74: 73.

Jack’s leadership ability is worth your trust!

(Please subscribe) 74: 73.

Jack’s leadership ability is worth your trust!

(Please subscribe) College scouts knew each other well, as most were part-time scouts for multiple colleges, selling player reports and scouting reports to make money, never selling the information to just one buyer.

These scouts served not only colleges but also the NBA, high schools, and even overseas leagues if there was work to be done.

Thomas had quite a few familiar scouts from whom he could get lots of information about talented middle schoolers.

The information was not expensive; the scouts wouldn’t even take Thomas’s money.

A couple of drinks at the bar on Thomas’s tab was enough, of course, the information wasn’t particularly valuable.

Usually, it was just some scout visiting a city to observe a specific individual when they heard about some kid at a certain middle school, and then they’d trade the tip for a drink with Thomas.

That’s why Thomas purposefully made trips every summer.

When one of the scouts wanted to find out why Compton High School’s core lineup adjustments were working so quickly, Thomas let the news slip.

He was repaying a favor to that scout and at the same time, helping to ‘advertise’ Zhang Yang.

Once a scout caught wind of this, all the colleges interested in Zhang Yang got the news, and even those that hadn’t been aware of him came to know through a scout’s recommendation.

On November 3rd, the undefeated Compton High School team with six straight wins arrived in Lynwood city.

Today, they were set to challenge their first real powerhouse rival of the new season—the also undefeated Lynwood High School with six vicories.

At 3:45 in the afternoon, Zhang Yang and his teammates entered the court.

Zhang Yang looked around the court, befitting a high school next to a large city like Los Angeles, the competition venue was actually at the neighboring college’s sports complex.

With over 8,000 seats but only a little over a thousand spectators, it looked a tad too empty.

Zhang Yang looked across the court, eagerly anticipating the game.

Lynwood High School, like Compton High School, had also won all six of their matches so far, joining Saint Maria College, Oakland Middle School, and Saint Mary’s Middle School as one of the undefeated teams at the start of the season.

Both Compton High School and Lynwood High School were the only two undefeated teams left in District 3.

Having won six straight games, Lynwood High School’s wins held more weight due to the strength of the opponents they faced.

Top-tier teams from District 3 like Inglewood High School, Southern California High School, and San Diego High School had all been defeated by Lynwood High School.

So, on November 1, the Los Angeles media’s CIF Division One, District 3 power rankings placed Lynwood High School ahead of Compton High School.

Lynwood High School, which usually had mid-tier performance in previous years, had jumped to the top of District 3 this year, thanks to two players.

Tatum looked at the robust player on the opposite team and said, “Is that the transfer student?

Kevin, Allen, Charlie, Jeff (12th-grade center Jeff Cohen), you guys are in for a rough game today.”

DeRozan, with a bit of mischievous glee, chimed in, “Yes, Daven Jefferson, 19 years old, 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm), 250 pounds (113 kg), primarily plays power forward and center, transferred from Missouri High School to Lynwood High School in the summer, averaging 18 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks over 6 games.

In the latest national high school rankings, he’s number 50.”

Zhang Yang: “Big guys in the paint, please put in the effort, I’ll be praying for you.”

Miller, Kanter, Monroe, Cohen collectively fell silent—they were timid, so please don’t scare them!

Zhang Yang had heard of Daven Jefferson in his past life, not through NBA games, but from a news headline about this Black player being naturalized for South Korea.

He clicked to read more and found out that Jefferson would play in China’s NBL league and would later join the CBA’s Shanxi team, also having played for clubs in Europe and South America.

While DeRozan and Zhang Yang were teasing their teammates in the paint, a big-bearded man with a middle part in his hair appeared before them, his expression a mix of anger and grievance.

When Zhang Yang saw who it was, he showed a look of surprise: “Yo, James, long time no see, what are you doing here?”

DeRozan’s mouth twitched, but this was fun!

He followed up with, “Yeah, James, it’s been a while.

Are you here to watch us play?”

Harden was furious: “I am your opponent today!”

DeRozan: “Eh?

Is that true?

The sophomore prodigy who’s been averaging 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, and who has helped Lynwood High School’s rise, is you?

The number one scorer and playmaker for Lynwood High School is you?

No way!”

Zhang Yang: “Impossible, absolutely not!”

Harden was really annoyed!

Since entering the court, these two had focused only on his transfer student teammate, completely ignoring him.

He knew these two were doing it on purpose, saying those things to provoke him, but he just couldn’t control his rage.

So this was what it felt like to be their opponent!

Harden turned around indignantly and went back to the other half of the court to start playing with the ball like the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Zhang San and DeRozan high-fived, successfully infuriating their second opponent, Harden.

In a match, trash-talking ability is indeed part of your strength.

…

The confrontation between Zhang Yang, DeRozan, and their rivals Harden, Jefferson, was today’s most highly anticipated basketball game in California high schools.

Many reporters and scouts were present, most of whom had followed Compton High School.

In other words, among the professionals, 10th-grader DeRozan, 11th-grader Zhang Yang were regarded as more important than Lynwood High School’s Daven Jefferson ranked 50th nationwide in the Class of ’05.

There was no helping it, the popularity of Zhang Yang and DeRozan was such a headache for the scouts, making them wonder how they were going to recruit these two high schoolers when the competition was so fierce and ever-increasing.

However, as professional scouts, being able to watch these two exceptionally talented young men play was a pleasure.

At 4 p.m., the battle for the top spot in the third district between Compton High School and Lynwood High School began.

Zhang Yang, DeRozan, Miller each scored a mid-range jumper at the start, leading off with a 6-0 score.

But the lead didn’t last long, as Lynwood High School, under Harden and Daven Jefferson’s leadership, responded with a burst of 14-6, overtaking the score 14-12, prompting Compton High School to call a timeout.

Provoking Harden before the game seemed to have the opposite effect… Zhang Yang had no regrets.

Trash talk is just like that, sometimes it impacts opponents’ performance, and other times, it motivates them to play better.

One could only say Harden had improved significantly, not just in skill but also in mentality.

If it were the Harden from last year, he’d probably be whimpering in a corner by now.

In this half of the game, Zhang Yang gained a deeper understanding of Lynwood High School’s strength.

Harden’s current strength was just okay; Daven Jefferson wasn’t exceptionally strong either, having no scoring ability, his average of 18 points purely came from second-chance points and alley-oops.

But Lynwood High School’s role players were far stronger than those at other high schools; purely in terms of talent, any one of them would be on the level of Tatum, Miller, or Keith.

Although Lynwood High School’s player development was poor, and most hadn’t fully realized their potential, being in 11th or 12th grade, they were still stronger than players with average talent.

These players allowed Harden to display his talent in organizing offense, coupled with Daven Jefferson, who although technically poor, possessed explosive physical qualities, good rebounding instincts, and active shot-blocking, Lynwood High School demonstrated formidable combat power.

Zhang Yang thought for a moment, he had a plan!

…

Returning from the timeout, Compton High School made adjustments on both offense and defense.

On offense, settling into half-court play, Zhang Yang and DeRozan took turns in isolation, with Tatum seizing opportunities on defense and in transition.

On defense, block Harden’s threes and drives, and prevent Daven Jefferson’s offensive rebounding efforts.

Thomas, upon hearing this ad-hoc suggestion, felt it was full of holes,

This offensive strategy basically relied purely on Zhang Yang and DeRozan’s one-on-one abilities.

The defensive strategy wasn’t so reliable either, leaving both wings wide open.

But he didn’t reject Zhang Yang’s suggestion, since the game was being played by the players, and he trusted Zhang Yang’s judgment.

As Thomas had anticipated, after the timeout, Lynwood High School’s wings scored on open shots, creating another scoring surge with 12 points, while Zhang Yang and DeRozan fought hard, managing to score only 9 points in that period.

However, as the game went on, Lynwood High School’s shooters began to miss, and it spiraled out of control; the more they missed, the more hesitant they became, and the more hesitant, the more they missed…

From the end of the first quarter to the middle of the second, Compton High School launched a series of counterattacks, scoring an 18-9 run, and overtook Lynwood High School at 39-35!

Thomas was initially surprised, but after watching for a while, he saw the reason — Lynwood High School’s role players lacked confidence!

They dared to shoot when they were making consecutive shots, and with Daven Jefferson guaranteeing offensive rebounds, they dared to shoot even when missing.

But when their mid and long-range shots started to miss, and Daven Jefferson couldn’t grab offensive rebounds, they began to worry that they couldn’t make the shots.

Thomas remembered seeing this last year while watching junior varsity games,

At the time, he and two colleagues had complained that Lynwood High School was wasting a group of talented middle schoolers by playing their confidence away.

The varsity players came from the JV team, and the flaws of the Lynwood High School JV players were also present in the varsity team!

Thomas once again marveled at Zhang Yang’s ability to command on the spot, even using the opponents’ psychological state to his advantage!

After regaining the lead, Zhang Yang and DeRozan continued to press their advantage, establishing a 10-point lead during the third quarter.

Harden attempted to lead a counterattack, but his awakening of talent came too late; he was currently no match for either of those two rascals.

The final score was fixed at 94-82, with Zhang Yang and DeRozan combining for 60 points, leading Compton High School to defeat Lynwood High School, recording a 7-0 victory and securing the top spot in the third district!

Watching Zhang Yang and DeRozan, Thomas thought the two lads were astounding, once again exceeding his expectations!

He felt the opposing team was in for a tough time, this game would surely get media coverage.

His Jack had exposed Lynwood High School’s weaknesses completely, making them a target for other teams.

The way to break through was actually quite simple — him taking one-on-one shots.

Zhang Yang and DeRozan usually did just that; if it weren’t for their one-on-one abilities allowing teammates to focus on defense, they couldn’t have executed this strategy.

Thomas thought Harden had the talent but just wasn’t there yet.

Harden had realized this himself, and he had tried to go one-on-one in the game but was targeted by Zhang Yang; his outside shots were disrupted, and when he drove into the paint, he was met with a crowd…

Watching Zhang Yang and DeRozan celebrating on the other side, Harden was unwilling to accept defeat.

He wanted to become stronger — stronger than all his buddies!

He had decided!

From today, these two were the opponents he most wanted to defeat!

Their friendship had shattered starting from this game… “James, we’re going to that steakhouse you mentioned, are you coming?”

“I’m in!”

…

…

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