Y13 [EN]: Chapter 13

Y13-13 (13/296)

00013 NCAA Opener ====================================================

Youngjae felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched the star-studded players line up on the court. The New Jersey Nets were led by promising center Brook Lopez and All-Star guard Devin Harris, with Courtney Lee as their key bench player. Yi Jianlian, another player of Asian descent from China, was also on the team.

The LA Lakers boasted a super-luxury lineup with Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant at guard, Ron Artest (who later changed his name to Meta World Peace) and Pau Gasol at forward, and Andrew Bynum at center. Lamar Odom, the ultimate utility player and future Sixth Man of the Year, was positioned as the sixth man. They had no weaknesses in any position, and anything short of winning the championship would be considered a failed season.

The game started, and Youngjae, sitting on the bench with his knees up, began to watch with keen interest. He felt once again, with his whole body, that the NBA was on a completely different level than the NCAA. In the NCAA, teams had to finish their attack within 35 seconds, but in the NBA, they had to finish within 24 seconds. At first glance, the 11-second difference might not seem like much, but it was enormous. Over 40 minutes, if a team used all 35 seconds for each attack, they could have approximately 68.5 possessions, or offensive opportunities. However, with 24 seconds, they could have as many as 100 possessions. Also, unlike the NCAA, the NBA game consists of four 12-minute quarters, totaling 48 minutes. This allows for even more possessions. Players run more, run longer, and the court is larger, with a longer three-point line.

Nothing about the NBA is easier than the NCAA. Youngjae once again felt awe at the greatness of the NBA. He recalled his past experiences and renewed his determination.

The Lakers primarily used the triangle offense, characteristic of coach Phil Jackson (11 championships – the most in NBA history). The core of this offense consisted of Bynum or Odom, Gasol, and Kobe, with the backcourt’s leading player being key. The offense involves a ball-handler and three players forming a triangle on either side and under the basket. The ball-handler needs to be a high scorer, and the players need to have a high BQ [Basketball IQ = basketball intelligence] for this tactic to work.

‘The ball will go to Bynum and Pau Gasol.’

As Youngjae predicted, Bynum received the ball, posting up against Brook Lopez, who was showing the most promise on the New Jersey Nets, and passed it to Pau Gasol, who was positioned at the high post. Gasol made a slight shooting motion, and Trent Hassell, who was guarding him, was fooled by Gasol’s natural shot fake and jumped.

‘Wow… that speed at that height…’

Youngjae was impressed. Kobe Bryant’s incredible tough shots, accurate shooting, isolation 1-on-1 breakthroughs, and pick-and-roll plays were all familiar, but Pau Gasol’s spin move was truly surprising.

Generally, big men rarely have such concise and clean dribbling or footwork. In those cases, they are usually tall and skinny players who are hardly considered big men. However, Pau Gasol was capable of playing defense in the center position and was known for not being pushed around in terms of strength. Although his defensive skills weren’t his greatest strength, he was a top-notch big man who could score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds.

A hesitation step, followed by a quick drive. After the spin move, he twisted his body back to his original position and hit a step-back jumper.

It was a perfect weapon. Truly a perfect weapon. Even though Brook Lopez, who was showing great growth, came to help defend, the difference in experience was too great. The first half ended with the LA Lakers in overwhelming dominance. Given that the New Jersey Nets were one of the weakest teams, it was a natural result.

Youngjae, who had been engrossed in watching the entire first half, finally noticed that his palms were sweating. Seeing the NBA, a place full of monsters, from the audience’s perspective, Youngjae’s lips were parched.

He desperately wanted to be on that court as soon as possible. Yet, he was also afraid. Even though he had five years of experience in the NBA, could he make it there now? That was his fear. He was skilled enough to play in the NBA. The problem was the fear that he would not be better than his past self.

Youngjae watched the entire game to the end. He hesitated to even close his eyes for a moment, not wanting to miss a single detail: Kobe Bryant’s explosive power, close to artistry; Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol’s stable rebounds and reliable scoring under the basket; Ron Artest’s relentless hustle plays and solid defense; and Derek Fisher’s movements in coordinating the overall game.

“106 to 87.”

In the end, the game ended with a comfortable victory for the LA Lakers. The past had not changed. Unless he intervened on the court… Youngjae nodded, feeling that the past he knew would not change unless he directly intervened.

He steeled his mind, telling himself that this was just the beginning. He shook off the complacency that had crept into his mind due to the rising star hype and left the stadium with a lighter step, still wearing his team gear.

Or, at least, he tried to.

“Yoon!”

Startled by the sudden call of his name, Youngjae turned around. A cute little kid was there, holding the hands of a man and woman who seemed to be his parents, shouting excitedly.

“It’s you! Yoon from the Aztecs!”

“Oh, yeah. That’s me.”

Youngjae was playing in the NCAA, but unless they were students from the same school, people often didn’t recognize players unless they were famous. So, Youngjae was quite surprised and pleased.

“Haha! I never dreamed I’d see Yoon here. I hope our child hasn’t been rude.”

The Asian man, wearing a suit but with an LA Lakers scarf around his neck, laughed heartily, and Youngjae waved his hand, saying it was okay.

“Yoon! Yoon! My mom and dad are Aztecs fans too. My dad graduated from the Aztecs!”

“Oh, really? Um… what’s your name?”

“David. David Yeon!”

Youngjae couldn’t help but smile at David, who looked like a doll, probably because he was born to an Asian father and a Western mother. Although he was only 19, Youngjae was almost at the end of his 20s when he almost died, so he gave a fatherly smile, wishing he had a son like that.

“I want to be a basketball player for the Aztecs like Yoon!”

“Yeah. I’m sure you will.”

“Um—can I take a picture with Yoon?”

At David’s earnest request, Yoon nodded, saying, “Of course!” and lifted David up. David’s father chuckled and took a picture of the two of them. He then held the camera out to take a selfie, capturing all four of them in the photo.

The camera was an instant print camera, and Yoon scribbled a quick autograph on the photo.

“Ah! Yoon! Sorry, but can you sign these too? I want to show them off to my relatives!”

“Sure. No problem.”

Youngjae signed several of David’s white T-shirts. He signed them on the chest so that they would look like brand logos, making them less *b 부담스럽다* [burdensome/ostentatious] to wear. After his meeting with David, Youngjae returned to his dorm with a lighter step.

===

Before March Madness, they had to endure a marathon-like schedule. At the same time, they had to focus on their studies, which resulted in tremendous mental and physical fatigue, leading to immense stress. This was a different kind of grind than the NBA or the professional stage, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Youngjae.

Unless there were holidays, games were scheduled almost every 2-4 days. Although they were in the same conference and geographically close, the United States is such a vast country that fatigue inevitably accumulated despite these considerations.

By December 22, 2009, the Aztecs had played a total of 11 games, with a strong record of 9 wins and 2 losses. Coach Fisher had been an NCAA coach for 11 years and was exceptional at managing his players. He appropriately adjusted the playing time for starters and bench players, especially managing the playing time of Yoon Youngjae, Kawhi Leonard, and Gay, who had become the core of the team, and whose turnover rate had miraculously decreased in a short period.

Under this management, Youngjae played in 10 of the 11 games, averaging 29.5 minutes, 24.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers. Even considering that the Mountain West Conference was a mid-major conference rather than a major conference, Youngjae’s record proved that he was a guard with a high ceiling.

In particular, his performance against St. Mary’s against the promising guard Dellavedova was as good as any guard could hope for.

His defense had improved significantly due to his increased strength compared to his past life, giving him an advantage in both power and speed, and his shooting was considered to be among the best in the nation. His versatile and explosive abilities were now being evaluated as making his entry into the NBA a near certainty.

However, Youngjae was of Asian descent, not European. Although the NBA market is global, it is ultimately a part of American society. Inevitable racial barriers exist, so Youngjae never let his guard down.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you to those who favorited, recommended, commented, and gave coupons!!

dio2n, Hallau/// Thank you^^.

I’m uploading another chapter because it’s the weekend.

See you a little after midnight^^