball screen, moved forward to the inside at high speed, while the opponent's center Derek had already come out because of Chen Fang.

Chen Fang made a passing gesture, and Nick also stretched out his hands towards Chen Fang.

The whole rhythm was kept moving, which made Gino, who was helping on the weak side, immediately give up his defensive target Elijah and go to the basket to cover Nick's point.

Elijah also has a move following Gino to the basketball, which is more like a rebounding move.

But Chen Fang predicted everyone's actions. He did not pass the ball, but dribbled the ball towards the penalty area, and then made a sideways pass without looking at anyone, giving the ball to Elijah who suddenly stopped halfway through his run.

Elijah took the ball and made a mid-range shot. This jump shot, which was only 3 meters away from the basket, was his specialty.

Yes, Elijah is a classic small forward who is very good at mid-range shots.

Especially his skills in catching the ball and jumping shot, even Chen Fang was learning from him.

Any player who can play as a starter in the NCAA must have a unique skill.

Seeing Chen Fang toyed with the entire Warhawks defense and planned offense, Hill directly praised: "Excellent reading ability, Chen's support and connection ability are extremely outstanding." "He toyed with the entire Warhawks' defensive system by himself, and made beautiful passes." Jim also boasted.

On the other side, although the Chinese commentators were only assigned to a position with the most remote viewing angle, it did not prevent them from watching the goal from a more unique perspective.

"Excellent overall tactical strength and USC's tactical qualities are fully demonstrated in this teamwork." Duan Ran immediately saw the details. Five people participated in this attack, and everyone was mobilizing the defense. Chen Fang was the dealer in the entire tactic.

"Not only that, Chen Fang is also the relay point for the entire team's defense." Yang Yi still has some vision, and his supplement was immediately verified.

Afterwards, the Warhawks quickly switched from offense to defense. Corey was very fast and pulled apart the Trojans' defense, causing a disconnect between the front and back courts. When Corey received a pass from Quinton who was running down the other side with the ball, he leaped up with big strides and held the basketball high for a layup, Chen Fang finally arrived from the middle.

It took him less than three seconds, which was a two-thirds sprint of the full court. When he saw the opponent jump up, he jumped up too, and with his faster jumping speed, he caught up with Corey in the air. He slapped the basketball that he had just picked up and had not yet touched the backboard, and pressed it hard on the backboard with one hand.

"Oh!!!"

The whole audience burst into exclamations, and countless people couldn't help but stand up. As early as the moment Chen Fang sprinted back to defense, some Troy fans began to sense what was going to happen.

So when we saw the result, exclamations turned into cheers in a flash.

Amid the tsunami of cheers, Chen Fang grabbed the ball with one hand. Without being distracted, he quickly turned around and looked toward the front court, then used his big hand to make a super long pass like a football.

And Shaq Quinn, transformed into a quarterback, chased the flying basketball towards the front court.

When the basketball fell, he just ran to the ground, caught the ball and made a layup in one go.

"Perfect, incredible offense and defense, one that is worthy of being selected into the top five today, Chen...Fang!" Vitale shouted. This was what he came to do. His passionate voice was also transmitted through the microphone to the homes of countless fans who were watching the game.

Troy Square at USC is located in the heart of the campus and is an iconic location on the USC campus.

Troy Square is not only an important place for students to socialize and hold activities, but also the location for various activities and gatherings on campus. At this moment, it is crowded with people. A huge LED screen is broadcasting live images of the game. Countless students in the audience are jumping wildly and waving red towels in their hands, turning the campus into a hot red ocean.
"It's so handsome!" Yang Yi looked back at the scene and praised sincerely.

Chen Fang was welcoming the enthusiastic chest bumps and high-fives from his teammates. Three minutes into the game, led by the core player Chen Fang, the USC Trojans were in perfect form.

With a 6:0 start, the offense and defense completely crushed the University of North Dakota Warhawks.

Even the more than 50 media outlets on the scene immediately felt that the suspense of the event was quickly disappearing.

Afterwards, the Trojans, who were fully in the game, suppressed their opponents on both offense and defense. The game lasted until the sixth minute, when the Warhawks scored their first point through a three-pointer from Corey.

At this time, the score was already 16:3.

The green grass in the north is withering, and the Warhawks fans who feel the chill in the wind are also waking up.

"The Trojans are so strong. I feel like they are even stronger than Kentucky in terms of tactical execution."

“Chen Fang’s score is not high, but it is very comprehensive.”

"6 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block. All five starters scored. This overall strength is terrifying." Yang Yi was reporting the statistics. This is the basic job of a commentator, both at home and abroad. You have to deepen the audience's impression. Moreover, many fans may have just turned on the TV to watch the game. (Reminded me of someone's classic accent in the black-and-white TV era.)
Andy is also making substitutions. He doesn't plan to let the main players play for too long. As he said before the game, he needs to look to the future.

Chen Fang was substituted in the tenth minute. He was sweating slightly, and he felt that the intensity of the game was not as high as that of the league's playoffs.

Andy patted him on the back and said nothing, because Chen Fang was so good that no words were needed.

Soon, Elijah was also substituted, followed by Shaqquin and Nick. On the court, Andy let McLaughlin control the situation.

Backup center Harrison Henderson, backup small forward De'Anthony Melton, and shooting guard Devin Fleming, these sophomores who just came from the second team to the first team, all got playing time in March Madness.

This is undoubtedly a valuable asset in life. With their positive attitude, under the control of the experienced McLaughlin, they fought back and forth with the main players of the War Eagles.

Andy also took the opportunity to come over and said to Chen Fang: "Pay more attention to the status of the substitute players. Everything needs to be controlled by you."

"Understood, coach. I've been paying attention." Chen Fang knew very well that all 13 players on the team needed him to control the rhythm. He had to make the most of every single player's strength. This was what Andy meant by that.

When the first half ended, the Warhawks recovered the score to 42:23.

The 19-point gap made the North Dakotans look pale. The greatest psychological pressure was that the Trojans' main players had rested for more than ten minutes, plus the halftime time, so in the second half they would face a starter who had fully recovered their strength.

As for themselves, the main players did not play for even a minute in order to catch up.

Want to give up?

No, Warhawk doesn't give up so easily.

Throughout the halftime, Raymond So was frantically encouraging the players. He arranged even crazier tactics, preparing to use countless fouls and man-to-man marking to fight the decisive battle in the second half.

The second half arrived as expected. As soon as Chen Fang came on the court, he received a warm hug from the opponent. At the moment before he received the ball, he was wrestled down by Gino.

Both men fell to the ground. Chen Fang struggled to break free from the other's hand that was still clamped on his arm. He was mentally prepared for this. This might happen if one side fell behind. It was an elimination match. If he couldn't get through today, who would care about the next one?

Climbing up, Chen Fang warned Gino: "Hey, if you do this again, I will make you regret it very much."

At the same time, the referee also gave the opponent a personal foul.

Chen Fang made the free throw and then stood on the sideline waiting for the sideline ball. He wanted to give the opponent a stern warning.

Gino stretched out his hand to interfere, but Chen Fang blocked it with his leg. He was very relaxed, so Gino didn't use his full strength. But when he caught the ball, Chen Fang took advantage of the situation and exerted force. Chen Fang was very skilled in this technique. At the moment of catching the ball, he made sure that his force was in a legal position by moving. He didn't lower his shoulders, but pressed his entire back against the opponent's chest. The huge force made the black brother immediately fall backwards and sit on the ground.

Without hearing the whistle, Chen Fang continued his action. He was holding the ball with no one defending him. Faced with the opportunity to shoot a three-pointer, Chen Fang refused without hesitation.

He first gave a hint to Nick outside with his eyes, and Nick used his big body to block a route to the penalty area for him. Chen Fang took a step forward and rushed in brazenly.

He was extremely fast, and he was one with the ball. He only dribbled twice, changing direction each time. He first dribbled in and out to freeze Derek, then cut past him, grabbed the ball with one hand, and took a fierce up and down step forward. Facing Corey and Connor who were coming from the side, one was a small forward and the other was a big forward. The two of them blocked out the sky and double-teamed him from both sides with murderous looks on their faces.

But Chen Fang was already determined to kill, and he would not put away his knife until he saw blood. Feeling the black shadow coming towards him through the corner of his eye, he kicked higher instead.

So, amidst the wide-open eyes of 20,000 people and the exclamations of the commentator, Chen Fang leaped into the sky.

In order to jump higher, Chen Fang gave up the strength of rushing forward and focused more on the height. The moment he raised his right arm high, his eyes were already level with the basket, and Corey and Connor were right under his nose.

An incomparable pleasure burst out instantly, and the desire to step on someone underfoot was flowing wildly.

"scold!"

As Chen Fang roared, he smashed it down hard again.

The basketball rolled over the two black and white hands as effortlessly as a bulldozer rolling over the weeds on the road, until his fingers grabbed the cold basket and Chen Fang felt the reality.

He pulled hard to break the inertia and then jumped down.

When he landed, he didn't say a word. He just stood face to face with Corey who was leaning against the basketball hoop, staring at him with cold eyes. He didn't turn his head away until the other party turned away. Then he turned and walked out.

It was just a second, but to Corey, it felt like minutes.

As for the fans and everyone in the stadium, they were still immersed in the explosive performance brought by Chen Fang. Even Vitale, who was always knowledgeable, did not speak for a long time.

After a long pause, he managed to utter a few words: "Windmill dunk? Oh, God, what did I see?"

Hill kept shaking his head. He watched the slow-motion replay and began to lean back.

"I can never dunk in my life. I can't imagine how he did it."

"Oh my God, he jumped onto the basket?" The camera switched to a position parallel to the backboard, so everyone saw that Chen Fang's forehead was slightly higher than the basket. But when they saw Chen Fang fiercely crush the palms of the two people who were blocking him with the basketball, their bodies immediately secreted dopamine crazily.

Get as high as you want. Americans, who have always had experience with drug use, immediately find a similar feeling and become numb.

"Dunking over two people, Chen Fang, it's amazing! How did you do that?" Yang Yi and Duan Ran both stood up and shouted.

"In such an important occasion, in a game watched by hundreds of millions of people, Chen Fang used a dunk that was unprecedented and will never be repeated to tell the world that my talent is unquestionable!" Yang Yi shouted in absolute terms.

No one paid any attention to him because all the Trojans were yelling.

"Achilles! Achilles!" In the hearts of the Trojans, Achilles is the god of war and the undisputed number one fighting force in Greek mythology. They use such shouts to express their recognition and love for Chen Fang.

The game continued, Chen held the ball at the top of the arc and shot his first three-pointer in front of Gino.

"I will continue to throw. This is the result of your provocation. Come on, I will take it." Chen Fang shouted to Gino as he backed away.

He always does what he says. In the next round, he ran to the bottom corner without the ball and made his second three-pointer, bringing his score to 21 points.

"He did it, and with ten minutes left, he's got 21!" Hill yelled.

"It's so efficient. I don't even need to look at the data to know it clearly."

Andy decided to stop while he was ahead. He replaced Chen Fang, went up to hug him, and whispered to him: "You are too excited."

"Yes, thank you for letting me come down." Chen Fang also sobered up a little.

Before the game, Chen Fang had a brief secret communication with head coach Andy. He said that if he was too excited, the coach would need to replace him depending on the situation. Although Andy was not quite sure the reason, he still did it.

Sitting on the bench, Chen Fang took the drink handed to him by his teammate and panted heavily.

He didn't want to get too excited because there were stronger opponents waiting for him.

Looking towards the court, Chen Fang watched his teammates' performance with a serious expression. This scene was frozen.

His profile is clearly defined and as delicate as a sculpture.

His tall nose bridge is straight and powerful, showing his strong will and indomitable spirit.

His eyes were bright, his thin lips were tightly pursed with firm lines, his chin was strong and tough, and his entire face seemed to be made of steel, giving people a feeling of being indestructible.

The light shone on the side of his face, outlining a series of firm shadows and adding a bit of masculinity.

This side profile picture exudes a fearless and determined temperament that moves forward courageously, which is very moving.

Chen Fang's windmill dunk during the game was like a fuel, making his name famous throughout the United States.

In March Madness, countless new heroes and new moments will be born.

The first prize on the first day was undoubtedly Chen Fang, who dominated the sports media.

He ignited the entire social network, and countless media used this profile photo as their cover. And Chen Fang's name finally spread rapidly across the United States and even the world on the first day of March Madness.

In China, Chen Fang's name is already a household name. Even CCTV's noon news reported that USC had entered the second round of March Madness.

At this moment, Chen Fang has truly entered the public eye, and more and more people have begun to pay attention to him, talk about him, and predict his future.

And as he said in an interview after the game: "I will do my best to provide sufficient motivation for Troy to move forward."

(End of this chapter)