Y13 [EN]: Chapter 20

00020 NCAA National Tournament

Gravis Vasquez, with the ball, glanced at Youngjae and tilted his head slightly. It was just one play, only worth 2 points, and the game was long.

Whoosh-

A fast and accurate pass went from Gravis Vasquez to Sean Mosley to Eric Hayes. No matter how highly ranked the Aztecs were in defensive stats, they couldn’t help but be swayed by the passing.

[Gravis Vasquez again. Yoon is sticking to him like glue!]

[The passes are connecting well, but both Coach Gary Williams and Vasquez must be frustrated. Gravis Vasquez is Maryland’s most accurate passer and a powerful scorer, right? They’re trying to create an opening for Vasquez somehow, but Yoon is sticking so close that they have to find another offensive route.]

Vasquez made a ‘tch’ sound and eventually passed the ball safely back to Eric Hayes at the top of the key. He tried to make an aggressive pass while rotating the ball, but after almost losing it to Youngjae’s quick hands, Vasquez couldn’t risk making careless passes.

When Sean Mosley caught the ball on the wing, Billy White, who was a full three inches taller, created a little distance while raising his right hand to obstruct his vision.

“Hmph!”

At Sean Mosley’s shooting motion, Billy White’s feet itched to jump, but he resisted the urge and raised his hand a little higher.

‘Tch.’

Clearly, Billy White wasn’t a great defensive forward. He was a player who was easily fooled by pump fakes, but today he wasn’t making rash plays. In the end, Mosley had no choice but to pass over the pick to Jordan Williams. Cowell defended as well as he could, but Williams’ baby hook shot gave up 2 points.

The game was close.

The score went back and forth, eventually reaching 11 to 8, and the Aztecs’ Yoon Youngjae was recording 5 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound in 4 minutes, including one 3-pointer. His shooting touch was still sharp, making 2 out of 3 shots and carrying the offensive load.

On the other hand, Gravis Vasquez, who had to face Youngjae on offense, only managed to take two shots, and only one of them went in. He recorded two assists, but that was only because the pass somehow connected to Sean Mosley, who was matched up with Billy White, who wasn’t a good defender. Rather, he was pickpocketed once by Youngjae and even committed a turnover, recording two turnovers.

Coach Gary Williams, dissatisfied with Youngjae’s unpredictable play, looked displeased and called a 20-second timeout to give separate instructions to the players.

Thwack!

Beeeep-

[Ah, foul! Eric Hayes commits the foul.]

[It seems like fouls are being called whenever Youngjae Yoon tries to drive to the basket or shoot, right?]

[In a way, you could say Youngjae Yoon’s ability to draw fouls is amazing, but Maryland’s defense has become very physical since the timeout. Especially the defense against Youngjae Yoon seems to be aimed at stopping the offense even if it means giving up free throws. He needs to be careful of injuries, right?]

Youngjae was trying to lay the ball up, but he had no choice but to stumble and fall backward because of Eric Hayes pushing into his chest. It was quite a dangerous foul, but thanks to the flexibility training Youngjae had endured, his body reacted instantly to avoid injury.

“Aigo-”

Youngjae made an old man-like groan and slowly got up, grabbing Leonard’s hand. He knew that this was also part of the strategy, so there was no need to get angry. It disrupted the flow of the offense, but eventually fouls would accumulate, and if it was a shooting foul, they would have to give free throws. Youngjae knew that he had to stay calm and play his game in times like these.

“So that’s how you want to play it?”

Brian Cowell growled and threatened, but Youngjae patted Cowell on the back, saying it was okay.

“Piling up fouls is stupid. Don’t get caught up in it, Cowell. There’s no easier score than a free throw.”

“Yoon- sometimes you have to get angry so they don’t underestimate you.”

“I know. But winning the game is what’s important. It’s good to get a lot of fouls and a lot of free throws, right? Free throws have the highest probability and the least risk of a fast break, and you know my free throws, right?”

Cowell shrugged and laughed, as if he couldn’t help it, saying, “That’s true.”

Thump-

Standing at the free-throw line, he bounces the ball once, grabs it, and releases it into the air with a slight spin. It was Youngjae’s unique motion, a kind of ritual he had done before shooting free throws even when he was playing in the NBA in his past life.

MVP!

Swish-

MVP!

Swish-

The MVP chant, shouted loud enough to shake the gym, echoed just before he shot the free throw. Youngjae composed himself as he listened to the chant and quickly shot two, sinking them both.

In the NCAA, games are 20 minutes per half, so the team foul system has different rules than the NBA. In the NBA, up to 5 fouls are allowed per quarter, but from the 6th foul onwards, a team foul is called and 2 free throws are automatically awarded. However, in the NCAA, up to 6 fouls in each half are not team fouls, and from 7 to 9 fouls, there is a unique rule called “one-and-one,” where you have to make the first free throw to be able to shoot the second free throw.

This time, it was two free throws due to a shooting foul, but even if a team foul was called, Youngjae’s free throw accuracy was on a different level, so the one-and-one rule wasn’t a big factor.

[Accurate free throws!]

[It seems like fouls are being called in the process of closely guarding Yoon to cut off the flow of the offense. This is a way to disrupt the flow, but Yoon’s free throw percentage is over 90%. And he has considerable skill in drawing fouls? If they’re not careful, they might end up with a team foul instead of stopping the momentum. They have to be careful!!]

As the commentator said, fouls occurred every time they closely marked Youngjae and played rough defense, so Coach Gary Williams shook his head, and Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne, Gravis Vasquez, and Sean Mosley quickly accumulated one foul each.

Thwack!

Bee-beep-!!

[Ah, offensive foul! Gravis Vasquez is completely shut down!]

[It’s amazing, right? If you look closely, Yoon takes a quick side step in front of Vasquez, who is driving to the basket, and establishes his position early, right? Vasquez can’t stop, so he charges to the rim, but if the defender establishes his position first, it’s an offensive foul without a doubt, right?]

[Ah, Youngjae Yoon. You have to be careful, right? Drawing an offensive foul was good, but that was a bit dangerous just now. Vasquez’s elbow almost hit his neck.]

Today, Youngjae was throwing his body around the court and taking on all the dirty work. But he had to do this to keep the momentum going, and he could shake it off and get up because he knew that if he did the dirty work, it would create better opportunities for his other teammates. This wasn’t a relaxed conference game, and the opponent was Maryland, who was several levels above them.

“Are you okay?”

The taciturn Leonard grabbed Youngjae’s hand and helped him up, asking casually, and Youngjae nodded in response, even though his chest was throbbing, thinking that he had successfully blocked Vasquez.

Seventh foul. Youngjae quickly walked to the opponent’s court and performed his usual motion. Youngjae, who caught the ball that was floating slightly and spinning, shot a free throw at the same time as the MVP chant.

[1st shot successful.]

[Then he can attempt the 2nd shot, right?]

[Yes, it’s definitely possible because it’s the 7th foul. Gravis Vasquez is being substituted. Even though there are still about 10 minutes left in the first half, he already has 2 fouls. If he commits 3 more fouls, he’ll be ejected, so Coach Gary Williams seems to have ordered the substitution.]

Youngjae made the first shot and lightly high-fived his teammates.

Swish-

The 2nd free throw also went in cleanly. The score was now 15 to 8. Youngjae clenched his fist and immediately returned to the backcourt.

The guard lineup without Vasquez was simple and bland, like steamed bread without red bean filling [a bland and uninteresting food]. As a result, Maryland eventually started playing a game that relentlessly attacked the paint without going through the guards.

Consequently, the guards’ ball possession decreased, and they fed the ball to Jordan Williams and Landon Milbourne with direct passes to the basket. Brian Cowell is a tough, traditional defensive center, but Landon Milbourne is one of Maryland’s top three players.

If Kawhi Leonard or Tyrone Shelley, who are in the power forward position, struggle with the defense, Brian Cowell and Malcolm Thomas, who are in the center position, have no choice but to help defend against Landon Milbourne. In that case, the ball would go to the open Jordan Williams or Sean Mosley, who can quickly attack the rim, causing a mismatch and eventually leading to a score.

Youngjae, after Vasquez was out, was relentlessly marking Eric Hayes and Sean Mosley alternately according to Coach Fisher’s instructions, and he was also leading the offense, so it was difficult to go all the way to the basket to help on defense.

The score went back and forth again from 15 to 8. As a result, the score gradually increased, and with 30 seconds left in the first half, it was 32 to 29. The Aztecs were still slightly leading, but the players couldn’t help but be on edge due to Maryland’s potential to catch up by one point at a time.

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

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Since court position terms are starting to appear frequently, I’ll briefly explain them. Those who enjoy basketball will know, and this is for those who don’t know, so those who know can skip it. Even if you don’t know, I’ll describe it so that you can understand it sufficiently.

Top: The position outside the 3-point line that is directly in front of the basket. Usually, the point guard is the position where he gives tactical instructions.

Wing: The position outside the 3-point line at a 45-degree angle to the basket. This is the position where the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop, which are representative of 2:2 tactics, are most often attempted.

High Post: Near where free throws are shot. It is the part with the round circle. It is mainly the position where big men with good passing or mid-range shooting stand.

Low Post: Means the bottom of the basket. It is a place where rebounding battles are very fierce.

Elbow: Refers to the area near the free throw line at a 45-degree angle to the basket. It is the position where big men often shoot mid-range shots after a pick and pop.

Sideline: The left and right lines of the court. It is also where both teams’ benches are located. It is also the shortest distance to a 3-point shot.

Baseline: The line below the basket. When breaking through from the side to the basket, it is said to ride the baseline.

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퓨로타님/// I wonder what style he will grow into… Please look forward to it. The draft episode will be released soon. San Antonio was the 20th pick in the 2010 draft. Really?

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