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Chapter 32. Who is the number one center?

After playing an away game, they suddenly became the focus of attention, with interviews every day... The Husky players were not surprised at all, nor did they feel uncomfortable.

Their game against the Amazings on Friday garnered the most attention of any matchup in the Big East Conference and had a significant impact throughout college basketball.

像上赛季，前17轮比赛他们4胜13负、惊叹队14胜3负联盟第一，他们的赛区阶段收官战，在赛季最后1天刷新了大东联盟当季收视率纪录。

They and the Amazing Team are like the Big East's own 'Duke vs. North Carolina', or, if you look at the rivalry alone, the Celtics vs. the Lakers.

It's just that this time, with the help of the media, its influence and attention have become even greater.

Yi Shui and his teammates were very high-profile in the interview, boasting that they would crush so-and-so on the other side, because the other side also named names.

Thabeet is indeed tongue-tied, unable to utter a single word when faced with Hippet, who always attacks opponents with insulting language. But that's okay, he has a teammate, number 13, who wishes to remain anonymous.

"Hibbert is widely recognized as the best center in the league? Who recognizes that?"
Who did he beat to become the best center? Oden? Oh, he lost to Oden, or Noah? No, I think he lost to him too... I get it, you mean he has the most years of playing time at Hibbert University among centers, then I agree, after all, he was a senior.

But in terms of pure skill, it's hard to say who the best center in the US is.

Hearing Yi Shui's support, Thabeet didn't respond, but after the interview, he secretly chuckled several times in a corner where no one was watching, and his training became even more energetic.

The players from both teams exchanged barbs, drawing continued attention, but what truly propelled the hype to its peak was Calhoun…

"Nobody knows better than me how to deal with a dominant center! I have 24 ways to crush Georgetown!"

When Yi Shui, who was watching the interview from the sidelines, heard the head coach say this, an image of a blond old man popped into his mind... and his daughter with a very magnanimous heart.

These remarks by Trump can be described as extremely arrogant, yet they have gone unchallenged.

Since Calhoun became the Husky's head coach in 1986, the Husky and the Amazings have faced each other a total of 32 times. In some years when there were many teams in the Big East League, they faced each other once a year, and in some years when there were few teams, they faced each other twice a year. The Husky has a record of 24 wins and 8 losses. The Husky lost 3 of those games, and those were when Calhoun first took over the team and had nothing. Since the 1989-90 season, the Husky has only lost to the Amazings 5 ​​times.

The two most classic seasons were the 90-91 season, when the Husky team had just risen to prominence and had a winning percentage of only about 50%. Facing the Big East League powerhouse Amazing, who had a junior Mourning and a senior Mutombo, they crushed the two super towers.

另一个是上赛季收官战，4胜13负的哈士奇队以52比47爆冷干掉了13胜4负联盟第一的惊叹队。

Before leading the Huskies to their 'golden decade,' Calhoun was known for his errands—he didn't do anything productive, only thinking about Georgetown; he was nicknamed "Giant Killer."

Both John Thompson and his son, the father-son coaching duo behind the Amazings, chose to avoid the topic, but center Roy Hibbert, who was once again 'named', was unhappy.

"Calhoun was just lucky to win two championships. I'll tell them that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the true king of the Big East, and I'll kick them into the trash heap!"

Calhoun did not respond to this, but instead focused on extra defensive training with the forwards and Yi Shui.

Yi Shui had been training with Clark before and hadn't paid attention. Now he realized that apart from practicing free throws and defensive footwork with Clark, Thabeet was mostly trained by the head coach himself.

During his training with Calhoun, he discovered that the head coach is just as good as the top trainer when it comes to developing interior players!

It's not surprising, considering they've focused on developing big centers for so many years...

...

December 7th, Friday, marks the last match day of the first half of the Big East League regional stage.

After several days of excitement, the Husky team is finally about to have its moment in the spotlight.

In North America, NCAA basketball games not only attract more attention than the NBA during the playoffs, but also during the regular season, popular matchups receive just as much attention as popular NBA matchups.

In recent years, more and more teams have joined the Big East Conference. This league is no longer just a 'Northeast region event'. Many universities from the Midwest and South have joined, and its influence is growing. There are rumors that the organizers have applied to change the regional name 'Big East' to 'American Athletic'.

With the increasing number of teams, the Huskies and the Amazings have only faced each other once in the last three seasons, and this season is no exception. Therefore, the level of attention is higher than in the years at the turn of the century. In addition, the Huskies' rise against all odds, being selected for the cover of the Associated Press special issue, being hyped up by the New York Times, and the heavy media hype in recent days have made tonight's game between the two teams the most exciting matchup since the start of the NCAA season, with the NBA being completely overshadowed.

Not only media and fans were paying attention to the game, but by evening, scouts and management personnel from multiple NBA teams, as well as a large number of agents, also came to Harry Gamper Arena.

Most of these people weren't really interested in tonight's game itself; they were mainly there to see the players—'first-rate center' Hibbert, Thabeet who averaged 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks per game in his sophomore year… and the prodigal son, Brook.

Among the management and agents present tonight, the three players they were most concerned about were Hibbert, Thabeet, and Yi Shui. Hibbert was ranked last, Thabeet was ranked second, and Yi Shui was the number one focus for most people.

当然，还有其他球员也在他们的观察名单内，哈士奇队的亚德、普莱斯、罗宾逊、戴森，惊叹队的小帕特里克-尤因、05级全美第19名高中生杰伊-萨普、06级全美第16名高中生沃农-麦克林、07级全美第14名高中生奥斯汀弗里曼……

However, not all management teams are so purposeful, such as those in neighboring New York.

After 6:30, the players from both teams entered the field. James Dolan saw the iconic yellow, white and black trio of the Huskies walking out of the home team's player tunnel, his eyes fixed on Yi Shui in the center, and said to the newly arrived team executive president: "Donnie, Brook's image and temperament are still so outstanding. No wonder so many girls are lining up to get into his bed. Any team that has him will definitely get more female fans."

Donnie Walsh's lips twitched as he replied, "Brook's appearance is exceptionally outstanding, unlike Yi Jianlian from Milwaukee, who is only good-looking among Asian players. His more sculpted features are also very popular in our country... However, this may not be a good thing for his basketball career. He wasted that year because of this..."

Dolan interrupted, "Hey, Donnie, what's going on? Brook seems to be about the same height as that white forward who can fly... his name is Yad, right? I remember Brook is a short shooting guard, right?"

Donnie Walsh replied, "I noticed that before. I had someone investigate at Cornell. Calhoun took him for pituitary and epiphyseal plate examinations, and no pathological changes were found. It's just that his epiphyseal plates haven't closed, which is normal development. I speculate that he didn't continue to grow taller before because he was surrounded by women. Otherwise, he might have grown taller and more outstanding..."

Dolan rolled his eyes at the CEO and said, "Donnie, if you keep this up, you might as well go back to New York! Just watch the game! Don't mix work into it, and enjoy the match!"

"..."

This is why Isaiah Thomas ruined the team when Scott Layden (who became the Knicks' general manager in the early 90s and was instrumental in leading the team to the Finals twice, and whose 03 trade for Marbury from the Suns was another brilliant move) laid such a good foundation for the team.
You really just 'enjoy basketball', right?
Donnie Walsh: How could I have been so blinded by money to come work here? This boss is so unreliable, but what can I do? He's offering too much—3000 million over 5 years! I'm set for life…

He strongly suspects that Dolan is throwing money at him as revenge for helping the Pacers draft Reggie Miller in the 1980s.

Yi Shui, who spends his days in the classroom and training ground, only reads news that interests him, is completely unaware that he had already attracted the attention of NBA teams after his 'comeback debut' where he dominated Joe Alexander with 8 blocks in a single game, and he also didn't notice that so many NBA-related people came to watch him tonight.

His attention is now focused on the screen in front of him. Just now, as he stepped out of the player tunnel with his left foot, he received three tasks in one go.

"You have led your team to match the number of wins in the regional stage last season. Keep leading the team forward... Mission: Get out of the mire. Triggered."

Objective 1: Lead the team to surpass last season's regional stage record tonight. Reward: 1 Intermediate Blind Box.

Objective 2: Lead your team to secure a spot in the top three of the Crazy Challenge. Reward: The reward will be determined based on the final ranking, with the highest prize being a premium blind box.

"The rivalry between the Husky Team and the Amazing Team continues for over a decade. Continue your dominance over the Amazing Team... Mission: Battle of Rivals Triggered."

Objective: Lead your team to defeat the Amazing Team. Reward: 1 random physical attribute point.

"You publicly questioned the media's claim that Roy Hibbert is the best center... Mission: Who is the best center? Triggered. Objective 1: Your rebounds and blocks in this game must both exceed Roy Hibbert's."

Objective 2: Lead the team to defeat the Amazing Team.

Reward: Randomly matched talent.

All three tasks share one common goal—winning.

The other goals, while each with its own level of difficulty, are not the kind that are impossible to achieve.

As far as the mission itself is concerned, Yi Shui felt that he had the opportunity to claim all the rewards.

But what's the meaning of the third task description? He's speaking up for Thabeet! Why does it sound like he, a guard, is vying for the title of best center? But!
This was the task he most wanted to complain about, yet it also had the best reward.

The talents of 'angle genius' and 'rhythm flow' have brought him a qualitative improvement. The former goes without saying, and the latter has greatly helped him by quickly bringing his ball handling to within a line of top-level ball handling and raising his passing to a near-first-class level. Not to mention his rhythm flow offense, which has gradually grasped the key to outside penetration.

Whatever happens, happens. He was determined to complete this task. He put aside his distractions and joined his teammates to gather around the head coach to hear his final instructions before the game.

...

Fans who are eager to see this scene are looking forward to seeing Yi Shui, who went viral online for a while, verbally abuse three of his classmates from the Golden Eagles team to the point of wanting to fight.

That also became proof of Yi Shui's reputation as a "hypocrite" in the eyes of the Milwaukee media—he looked handsome and sunny, but actually had no manners.

But the so-called arch-rival is completely different from the kind of mutual dislike between players of the same level.

The Husky team and the Amazing team's generation of players didn't actually have much contact; they only played against each other twice.

There is little competition between the players, and Thabeet and Hibbert, who are both 'giant centers', are occasionally discussed together, but there are few direct comparisons of their performances.

Hibbert's individual performance and team record this season make him arguably the best center in the country. He is the only center among the candidates for Player of the Year in the Associated Press's first-month special issue, and his overall performance is unmatched by Thabeet.

It's only because the Husky team has become so popular these past few days that Thabeet, with his outstanding defensive performance and exceptionally impressive 4.2 blocks per game, has been directly compared to Hibbert.

There aren't many personal grudges between the two teams' players... but there are quite a few between the two teams' head coaches; both John Thompson and his son were tormented by Calhoun.

But once the starting lineups of both teams were on the field, the tense and hostile atmosphere was as if they had some deep-seated grudge against each other.

This kind of rivalry stemming from wearing the same jersey cannot be expressed through insults, and the players are unwilling to tarnish this rivalry they are actually proud of in that way.

At 7 p.m. sharp, the referee blew the whistle and tossed the ball into the air, and the game began!

Hibbert beat Thabeet, who was taller and had a longer wingspan, and flicked the ball to the back first, giving the Amazings the first attack!
Hibbert's vertical leap speed is unparalleled among centers over seven feet tall in today's basketball world, with only Shaquille O'Neal surpassing him before he aged.

The Amazings' point guard Jonathan Wallace controlled the tempo with the ball, only passing it to the true playmaker, shooting guard Jay Sap, when only 20 seconds remained on the 35-second shot clock.

The Amazing Team's main strategy is to play slowly! So far this season, they've limited both their own and their opponents' field goal attempts to under 50 per game, holding opponents to an average of 58 points per game, ranking 6th in Division I. Their defensive efficiency is the best in Division I! Their ability to limit opponents' shooting percentage is also terrifying, down to 39.1%, second in Division I!
But that doesn’t mean their offense is bad. They average 69 points per game, ranking in the top 150 of Division I, which is mid-level.

Their greatest strength lies in using a slow pace to wear down their opponents' patience and exploit weaknesses in their defense.

If it were the Husky team two weeks ago, they might have already pushed up and pressed their defense, but now they are different. They have become an excellent defensive team that has returned to playing zone defense, with each player firmly guarding their designated position.

Sap looked at Yi Shui, who was steadily guarding in front of him. He wasn't surprised that the opponent's defense wasn't impatient. He had watched the Husky team's game footage last week and knew that the opponent's defense was becoming more and more stable.

Yi Shui, who was about the same height as him when they faced each other in early February, is now a whole size bigger than him! He's really gotten taller!
Both being prodigies from the class of 05 and playing in the same position on rival teams, Sap knows Yi Shui very well. He can't match Yi Shui's speed or jumping ability, so Yi Shui can't easily drive to the basket. He has to find screens and picks!

The son of a legend, playing power forward Ewing Jr., came out to block Yi Shui, and Sap used the screen to break through!
The Huskies' zone defense came into play, directing Sap into Thabeet's defensive coverage area. Thabeet, on the other hand, had two options: either block the shot directly or force Sap into the Yishui team's help defense area.

Sap is not particularly tall or long, and his athleticism is relatively average. He relies on his basketball IQ and technique to play the game and is known for his composure when handling the ball. He did not fall for the trick and decisively passed the ball to Ewing, who was running down the left sideline of the three-second zone with Yi Shui!

Hibbert, outside the three-second zone on the left baseline, stepped into the three-second zone. Once Thabeet moved to cover the three-second zone sideline, he could receive a pass from Ewing... But!
Instead of filling in, Thabeet retreated to below the basket and covered Hibbert.

Seeing this, Xiao Youyin changed direction and headed straight for the basket. He grabbed the ball at close range and bent down to try to push past Yi Shuiqiang... but he couldn't!

Xiao Youyin had already started her jump and was unable to stop herself. She launched her attack while being restricted by the resistance during the jump... and was slapped head-on by Yi Shui, who was closely guarding her!
The TV commentator was already praising Ewing's timing when he made the shot, but suddenly stopped, then exclaimed "Oh my god!"

In his view, Yi Shui, a guard, without the help of a center, could only be a backdrop when defending a power forward under the basket.

I never expected that Ewing wouldn't be able to break through Yi Shui!

The commentator, being a professional, immediately began listing the various shortcomings of Ewing Jr. in terms of being "unlike his father," such as being 203 cm tall but only weighing 98 kg while playing power forward, and having a high jump for dunks but lacking explosiveness...

On the Time Warner Cable Sports side, Bill Walton remained silent. Both were superstar centers, both had sons who played forward, and both were equally unsuccessful…

The ball was stolen by Austin Freeman, the freshman small forward for the Amazings. A weakness in their offense was exposed: the pace was too slow. They barely had time for second-chance opportunities, except for missed shots. Freeman, who is only 1.96 meters tall, could only step back and shoot against Robinson, who was 10 centimeters taller than him... and missed!
Yi Shui blocked Ewing, and Yad, who had recovered the rebound, firmly secured the defensive rebound!
Yad immediately passed the ball to Yi Shui, but the counter-attack failed to materialize. Hibbert retreated to defense the moment Ewing was blocked. Ensuring defense is the primary rule for survival as the center of Georgetown.

This is another reason why the Amazings have a pretty good offensive system but don't score many points; they've made countless sacrifices for defense.

As the saying goes, the older you get in the world, the more timid you become.

It's not that I've actually become timid, but rather that the more I know, the greater my sense of awe becomes.

Before the Husky team developed their zone defense, they were fearless against teams with strong zone defenses; they would just go for it regardless of whether they could win.

Price advanced to the frontcourt and looked at the well-organized zone defense on the other side. The defense of positions 1-4 was all in place, and there was a giant center whose defense might be even better than Thabeet's. He felt his scalp tingle. This zone defense was more than a level above theirs. It was like... Davidson Wildcats with the Louisville Cardinals' lineup?
But it doesn't matter. Even if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up. Price passes the ball to Yi Shui!

Sap positioned himself half a step inside the three-point line at the right 45-degree angle, refraining from rushing forward to pressure Yi Shui, who was extending his hand to the side with the ball.

This distance allows for both disrupting shots and preventing drives to the basket, as well as guiding the zone defense.

Suddenly, he saw Yi Shui, who was probably observing the movement of others inside the three-point line, turn his gaze to him and say, "Jay, you know what? Bandle the gunner never turns his back to the enemy... Ugh, what am I saying? Anyway, I'm here!"

Sap was completely confused, but when he heard "I'm coming," he immediately focused on defending against a sudden attack... and then he saw Yi Shui jump up right in front of him!
He didn't react at all. Judging from Yi Shui's posture just now, it was impossible for him to be in the shooting rhythm. He was certain that Yi Shui was going to break through. When he saw Yi Shui jump up, he even forgot to reach out his hand.

He quickly turned his head...and saw the ball fall into the basket!

As the timer above the backboard went from 24 seconds to 35 seconds, Sap was puzzled again. The offensive play had only lasted 11 seconds?
But Hubie Brown, a seasoned Time Warner Cable sports commentator, immediately realized: "Here it comes! The dogs are about to start training Georgetown's center again!"

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(End of this chapter)