Y13 [EN]: Chapter 168

Y13-168 2011 Off-Season

“Cuban, it’s Plan C. Plans A and B are already gone, so we just need to pick the next best option.”

“Plan C, huh? Doesn’t seem like there are any variables depending on how the draft goes.”

“Yes. No teams have contacted us specifically, and we haven’t gained any new information either, so we should proceed with the existing plan.”

Cuban had reviewed and approved all three plans he participated in and agreed upon, so he accepted Nelson’s words without much disagreement. There had been heated debates about the three players until the very end, but in the end, the player Cuban himself chose became Plan C, and Cuban couldn’t help but smile at the thought of drafting him.

Cuban pretended to stall for the five-minute decision time between picks and then called someone on his cell phone. A young man’s voice, filled with emotion, answered energetically from the other end, and Cuban finished the call, asking him to do well.

“With the 29th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks select… Chandler Parsons!!”

Although he couldn’t attend this event, Chandler Parsons would be embraced by his family and friends, unable to hide his joy at this moment. Only projected lottery picks and players certain to be drafted in the first round were invited to the draft table.

“Nice.”

Watching this on TV, Youngjae smiled contentedly. This was what he had hoped for. Months ago, thanks to his close friend Kawhi Leonard, Youngjae often watched NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] games and had an epiphany while watching Parsons play. He remembered that Dallas’s drafts were always failures, and he recalled that Parsons was a second-rounder.

So, he often looked at mock drafts, and among the players who were mentioned in the rankings that Dallas could pick, the successful ones were Singler, Butler, and Parsons. He was just a rookie and couldn’t influence the team, so he aimed for the workout period, requested to observe, and was accepted. The only downside was that he only worked out Parsons out of the three players, but fortunately, Parsons showed good records and work ethic during the workout. He also praised him a lot, raising his score, and eventually succeeded in getting him drafted by Dallas.

Dallas had succeeded with both Bobrois and himself, so Youngjae was looking forward to next season, thinking that they wouldn’t trade this rookie. He used to trade picks to get Rudy Fernandez, but he believed that as he established himself, there was no reason to reinforce the shooting guard position.

June 28, 2010. San Diego State University.

Youngjae was waiting for someone on the court in comfortable clothes. Dressed in training clothes that he usually wore for exercise, Youngjae started dribbling the ball.

Starting with basic one-handed dribbling, Youngjae ran as if jogging. After circling the court three times, Youngjae brought another ball and started dribbling with both hands. Even as his running speed increased, the balls he bounced with both hands were being dribbled stably without any errors or fumbles.

“Hoo.”

Youngjae had come to his alma mater’s gym after a long time and was dribbling the ball. It was the off-season for professional basketball players, so not only Youngjae but also the golden generation of San Diego State University, who were active in various countries, could gather in one place. They usually contacted each other through social media, so they decided to take this opportunity to meet after a long time.

“Heh~ You’ve become even more of a monster in just one season?”

A sly voice. Youngjae turned around at the welcome voice, and there was D.J. Gay, dressed comfortably like himself, waving his right hand and walking slowly.

“Wow~ The soul combination with Zoran Dragić! The undisputed number one of Unicaja Malaga! How have you been, captain?”

Youngjae occasionally contacted the members of San Diego State University, the Aztecs, during the season and kept up with each other’s news, so he knew how hard Gay had worked to get to where he was now.

“Hearing that from Y13, who shook up the NBA this season, makes me feel embarrassed.”

“Well… it’s because the captain did well.”

Gay scratched his head, saying, “Is that so?” Gay, who originally had short hair, had been growing his hair out and now had dreadlocks that suited him quite well.

“Looks like you’re living the good life now? Taking care of your appearance, growing a beard? So, how is the Spanish girl? Is she as amazing as you expected?”

At Youngjae’s joke, Gay chuckled and showed him a photo directly instead of answering. Gay took out his smartphone and showed Youngjae a photo.

“What do you think?!”

“Uh… she’s definitely something.”

She really was something. It was like she was showing the end of the physical limits that a woman could have, beyond common sense. No matter how you looked at it, she had an amazing figure with the face of a teenage girl. She was a scam-level bagel girl [a Korean slang term for a woman with a baby face and a glamorous body] that any man would be impressed by.

However, Youngjae only showed interest for a moment before becoming indifferent. Of course, he felt she was amazing, but that was it. Gay, noticing Youngjae’s lukewarm reaction, put his smartphone away as if he was bored and scratched his head.

“You’re still the same as you were in college. Such a reaction to such a beautiful woman.”

“She’s pretty.”

That was it. Gay clicked his tongue as if he was bored, put his smartphone in his bag, and picked up a ball.

“Then, shall we see Y13’s skills?”

“Captain, are you trying to 1-on-1? You have to consider the position difference. There’s quite a height difference between you and me, right?”

Indeed, Gay was still the same physically as he was in NCAA. A short point guard at 6-0 (183cm). But his skinny body had bulked up and looked like a small but solid stone.

“You’re not the only one who’s grown. Let’s do it?”

Gay started dribbling the ball slowly. D.J. Gay, who had started to gain stability in his dribbling just before graduation, played an average of 27 minutes in Unicaja Malaga, scoring 11.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists, leading Unicaja Malaga to the runner-up position.

Youngjae watched Gay, whose dribbling had become lower and more stable, and decided that he shouldn’t take him lightly. Gay took steps as if he was about to drive in left and right to check Youngjae’s side steps, and Youngjae quickly caught up with Gay at an incredible speed.

‘This guy is a real monster.’

He thought that his overall speed would have decreased because he had bulked up compared to his college days, but his speed remained the same, and he had become stronger. Of course, it was also thanks to the management of the Dallas Mavericks’ excellent coaching staff, but it was also thanks to yoga and Pilates, which he had been training for over a year, which had made his whole body more flexible.

Thud!

Suddenly, Gay drove in. Youngjae was surprised as he blocked Gay, who was charging in with his solid body. Although he couldn’t enter the NBA, he wasn’t called the Chris Paul of the Spanish League for nothing. Although his scoring ability and style might be a little different, he seemed to be called that because he was the same height and had a solid build.

However, Youngjae wasn’t just surprised by Gay. Rather, he was controlling Gay’s breakthrough, forcing him to break through in the route he wanted, the one that suited his taste.

‘Tch.’

Gay eventually gave up on the breakthrough and quickly took a step back. Youngjae’s eyes flashed as he rushed forward! His one step was so fast that Gay couldn’t help but be shocked, but the ball had already left his hands.

Thwack!!

The shot, blocked by Youngjae’s right hand with a crisp sound, bounced out of bounds.

“… Ha! Amazing. Even though you knew I was a guard without a shot just one season ago, you knew I was going to shoot and followed me?”

“Ah… that’s right. A guard without a shot wouldn’t step back there. Besides, it’s a 1-on-1 situation. It would be embarrassing to miss while focusing on one person.”

At Youngjae’s nonchalant words, Gay made a disgusted expression as he looked at Youngjae, who had really become a monster. Youngjae was a player who couldn’t be loved or hated.

“Wow~ As expected of Y13! Amazing!”

The seven players who had been quietly watching the amazing block from the sidelines clapped and came onto the court. Led by Kelvin Davis, the strongest sixth man who scored 11.2 points in an average of 19 minutes in the Greek League, Malcolm Thomas, the double-double machine who firmly defended Ulsan Mobis’s paint and recorded 10.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in an average of 25 minutes, and Brian Carwell, Billy White, Alex Williams, and Chayson Tapley, who had been active in NCAA until last season, all came onto the court.

“Soon, the students will come too. Well, it’s called a school visit event, but it’s just about giving the students a good talk and playing for 20 minutes in a friendly match, so let’s get some practice in after a long time.”

Kelvin Davis also greeted him with a more relaxed look, and Malcolm Thomas was smiling brightly, as if he had made up for the stamina and strength that he had been criticized for in NCAA.

“Oh~ Thomas. You look like you’re having fun these days?”

“Of course, how could I not be having fun? I’m just dying?! Yoon, it’s all thanks to you!”

Youngjae was flustered and stuttered, but Thomas didn’t seem to want Youngjae’s answer and made a satisfied expression like he had the whole world. In the meantime, one more person arrived.

“Oh, there’s one more person who deserves congratulations! Long time no see!”

It was Kawhi Leonard, who was drafted 15th overall in this draft. Until recently, he was a sophomore at San Diego State University and the main player who led the Aztecs to the Sweet Sixteen [a round of 16 teams in the NCAA tournament]. Now, he has been officially drafted and is going through the withdrawal process.

“I’m the latest. Has everyone been doing well? Thomas, Gay, Davis, it’s been a while. I’ve seen Yoon a few times. Was the All-Star Game the most recent?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while. I’ve seen your performances. Congratulations on being drafted in this draft. Wow, our school has produced a first-rounder for two years in a row. And I played with you in that generation. Where else can you find a better memory than this?”

“Thank you. But you guys have been doing well too. I’ve seen you guys doing well in your respective leagues.”

Thomas, like the old trio, joked first.

“I congratulated you on the phone, but I’ll congratulate you again in person. You were drafted higher than me, so you’ll have to treat me later?”

“You’re already a star. What are you trying to take from me when I haven’t even debuted yet?”

“Hey, is my salary going to be less than yours? Hehe.”

“I haven’t received a single penny yet.”

Youngjae was happy to see Leonard, whom he hadn’t seen in four months, and started joking. Youngjae kept joking, but Leonard still responded with a poker face.

“Okay, okay, stop joking. Anyway, let’s talk later. Now, shall we start preparing for the event?”

Gay, who was the captain, stopped them from joking around and started preparing for the event.

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

★Thank you to those who pre-ordered, recommended, commented, and gave coupons!!

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, NaraNaraNot!!

Luscinia/// Yes, it’s my first Korean Series ㅎㅎ. Thank you~

CrazyQ, -DarkANGEL-, DisappearingSoul, Financia, OmariOn/// Thank you for the comments~~

H0H/// Yes… it’s serious ㅋㅋ;;

Ultra10/// Haha… Parsons will come out later. Because of the lockout;;

goimosp/// Yes. That’s right. It was Parsons.

sis-yuki/// Hehe thank you. 1000 episodes is too much ㅎㅎ

Black Cafe/// I have mentioned it several times in the afterword. If you don’t want to see it, you can skip that part.

Kirarupi/// Since we can’t not open the season, I think it’s a dilemma. We can’t have the league go awry…

rtg98/// Yes. That’s right. I think it’s because he’s a fourth-generation Korean-American, so he’s aware that he’s Korean, but he doesn’t speak Korean well.