Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 5 Larry Bird's Correct Vote (Thanks to jamesxu-SBZ for the Alliance Award)

Xu Ling originally hoped to earn a starting position through his performance in the team's scrimmage.

Nothing proves a player's level better than a match.

However, apart from holding a freshman scrimmage at the beginning of the semester, the team has been immersed in extremely monotonous and high-intensity training day after day, and has not organized any scrimmages of any kind since.

Some have questioned this, arguing that simply focusing on training will not yield results.

This remark enraged Knight.

Knight was in the stands at the time, yelling at the freshmen: "You have no right to question my methods! You either grit your teeth and persevere, or you'll end up like Larry Bird and all those cowards! Can't persevere? Then fucking get the hell out of here! TTU has no shortage of transfer failures!"

Having been born in the 00s in his previous life, Xu Ling had some knowledge of the NBA.

He knew Larry Bird, but for him, Bird was just a name, the only title being 'the GOAT small forward before LeBron James'. However, that wasn't anything special. Back in the days before Xu Ling's time travel, how much had the concept of GOAT been deconstructed? There was the GOAT of everyday life, the GOAT of fashion, the GOAT of rest days, the GOAT of the offseason, and even young players like Brandon Miller with questionable perceptions who thought Paul George was the GOAT of basketball. It was that absurd! Who knows how many other niche GOATs there were?

However, according to Knight's words, Bird not only played under him, but also transferred schools because he couldn't stand his training?
Is that an exaggeration?
Wait, isn't this a stain? What's this old man so proud of?
Xu Ling simply listened quietly, feeling there was no need to provoke the old man. The person who raised the question was named Jay Mitchell, an older freshman from community college (1). For TTU, promising junior students were either used as immediate reinforcements or merely as practice partners for the team, never making it onto the main roster.

(1) American community colleges are similar to junior colleges in my country, but not entirely. This is because community colleges are an important talent pool for the NCAA, and many of them make it to the NBA. However, you would hardly ever see junior college players make it to CUBA, let alone CBA.

To be fair, if Xu Ling were in Mitchell's position, he might have reacted similarly.

Because Mitchell is already confirmed to wear the red shirt for the new season, no matter how hard he tries, he will never become a full-fledged player.

Therefore, he really needs to understand the meaning of working himself to the bone every day but not being able to play against the official team members.

Knight's roar silenced all doubts, and no one dared to utter another word.

Diligent practice is the only way out.

In a full month and a half, Xu Ling's weight dropped from 99 kilograms to 95 kilograms, which is considered strong even in professional competitions.

Although TTU's training was tough, it allowed Xu Ling to gradually adapt to the intensity of the Division I league, which greatly benefited him. During this time, they also developed a friendship amidst the arduous training.

Xu Ling has three close friends on the team: his roommate Craig, fellow freshman Charlie Burgess (PG), who plays point guard at a community college, and sophomore Alan Voskull, whose playing style reminds Xu Ling of the shorter shooting guards of the small-ball era.

Before we knew it, it was October 15, 2006.

In college basketball, no date is more important than October 15th. From this day forward, teams across the country are allowed to conduct formal, coach-led preseason practices. Players may already be battling it out behind the scenes, but October 15th marks the true beginning. Head coaches will step down from the stands—although simply observing from the stands is a widely ignored NCAA rule—to personally coach, instruct, and unleash their endless roars.

Bob Knight arrived at the center of Wimbledon's training facility with a serious expression. All the players stood in front of him, and an unusually heavy atmosphere filled the air.

His expression was extremely serious.

“I think you’ve all noticed,” Knight began slowly, “that our captain, the great Jarius Jackson, is not here today.”

Some people did notice this, but no one really cared.

To everyone else, unless the sky falls, Jackson's starting position and core status are unshakeable.

"Now, forget about him! Because he abandoned us!" Knight suddenly raised his voice, his thunderous anger showing no mercy to his prized disciple. "He seems smart! He plays fucking smart on the court! But don't be fooled by him! He's a complete fraud! He lied to me, and he betrayed every one of you! From this moment on, we can't fucking count on him anymore!"

As the players exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what unforgivable crime Jackson had committed, Knight himself revealed the answer, one that shocked everyone: "Your captain! The great JJ! He's out of the team indefinitely, starting today! Until his abysmal academic record is no longer a stinking pile of dog shit!"

Studies?

Xu Ling was stunned.

“I’m so disappointed in JJ!” Knight exclaimed. “He took a makeup exam the other day, and he bombed it! His idiotic test paper practically lowered TTU’s overall IQ by 10 percentage points! May God have mercy on his soul!”

The captain's absence from team activities due to academic issues reminded Xu Ling of an old friend.

To be precise, it wasn't an old acquaintance, but rather a rival from his past life—a man named Pang Qingfang, an unfamiliar name to those who don't follow Chinese basketball. However, when Xu Ling was 13 and 14, he was the nation's most watched basketball prodigy. At that time, 16-year-old Xu Ling encountered 14-year-old Pang Qingfang in a youth competition and witnessed Pang Qingfang's overwhelming 40+ point performance, displaying physical abilities far exceeding those of a teenager. Pang Qingfang looked like China's next NBA player. Then he went to the United States and disappeared from the public eye. The last time Xu Ling heard from him was when he couldn't play in D1 due to academic issues.

However, Xu Ling believes that Jackson will return to the team sooner or later, and he would never miss the entire senior season because of his studies.

However, before his return, the absolute core of TTU was vacant.

That was actually Knight's real purpose in unleashing his fury.

TTU's coaching staff doesn't like to organize intra-squad scrimmages to test players' abilities; Knight only uses rigorous training to identify the players he needs.

But the players spend so much time together that it's easy to see who has the real talent.

No one among the freshmen could rival Xu Ling, and Xu Ling's goal was to prove that he was one of the five best players in the Wimbledon training center. Jackson's absence left one player short, which gave him an opportunity to take over.

This is exactly the opportunity that his friend, and also a second-year guard favored by the coaching staff, Allen Voskull, has been waiting for.

From that day on, Xu Ling competed with Voskull in almost every aspect.

Unfortunately, as a shooting guard whose talent level would be considered excellent even in the NBA, Xu Ling is better than Voskull in almost every aspect.

His dribbling is more threatening, his passing vision is wider, his wingspan is longer, and his athleticism and long-term experience playing inside can even allow him to temporarily fill in at the center position in college games.

In some ways, Xu Ling should thank Voskull.

Voskull appears to be an above-average backcourt player in the NCAA.

The complete victory over him on the training field was a huge boost for Xu Ling.

Voskull felt deeply frustrated. He believed his ability was no less than that of the arrogant Martin Zeno, and without Xu Ling, he was confident he could challenge for the starting shooting guard position. But now, all his brilliance had been completely overshadowed by this newcomer.

The frustration and anxiety finally erupted on November 10th—after the last practice before the start of the new NCAA season. Voskull immediately announced that he would organize a mixed-student scrimmage.

"Will the coach agree?" Sophomore forward Michael Prince asked worriedly.

"Let's just play for 16 minutes," Voskull said. "Eight minutes a half, let's just play around, what do you think, Eli?"

Xu Ling knew that if he didn't completely defeat Voskull in the match, the opponent wouldn't give up.

So he tossed the towel aside and said casually, "I've wanted to kick your ass for a long time."

There were exactly ten first- and second-year students at TTU, and the team was quickly formed. Daryl Dora, the only senior, jumped out with a laugh and declared himself the referee.

Game start.

Xu Ling's team won the jump ball, and on their first attack, the ball was quickly passed to him.

Voskull pounced on him immediately. In training, he was described by Knight as a defensive black hole that "even my grandmother couldn't stop," but at this moment he used all the defensive skills he had learned in his life.

However, the gap was hopeless. He lacked height, speed, and explosiveness; against Xu Ling, all his defenses seemed like slow-motion replays.

Although Xu Ling's defense is not top-notch, his long arms are like venomous snakes that have smelled blood, always able to accurately block Voskull's vision and passing routes.

After an offensive play stalled, Voskull impatiently called for a screen. Thinking he had finally created some space with the screen, he pulled up for a jump shot.

The next second, a shadow appeared first, rising into the air from behind him!

"Snapped!"

Xu Ling delivered a solid chase-down block, sending the ball flying!
Possession changed hands, and Voskull became increasingly anxious.

Instead of using physical strength to overpower, Xu Ling used the same tactic against him, raising his hand to call for the same pick-and-roll play. But the moment the screen was set up, he used a wide step-back that Voskull had never seen before, instantly creating two meters of space and calmly jumping to shoot.

"Shh!"

Hollow into the net.

“Allen,” Xu Ling said calmly, “surrendering means losing half the battle.”

Voskull exclaimed, "Impossible!"

Xu Ling began to closely guard Voskull.

He didn't give Voskull any space to receive the ball, nor did he allow him to move freely. His aggressive fronting defense made it a luxury for Voskull to even touch the ball.

When Voskull finally got the ball through an off-ball screen and was about to attack, Xu Ling spotted the opening and stole the ball with one hand.

The first half wasn't over yet, but the duel between Xu Ling and Voskull was already a done deal.

Before he finished speaking, Xu Ling had already dashed towards the frontcourt like an arrow. After receiving a pass from his teammate, he soared into the air and slammed the ball into the basket with an exaggerated and powerful tomahawk dunk!
However, before the basketball could even bounce, a roar suddenly erupted from the sidelines: "What the hell are you doing?!?"

Bob Knight stormed over, furious, and roared, "Who gave you permission to play this game?"

Xu Ling stood still, without saying a word.

Knight's rage poured out on Voskull like high-pressure steam.

"Allen! You'd rather anger me than not stage this farce, just to prove to the world that you can't even beat a newbie? Fine! You've perfectly proven your incompetence! If this is the answer sheet you handed in after two years of training at TTU, then pack your things and get the hell out of my sight! Disappear from my sight immediately, and never let me see your face again!"

"You ruined your last chance! Trash! Utter trash! I fucking want to crack open your skull and see what's inside! Get out! Get out now! Get out of my arena right now! Get out!!!"

If Xu Ling had known the consequences, he definitely wouldn't have played this game.

Moreover, Knight's overreaction aroused his great disgust.

He really doesn't think there's anything wrong with the players playing a scrimmage against each other after practice.

Just as he was about to say a few words, Knight stopped looking at the ashen-faced Voskull and turned directly to the assistant coach, shouting in an even more agitated tone, "Fuck Alan Voskull! We don't need him anymore! Stop wasting time with this piece of trash! We gave him two years, and this is the crap he repays us with! I've had enough!"

Then, Knight finally noticed that the outstanding freshman was staring at him with a look he had never seen in a player's eyes before—a look that was a mixture of coldness, scrutiny, and even a hint of undisguised contempt.

"Rookie!" Knight yelled. "Don't think you've proven anything just because you beat that piece of trash, Allen Voskull! You're a fucking idiot! Voskull is nothing in college basketball! He's a piece of crap! If you're so smug about it, you might as well get the hell out of here with him!"

In the NCAA, the head coach has absolute authority.

No college player aspiring to professional basketball wants to ruin their relationship with their coach, and Xu Ling told himself the same thing. But deep down, he was still that 00s kid from the future, almost a college graduate, with an independent personality. He wasn't like those timid, submissive student players that Knight was used to seeing.

The long-suppressed extreme disgust with this coaching style that disregarded the players' dignity and subjected them to the utmost humiliation finally broke through the dam of reason.

Xu Ling uttered a sentence that could freeze the entire Wimbledon training hall: "Now I finally understand. This is why Larry Bird would never have wanted to play for you. He used his transfer to reject you back then—why did we wait thirty years to confirm that he made the right choice?"

(2) The "Redshirt" is a strategy that allows a player to retain their eligibility for a season by not participating in official games. NCAA rules stipulate that college athletes typically have four years of eligibility, while the "Redshirt" allows players to remain in college for five years, using one year of non-competition to train, improve themselves, recover from injuries, or adapt to the college level.

(3) Pang Qingfang is also a remarkable person. Among all the athletes born in 2005 in China, he was the first to stand out. In 2019, he averaged 30 points per game in the U14 competition with an 80% shooting percentage, showing great potential. Then in 2019, he went to the United States to study for five years, receiving a lot of full scholarships. In the end, he went to a community college due to academic performance issues.

　The following individuals have given generous donations: Bo Xin, Xiao Mo Tongxue a, Book Friend 20180915143254434, Book Friend 20250901193317014, Book Friend 20250901193317014, Tao Chenggong, King of Kings Supreme Jade Emperor Haotian Seven Days, and Meat-Minced Eggplant (Thanks to Eggplant Bro for your support).

　　
　
(End of this chapter)