With 7:16 played in the second half, Su Xi passed the ball to Josh Peis, who took a mid-range shot... THUD. The ball kissed the backboard and, SWISH! It went in.
That was Su Xi's 10th assist of the game. He also had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
On the sidelines, Carmeron Anthony cheered loudly for him, and Coach Jim called a special timeout for his star pupil.
Amidst the screams of the fans in the arena, Su Xi walked off the court.
McNamara rushed over to give him a high-five, Carmeron Anthony gave him a hug, and Coach Jim vigorously ruffled his hair.
Everyone loves Little Sheep Su Xi.
The fans in the arena were also letting out loud cheers for Su Xi.
Su Xi was the second most popular person in the arena. Besides Carmeron Anthony, the spotlight was all on him.
Cameron had been the top prodigy for years; everyone had long since treated him like a star.
But Su Xi had won over the picky Boston fans in just two games.
Larry Bird stood up and said to the scout, Terry, "Let's go wait for him inside the arena. You bring him to the media room later."
He had no interest in the rest of the game; he had come specifically to scout Su Xi.
They walked into the players' tunnel and saw some young men and women setting things up.
Bird had no interest in this. He walked straight into a media room inside, and the arena's management staff hurried over to accompany him.
Terry, on the other hand, was left behind, tasked with bringing Su Xi to the media room later.
He stood there waiting excitedly, eager to tell Su Xi the news. This was incredibly important for Su Xi, and for him as well. If Su Xi was successfully drafted, his scouting report would become authoritative, firsthand information. His eye for talent would be more recognized, and he could increase his own professional value.
He could even become a full-time scout for a team.
This was what he had always dreamed of.
Unless you had connections, the path to advancement within the NBA coaching system often started from video coordinator, to scout, to assistant coach, and so on up the ladder.
In the NCAA, the clock doesn't stop after made baskets until the final two minutes, so the last bit of game time passed quickly.
Syracuse University defeated Oklahoma 89-67, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
Their next opponent in the Elite Eight would be decided between the East District's 10th seed, Auburn University, and the 2nd seed, Wake Forest University. If Wake Forest University won, Syracuse University, being the lower-ranked seed, would have to travel to Wake Forest's home court for the Elite Eight. But if Auburn University won, the Elite Eight game would return to New York, tentatively scheduled to be held at the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden Arena.
Su Xi was the last one to walk back into the players' tunnel because he was giving an interview with CBS.
CBS congratulated him on his first career double-double and asked him how he felt about the victory. Su Xi's answers were standard and unremarkable.
That was until the CBS reporter asked him, "So, do you think any of your opponents tonight could be called a genius player?"
Su Xi pointed to his own calm face and said, "Unfortunately, while the players tonight were all very strong, none of them were geniuses."
"If Wake Forest University wins, you'll be up against the Atlantic Coast Conference's super trio: Josh Howard, Eric Williams, and Justin Gray. Do you have anything you'd like to say to them?"
"I wish them good luck. And I hope they are real geniuses," Su Xi said earnestly.
His interview excited the fans watching at home.
They loved the way Su Xi delivered trash talk with a completely straight face. They felt he was perfectly suited to play the role of the antagonist taunting his opponent in a prize fight.
It was a much more sophisticated line than a roar full of profanity.
At the very least, the Wake Forest "demonic trio" watching the game on TV were furious. They stared wide-eyed at the screen, "greeting" Su Xi with a barrage of curses and all vowing to beat the hell out of him.
Su Xi couldn't hear their shouts.
After finishing the interview, he signed autographs for fans at the side of the court.
Then, he walked into the players' tunnel. Terry came up to him, a broad smile on his face, and said with an air of mystery, "Jack, there's a very important person who wants to see you."
But Su Xi just shook his head and said, "I'm a little tired."
"Aren't you going to guess who this important person is? Here's a hint: this is Boston... Who's the greatest superstar in Boston..." Terry tried to build the excitement, practically giddy.
But Su Xi just pulled his jersey out from his compression tights. "Mr. Terry," he said, "I have no interest in meeting Boston's greatest superstar right now. I just want to go take a shower. I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I'm really not interested in pointless social events."
"Hey, Jack. Don't you want to play in the NBA? What if I told you the person who wants to see you is Larry Bird?" Terry dropped the act and said excitedly into Su Xi's ear.
Su Xi stopped walking. 'Larry Bird?'
He frowned and asked, "Is his talent very good?"
"No, he was a hero despite his ordinary gifts. His raw talent wasn't great at all; he played with his mind. He and Magic ruled the eighties..." Terry was still chattering away, giving his introduction.
Su Xi had already started walking toward the locker room again.
Terry chased after him. "Hey, Jack, are you really going to make a top-five superstar in NBA history wait for you? Don't you want to join the NBA?"
"Please inform Mr. Bird that I'm really tired right now. Besides, as far as I know, the NBA doesn't allow tampering. I haven't even declared for the draft yet. Most importantly, if Larry Bird is willing to see me, it means I've already earned professional recognition from the NBA. Why would I need this extra meeting? I don't want to mess up something that's already going well. I'm someone who follows the rules."
Su Xi stopped in his tracks. "Alright, this conversation is over."
Su Xi turned and left. He had no interest in meeting big shots, unless Bird was a Super Talent.
This left Terry standing there, stunned.
He never thought Su Xi would refuse to meet Larry Bird.
Any other player, even Carmeron Anthony, would have rushed over to meet with Larry Bird.
But this guy...
He felt a headache coming on.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk to that media room.
He tactfully relayed Su Xi's message to Larry Bird.
When Larry Bird first heard that Su Xi had refused him, he was furious. He even said, "What the hell is this arrogant kid from Asia trying to pull?"
Big shots like him hate being ignored more than anything.
However, as Terry relayed all of Su Xi's words, his anger dissipated, and he fell into deep thought.
Terry sat beside him, extremely cautious, afraid that Larry Bird would no longer choose Su Xi.
He didn't want to see a sure thing slip through his fingers.
"It seems... our choice was the right one." Larry Bird suddenly let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. "Jack is a smart player."
"Even smarter than I imagined."
Larry Bird's tone became cheerful.
Terry was completely taken aback. He asked, "What are you talking about? He rejected you, and you're saying he's a smart player?"
"Yes. Once I calmed down, I realized that refusing to meet with me right now was the smartest and most correct choice. It shows he's a player with immense courage and intelligence."
"He said he's someone who follows the rules, which means he's good at using the rules to his advantage."
"He said he doesn't want any tampering, which means he wants me to acquire him through the proper channels. This is his way of telling me that he already knows about my draft promise."
"He said he was tired and a germaphobe. That's him expressing that if I pick him, he will never betray the team."
"Most importantly, he also showed his confidence. With this action, he's telling me that if I want him, I'll have to pay a higher price. He must have a secret weapon, and there must be other teams chasing him."
"He's really something else."
Larry Bird sighed and said, "There aren't many young people as smart as him these days."
???
The scout, Terry, was petrified. He had only known Larry Bird as the King Bi of his generation; now he knew Larry Bird was also the King of Reading Comprehension.
"I have to learn from you, sir. Only wisdom like yours could understand his unconventional behavior," Terry said, completely convinced. "If it were me, I might have just missed out on him."
"Hehehehe."
Larry Bird gave a modest laugh. "Learn as much as you can," he said. "You're still young. There's no end to learning."
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