When Anthony Jefferson arrived at the training field, it was already a quarter past eight.
Normally, the day after a game, there wouldn't be any formal training. It would just be a light session for recovery, checking for injuries, and relaxing muscles before everyone was dismissed. It was a rare, easy moment in the week, assuming the previous day's game was a victory—nobody liked to lose.
However, yesterday was the last game of the season. The end of the game also meant the official end of the 2011 NCAA season, which made today especially unique.
For the past eleven years, this day was a day of farewells—not a graduation from college, but a moment for players to say goodbye to their football careers.
The professional league was a meat grinder that devoured people and spat out their bones. Over 90% of the players on the college field weren't good enough to go pro, and only a mere 1% of them would reach the pinnacle of the professional league and be remembered in history.
Generally, players could choose to enter the draft in their junior year to challenge the professional league, or they could continue their education for another year, graduate as seniors, accumulate more fame and experience, and then enter the draft. But if they couldn't get into the league after graduating as seniors, it meant the end of their "professional career."
This made the day after the last NCAA game a day of farewells. It was the most special and most emotional day of the year.
In Anthony's opinion, the Bruins' overall skill level was still mediocre. Among the juniors and seniors, no more than five—maybe fewer than three—would be able to make it into the league through the draft. This meant that at least twenty players would end their football careers today.
Every player had the dream of becoming a professional player and had persisted all the way to college. But today was the moment when that dream came to an end and they returned to harsh reality. A long journey of ten, even fifteen years, had now come to a close. Whether it was by choice or by force, it was a moment that was bound to be unsettling.
So, this day was difficult and sad for Anthony. It had been this way for the past eleven years.
This year was a little different. The season was over, and the Bruins were ranked fourth, so there was a possibility they would be invited to the Rose Bowl. But it was only a possibility. Today was still a day for goodbyes.
With a heavy heart, his pace slowed a little. From a distance, a noisy commotion, mixed with cheerful laughter and playful curses, came from the training field. It broke the peaceful silence of the early morning and filled the training field with life, seemingly diluting the bitterness of parting.
Anthony couldn't help but smile. This was his favorite training field, the one he was most familiar with. He quickened his pace, and soon, the two people competing in the middle of the field, Lu Ke and John, came into view. The two were doing a shuttle run, and at the turning point, Logan and Marcus were ready, shouting, "Hurry up! Don't let that guy beat you!"
Anthony's timing was perfect. Lu Ke and John had entered their sprint phase, but it wasn't the end. John, with a slight advantage, ran toward Marcus and slapped his palm hard, and the competition was then passed on to Marcus and Logan. Lu Ke was only a small step behind, with Logan right behind him.
First, there were short lateral jumps, two round trips. Then it was Lu Ke and John's turn again, changing direction quickly. Then it was Logan and Marcus again, obstacle tackling.
It was a continuous relay race, with Lu Ke and Logan on one team and John and Marcus on the other. They were doing basic drills, one after another.
These drills weren't specific to quarterbacks. They were more about footwork, explosiveness, and turning, which were more suited for running backs and tight ends. However, as basic drills, quarterbacks also used them to train their footwork and reaction time. So, it was a fair competition.
The whole race ended with a 40-yard sprint, with Lu Ke and John crossing the finish line almost side by side. John and Marcus won—in speed and turning drills, a quarterback couldn't compete with a wide receiver, running back, or tight end. But what was surprising was that Lu Ke was only a palm's length behind, just like in a 100-meter dash, where the winner was almost impossible to tell with the naked eye.
This was truly impressive.
Watching the four young men panting heavily and then playfully messing with each other, Anthony didn't interrupt them. He turned and left. He knew Lu Ke was a hardworking player. He was like that when he was a practice player, and he was still like that as a backup. But after winning the most important game in nearly ten years for the team last night, Lu Ke was still humble and focused on his training. This made Anthony see him in a new light.
He liked players like that. He had always preferred players who put in the sweat and hard work over those with natural talent.
Unfortunately, Lu Ke's physical talent was still lacking. Even if he didn't want to admit it, in terms of physical confrontation, black players seemed to have a natural advantage, completely overpowering white players, not to mention Asians. Players like Yao Ming were a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence in the history of the NBA. In football, which was more physically demanding and aggressive, there were no Asian players. Besides racism, there were also objective reasons for this.
If he remembered correctly, Lu Ke was also a senior this year. He wondered what Lu Ke's thoughts were about the professional league.
Gradually, the other Bruins players arrived on the field and began their recovery training for the day. The atmosphere on the entire training field was especially relaxed and lively. Even the practice players were laughing and cheering. Last night's victory was truly too sweet and wouldn't fade away for a long time.
For a moment, everyone forgot about the upcoming farewells. Later, a few seniors gathered and started talking. John openly stated his decision, and the training atmosphere inevitably became a little somber. But then Logan's loud voice reminded everyone that there was a potential Rose Bowl this year. Until the Rose Bowl announced its participating teams, they couldn't disband and had to continue training.
The smiles returned to everyone's faces.
"Bambi, today's training is over. Are you really going to go through the whole basic training again?" The recovery training ended quickly. Time flew by with all the laughing and joking. Everyone was getting ready to go shower, but they saw Lu Ke was still meticulously completing his quarterback drills. Someone shouted out.
Lu Ke didn't stop what he was doing. He smiled and replied, "Just some simple basic drills. I'm working hard to earn a starting spot in the Rose Bowl. I'm already starting behind, so I have to work even harder."
This honest and direct answer made everyone burst into laughter. "Relax, relax! Bambi, I think your performance last night was enough to secure you a starting spot."
"As a wide receiver!" someone else joked, and everyone laughed hysterically.
Lu Ke didn't join in the fun. Because he had been distracted for a moment while talking, his movements weren't up to standard, and the system didn't count the last three repetitions. He refocused and got back to his training, methodically completing all the drills. The mission complete notification sounded in his mind again.
He earned another basic point. Lu Ke casually added it to "field vision," increasing his score from 53 to 54, one step closer to the passing grade.
After one daily training mission was completed, another one appeared as scheduled.
Lu Ke glanced through it casually, but his eyes suddenly stopped, and he looked at the mission again. The mission period was still fourteen days, and the number of tasks had increased by five, bringing the total to thirty. Not only had the number of tasks increased, but the existing tasks had also changed slightly.
The first change was "endurance run, 10,000 meters," which had become "variable-speed run, 10,000 meters. Mission requirements: must change speed at least five times, with each sprint being 100 meters." In long-distance running, maintaining a rhythm was undoubtedly the most important thing. The ability to change speed suddenly demanded a massive increase in physical strength, breath control, and endurance.
The second change was the number of repetitions for each task. For example, weighted squats used to be three sets, but now they were five sets, and the weight had also increased accordingly—to the maximum weight Lu Ke could lift. Another example was footwork drills, which used to be three sets, but were now ten sets. It seemed the system was not very happy with Lu Ke's footwork.
The third change was the five new training tasks.
"...
Obstacle evasion training, 5 sets, 3 round trips per set.
Three-cone drill, 5 sets, 3 round trips per set.
Rope ladder lateral run, 3 sets, 3 round trips per set.
Weighted sit-ups, 5 sets, 20 reps per set.
Yoga, 30 minutes.
Mission time limit: 14 consecutive days (0/14).
Mission reward: Basic point +1."
Lu Ke was familiar with the new training drills at the beginning. They were all advanced footwork drills, which were boring but very important. But what was the last one? Lu Ke thought he had read it wrong and read it again, but it was still the same: "Yoga, 30 minutes."
" Little Seven? Little Seven?" Lu Ke started calling out in his mind. "What's with the yoga? Is this to increase my charm? Why can't I see any connection between yoga and football? Or is it some kind of alien yoga that can turn me into a Super Saiyan?"
NOTE:
New chapters drop three times a day, every Monday through Saturday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release three bonus chapters for every 100 votes! Let's get this story moving together.