Jim Boham was the person on this planet most familiar with the Syracuse University basketball arena.
Ever since becoming a student at Syracuse University in 1962, aside from a few years he spent playing professionally, he had spent most of his time in this very arena.
He became an assistant coach for Syracuse University in 1969 and had served as the head coach of the Orange Team since 1976.
Coach Jim first noticed Jack Su a week ago.
Getting Jack Su on the main roster had originally been a deal he made with Reggie Williams.
In college basketball, superstars might not receive lavish material rewards, but they did have privileges. When Reggie Williams specifically requested for this Chinese point guard to be put on the main roster, the coaching staff and the athletic committee had no choice but to secure a scholarship spot for him.
With Reggie Williams's unexpected death, this "loose end" became a priority for the coaching staff to deal with.
In the NCAA, every team has a limit on its official roster, and they didn't want to waste another spot. The roster was already bloated as it was.
When he returned to the university to start work this past week, he saw Su Xi training from dawn till dusk every day. The kid was working his tail off, and his rate of improvement was astonishingly fast.
At night, he would even go to the nearby courts to play.
Coach Jim had gone to watch him twice. Although they were relatively low-level games, Su Xi displayed abilities he hadn't possessed last season.
Jim liked players who worked hard.
Furthermore, he wasn't prejudiced. He didn't believe that someone with yellow skin belonged in a business school classroom, studying hard and striving for an offer from Wall Street.
Interestingly, just yesterday afternoon, Jim Boham had unintentionally witnessed the entire scene of Su Xi rejecting a girl. He had been spacing out by his office window, a cup of coffee in hand.
Then, he saw a beautiful Chinese girl call Su Xi out of the arena.
This beautiful Chinese girl poured her heart out to Su Xi. It was clear she was very brave and really wanted to go on a date with Jack Su.
Jim had smiled at the time.
He had been young once; he didn't think there was anything inappropriate about it.
He even had a mischievous thought at that moment: 'Jack won't be running up the arena's electricity bill tonight. He'll be at some hotel for an all-night "training" session.'
But then, the unexpected happened.
Su Xi actually turned the girl down. He said, very firmly, "I can understand your feelings, because I've helped you. But you have to understand, I helped you because I thought you needed my help. You just came over from China, you had some trouble with the language, and I happen to know some basic Chinese."
"That's gratitude. It's not love."
Su Xi calmly rejected Huang Xiaoman.
But Huang Xiaoman stated very clearly, "No, I'm sure it's not gratitude. I just like you."
Jim mentally gave a thumbs-up to this courageous girl. He knew that Chinese girls were usually very shy.
He hoped that little rascal Jack would hurry up and say yes to this brave girl. After all, she was so beautiful and exceptional.
But Su Xi still shook his head. He said, "You should focus on your studies. You have a bright future. You shouldn't be wasting your energy on me, just like how I have to put all my energy into basketball right now. I can't spare even a tiny bit for anything else."
"I'm sorry!"
In the end, Su Xi gave the girl a gentlemanly hug, then returned to the basketball court as if nothing had happened. He resumed his training, carrying on with his planned workout routine.
Jim Boham was completely shocked. He had seen plenty of restless teenagers Su Xi's age. Having worked with the basketball team for so many years, he knew all too well what these star athletes were like on campus. Girls would often come to him in tears, accusing some irresponsible basketball player of wrongdoing.
As the head coach, he would usually cover these things up.
This led many team members to see it as a "hint" that they could be reckless in their relationships.
'This guy is really that in love with basketball?'
Coach Jim was shaken. It made him think of himself... way back in 1962. He had loved basketball that much too, except back then, he was the one who got rejected after confessing to a girl he liked.
He then begged his roommate, Dave Bin, to help him get onto the varsity team so he could get more attention from girls—and maybe even win that one girl back. Unfortunately, she ended up marrying the school's star football player.
During his freshman year, he got no playing time at all. His pride drove him to train relentlessly. He kept improving, reaching heights he had never imagined.
And then, he forgot all about that girl.
By his senior year, he had even become team captain. He and Dave Bin led the team to its best record in school history at the time. After that, Dave Bin went to the NBA, while he quickly returned to campus and has been coaching the team ever since.
He saw a shadow of himself in Su Xi... even if it was a mirror image of his own.
But he didn't mind. When you get old, it's normal for your memory to get a little fuzzy. 'Me rejecting the girl, the girl rejecting me—is there really a difference? Did it stop me from becoming a head coach?'
Coach Jim thought to himself: 'Maybe keeping this kid on the team isn't such a bad idea. He can stay on the practice squad. Who knows, maybe one day he'll turn out like me?'
…
When Gray McN arrived at the Syracuse University Orange Team's basketball arena carrying a duffel bag, nobody recognized the reigning Mr. Basketball from Pennsylvania.
Dressed in simple shorts and a T-shirt, he was here to check out his future home court.
McNamara was completely different from other high school stars; he had no entourage or ostentatious flair.
Su Xi was on the court, running suicide drills like a madman. With sandbags strapped to his legs, he sprinted relentlessly. It was how he worked on his strength and explosiveness.
McNamara stood on the sidelines, watching Su Xi's frantic sprints.
'That's an unusual way to train,' he muttered to himself. 'Isn't he worried about his knees?'
He spent half an hour wandering around most of the arena.
He was very satisfied with the facilities, which were just as the coaching staff had described during his recruitment. It was truly worthy of being the best college basketball team in New York State.
He walked over to Su Xi and asked, "Hey, are you a player for the Orange Team? I'm Gray McNamara."
Su Xi looked up. Before him was an ordinary-looking white kid with a bright smile on his face.
He said, "Yeah."
Then he added, "Feel free to look around. If you want to shoot a bit, there are basketballs and a locker room back there. They're not too strict about the rules during the summer break."
McNamara smiled. 'This new teammate of mine definitely doesn't know who I am,' he thought.
'Then again, this isn't Pennsylvania. My fame hasn't spread nationwide yet.'
'But it will soon.'
'After all, my goal isn't just to be some average NCAA player. I'm going to the NBA!'
…