Chapter 10: Mr. John Wooden
The foundation of American basketball is the NCAA, and the UCLA Bruins are a legendary team in the NCAA, and countless high school talents are expected to receive an invitation from UCLA every year. Legendary teams have produced many legendary stars, and the people who created them are legends within legends. Speaking of the UCLA Bruins, you have to mention John? The name Wooden, it is the legendary coach who led the Bruins to 12 seasons and 10 championships, including the miracle of seven consecutive championships, and in his hands he cultivated a generation of superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has dominated the NBA's total scoring list for many years and no one has been able to break it. Every year the NCAA's best player is awarded to John? Wooden Award.
In John? After Mr. Wooden's retirement, the Bruins didn't make it to the top again for two decades. John, who is already eighty-four years old? Wooden still keeps an eye on the team from time to time, and as the founder of the team, he has a huge influence at UCLA.
When George came to Mr. Wooden's house, Liu Han had already conquered George with his excellent projection ability and good single defense ability? Crent, although Liu Han was useless in the tactical exercises, as long as he remembered that Liu Han had only received three months of informal training, George knew that he had to leave Liu Han behind at all costs.
"Mr. Wooden, I'm George, an assistant coach for the Bruins? Krent, Mr. Harrick has been recuperating lately, so I'm leading the team training during this time. My old classmates brought me a talented Chinese boy, and after watching his performance, I felt that I should keep him. George explained his intentions to Wooden very directly.
"Oh, I know you, George, Jim told me about you and said you did a great job. Chinese lads? I've never encountered it before, so let's talk about it in detail, what kind of behavior did he make you come to me directly. ”
George and John? Wooden described in detail Liu Han's physical measurements and his ability to project against the sky.
"The most important thing is not that, Mr. Wooddon, but the most important thing is that this lad has this ability after only three months of training with my old classmate, so I feel that he should be kept at all costs." George to John? Wooden illustrates the most crucial point.
"Three months? It's hard to imagine, but are you sure your old classmates aren't cheating on you? In three months, I estimate that some people can't even practice free throws. Wooden was skeptical of George's words.
"I'm sure my classmate won't lie to me, he's also in basketball, and he knows there's no point in lying about this kind of thing."
"Well, if it's really like you said, this Chinese guy has such a talent, then he should really be kept, seriously, basketball is not the sport we were engaged in back then, we didn't have a three-point line at that time, and the person who dominated the basket ruled the game. However, I believe that people with outstanding shooting ability will be more successful in the future, and basketball is a sport that puts the ball in the basket. "John? Wooden always thinks about the old years, and the aging of his body cannot extinguish the love for basketball in his heart.
"George, you can drop by and visit Jim, and tell him that if my body allows, I'd like to come with him tomorrow to test our Oriental genius." John? Wooden chose to show his interest in Jim in this way? Respect for Harrick's head coaching authority.
Jim? Harrick received George at his home, where he was almost cured from a bad cold, but the doctors still let him rest at home for a while. He didn't believe it after listening to George's description, because he felt that no one could have a great projection in just three months.
"George, I must tell you, I hope you can check your old classmate, maybe he is just a liar from the East, you know there are many such people in Chinatown." Jim was a very proud man, and he always thought that John? Wooden's finger-pointing at the team is disrespectful to him because he is the head coach of the team. Anyone who has a monument on their head all the time will say that they are under a lot of pressure.
George was angry at Jim's words, and had never seen them say such arbitrary and hurtful words without even seeing them in person. Does George know Jim? Harrick is a rather stubborn and tough manager, which is why he chose to go to John in the first place? Mr. Wooden.
"Jim, I know you look down on Asians, but I choose to trust my old classmates, and I believe that a person with a passion for basketball would not tell such a lie. You can see for yourself tomorrow this lad in action, and the actual actions will tell, won't it? ”
"Well, for your sake, I'll be with Mr. Wooden tomorrow, but I have to make it clear to you, if this Oriental boy is completely different from what you say, I will call the police directly."
The next day, LaBeouf still drove Liu Han and Li Rui to the training gym, and he decided to witness the success of this Dongfang kid who made him feel a little stupid.
"Liu Han, wait until the head coach of the team and Mr. Wooden will come, you have to behave well and get their consent to let you stay, but don't be afraid, just play like yesterday." Li Rui cared for Liu Han like a father.
"Well, uncle, I'm not afraid, I can't think of anything else as soon as I pick up a basketball." When they came to the training hall, they found that Shi Lei, who they saw yesterday, was already waiting at the door.
"Shi Lei, why are you here too?" Li Rui asked.
"Hehe, I want to see how Liu Han made those muscle sticks stunned, and besides, I'm also his translator, right?" Shi Lei felt that when he saw all the Bruins players cheering for Liu Han yesterday, this feeling was really refreshing.
The crowd who entered the training hall saw that George was already leading the team to start their daily training sessions.
"Han, come here, let's go warm up with the team first." George asked Liu Han to join the team directly to warm up together.
"Hey, Chinese buddy, my name is Obonno, are you called Han? Your shooting yesterday scared the rest of the world, it was so accurate, if I were as accurate as you were, I would have gone to the NBA, tell me how you practiced so accurately. As soon as Liu Han began to warm up, a black man on the side began to greet Liu Han as if he had come to know him.
"Pardon, I'm just starting to learn English, only a little bit, can you speak a little slower?" Liu Han expressed his inability to do anything about the black English with its abundance of simplifications and slang.
Outside the training hall, Jim saw John, who was already waiting at the door on crutches? Wooden.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wooden, I went to the hospital for a retest first, so I was late."
"It's okay, Jim, the October West Coast sun is good for my body, isn't it? Let's go, let's go in together. ”
"Okay, Mr. Wooden, but seriously, I don't have much hope for today's tryout, three months, that's a fantasy."
Inside the arena, John? Wooden and the team's head coach Jim? Harrick's arrival has caused some commotion among the Bruins, you know, John? Mr. Wooden hadn't been to the arena in a long time, and every time he arrived, something big was going to happen.
"George, where are you talking about 'Oriental Genius'? Let him show me and Mr. Wooden. "Jim who has entered the arena? Harrick then exercised his right as head coach.
"Rui, you can take Liu Han to do shooting training." George still put Li Rui in charge of Liu Han's display.
"Very good shooting, explosiveness and stamina, if it's really like that's only three months of basketball as it says, it's really worth staying, Jim, what do you think?" John? Wooden commented on Liu Han, who was on a shooting demonstration.
"I don't think so, Mr. Wooden, I can find a lot of young people in the United States who have that touch without defending. This is the United States, and the level of confrontation motivation in basketball is not something that a person from a backward country can imagine, and I'm sure he might not be able to shoot a single one of them if he stood in front of a random defender. Besides, it is impossible to say that he has only been in contact for three months, which is not in line with the rules of basketball, maybe he has been practicing for an unknown number of years in his weak country. "Jim? Harrick's words are full of discrimination and denial.
"Then let them pit it on, and arrange for a simple match, you say, Jim."
"All right, Mr. Wooddon, let him try again. But I think if he can't do anything in the next match, I want him and his coach to leave my arena right away, and I can't allow a liar to stand in my arena. "Jim? Harrick has always demonstrated his managerial authority in his words.
"This head coach is a stupid X, Dongfang boy, you listen to what he says, even I can see that Han's athletic talent is very good, he is talking nonsense like a fart there, if I hear Han, I will directly give him a left hook and let him think about what politeness is." Jim? Harrick's discriminatory words angered LaBeouf, who was standing on the sidelines watching, so he whispered to Shi Lei, who was standing next to him.
"You're right, Mr. LaBeouf, this manager is a stupid X." Shi Lei agreed with LaBeouf's words.
George arranged for the team to start the matchup, and Liu Han was placed on the bench to defend the Bruins' top scorer Obonor.
"Han, defend well later, don't run around when attacking, just wait in the bottom corner or at the top of the arc, and I'll let someone pass the ball to you." George listened to Li Rui's advice and then made some arrangements for Liu Han, and he put the team's main point guard, Teus? Edney was also placed on the bench to pass the ball to Liu Han. Liu Han has not been able to learn too many tactics in just three months, and can only rely on other people's passes to show his ability.
John? Wooden has been thinking about it, older people will always think of a lot of various past events when he was young, he was a little in a trance when Liu Han and Li Rui were shooting training, as if it was like thirty years ago, he was also like that under the basket to feed the big man who has become a legend, although the body and position are different, but John? Wood seemed to be able to find the same look as the big man back then from Liu Han's focused eyes, and he vaguely remembered what he said to the big young man back then: "Basketball, success only because of love." ”