The longest river

Chapter 38 I will bring my talent to...

Yang Shuai asked this question because he had already made up his mind.

He doesn't plan to hire Trell, who was recommended by Vaccaro, as his agent, because that would mean he would be completely at Vaccaro's mercy.

The reason for asking Johnson is that he has always been a very reliable person.

However, he didn't have high hopes, after all, Johnson was just a high school coach, and he only knew Vaccaro because of their college experience.

However, Johnson nodded and recommended someone to him: Eric Fraser.

When Johnson graduated from UNLV, he wanted to try his luck in the NBA, and Takanian recommended him to Fraser.

Eric is no nobody. His father, Larry Fraser, was the first president of the NBA Players Association, and he inherited his father's efficient style of doing things, becoming a professional agent.

His strengths are his steadiness and reliability, which is the main reason why Johnson recommended him to Yang.

Hearing Johnson say that, Yang Shuai immediately became interested.

However, all of that will have to wait until after the tournament finals.

Two days later, the tournament finals were held at St. John's Stadium, the home stadium of Ohio State University.

A significant number of local Ohio scouts and media were present.

Thanks to Vaccaro's publicity efforts, Yang Shuai's fame is growing day by day. Their arrival is not only to assess Yang Shuai, but also to witness a historic moment.

After all, Yang Shuai is now the Ohio player most likely to make it to the NBA after Jim Jackson and Brian Grant.

However, the situation at the start of the match deviated somewhat from what the outside world had expected.

Cleveland High School had been on a winning streak, and the final should have been a one-sided affair, but after the game started, the opposing Momi Valley Day School managed to keep the score close.

They seem to be interpreting basketball as a team sport in this way.

At halftime, Cleveland High School led by only 2 points, 38-36.

Some people are also starting to worry about the outcome of the game, after all, too many legendary players have had their high school careers end in disappointment.

After halftime, Cleveland High School adjusted their tactics.

They played team basketball in the first half, but in the second half, the ball started to be concentrated in Yang Shuai's hands more and more.

This change caused a pang of anxiety among the Cleveland fans in the stadium, as they had lost to their opponent in the same manner last year.

Is Johnson desperate and resorting to any drastic measure because his team can't pull away from the score?
However, they soon realized that their idea was foolish.

Because Momi Valley Day School simply cannot restrict Yang Shuai!

It's not that they've become weaker, but rather that Yang Shuai has become stronger, so strong that they can no longer limit his performance like they did last year.

Johnson watched with his hands clenched into fists, looking slightly excited.

When he and Yang Shuai discussed tactics for the finals, they planned to use a team to defeat a team.

Yang Shuai had no objections, because he had experienced many matches where teamwork defeated talent, from AAU to training camp.

However, the first half did not produce good results.

So during halftime, Yang Shuai took the initiative to ask Johnson to let him try to solve the problem using his personal abilities.

As a result, Cleveland High School began to widen the score gap.

This change thrilled the scouts and media reporters at the scene.

What an exhilarating individual performance! This perfectly embodies their basketball culture of individual heroism!

Ultimately, thanks to Yang Shuai's 30 points in the second half and 40 points in total, Cleveland High School defeated Mommy Valley Day School 82-66 to win the Ohio 4A basketball championship!

As the final whistle blew, confetti rained down amid cheers from the Cleveland fans in attendance.

Yang Shuai's eyes also reddened at this moment, and he raised his hands in celebration amidst the cheers of his teammates.

It feels so good to keep my promise!

Numerous flashbulbs illuminated the scene, recording this historic moment.

Yang Shuai's championship is not just an ordinary high school basketball state championship; it has many additional meanings.

They are the first NSAA and American championship team with an Asian player as the core, and also the first public high school in Ohio to win a state championship in many years.

Private high schools are more attractive to students than public high schools, and their basketball training level is also higher, giving them a greater chance of winning championships.

An award ceremony was held on site for the champion and the tournament MVP.

Yang Shuai was unsurprisingly selected as the MVP.

He also delivered his acceptance speech amidst the attention of fans, scouts, and media.

Nearly two years have passed since he transmigrated, and Yang Shuai has put in a lot of effort along the way.

But in his acceptance speech, he expressed his gratitude the most.

He thanked Johnson because if he had been coached by another coach, the coach might have protected Luther and suppressed him after he challenged Luther, which would have rendered him useless even if he had the ability. He also thanked the Rondo family because if Lin Xiulan hadn't adopted him, he wouldn't have been able to eat or sleep well, and gaining weight would have been just wishful thinking.
He thanked Paul, because it was Paul's help that gave him the opportunity to showcase his abilities on the AAU stage, and later the opportunity to perform at the Nike training camp.

He thanked Thaddeus, DiFrancisco, Eskritch, his teammates, and the Cleveland fans.

Behind every successful basketball player, there is a group of people silently supporting them.

It was precisely because of their presence that he was able to help the team win this championship.

Although this championship is just the beginning.

As everyone cheered and applauded Yang Shuai's mature remarks, Yang Shuai seized the opportunity to announce his next plan.

"Many people gave me different answers about where I should go next. After listening to many opinions and thinking it over carefully, I decided to use my talents..."

Yang Shuai paused at this point, and the room quickly fell silent.

The scouts perked up their ears, surprised that Yang Shuai would announce his decision at this time, and eager to hear the answers they wanted from him.

The media reporters at the scene set up their cameras, hands on the shutter, ready to capture the moment.

Yang Shuai looked up into the distance, his eyes full of confidence:
"That's right, I've decided to skip college and take my talents to the NBA."

Before Yang Shuai could finish speaking, the scene erupted in uproar.

Apart from a few people, no one knew that Yang Shuai had plans to run directly for election.

As Yang Shuai knows, it has been twenty years since a high school player was drafted, and no high school perimeter player has ever succeeded in the NBA.

Once they calmed down, their eyes showed mostly confusion.

Yang Shuai could have chosen a prestigious university to hone his skills for a few years before entering the NBA. Barring any major surprises, a first-round pick would have been a certainty, and a lottery pick would have been very likely.

However, his decision to skip the draft altogether carries risks that would deter most NBA teams from making that selection.

The direct result of that is that Yang Shuai is likely to miss the first round, and perhaps only some teams will use the second-round pick to do something like "scratch a lottery ticket".

They didn't even take Yang Shuai's skin color into account.

Whether surprised or puzzled, Yang Shuai has made his decision, and in such a public setting, it means there is no turning back, and it is destined to cause a huge uproar.

Back in the locker room, Yang Shuai's teammates from Cleveland High School couldn't help but ask him questions out of curiosity.

Yang Shuai only gave a perfunctory response.

It wasn't until Johnson came over and called Yang Shuai out that things changed.

Johnson also didn't know that Yang would directly run for election, but considering recent events, especially the conversation two days ago, he could guess a little.

Unlike the others who asked why, he confirmed with Yang Shuai, "Are you really ready?"

"Sir, I'm ready." Yang Shuai's tone was very confident.

Seeing Yang Shuai's determined gaze, Johnson reached out and patted him on the shoulder:

"No one has ever done this before, but if someone can do it, I believe it will be you, and I will go through it with you."

Johnson's words struck Yang Shuai instantly.

The person who will row for you when you're going against the current is the one who truly cares about you.

With the NSAA season over, Yang Shuai's high school basketball career has come to an end. The next three months will be his time to make his way into the NBA.

He first contacted Fraser, and the two agreed to meet at a hotel in Cleveland.

Yang Shuai arrived an hour later than the agreed time.

It wasn't that he couldn't get there in time, but rather that he wanted to see if the other person was really as mature and composed as Johnson had described.

Yang Shuai knocked on the door and saw a smiling white man wearing a formal suit and with a side-parted slicked-back hairstyle, who gave off a very reliable feeling.

Instead of asking Yang Shuai why he was late, Fraser sat down and started talking to him about the decisions Yang Shuai had made earlier.

He detailed the difficulties Yang Shuai would have faced if he had entered the NBA as a high school student.

Although Yang Shuai has made his decision, he still believes that university is a better choice for him.

Yang Shuai nodded. Johnson was right; Fraser was a reliable agent.

Then, he expressed his determination to enter the NBA.

“If that’s the case, you have to fight for a better draft position by trying out.” After a moment of thought, Fraser offered his opinion.

He didn't think that the previous publicity and hype were enough to help Yang Shuai become a high draft pick, because marketing without a successful precedent was not enough to make the general managers of each team make a decision.

Yang Shuai did not object and was confident about the trial.

After talking for more than an hour, Yang Shuai quickly finalized a cooperation agreement with Fraser.

The first thing Fraser had to do as his agent was to finalize his shoe contract with Adidas.

(End of this chapter)