Cameron looked at the poised and nonchalant Su Xi and couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.
'Now this is the mentality of a true powerhouse.'
'Jack Su is a bit like LeBron James.'
Antonio couldn't help but think of the darling of high school basketball, LeBron James, all the way over in Ohio. He was one of the hottest stars in American basketball today.
Although he was only 17 and still in high school, his name was already deeply ingrained in the minds of die-hard basketball fans. Everyone believed he would become the next dominant force in the NBA.
Last year, Antonio had led Oak Hill High School in an exhibition game against them. The match drew over 11,000 fans and was broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Antonio held the title of "The Strongest High School Player of the Class of 2002," while James was known as "The Chosen One." The media hyped their matchup as the greatest duel between two high school players in the history of American basketball.
Antonio led Oak Hill to victory in that game, scoring 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists. Across from him, the younger James put up 36 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists. The final score was 72-66.
Antonio's victory was attributed to Oak Hill High School being a prestigious institution with a long history, while St. Vincent-St. Mary was just an obscure team.
After the game, Antonio had spoken with James. Faced with immense praise, James's demeanor was much like Su Xi's was right now.
As a result, Antonio couldn't help but see Su Xi in a much higher light.
McNamara walked over and hugged Su Xi tightly. He said, "Jack, you were amazing. I'm proud of you."
Su Xi smiled, patting McNamara's back. "I have you to thank for being so persistent in training me."
McNamara quickly replied, "No, I should be thanking you. You've given me a deeper understanding of offense."
The two went back and forth, deferring to each other.
Jim Boham loved this kind of harmonious scene. 'Good thing we got rid of that black sheep, Carl Joseph.'
He gathered the players for practice.
College basketball is very strict about fundamentals. There were ball-handling drills, shooting drills, and contact drills. However, the majority of the time was spent on tactical training.
College is a time when a player's tactical understanding improves by leaps and bounds.
Su Xi was meticulous in his training. His understanding of tactics wasn't at a genius level, but he could quickly grasp the logic behind the plays and the head coach's ultimate intentions.
The training before the season officially began was tedious, and the players didn't do any scrimmaging.
So, sighs and groans were common in the training camp, but Su Xi never joined in.
For one, his stamina recovered quickly. For another, he thought of himself as someone chosen by heaven. 'The path of fusion ahead will surely be fraught with difficulties, so this little bit of hardship is nothing. This is just a test of my body; it hasn't even begun to test my spirit.'
This display of his inadvertently earned him even more admiration from Carmeron Anthony.
「Outside of the training camp.」
The story of Su Xi teaching Carl a lesson also spread around campus with unusual swiftness, and Su Xi shot to fame as one of the school's hottest sports stars.
As a result, he received a flood of affectionate messages and invitations.
Unlike his roommate McNamara, who was always running off to mixers, Su Xi rarely went out. He turned down all the female students who asked him out on dates, even though there were many.
Sometimes, he was tempted.
But for the sake of a grander ideal, Su Xi firmed his resolve. 'This is also a form of discipline,' he told himself.
And so, Su Xi became the only sports star on the Orange Team who didn't party. An aura of mystery began to surround him. Everyone was saying that the school basketball team had a maverick superstar, and that Syracuse University was sure to win the championship this season.
The speed at which these rumors spread was also highly unusual.
This was in no small part thanks to the help of Carmeron Anthony.
Antonio was a huge party animal, a bit of a player. At parties, he would often say, "The only one on this team who can compete with me in the looks department is Jack Su. The only one who can compete with me in skill is also Jack Su! Lil-goat! Little Sheep Su Xi!"
Carmeron Anthony had always believed Su Xi was a powerhouse.
So, as they say, first impressions are everything.
Thanks to the hype from Antonio, the nation's number one high school player, Su Xi's fame grew and grew.
It reached the point where talk of the Orange Team's "Big Three" began to circulate throughout the Great East District: Carmeron Anthony, McNamara, and the mysterious Little Sheep Su Xi.
Lil-goat!
Originally, "Little Sheep Su Xi" was just "little sheep." But after Antonio coined the nickname "Lil-goat" with his black slang, it took on the feeling of a chosen one. In the world of sports, GOAT is by convention an acronym for "Greatest of All Time."
Even someone as mighty as LeBron James was merely "the chosen one." And yet Cameron was calling Su Xi "Lil-goat"!
How could he not be a beast?
The first game of the NCAA Great East District season was set for October 20th.
In his office, Jim Boham looked over the intel he had gathered on other schools and couldn't help but chuckle. He had originally planned to use Su Xi as a secret weapon, deploying him only at critical moments.
But thanks to all this promotion from Antonio, Su Xi's name had taken on an air of ever-increasing mystery.
Some schools were even claiming that Su Xi was more formidable than Antonio, the nation's top high school player.
Normally, this was the kind of thing that could be cleared up with a little fact-checking.
However, it was also a fact that Su Xi had defeated the team's starting point guard from last season, Carl Joseph.
And Carmeron Anthony's praise on various occasions was a matter of public record.
"These rumors are half-truth, half-lies. Someone must be leaking this information on purpose," said Assistant Coach Vincent.
Jim Boham frowned. He thought, 'Could it be that bastard Carl? Is he deliberately over-hyping Jack after losing to him, trying to make Jack look like a fool in the league?'
"No, that idiot Carl isn't that smart. He could never come up with such a sophisticated publicity stunt," another assistant coach, Haywood, said with certainty.
Jim nodded in deep agreement.
'Then who is it?'
'Who's got nothing better to do than to take my 60-point secret weapon and hype him up to 100? How am I supposed to use him as a surprise trump card now?'
Boham was getting a headache. 'The first game is against Georgetown. Should I even put Jack on the roster?'
Meanwhile, Su Xi and Carmeron Anthony ran into each other in the gym.
Carmeron Anthony looked at Su Xi with a sense of mutual admiration between equals.
Since their first meeting, Su Xi had been the only person to treat him with a 'cold' indifference. He liked that 'domineering CEO' vibe.
Furthermore, Su Xi's duel with Carl had shown him that Su Xi had a solid understanding of post-up moves and the triple threat.
So, he had been harboring a desire.
"Jack, how about a one-on-one?"
He had finally said it out loud.
He didn't know that Su Xi had been watching him for a long time as well, and also wanted to challenge him to a one-on-one.
Cameron was incredibly strong, even stronger than their center, Craig.
Su Xi wanted to use him to trigger the fusion of his own super-strength talent.
"Well... let's give it a shot."
Su Xi nodded and said, "I won't attack. I'll just defend."