The Way of the Center

Chapter 6 : Before the first show

At six o’clock in the morning on November 13, 2007, the sun in the sky of Ames had not yet appeared. Excited and nervous, An Jie found that he could not sleep anymore, so he had to put on his clothes and go to the toilet to wash.

An Jie kept reminding himself that this is just an ordinary regular season of the college basketball league, and finally calmed down, but when I think of the basketball court that will be filled with tens of thousands of people at night, the game under the spotlight, reporters, basketball commentators , Scouts, cheerleaders… An Jie’s excitement and tension is full of his whole body. He has never experienced such a big scene. Before, in China, a few girls sitting next to the field were already An Jie’s. The biggest concern ever received.

Anjie’s father is also an old basketball fan, and he is equally excited about his son being able to play in the NCAA. It’s just that in China, there are very few consultations about the NCAA, let alone news about unpopular teams like Iowa State University. So in the past few days, he has made more and more calls to Anjie, asking about the team’s situation and preparation status. He couldn’t see his son’s game in the country, so he could only pray in his heart that everything went well for this kid today.

………………..

“How about this blue one?” Ricard adjusted his tie in the mirror, and asked his wife’s opinion.

“You look great dear, don’t worry, you are dressed very well.”

“NCAA First Division League, just like a dream.”

“The good show is yet to come. You will lead the team to victory, and I will shout for your team in the audience.” Peggy hugged her husband from behind. “What? The devil’s coach George Ricard is also nervous?”

“Kansas State University is not a persimmon. If we lose in the first game, then…”

Before Ricard could finish speaking, Peggy put his index finger gently on Ricard’s mouth.

“Well, these things will be told to your players in the locker room in the afternoon. Now, you have to relax and go out to enjoy the breakfast I prepared for you.”

“Huh, you are right.” Ricard took a deep breath, temporarily leaving the game behind. He has been studying Kansas State University for several days, and maybe it is not a bad thing to relax his mind for a while.

Ricard walked to the table and sat down, as usual, reading the newspaper while eating breakfast. Today’s sports section is very lively. The NCAA basketball league is about to start. The newspapers are full of commentators’ expectations and predictions of various universities and players. After searching for a long time, Ricard turned to a comment about Iowa State University.

“When I got the Iowa State University player roster, I couldn’t match the names on the roster with the players. I didn’t hear any of the names on the roster except Mike Taylor, who had just transferred. I said that this includes their new head coach George Ricard. Can you imagine what a team from players to coaches do not have enough NCAA experience to be like? But this is Iowa State In college, it’s been many years since they made the knockout in March Madness last time. They won’t be in a good situation this season. We still focus more on the other teams in the Big Twelve League. On the body.”

An extremely short review, this commentator can say that Iowa State University is not in his eyes. What can a big team say? Only local fans pay attention to them.

“Huh, soon you will know the people on our roster.” Ricard threw the newspaper aside in disdain, and ate breakfast intently.

Since today is the home court of Iowa State University, the basketball hall was already very lively before the game started. Although his team’s record has been poor in recent years, this does not stop the enthusiasm of the fans. They were in groups, holding banners with cheering slogans and various signs. Many of them also wore the team’s red home jerseys. The atmosphere was very enthusiastic.

In addition to the fans, reporters holding “long guns and short cannons” also surrounded the stadium. But most of these reporters did not come to the home team, they came here because of the visiting team Kansas State University.

In addition to Derrick Rose of the University of Memphis and OJ Mayo of the University of Southern California, the other NBA draft candidate is Michael Beasley of Kansas State University.

Like Rose, Beasley has become a sports star that has attracted much attention during high school. He has achieved a terrible record of 138 wins and 5 losses in the four years of high school, and every year in high school he can play an excellent average of 20+10. In the 2007 McDonald’s National High School Star Game, he alone scored 23 points and was named the most valuable player on the spot. He also won the Adidas Classic MVP award. Not only that, he was also selected to the third team of the All-American Team in his senior year, and was selected to the second team of the All-America Team in his senior year. The first NCAA game of such a high school basketball genius is destined to be the focus of media attention. No one has any hope for the outcome and process of the game. Poor Iowa State University is just a foil for Beasley to kill the Quartet in the eyes of the media.

The Cyclone players entered the basketball court after lunch, where they warmed up and adjusted their mentality. Even though the basketball hall has not been opened to the public at this moment, the noise outside has made the players on the court a little uneasy.

“Michael Beasley, I only watched him on TV before, but in a while I’m going to confront this **** genius, my God, this is crazy.” It is the starting player of the Tornadoes who is talking now. The forward, athletic Anthony Ben.

“Yes, but after the game is over, people will start discussing Anthony Ben’s violent cut.” Morris joked with his teammates, which was also an encouragement to his teammates.

“Don’t forget that basketball is a team sport. Michael Beasley is just a person. Unfortunately, as his opponent, we are exactly a team.” Mike Taylor also encouraged these little brothers who have no experience in the game. .

Two hours before the start of the game, the Kansas State University bus finally drove into the campus of Iowa State University. Their arrival immediately caused a sensation among the long-awaited media, and reporters carried their cameras towards the bus.

The Kansas State University players are also flattered, they have never seen such a big battle. Only the protagonist, Michael Beasley, who was hunted by the reporters, looked out the window indifferently, disapproving. When he was in high school, he was used to this kind of scene, and he would never make a fuss about these reporters who flocked to him.

As soon as the driver stopped the car, the reporters surrounded the Kansas State University bus. After the Kansas State University team squeezed a way, Michael Beasley was the last to get out of the car. As soon as he got off the bus, countless microphones stretched out in front of him.

“Michael, how many points do you think you can score in the first NCAA game?”

“Derrick Rose and you, who do you think is better between the two of you?”

“We all know your record in high school, 138 wins and 5 losses. Now it is the first game of your college career. Can you bring a victory to the team?”

Michael Beasley finally stopped, he wanted to answer the question that the reporter just asked.

“We came to Ames not only to win a victory, but also to win beautifully. When I was in high school, I only lost at most two games in a year. When I arrive at college, I will still keep this tradition well.” Still as always. With his arrogant arrogance, Beasley showed his ambitions with his uncut eyes. Michael Beasley has come to college. The NBA scouts will show me a good look!

The noise outside the locker room is getting louder and louder, which means that fans and opposing players are starting to enter the stadium. Ricard cleared his throat, he wanted to make sure the players could hear what he was saying.

“Okay! The moment you guys dream of has arrived! The fight is good, and more than 10,000 people outside will worship you as heroes. If you are beaten by your opponents with no power to fight back, then you and me will be bothered The saliva outside drowned! Choose your own choice. Which kind of person do you want to be?”

“We will be heroes!” Almost everyone answered in unison.

“Very good! I know you guys are not fuel-efficient lamps. Now, you are all going out for me to do the final warm-up, and let me move my muscles and bones! Later, if anyone on the court fails to make good technical moves, but Don’t blame me for the heavy training task I came back to give you!”

As soon as the voice fell, the Cyclone players got up and left the locker room. After being yelled at by Ricard, they didn’t feel nervous at all, all that was left was excitement.

walked out of the player channel to reach the basketball court. One-fifth of the audience was already sparsely seated in the stands. Because Ricard has always insisted on closed training, it is the first time for fans to see a player representing his team. This mystery made them more enthusiastically welcomed.

“Did you see that Asian big man? He is our team’s starting center! That guy is also my roommate. He followed me on the field when he first came to the United States!” In the stands, Anjie’s roommate Jason Started to borrow the question again. He did attract the attention of a few girls when he said this, but their purpose was only to get An Jie’s phone number through him.

On the other side of the court, Kansas State University players also stepped onto the wooden floor. They didn’t rush to warm up two hours before the start of the game. Kansas State University coach Rick Chris didn’t want to waste too much energy from the players in this game. In his eyes, this is more like a preseason training game. What did the opposite Iowa State University use to fight him? We have Michael, and they don’t even have a player with a name.

During the warm-up period, more and more fans entered the stadium, and the atmosphere on the scene became more and more enthusiastic. This is not enough. The mascot of the Iowa State University Cyclone team, a red-headed bird called “Song” stormed into the stadium. He led the hot girls of the cheerleading team to perform various performances, and always sent jerseys and small gifts to arouse the enthusiasm of the fans. The reporters’ cameras flashed, and the fans sang and danced in the stands. To be honest, NCAA games are quite professional from scale to level. Before the game started, Anjie was already infected by this atmosphere. His adrenaline soared, and every joint in his body was about to move.

Half an hour before the start of the game, Ricard called everyone back to the locker room. He had to make the final deployment. The players were already extremely excited, and one by one they hopped toward the player channel, and the fans stretched out countless hands to high-five them.

The winks from the cheerleaders, the disdain in the eyes of the opponent players, the shouts from the fans in the stands… This venue seems so complicated, and people are staring at their every move. In any case, when they come back again in half an hour, the brutal fight will begin.

went back to the locker room and closed the door, the players suddenly felt a lot quieter in their ears. Ricard looked at the young men gearing up below, and couldn’t help but smile. He was worried that these young men were too nervous and prepared a lot of words to relieve them. Now it seems that he has been worrying too much. His players are not only not nervous but also full of energy, which is exactly what he wants to see.

“Okay guys! Needless to say, you also know that Michael Beasley must get our grand hospitality!” Ricard took the marker and drew a big circle on Beasley’s name.

“He is an all-around forward who can play both the 3rd and 4th positions at the same time. Ben, you can’t let him go one step! Even if he makes a great breakthrough, you can’t let him go even one step at all, giving me a stubborn post. Stop him. You know that this guy’s shot is not covered, so you can’t easily give him a shot. Don’t worry, if you are broken by him, Morris behind you will help you block him.” said, Ricard moved his gaze to Morris.

“Don’t worry, coach, I will fill the seat in time.” Morris patted his chest.

“Anjie! Don’t you like to block shots the most? Today is your chance! The opponents’ 4th and 5th players have poor shooting ability, so they must be close to the basket if they want to score. So you Just keep me at the rim. Today, the entire rim is yours! No matter whether their center and power forward are pulled out, no matter whether your outside teammates are broken or not, you don’t have to go out, I want you to be there. Cruise around the three-second zone to ensure the safety of the basket. If Beasley breaks through Ben and Morris into the penalty zone at the same time, good, let him taste your big hat! I want you to play zone defense alone, who is You defend me from someone near the three-second zone.”

“No problem!” An Jie made an “OK” gesture.

“On offense, Morris and Anjie must actively take positions! Don’t worry, Mike Taylor will deliver the basketball to you accurately. If Beasley is the strong point of Kansas State University, then the inside is theirs. Weakness! I want you two to continue to create damage and continue to put pressure on the opponent’s inside players. The same goes for everyone else. They must actively break through and make their already weak insides more passive. Don’t worry about playing slowly, if the rhythm is Too fast, that just gave Michael Beasley room to play. We played with them one by one and conducted patiently. But this does not mean that you can be lazy when attacking, move actively, and press us without the ball. We usually train like that, we can always find a gap.”

“Ricard, almost done.” Old Moore pointed to his watch to remind the Ricard players that it was time to play.

“Okay guys! The outside media and opponents think that we will definitely lose this game. We are the foil for Michael Beasley to compete for the NBA champion. But they are wrong! They don’t understand how we belong to the Tornado team. Such people, this is precisely our advantage, no one has understood and studied us, we will kill our opponents by surprise. Underestimate us, they will pay for it! Now, step on the court and let the media and opponents know this* *****Whose home field is it!” Ricard threw the marker to the ground, mobilizing the players’ emotions to the highest point.

“Roar!” A group of young men roared out of the locker room, An Jie clenched his fists, his forehead was full of sweat. At this moment, the stands were already seated. One-seventh of the people in the small city of Ames were sitting here, and the noise was several times louder than when they were just warming up.

“Let’s go guys, let’s get on!” Ricard gave instructions like a general. His players are like brave soldiers, rushing out of the player channel one by one and came to the basketball court.

“Let’s welcome, Iowa State University spin Wind Team Finally arrived. Since it was the first game of the season and the home team fans were very unfamiliar with their players, the broadcaster was instructed to introduce the starting players one by one.

Suddenly, all the lights on the scene were turned off, and only a few spotlights illuminated the Cyclone players. Now, the focus of the audience is on a few of them.

“Let me introduce the starting players, welcome our point guard, number one, Mike Tay Le.”

“Shooting guard, No. 5 Tony Cruze.”

“Small forward, No. 3 Anthony Ben!”

“Our monster inside line! Big Barbarian Bull No. 32 Andrew Morris!”

The announcer has introduced the first four players in order, and then it’s Anjie’s turn. At this moment, he looked at the cheering audience, his body was full of goose bumps. It’s not because Anjie felt nervous or stage fright, he was just deeply shocked by the atmosphere Next, the starting center, from far away China, Yao Ming from the Tornado, the Oriental Tower, Anjie No. 2 ! “The announcer read out An Jie’s name lamely, and even though the pronunciation was inaccurate, he shouted very vigorously.

Anjie waved to the audience, and then went forward to bump his fist with his teammate. The players on the opposite Kansas State University Wildcats could only quietly watch their opponents accept the welcome from the audience, but they were left out in the cold. All of them were very upset, and they all planned to grab the limelight in the next game.

After the introduction of the starting players of the Cyclone team, the lights of the stadium came on again, and the center of the Wildcats was already standing in the middle circle and preparing to jump the ball. An Jie hammered his chest to encourage him, and walked towards the center circle according to the referee’s instructions.

All the players have stood up according to their positions, and the referee blew his whistle to signal that the players of the two teams are ready. Then he picked up the basketball and held it parallel to his head.

He looked at Angel and Wildcats center Scott Martins respectively, gave them a slight nod, and then he threw the ball high into the air.

Attached: Iowa State University Cyclone Official Player List

Center: Anjie, Byrne Asakin

Power forwards: Andrew Morris, Walter Sharp, Ante George, Meeks Washington

Small forwards: Anthony Ben, CJ Ford, Darnell Harding

Shooting guards: Tony Cruz, Chris Roberts, Nathan Thornton

Point guards: Mike Taylor, Joey Kyle, Dante McNeese Book friends are welcome to visit and read. The latest, fastest and hottest serial works are all at www. . com For mobile phone users, please go to read.