The A team decisively called a timeout.
After Zeng Xingyang came off the court, he was surrounded by his teammates.
His teammates happily handed him water and a towel.
Without a doubt, Zeng Xingyang was the main contributor to B team's ability to catch up in score so quickly during this period.
Kenny Payne, who trained Zeng Xingyang, was also immensely proud at this moment.
Booker and Towns playing well didn't have much to do with him, as they were already talented, but Zeng Xingyang performing well and showing evident improvement indicated that his training was indeed effective.
Seeing players improve significantly gives coaches a strong sense of achievement.
The timeout did not change the dynamics, as the momentum of team B was already on the rise.
In the subsequent game, Zeng Xingyang became a focal point on the court, providing Booker and Towns ample space to single out their opposing players.
Even though team A's players had decent teamwork, in the end, the intra-team scrimmage score was set at 73 to 80, with team B emerging victorious.
Zeng Xingyang played 15 minutes and accumulated an all-around performance of 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
"Beep!!"
The head coach blew the whistle for assembly, and all the players gathered together.
Zeng Xingyang stood at the front along with Towns and Booker.
"This game was outstanding, and reflected your spirit," Calipari said with a smile. "Tonight's performance also indicates your training outcomes to some extent."
"Several players were particularly outstanding."
"Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, Zeng Xingyang, your performance on the court was excellent."
Calipari directly praised these four, then added, "I hope everyone takes them as examples and performs well in the new season."
Trey Lyles was the best-performing player on team A, scoring 30 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds, nearly achieving a triple-double, but his side lost.
As for team B, there's no need to say more. Towns and Booker consistently delivered on the court, while Zeng Xingyang stepped up to turn the situation around when the team was trailing by double digits.
Such praise made Zeng Xingyang happier, believing that Calipari would now include him in the rotation.
Calipari continued, "Starting tomorrow, all training will become routine as we prepare for the season opener."
.....
Calipari quickly announced the dismissal. The coaching staff continued to work overtime, while the players went back to rest.
On the way back to the dorm, Zeng Xingyang, Booker, and Towns walked together.
"Zeng, your three-point shooting today was spot-on, passing to you just meant assists," Booker said joyfully while holding the ball.
"Then you need to pass to me more often, so our stats look good," Zeng Xingyang said with a smile.
"Alright, let's rack up the stats together," Booker replied smiling.
"When you two get the chance, pass it to me too, I'm aiming for the first draft pick," Towns interjected.
"Haha, no problem, we'll pass to each other," Zeng Xingyang chuckled.
The three of them walked towards the dormitory, laughing and chatting, all having a common goal.
NBA!
All three wanted to play in this league.
.....
Early the next morning.
Before the team's training started, Zeng Xingyang was already in early training mode.
Towns and Booker were also pulled up by Zeng Xingyang.
A day of training for the Kentucky Wildcats lasts about 6 hours. Other students need to spend an additional 2 hours on homework and such.
But Zeng Xingyang didn't need to. His training duration was 10 hours.
This training time was determined by Zeng Xingyang based on his situation, ensuring that training intensity always stayed within physical limits, occasionally pushing beyond but not doing so for an extended period.
Under Zeng Xingyang's self-driven competitiveness, many Wildcats players privately engaged in extra practice, though their intensity was still not as harsh as Zeng Xingyang's.
Zeng Xingyang was also privately nicknamed the Training Maniac by his teammates.
Of course, Zeng Xingyang was not a robot; he did not overtrain on weekends and occasionally went out with Towns and Booker to relax.
The three would often watch NBA games in their dorm and occasionally invite some girls to a movie or shopping at night.
....
On November 15th.
Zeng Xingyang and Booker each spent money on a cake and invited Jenner and five other beautiful white female friends to celebrate Towns' birthday.
Everyone also gave Towns birthday gifts.
Booker had been pursuing Jenner since he was 16, but their identities were too disparate. It wasn't until Booker had a chance to make it to the NBA that Jenner agreed to start dating him.
Zeng Xingyang and Towns were not the play-hard type of guys, and with Booker currently pursuing Jenner, the three's private lives were relatively normal and not too chaotic.
Towns formally turned 19 today, which also means he is eligible for the NBA draft.
As soon as this NCAA season ends, he can declare for the draft.
Towns was very moved by Zeng Xingyang and Booker celebrating his birthday: "Devin, Zeng, you guys are my brothers. Once I get drafted and sign a contract, I'll get you each a car."
"I'll take a Maserati."
"I'll take a Ferrari."
"You guys are ruthless; my rookie year salary probably won't even cover it."
"Don't worry, you'll be picked first, and get a big contract. We have faith in you."
"Hope so...."
The three were joking, while the girls took care of the rest...
....
After the birthday celebrations ended, Zeng Xingyang returned to his dorm.
Spending time with Towns, Booker, and the girls was quite enjoyable, and Zeng Xingyang felt that he had fully integrated into life here.
Even off the basketball court, he had good friends.
Lying in bed, thinking about the draft conversation they just had, Zeng Xingyang checked his recent attributes.
[Shooting: LV3]
[Experience: 4005/10000]
[Note: Reached NCAA elite shooter level, keep up the good work.]
....
[Positioning: LV3]
[Experience: 11/5000]
[Note: Positioning ability has reached NBA shooter level.]
....
[Power: LV2]
[Experience: 421/1000]
[Note: LV5 is the highest]
....
[Defense: LV2]
[Experience: 345/800]
[Note: Reached NCAA-level defense ability]
....
[Dribbling: LV2]
[Experience: 9/500]
[Note: Reached NCAA small forward average level]
His positioning and dribbling had both been upgraded, and the experience points for his other attributes had also increased significantly.
This was the outcome of Zeng Xingyang's systematic training.
"Settling into the rotation is no longer an issue; now it's about striving to become a starter in official games!"
With every effort he made, Zeng Xingyang gained immensely, which motivated him to strive even harder.
As long as he continued progressing, he would get closer and closer to the NBA.