Coach Ben had a good reason to curse the grouping.
He knew that sometimes the NCAA would deliberately arrange certain games to allow highly-regarded players to perform exceptionally well, giving them a better chance to showcase themselves.
In fact, UCLA had been taken care of last year, but unfortunately, they lost their privilege this year, which made Coach Ben feel unbalanced.
Double standards are perhaps human nature.
On the practice court, Kayce was already in full swing, leading Holiday and the bench group on a rampage.
Darren Collison felt a bit embarrassed; Kayce had stripped the ball from him face-to-face once, and then blocked his shot in the previous possession.
Star guards need their pride too. He dribbled past half-court, used a screen, and shot directly from beyond the three-point line.
"Clang!" Another clang off the rim. Darren Collison was a bit speechless; his touch was indeed off today.
Coach Ben naturally saw his performance. This was the limitation of short guards.
After a lot of physical contact, shooting percentages couldn't be guaranteed.
Thinking about the team's interior players and their first-round playoff opponent, Coach Ben scratched his head.
UCLA's first-round playoff opponent was the University of Connecticut, the team with the interior giant, Hasheem Thabeet.
Who would believe that this draw wasn't rigged? Look at UCLA's weak interior; it was clearly designed to give the University of Connecticut a free pass!
Star interior players always faced teams with weak interior strength in the first round.
Look at the highly favored University of Oklahoma, led by Blake Griffin; their schedule was clearly much more favorable.
Coach Ben also thought of the University of North Carolina, whose strength was off the charts this year, making him even more depressed.
Kayce, who was on a rampage, didn't know what Coach Ben was thinking. Once he was fully immersed, his only concern was his opponent.
Receiving a pass from Holiday again, he faced a double-team, fed the ball to the interior player for an easy layup, scoring 2 points.
Watching the one-sided game, Coach Ben waited a while longer before calling a timeout, and they began specific tactical training.
Kayce had just started to break a sweat, and his basketball craving was building up when he was called off, making him a little annoyed.
Currently, to counter the University of Connecticut's interior advantage, Coach Ben's priority was to emphasize protecting the interior rebounds.
How to protect the paint and secure defensive rebounds was something the entire team had to take seriously!
Kayce thought of Thabeet's height, then looked at his own team's interior players, and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
They wouldn't be eliminated in the first round, would they? If they got crushed on the boards and the perimeter shots all missed, they might really be in trouble!
Currently, Kayce could only train efficiently in his dream space, constantly refining his basketball skills.
After joining UCLA, the control panel also offered 1-on-1 practice, but unfortunately, opponents could only be chosen from his own team.
Last year, Kayce mostly chose Luc Mbah a Moute and Westbrook, and occasionally picking Love. The overall training effect was pretty good.
Luc Mbah a Moute had height and wingspan, Westbrook was quick and aggressive, and Love also allowed Kayce to practice defending interior players.
By 2009, those guys had all entered the NBA.
Kayce's best choice now was Holiday, as he was physically strong and still had a lot to offer.
Collison was too short, and his aggressiveness wasn't enough; he felt he had made little progress this year.
However, the daily cup of enhanced beverage had improved Kayce's physical condition compared to last year. B-grade functional beverages were the best!
The only downside was that he could only enter the dream space after midnight.
Kayce had tried many times during the day, but napping, afternoon naps, and everything else was useless.
The enhanced beverage also couldn't be brought out of the space. Otherwise, he would stock up a few bottles to chug during games, instantly turning into a physical monster with an infinite stamina bar.
The team trained all morning, their heads filled with tactics. Kayce was fine, but Holiday and Collison were already a bit dazed.
During lunch, Collison complained:
"Coach Ben emphasizes rebounding too much. I think Coach Ben is overly nervous. Although the opponent does have a big guy, as long as our perimeter shooting is hot, we can definitely win the game!"
Holiday wasn't so optimistic:
"He's too tall, 221cm(7.2ft). I really can't imagine how to face him when driving to the paint. He can interfere with shots with just an arm extension. Coach Ben is right, we have to find a way to limit him."
Seeing Kayce not speaking, Collison asked, "Kayce, do you think we can get past the first round this year?"
Li Ze shrugged, "In a winner-take-all game, anything is possible. We don't have an advantage inside, but as long as our perimeter players suppress them, we definitely have a chance to win!"
Holiday, this seemingly honest kid, chimed in again:
"Kayce, in one of your league games, you missed six shots in a row before finding your rhythm. If that happens again, we really won't be able to hold on!"
Kayce immediately got angry, "You're sabotaging me again!"
He immediately argued that he would rather miss shots than hesitate to shoot, and what was wrong with missing a few shots on a tough fadeaway? If no one could stop him one-on-one, the mamba mentality would guide him forward.
The dining table was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
In the afternoon, Coach Ben led everyone to watch game tapes of the University of Connecticut, continuing to break down the opponent's tactics for the players.
The assistant coaches also began to summarize the technical characteristics of each opposing player.
Kayce felt a headache coming on after being bombarded with tactical analysis by Coach Ben again.
After announcing the end of today's team practice, Coach Ben called Kayce aside. Holiday gave his roommate a "good luck" look and quickly slipped away.
After all, no one could stand Coach Ben's nagging.
Looking at the young man in front of him, Coach Ben still felt a great sense of accomplishment.
After all, he was the first to discover Kayce; otherwise, he would have definitely been snatched by North Carolina. He believed this kid would achieve great things in the future.
"Kayce, I know sometimes it's uncomfortable to guard interior players, but the team really needs you right now. Our defensive rebounds are too important; you need to understand that."
Coach Ben said softly to Kayce.
"I understand, Coach. I have no problem with the tactical arrangements. I hope the team can achieve better results, so please don't worry."
Kayce looked at the old man in front of him, his heart also filled with gratitude, as respect was always mutual.
Coach Ben nodded with satisfaction and then said:
"I know the grouping is unfavorable to us. I'll allow you to take more individual offense. You're in better shape than last year, and your understanding of the game is more mature. Go for it, kid!"
Kayce playfully gave the old man a military salute, "Yes, sir!" They exchanged smiles.
Leaving the training gym, Kayce prepared to hit the weights, pushing his body to its limits, because a hard worker didn't become one for nothing.
However, after only a few steps, he saw a blonde sweetie in a simple white T-shirt and slim-fit jeans, her beautiful figure outlined.
Kayce scratched his head, "Hey, Britney, what are you..."
Before he could finish, the blonde sweetie had already burst into tears and thrown herself into Kayce's arms, crying her heart out.
Kayce was a bit bewildered by the gossiping glances around them.