NBA: Be the GOAT starting today!

Time slipped away in the daily training and studies, tiring yet fulfilling.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, Zhou Yi has been living a life that revolves around the sports field, dormitory, and teaching building.

During this month, the team played several training matches.

Sometimes Zhou Yi starts and Eze is on the bench, or vice versa; sometimes the two are on the same team.

Eze was still as foul-mouthed as ever, but as the number of training matches increased, Eze started trash-talking Zhou Yi less and less.

The Wildcats' main strategy is a passing and cutting system, and this style of play, which tests football intelligence, makes the simple-minded Eze look out of place on the field and perform poorly.

After being completely outmatched by Zhou Yi in both performance and statistics for a month straight, no one would have the courage to provoke him again.

As the number of practice matches increased, this four-star high school student performed worse and worse.

He longed to prove himself to the team and the head coach, but his poor mentality affected everything. He always forced shots in front of Zhou Yi or committed unnecessary fouls.

Meanwhile, McGillop watched everything silently from the sidelines, often holding a piece of paper in his hand and writing or drawing on it.

As time went by, the other team members became more and more familiar with Zhou Yi, especially the three-person group who did extra training after practice.

Whenever the team finishes practice, Zhou Yi, Curry, and Lovedale would voluntarily stay behind.

Practicing together became a daily routine for the three of them, and their tacit understanding and friendship continued to grow over time.

During the month of extra training the three of them, Zhou Yi's strength improved significantly. He not only grew two centimeters taller, reaching a height of two meters.

At the same time, his originally slender physique has been greatly improved, his body has become stronger, and his ability to fight has also been significantly enhanced.

Furthermore, through learning from Curry, Zhou Yi gained a deeper understanding of the passing and cutting system.

As the new season's preseason games draw ever closer, the basketball atmosphere at Davis College is becoming increasingly vibrant.

The name of the Kansas Jayhawks is appearing more and more frequently among students and even in Davistown.

However, with the release of the new season's media team rankings, most of these voices were filled with worry and even fear.

Despite losing five players, the Kansas Jayhawks quickly added several promising high school stars, and with their core players remaining and the legacy of a strong athletic school, the media still ranked them tenth among all college teams in the United States.

The Wildcats, despite becoming the biggest dark horse thanks to Curry's phenomenal performance last season, have mediocre overall strength and are ranked only 20th.

"10>20, that's a problem even elementary school students can solve." Barkley said, shaking his fat head and big ears, in the TNT studio.

After most media outlets and commentators expressed similar views, it seemed that everyone expected the Wildcats to suffer another defeat.

The match finally arrived amidst much anticipation.

.......

At the Wildcats' home arena, fans who had been waiting outside for a long time had entered the stadium, and Zhou Yi, Curry, and others were warming up on the court.

Long-range cameras were set up on the sidelines, and scouts could even be seen in the stands constantly making phone calls while holding laptops.

Wildcats fans spontaneously donned their red Wildcats jerseys and waved Wildcats flags in the stands, creating a sea of ​​red that surged across the stands.

Meanwhile, on the local television station broadcasting the match, commentator Johnny was explaining the situation of the two teams to the audience.

The University of Kansas had five players drafted into the NBA last season, the largest number of players ever drafted by this basketball powerhouse.

The loss of players did not weaken the team's fighting power. Last season's two core players, point guard Sheron Collins and center Cole Aldridge, remained with the team.

They also added a pair of four-star high school brothers to bolster their forward line; these are the Morris brothers, who will later be drafted by the NBA.

From forwards to guards, this team is full of future NBA players.

They may only be rotation players or fringe players in the NBA, but on the college court, these players integrated under the tactics of Kansas head coach Bill Self.

"Hey Zhou, look, the Kansas players are coming onto the court."

Curry glanced at the entrance tunnel on the other side of the court and nudged Zhou Yi with his shoulder. After a month of getting to know each other, he had grown fond of his new friend.

He speaks well and always cooperates intelligently with Curry on the court, unlike that guy Eze who just uses his body to brute force his way in and then throws his hands up to the referee asking for a foul.

Zhou Yi turned his head and looked at the Kansas players who appeared in the player tunnel on the other side of the court, and all eyes and cameras in the arena turned to follow the appearance of that group of people.

The Maurice brothers, who look alike, walked at the front of the group; as freshmen, they still looked a bit immature.

Behind them followed a white center, who was as tall as a white city wall.

"Cole Aldridge, last season he was the core center for that group of Dead Hawks."

In the Final Four against North Carolina, he became the key to victory, blocking four shots in one game. Now, some media outlets are calling him "the new hope for white American centers."

Lovedale’s deep, biscuit-like voice sounded behind me, and then he continued.

"That guy is 213 centimeters tall, has a wingspan of 226 centimeters, and also has a damn mid-range shot. Look at all these media people on the sidelines, a lot of them are here to see him."

As Lovedale was speaking, a group of media outlets swarmed around him, escorting the rising star to the sidelines for an interview.

"Hey Aldridge, how's it going to be at Davidson? This is your quarterfinal opponent from last season. How do you predict the outcome of this game?"

A large, wavy man carrying a weapon pushed his way to the front of the crowd and handed the microphone to Aldridge.

"Haha, it feels great. This is a beautiful town. I love it here, but in an hour, the air here will be filled with the smell of failure and tears, because we're going to kick those people's asses to the bone."

Aldridge's words drew laughter from the media present, and a local Davidson reporter couldn't help but retort:

"The Wildcats' legendary three-point shooter Curry stayed with the team this season, and they also added four-star high school player Eze. Team captain Lofdale will also be on the court. They're not to be trifled with."

Aldridge looked at the reporter who asked the question, then glanced at the Wildcats on the other side of the court with a look of disdain.

"Brother, Curry's just a softie who steals threes, my teammate Collins will end his three-point tricks. That Lovedale is so old you'd think someone's father walked onto the court, and as for that Eze, the Morris brothers will take care of him."

Look at them, they even have an Asian player participating! Seriously, is Davidson Academy out of players? They're letting an Asian guy participate in basketball? He's as soft as a noodle. Maybe I'll block his shot with my elbow later.

As he spoke, Aldridge looked to the other side of the court, where the Asian man he mentioned was also looking in his direction.

Those deep black eyes were incredibly sharp; Aldridge saw undisguised fighting spirit, and even a hint of the joy of capturing prey, in them.

"Go to hell, you Asian."

Aldridge mouthed the words, looking contemptuously at the man opposite him, and made a throat-slitting gesture with one hand towards his neck.

He knew the yellow-skinned guy had read his lips, but so what?

As the core player of last season's NCAA championship team, Kansas' current star player, and hailed by the media as a future star in the paint.

Why would he be afraid of an Asian guy? This is just a warm-up game that Kansas defines as a small-town tour. Aldridge is ready to shut these country bumpkins up with blocks and dunks.

Seeing Aldridge's clumsy provocation, Zhou Yi did not make any extreme moves. He just warmed up with a series of mid-range shots and three-pointers, without even trying to dunk.

Anger is one of a person's driving forces. He wanted to gather up the fire in his heart at this moment and crush "the new hope of white centers in the United States." This is a great start to the story.