71: 70.

Transition Season?

71: 70.

Transition Season?

DeRozan overwhelmed Collison, who was two years older, leaving an impressive mark, but that was no shock given his reputation as the former “top middle schooler in California” and “the strongest rookie in California”—his progress exceeding expectations wasn’t really a surprise.

There have been even more exaggerated cases—LeBron James in his freshman year could only support his upperclassmen, averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds, but by sophomore year, his capabilities skyrocketed to an average of 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals, leading the Associated Press to bring him up for ‘cross-grade comparison.’ His sophomore self, placed among senior players, ranked fifth in the nation, and he made the All-American high school basketball first team as a sophomore.

It could only be said that they still underestimated DeRozan’s talent.

For other talented high schoolers, being in the top 100 nationwide was the goal, and being a five-star recruit was a dream.

For him, being a five-star recruit was just the starting point.

What really shocked them was Zhang Yang!

They had researched the past performances of the main players from Compton High School, and Zhang Yang had entered their radar, yet in their eyes, Zhang Yang and Tatum were at the same level—better than a top talent but not elite, worth an invite but not necessarily a scholarship.

Because their stats from the last season in the Southern California league were similar, Zhang Yang averaged 18+7+2+2+1, Tatum 15+5+8+2+1; Zhang Yang’s stats weren’t as comprehensive but he had a higher shooting percentage, their average performances were pretty even.

Today, Tatum scored 7 points and 8 assists, which was about what the professionals expected.

He was already a qualified starter in the first-tier CIF league as a junior, but he temporarily couldn’t deliver a star performance.

Zhang Yang was different; his performance far exceeded expectations!

Clearly, they hadn’t looked into Zhang Yang’s data changes over the last season’s 20 league games, nor had they considered the ‘championship stage’ stats, which didn’t count towards the season’s average data…

In this game, Zhang Yang displayed a diverse range of scoring methods, including off-ball mid-range shots, drives, three-pointers, and fast breaks, along with ball handling, fast breaks, and pick and rolls…

What’s crucial was his defensive awareness, capable of defending from position one to three, and he even gave the opposition three big blocks!

Scoring 28 points with 3 blocks in his varsity debut, Zhang San gave a slight smile; he had captured the scouts’ attention…

…

After a victorious first match, by the next afternoon, Zhang Yang felt a change in his teammates.

Last week, when teammates discussed the upcoming match with Long Beach High School during breaks in training, the topic had always been about the ranking of Long Beach High School, Collison being ranked 99th nationwide before he even turned 17 last summer…

Today, the conversation about Wednesday’s opponent, Glendale High School, shifted to whether he or DeRozan was better compared to someone from Glendale High School, discussions about whether they could win, and which tactics felt the most comfortable yesterday and possibly useful tomorrow…

The mindset had completely changed!

Confidence surged dramatically!

With such a big change in the team’s mindset, could their overconfidence affect the upcoming games?

Zhang Yang didn’t worry about that; his role was to build his teammates’ confidence, and everything else was the job of team captain Miller and head coach Thomas.

Moreover, he believed that in high school competition, having confidence and momentum was more important than being calm.

Their newfound confidence stemmed from his and DeRozan’s performances.

What he needed to focus on was maintaining his excellent performance to continue boosting his teammates’ confidence.

On Wednesday, at 9 a.m., Zhang Yang rode with Thomas to the parking lot to meet up with his teammates, boarded the school bus, and headed east of Los Angeles to the woodland town of Glendale.

Glendale was one of the cities with the best climate in Los Angeles County.

The living environment was comparable to Hidden Mountain.

However, because it was located in a woodland area and environmental organizations did not permit excessive development, the real estate industry could not boom here, though tourism prospered, unlike the skyscrapers of Los Angeles and the pastoral scenery of Hidden Mountain—the forest environment here was beautiful.

But Zhang Yang had no chance to enjoy the scenery; he slept for an hour on the bus, and after waking up in Glendale High School, he freshened up with some cold water and began preparing with the team for the afternoon’s game, intending to return to Compton afterwards, as league phase matches were generally day trips.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the game between Compton High School and Glendale High School started.

Glendale High School’s strength was mid to upper level in the third district; although they had no seniors ranked in the top 100 nationwide—such recognition was not common—among all high schools in California, being in the ’04 top 100 included only 11 people statewide.

However, Glendale High School was not a lesser competitor than Long Beach High School; this team had a majority of white players, boasted 9 senior players, richer game experience, and well-coordinated tactics with strong shooting abilities.

Compton High School couldn’t boast of a better strategic advantage against Glendale High School.

Moreover, aside from Zhang Yang, DeRozan, and Miller, the strength of Compton High School’s other players generally fell short against their opponents, including Tatum.

Although Glendale had no top-tier players, nearly the whole team consisted of expert players.

This time, the high confidence of Compton High School played a critical role!

If they were as nervous and unease as they had been the previous Sunday playing Long Beach High School, they might have been flattened at the start by Glendale High School’s excellent team coordination.

Facing the formidable performance of Glendale High School, Tatum, Monroe, Keith, Kanter…

all chose to fight desperately, trying their best to assist Zhang Yang and DeRozan.

Lacking individual capabilities compared to their opponents, they were mentally prepared for this, but their confidence stemmed from these two players.

As long as these two performed well, their confidence would not wane, and their momentum would not break!

With the help of their teammates, Zhang Yang, DeRozan, and Miller led the team in a back-and-forth battle with Glendale High School during the regular gameplay, with the score alternating leads, right up until the final moments.

At the crucial moment, Glendale High School faltered, with no one able to guarantee a successful shot.

On Compton High School’s side, DeRozan hit two consecutive pull-up mid-range shots, plus a pass to Zhang Yang, who received the ball, stepped forward, and successfully made a layup, scoring a pivotal 6-2 lead during those critical moments.

In the end, with DeRozan scoring 27 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals, Zhang Yang adding 29 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block, and Miller contributing 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks, Compton High School narrowly defeated Glendale High School 107 to 102!

Glendale High School’s basketball arena, with just over 500 seats, had half the seating capacity of Compton High School’s gym, yet the number of college scouts attending was even greater.

All the scouts felt that their trip was worthwhile!

Just as the rumors suggested, DeRozan’s talent was higher than expected!

His improvement over the last six months far exceeded expectations!

The news that circulated among the college scouts a couple of days ago was also true, that former mysterious Eastern baseball player had even more exaggerated progress!

The scouts felt they had discovered a gem unknown to others…

then they noticed the many colleagues in the spectator stands, curse it!

A single old man longs for a woman; like a scout secretly wishes the demise of another…

…

In matchups focused on star players, DeRozan and Zhang San could suppress top 100 senior players across the nation with their follow-up offensive moves and win; in games relying on team coordination, as long as they fully supported DeRozan, Zhang San, and Miller at crucial moments, DeRozan and Zhang San could emerge and seal the victory…

Their teammates’ confidence remained high!

In the following three weeks, Compton High School played six more warm-up matches.

By October 13th, Wednesday, Compton High School won at home 102 to 89 against Santa Barbara High School, which had significantly weakened after Farmar graduated, ending the warm-up matches with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses.

The team’s performance was far better than Thomas expected, and he felt a kinship with what Johnson experienced last year.

Even though he had greatly raised his expectations for Zhang Yang and DeRozan, their performance still exceeded his imagination!

In the eight warm-up matches, DeRozan averaged 25.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals, while Zhang Yang averaged 26 points, 9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks.

Although they were just warm-up matches and maintaining this performance in official games might be difficult, Thomas believed that given their talent, their official match performances wouldn’t disappoint!

Driven by these two, other team members maintained high confidence and relentless vigor during the warm-up games; even in defeat, their confidence wasn’t shaken.

Thomas realized that the source of the players’ confidence came from Zhang Yang and DeRozan.

As long as they continued to perform well, the team’s confidence would persist.

High morale was immensely beneficial for the games, with players running tactics more firmly, shooting more decisively, and not panicking when falling behind…

Of course, it could have adverse effects at times, but the benefits vastly outweighed the drawbacks.

From the start, they played with confidence, quickening the pace for the players to adapt to the intensity of CIF top-tier matches and to quicker familiarity with how to support Zhang Yang and DeRozan in a new setting.

At the end of the last season, Thomas’s expectation for the new season was to not perform too badly, develop a few sophomores and juniors, and take a transitional year, aiming to make a run for the top in California in the 05-06 season.

After the main team selection phase ended, Thomas adjusted his expectations, perhaps to have an even win-loss season.

Now, after four weeks of warm-up matches, Thomas adjusted his expectations once more—why couldn’t they aim for a championship spot during a transition season?

Last season Hip and Afflalo both made it to the California first team, why couldn’t sophomore DeRozan and junior Zhang Yang?

…

…

No stored drafts, that’s it for now, will update 3 more chapters during the day!

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