Y13 [EN]: Chapter 12

Y13-12 (12/296)

00012 NCAA Opener ====================================================

(NCAA November Rising Stars)

The long journey to March Madness has finally begun. This column introduces the best players in the NCAA each month.

1. John Wall (University of Kentucky) – (PG)

Performing as expected. The best player from Kentucky and the projected #1 pick in the 2010 draft. This draft will be all about John Wall.

(Omitted)

10. Yoon Young-jae (San Diego State University) – (PG/SG)

If I had to pick the most unexpected rising star, it would be Yoon Young-jae. His ranking has risen more dramatically than anyone else since his high school days. If you think he was only selected because he is Korean, I recommend watching his game highlights.

– Yoon Young-jae vs. Saint Mary’s Game Video –

Until high school, Yoon Young-jae played point guard and was recognized for his passing and dribbling, but he wasn’t highly touted due to his slight build, shooting inconsistencies, and defensive shortcomings.

However, since the start of the NCAA season, San Diego State University, the Aztecs, have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss (including non-conference games), and Yoon Young-jae has established himself as the team’s ace. In particular, Yoon Young-jae’s performance against Saint Mary’s was comparable to John Wall’s (although it is difficult to compare considering the difference in conference levels). Against Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills [two prominent Australian basketball players] of Saint Mary’s, Yoon Young-jae played 30 minutes out of 40, scoring 22 points, including 4 three-pointers, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Dellavedova and Mills, who faced Yoon Young-jae, had a poor shooting percentage of just over 30%, making only 9 out of 24 shots during the 30 minutes Yoon Young-jae played, including their strengths, the 3-pointers.

Dellavedova and Mills, who had been showing high shooting accuracy of over 50% in previous games, were tightly guarded by Yoon Young-jae’s deny defense [a defensive strategy to prevent the opposing player from receiving the ball].

Yoon Young-jae’s greatest strength isn’t just his high shooting accuracy of over 50% or his sharp assists, but his ability as a team player.

Local media outlets are even saying that Yoon Young-jae’s understanding of team tactics is unmatched. Although he is primarily a shooting guard, Yoon Young-jae can play point guard when D.J. Gay is unavailable, and small forward when Malcolm Thomas plays center. He has shown a high level of game management as a point guard, explosive scoring ability as a shooting guard, and all-around defensive participation and appropriate off-ball movement as a small forward. Of course, he is small for a small forward, so it is difficult to play there for extended periods. Unfortunately, they narrowly lost to Saint Mary’s 78-80, but the Man of the Match (MOM) was definitely Yoon Young-jae.

One concern for foreign students is that they cannot participate in games or team training if their academic performance is not up to par due to the nature of the NCAA. However, Yoon Young-jae has studied in the United States for four years, so he is fluent in English at a native level, and his academic performance in business administration at San Diego State University is also excellent, so there is no impact on his game participation. It remains to be seen whether Yoon Young-jae, who has already adapted culturally, will become the second Korean NBA player after Ha Seung-jin.

@ Choi Jin-soo entered the University of Maryland but eventually dropped out due to academic problems and returned to the KBL [Korean Basketball League]. The main reason was failing grades, and there was a conflict between those who saw this as his personal failing and those who criticized the association’s exploitation of young prospects due to frequent national team call-ups.

“Oh…”

Young-jae sat in front of the computer monitor, admiring the article for a long time. At the same time, he glanced back to see if Leonard was sleeping. Young-jae chuckled quietly, then covered his mouth with both hands and began to celebrate silently.

After a while, Young-jae read the article on the monitor one last time, a touching expression on his face.

“Rising Star, 10th place.”

Young-jae had never received this much attention before, so he couldn’t help but be happy. Besides, he’s not even 20 years old yet. Young-jae thought it was okay to be a little more excited and happy at his age. It was the early hours of the morning, and Leonard was fast asleep, so Young-jae felt free to be happy without worry, but then he flinched and quickly turned back to Leonard’s bed.

“Umm.”

Leonard smacked his lips and remained fast asleep. Young-jae sighed, turned off the computer, and plopped down on the first floor bed. The past three months have been a whirlwind. Before he knew it, Young-jae was not only accepting that he had returned to the past, but he was also content with living as this version of Young-jae.

Perhaps it was because he was Korean, but the previous Young-jae was mistaken in thinking he was a really great person. So much so that he briefly returned to Korea to bask in the attention, realized his popularity, and stepped onto the NBA court feeling proud. But that was like being a frog in a well [idiom for someone with a limited perspective]. It is natural for Koreans to pay attention to Korean players who do well. Young-jae knew this fact well, but he tried to ignore it and told himself,

‘Look, I’m so popular. People expect so much from me, right? I’m going to do even better.’

He used to comfort himself that way.

Scratch-scratch-

Perhaps because of these old thoughts, Young-jae suddenly felt embarrassed and scratched his head, feeling itchy, and pulled the blanket up to his chin. From the NCAA November Rising Star article that originated in Korea to various media outlets, Young-jae was ranked in the top 10 in NCAA specialized media. Young-jae searched the internet late into the night, looking for articles about himself, marveling at this unbelievable new experience.

“Don’t be arrogant… Hehe. Still happy. What time is it… ?!”

1:23 AM.

Since it was Sunday, he didn’t have any special plans, but Young-jae was worried about disrupting his physical rhythm, so he covered his head with the blanket to go to sleep right away. But as the excitement didn’t subside easily, Young-jae tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep.

—–

Monday, November 30, 2009.

Young-jae finished all his schedules and slipped out of school alone. He now instinctively wears his Huarache 2K5s. (Of course, I bought another pair just for games.) And Young-jae, neatly dressed in tight black jeans, a light sky blue shirt, and a coat, skillfully used public transportation to arrive at his destination in about 3 hours.

“Wow, Los Angeles.”

So-called LA. Young-jae stopped for a moment in front of the magnificent Staples Center (home of the LA Lakers and LA Clippers) and looked up. Young-jae, who had memories of entering this center as an NBA player in the past, had a new look on his face. He quickly gathered his thoughts and entered the arena.

He had to spend a good chunk of his savings to see just one game, but Young-jae wanted to immerse himself in the atmosphere of the NBA again. The NCAA, based on amateurism, and the NBA, the world of professionals, are vastly different. The rules are different, and the mindset is different. And of course, there is a huge difference in skill. In the end, most NCAA players aim to eventually advance to the NBA, and Young-jae was no different, so he didn’t want to lose sight of his dream and the feeling of the NBA.

He couldn’t afford the front row seats, but Young-jae, sitting in a middle-tier seat where he could see the game clearly and observe the individual players’ plays in detail, felt himself getting excited amidst the already enthusiastic fans.

‘Yeah, this is the NBA.’

Colorful events that captivate the eyes and ears. From the introduction of the players to the energy that drives the audience wild. Even the players’ amazing plays and interactions with the fans. (Of course, there were occasional incidents between players and fans, but they were rare.)

The game was between the LA Lakers and the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets. At this time, it was the New Jersey Nets. Later, the home stadium was moved to Brooklyn.) held at the LA Lakers home. This game was also one of the memorable games for Young-jae. At the time, the New Jersey Nets were led by coach Lawrence Frank, but because of today’s game, he was fired after setting a franchise record for the most consecutive losses with 17 straight defeats to start the season. From the LA Lakers’ point of view, they were on a back-to-back schedule [playing games on consecutive days, which increases player fatigue, especially with travel], but the current LA Lakers were a team made up of the best players, and they were the team to beat in the NBA, so they crushed the New Jersey Nets despite the fatigue of the back-to-back.

“I wonder, will it go as I remember?”

This was what Young-jae was most curious about. He knew that many past events would not change because his existence was still insignificant, but Young-jae wanted to verify it. Until now, he had only roughly checked whether the results or scores of the games matched his vague memories, but this time, he was going to meticulously check whether the details he remembered clearly would align with reality.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

★Thank you to those who gave advance subscriptions, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

The ticket prices for NBA stadiums are unbelievably high. As of 2013, general seats for the New York Knicks are $123, and general seats for the LA Lakers are $100 (the game the main character is watching). Other teams range from $40 to $70. This is largely due to the fact that New York and LA are among the largest cities in the United States. The average admission fee for general seats across all 30 teams is about $51.

Usually, teams in large cities, with superstars, or with good records have higher average admission fees. Compared to sports game admission fees in Korea, it is incredibly expensive, but what is surprising is that almost every game is sold out despite the expensive admission fees.

Bierno/// Thank you^^

White Heart/// I appreciate you watching~

Mirror of Truth/// Hehe, I’ll leave it to your imagination.

Kingdom Brothers/// This is a bit of a sensitive issue. For now, I’m leaning towards Korean nationality, but it’s not 100% confirmed. There is room for future changes. The World Championships will be held in 2010, but Korea has been eliminated from the qualifiers, so there is no chance of him being selected.

Thank you for the pre-subscription, recommendation, comments, and reviews!!