A week later, an eager Qin Yue and his teammates officially embarked on their NCAA journey for the 03/04 season.
The Devil's Deacon Team faced their first challenge of the new season against the Indiana Mountaineers.
In this ACC vs. Big Ten Conference showdown, the Devil's Deacon Team, representing the ACC, delivered a perfect performance at home to show the world what true brilliance means—it's a moment, not eternity.
Historically, the Mountaineers have won the NCAA championship a total of five times, currently making them the team with the second most wins in NCAA history.
Therefore, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the flagship team of the Big Ten Conference.
However, as the representative face of the Big Ten Conference...
As the final game clock wound down, Mike Davis, who had taken over as the Mountaineers' head coach four years ago from Bob Knight, found it hard to hold his head high with his disciples that night.
On the scoreboard, 60 to 107.
The visiting Mountaineers had their pride shattered that night.
Chris Paul, who had just received tutoring from Felton earlier, unleashed all his might, effortlessly scoring a game-high 24 points along with 9 assists in just 27 minutes.
After the game, Mike Davis gritted his teeth as he talked about Paul's performance: "Chris Paul, this freshman is one of the best point guards I've ever seen."
In fact, aside from Paul, the player Davis probably "resented" the most on the Devil's Deacon Team was Qin Yue.
Because on the court, when Qin Yue came off the bench, he dominantly ruled the Mountaineers' already weak interior without any hesitation.
"Where on earth did they find this Asian face? Why wasn't he on my scouting report at all?"
Considering he didn't have any game records from his freshman season, it's not surprising that Davis lacked information on Qin Yue.
It's worth noting, only a week ago did Qin Yue make his college debut.
But that friendly match wasn't broadcasted on TV. So, where was Davis supposed to find footage to analyze Qin Yue's skills?
Maybe there are game tapes of Qin Yue from North Carolina.
But as a rival conference, does North Carolina have any obligation to share information about Qin Yue with the Mountaineers?
To say a bit harshly, even if the Mountaineers wanted to ask North Carolina for this tape, North Carolina would probably refuse, citing a recent fire in the tape room.
Since to North Carolina, a rival like the Mountaineers, they'd love nothing more than to see them lose every day.
That night, off the bench for 20 minutes, Qin Yue totaled 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, and 2 steals.
To Qin Yue, the interior of this Mountaineers' team was shockingly weak.
On the court, Qin Yue even felt he hadn't exerted effort before his opponents seemed to surrender.
If there were a flaw in Qin Yue's game, it might be his defensive rebounds.
Because out of the 8 rebounds Qin Yue grabbed, 6 were offensive rebounds.
While defensive rebounds? Only a meager 2.
As for why?
On one hand, Beast Ellis was too good at rebounding, and on the other hand, a certain "183 masked man" indeed poached quite a few rebounds from Qin Yue.
In the game, Qin Yue's impact on both ends was immediate when he came off the bench.
Statistics alone could not fully capture Qin Yue's value on the court.
Likewise, stats couldn't show how Paul affected Qin Yue's rebounds.
After this night, Qin Yue fully realized the importance of continuing to work on his ball-handling and passing fundamentals.
Because only by mastering these, can he openly prevent Paul from taking the rebounds that should rightfully belong to him under the guise of initiating a better fast break for the team.
That day, Qin Yue silently made a note about Paul in his little notebook:
Chris Paul, a fraudulent fast-break initiator and shameless rebound thief.
...
The next day, news that the Devil's Deacon Team had overwhelmingly defeated the Mountaineers in the ACC challenge spread like a tornado across the college basketball world.
Regarding this, Mountaineers' fans lamented: "You say the basketball team's level right now, with just these few people, you even have someone like Johnson playing center, can he play? No, he can't, doesn't have the ability, right?"
Online, a neutral fan offered comfort to Mountaineers fans: "On the bright side, the Mountaineers are also the earliest Big Ten team preparing for the 04/05 season."
Upon hearing this, Mountaineers fans were infuriated: "Oh great, thank heavens!
You think playing like this without a solid base will guarantee wins in crucial games of the 04/05 season?
Be practical, I suggest the basketball team first understand tactics and the concept of basketball!"
With just one match, the Mountaineers reached their darkest moment.
In stark contrast, the Devil's Deacon Team was wrapped in flowers and praise.
"In the ACC challenge, the Devil's Deacon Team turned the Mountaineers to dust with a spectacular performance." — News & Observer
"The mysterious face from the East shone in the ACC challenge; from 400 pounds to 290 pounds, what did he undergo this past summer?
Stay tuned for our upcoming weekend exclusive column: 'With the Wind of Struggles, Life Never Gives Up'." — Winston-Salem Journal
"Good morning, Wake Forest! Yesterday, our basketball team's match result was 60 to 107. Our inspirational legend Qin destroyed the opponent in just 20 minutes!
Alright, let's start this new day of dreaming with the Devil's Deacon Team!" — Wake Forest Campus Radio.
After the ACC challenge, Qin Yue had become a prominent figure at Wake Forest.
People were discussing his story, anticipating his future.
However, for now, the main spokesperson for the Devil's Deacon Team was still Paul.
In November, under Chris Paul's leadership, the Devil's Deacon Team easily achieved a 6-game winning streak at the start.
During the games, Prose strictly controlled Qin Yue's playing time to around 20 minutes.
Although Qin Yue himself was eager for more time on the court, for now, as his body wasn't fully ready, the best sixth man was evidently the most suitable role for him.
Yes.
Qin Yue still needed more time to adapt to college basketball, more games to learn how to manage his stamina during matches, and more training to unlock his potential.
Additionally, since his weight loss had reached a relatively large bottleneck period, seeing this, Qin Yue decisively applied to Prose for extra drills during the team's regular training.
As a result, after confirming Qin Yue's body could handle a higher training intensity, Prose approved his request without hesitation.
In Prose's eyes, Qin Yue's potential seemed like a bottomless pit, and no matter how much you dig, he would come back the next day with his training content to tell you:
Hey, coach, I feel like I've improved again!
"What heights do you think he can reach in the future?" asked assistant coach Victor curiously as Qin Yue added training sessions that day.
"Perhaps, the sky is his only limit." After pondering for a moment, Prose replied.
...
PS: The 5000-word chapter update this afternoon really works, dear readers! Because even if Ah Qiao forgets to update after getting caught up watching Donk, no one complains!
PS2: Dear readers, during this new book phase, I continue to beg for your collection, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes!