The longest river

Chapter 10 Christmas Gift
“I didn’t say definitely, it’s all on the premise that he can pass my test,” DiFrancisco corrected.

"I can do it." Before Johnson could speak, Yang Shuai had already made his promise.

A college assistant coach who understands kinesiology can provide far more effective help than he can train on his own.

"That's interesting." Di Francesco was surprised by Yang Shuai's confidence.

Then, Yang Shuai went with them to the training hall and began to undergo some specific tests at Di Francesco's request.

These tests include multiple aspects such as shuttle runs, three-quarter sprints, 30-second push-ups, two-point movement within the three-second zone, vertical jump, and shooting.

As the tests continued, Di Francesco's interest grew stronger, eventually turning into excitement.

"Where did you find this treasure?" he couldn't help but ask Johnson.

"He's always been on my team." Johnson said with a smile; who doesn't like their protégé being praised?

Di Francesco had a "I don't believe you" look on his face. If he had stayed with the team, would he have waited until now to talk to him?

However, his reaction is perfectly normal, considering that even Johnson only realized this two months ago.

After the test was completed, Di Francesco also had a one-on-one conversation with Yang Shuai.

"What is your understanding of physical fitness?" Di Francesco asked professionally.

"Endurance allows you to stay on the field," Yang Shuai explained his understanding.

Di Francesco shook his head: "In technical terms, it refers to the human body's ability to adapt to the external environment."

This statement refreshed Yang Shuai's understanding, and Di Francesco's next words completely affirmed the other party's level.

"For long-distance runners, endurance is their physical fitness, but for weightlifters, strength is, and for gymnasts, physical fitness is flexibility."

Basketball players are a relatively complex category because it encompasses almost all aspects, including endurance, strength, explosiveness, balance, flexibility, coordination, and so on.

Therefore, improving physical fitness is not a one-sided matter, but requires a balanced and systematic training approach, even including diet and exercise recovery, because fatigue and injury are often complications of training.

After saying all that, he asked Johnson to go to his office to get a pen and notebook. He wrote down a training plan that included specific training content and even dietary advice.

“You can start training like this. I’ll come back to see you next week and give me feedback on your body then. Also, you need to continue to gain weight, but not as quickly as before, otherwise your knees will be the first to give out.”

Yang Shuai now completely understands why Johnson brought in DiFrancisco; because professionals are professionals.

After explaining everything, DiFrancisco left. A college assistant coach's day is much busier than a high school coach's.

However, before leaving, he looked at Yang Shuai with a lingering reluctance in his eyes, which showed that he had truly fallen in love with Yang Shuai.

"Thank you, sir." Yang Shuai thanked Johnson. Although their relationship was not ordinary, Johnson's actions had gone beyond the scope of a coach's duties.

"DiFrancisco was once a star player in Cleveland. He was exceptionally talented in his freshman year, but a serious injury forced him to leave the team. He then went on to study kinesiology. Although he's not a professional trainer, he can really help you." Johnson didn't mince words with Yang Shuai but instead introduced DiFrancisco.

"Mm." Yang Shuai nodded vigorously.

Actually, you could tell from Di Francesco's reaction when they first met that he wasn't very optimistic about him, but the subsequent trial changed his mind.

To put it bluntly, both Johnson and DiFrancisco were impressed by his talent, which is why they were willing to invest in him.

After all, if they could actually develop an NBA player, it would not only enhance their resumes but also give them a great sense of accomplishment.

After Johnson left, Yang Shuai sat down and began eating the breakfast that Lin Xiulan had prepared.

Inside was a generously filled egg pancake and a bottle of milk.

Compared to the breakfast he had Luther bring, this was much more "Chinese" and, of course, more to his liking.

While they were eating, Luther appeared at the training hall. When he saw Yang Shuai eating other breakfasts, his face was full of doubt and confusion.

Yang Shuai then stood up and said, "From now on, you don't need to bring me breakfast anymore. Just bring me lunch. That's my second condition."

Although the school provides free lunches, they become rather bland after a while. Now that we have a new option for breakfast, it's time to improve our lunch.

Luther was furious when he heard this.

As the leader of the school team, Yang Shuai stole the spotlight from me in last night's game, and now Yang Shuai is even making demands of me!
He now truly wished he could travel back two months and slap himself, forcing him to swallow those damn ten demands.

"I know you're very unhappy. I can give you a chance. If you can beat me, the remaining nine demands can all be nullified," Yang Shuai said after seeing his reaction.

"Really?" Luther immediately perked up upon hearing this. If he weren't the captain of the school team and would lose credibility if he didn't keep his promise, he wouldn't have bothered bringing food for Yang Shuai in the first place.

Yang Shuai nodded.

So Luther threw his breakfast aside, too lazy to even warm up, and went straight to a one-on-one fight with Yang Shuai.

This time it was Yang Shuai's turn to pass the ball to Luther, letting him go first. Luther was putting in all his effort; it wasn't just about meeting the nine requirements, but also about proving his absolute dominance on the school team again.

However, reality is cruel. Once the one-on-one match started, Yang Shuai completely suppressed him on both offense and defense.

He used to have an advantage in the fight, but now even that one advantage is gone.

The final result was, of course, without any suspense.

"You can challenge me anytime. As long as you beat me once, all those demands will be null and void." Looking at the dejected Luther, Yang Shuai gave him new hope.

"I'll win someday!" Luther said before leaving.

Watching Luther's departing figure, Yang Shuai curled his lip.

It was certainly not because he was soft-hearted, nor was it because he wanted to ease the tension between him and Luther.

For those who enjoy racial discrimination, reconciliation is impossible.

His reason for doing this was simple: mainly for the points.

The points he earned in one game last night were not much more than what he would have earned playing a night at a local basketball court.

Moreover, NSAA games are played once a week, which is much less frequent than streetball games.

It's perfectly reasonable for him to ask Luther for some extra points at this point.

In addition, Luther has good physical attributes, which helps him digest core strength and improve his shooting ability against interference.

He had no reason not to do something that would kill two birds with one stone.

December brings a drop in temperature to Cleveland, with the north winds blowing from Lake Erie chilling to the bone, and snow even begins to fall by mid-December.

However, Yang Shuai was experiencing the most comfortable month since he transmigrated.

Although Johnson has always positioned him as a substitute due to physical limitations, his performance has been exceptionally consistent, averaging 24 points per game in five games.

His outstanding performance helped the team finish the divisional preliminary round with a winning streak and successfully climbed from tenth to fourth in the division, making it into the regional competition at the last minute.

Now, Cleveland fans all know that when the Asian player wearing the number 16 jersey stands up from the bench, it's the moment Cleveland high school fans sound the horn of victory.

Moreover, after Yang Shuai began training according to Di Francesco's requirements, his physical fitness improved noticeably.

Although it will still take time, it is clear to everyone that when Yang Shuai’s physical condition is good enough to support him as a starter, Cleveland High School will have a new core player.

Even when Yang Shuai was walking on campus, girls would take the initiative to chat with him.

In China, girls only watch boys play basketball during class competitions. But here, being good at basketball means having the opportunity to become a millionaire or even a multi-millionaire in the future, and proactive girls all want to get involved as early as possible.

Yang Shuai also spent his first Christmas since his transmigration.

In his past life, he was completely indifferent to holidays like Christmas, but this time he truly experienced the Christmas spirit.

Although the Longdo family wasn't wealthy, they still had all the festive decorations, Christmas trees, turkeys, and the like.

Yang Shuai even received a Christmas gift: a pair of Pump Vertical "Above The Rim" basketball shoes released by Reebok's ATR brand.

Reebok's influence in this era is not as great as Nike and Adidas, but these shoes sold quite well after their release.

These $100 basketball shoes feature Reebok's signature Pump inflation system, and the upper is a black and white color-block design reminiscent of streetball, giving them a very stylish look.

Although he knew that Lin Xiulan was treating him better than before, he was still very touched when he received this Christmas gift.

Keep in mind that $100 is almost half a month's salary for Robert, and even Rondo doesn't have such good sneakers.

However, knowing Lin Xiulan's personality, he could only accept the kindness and silently remember it.

When he actually put on the shoes, he experienced a level of comfort he had never felt before.

Especially compared to the stiff, secondhand basketball shoes picked up from the trash can, the lightness they provide is simply a "dream shoe".

When January arrived, Yang Shuai also embarked on his journey to the regional competition wearing these dream shoes.

Cleveland High School's first opponent is CityWest High School, the top seed from the Columbus 1 Division, led by Antonio Daniels.

-Dividing line-

①: The capital of Ohio, where Ohio University is located.

(End of this chapter)