Y13 [EN]: Chapter 25

00025 Into Each of Their Own Paths
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A month and a half had passed since they began focusing on individual training. During those 45 days, the Aztecs worked diligently on their own paths. Youngjae had almost recovered from his injury but was still wearing a mask as he devoted himself to individual training.

Thud- Thud- Thud-Thud-

The basketball bounced erratically. Youngjae focused on his fingertips, concentrating intensely to keep the ball from slipping out of his hands. Instead of a smooth court or cement floor, he deliberately went to the foothills of a nearby mountain to bounce the ball on a rough, gravelly surface. This training method was said to be used by Heo Jae (the then-coach of Jeonju KCC as of 2010, and a legendary figure known as the ‘Basketball President’ in South Korea), to hone his fundamental dribbling skills.

“Ugh!”

Startled by the ball bouncing off an irregular stone edge, Youngjae instinctively cried out and caught the ball with both hands. He almost got hit in the mask and nose.

‘Amazing.’

Thinking about Heo Jae’s early years, when he honed his fundamentals with this kind of training, Youngjae felt that the talk about him possibly entering the NBA might not have been an exaggeration. Strength training was essential to maintain his bulked-up body, but he had to rest as much as possible until his broken nose was completely healed, so it was inevitable that his body was shrinking.

That’s why he had to develop his fundamentals even more. Every morning, he did mainly aerobic exercises and flexibility and agility training like yoga and stretching. In the afternoon, he would walk and run for about an hour to reach the mountain.

Dribbling on the rocky field was so difficult at first that he could barely last 10 minutes, but before he knew it, even when the ball bounced off a stone and rebounded wildly, his eyes followed the ball, and his body reacted before he could think, accurately placing the ball in the center of his palm to minimize the irregular bounce.

“Hoo.”

Even though it was the most basic dribble, going back and forth between his left and right hands in a V-shape, the ball bounced so much that he had to concentrate. As he focused on each dribble, he was able to maintain his concentration for a long time, which was a win-win situation for Youngjae.

As he was engrossed in dribbling until sunset, Youngjae hurriedly took a bus from a nearby bus stop and returned to his school dormitory. Thanks to Coach Fisher’s consideration, Youngjae was able to stay in the school dormitory until he was drafted, so he was living alone in an empty double room. Arriving at the dormitory, Youngjae quickly washed up, threw on some light workout clothes, slung a long bag over his shoulder, and hurried out to the downtown area near the school.

“Ah, haha. Am I late?”

“No. You’re not late.”

The place Youngjae arrived at was none other than the basketball equipment store where Meli Yeon worked. Youngjae, who had received two requests from Meli Yeon before the game against Maryland, had fulfilled the first request and was visiting the basketball equipment store twice a week to fulfill the second request.

“Want to try them on first?”

Youngjae couldn’t help but admire the shoes Meli handed him. The aesthetic design was not lacking compared to famous brand basketball shoes. At first glance, they looked like sharp and pretty casual shoes, but Youngjae couldn’t help but be surprised once he tried them on.

“I made the insole custom-made and used functional materials to hold the ankle firmly.”

For soccer players, soccer shoes were so important that they could determine their performance, and it was no different for basketball players. Especially for players who move intensely and run and roll on the court for 48 minutes, comfortable fit, risk of injury, and functionality that helps performance were all things they had to carefully consider.

‘Amazing.’

As someone who had tried on and customized shoes from various brands during his NBA days, Youngjae couldn’t help but be surprised at the thought that these shoes were perfectly suited for him. They had a rough feel, but with a little refinement, they had the ability to create products that met the needs of the other party, taking design into consideration.

‘With this level of quality, they are marketable enough.’

But there was one thing that worried him.

“Meli.”

“Yeah?”

“How much did this cost?”

“Ah. I knew it. That’s the problem.”

Functional materials are more expensive than you think. Moreover, since they are custom-made, the price inevitably goes up significantly.

“It’s about 20% more expensive than Huarache 2K5.”

“That’s just the cost price?”

“Yeah.”

The selling price of Huarache 2K5 was roughly $100 (about ₩115,000 [Korean Won]). If the cost price alone was about $120, it would be difficult to make it a mass-produced product unless it was for a player.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to use a basic insole and put functional materials only where they are really needed?”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. The design is good too. I’ll help you as much as I can until the draft, so try everything you’ve thought about.”

Meli Yeon. She truly had a talent for design and was passionate about it. Despite being only 20 years old, one year older than Youngjae, she didn’t give up on her dream of design while enduring the hard work of sales. She was interested in sportswear, and in the process, she met Youngjae and became deeply absorbed in basketball, nurturing her dream of becoming a basketball-related designer.

“Really?”

“In my opinion, you can definitely try out for Project Runway 8, which Meli wants to go on. Practical sportswear. Clothes and shoes that capture both aesthetics and functionality – how innovative is that?”

Meli shyly showed her designs, wondering if it was really possible. These days, Meli was not only interested in shoes but also in jerseys, uniforms, training wear, and casual wear, and she was studying hard. Watching Meli, Youngjae was also determined to push himself.

“Honestly, meeting you is a great fortune. In Korean style, it would be right to call you Youngjae, right?”

The Korean that comes out when they are alone. Youngjae nodded happily.

“Thank you for taking care of me in many ways like my younger sibling.”

“Of course. Meli is like my older sister to me.”

After a considerable number of meetings over the course of a year, Youngjae and Meli had shared many stories, and they became close friends.

When young men and women meet in a store, share stories, and share dreams, it’s inevitable that they develop feelings for each other, but both Meli and Youngjae had a strong sense that they needed each other. Meli, who had watched the first game closely, thought, ‘If it’s Youngjae, he will be a great help in achieving my dream,’ and Youngjae also thought, ‘It would be nice to be close to Meli. I can get things fixed cheaply, and we’re from the same hometown.’

Even when a cute atmosphere was created, they would brush it off with banter, without either of them taking the lead. Both Meli and Youngjae knew that they didn’t have the time to meet someone right now. They didn’t want to meet anyone without having achieved anything. In that respect, they were similar, and that may have been the reason why they were able to become close. If they had met in a slightly better situation, things might have turned out differently, but that was a matter of hindsight, so it didn’t matter much.

As a result, they became great business partners and close friends. This kind of relationship was very good for them.

“If, just if, I really get to make Youngjae’s signature shoes, wouldn’t that be amazing?”

“Eh – To do that, I have to become an NBA superstar first.”

“Why? I also have to become a great designer to make someone’s signature shoes. Maybe if we match each other similarly, it will fall into place perfectly? No, will you be faster?”

Youngjae chuckled and nodded.

“When that time comes, I’ll write the contract properly. Noona [older sister in Korean].”

“Of course. Me too.”

Leaving the basketball equipment store, it was already dark. Youngjae casually ran to the outdoor basketball court near the dormitory, not caring about the darkness.

Swish-

In the darkness where the rim was barely visible, Youngjae put down his bag and started shooting. He strictly adhered to taking breaks in between to avoid straining his nose, but Youngjae didn’t take any shot lightly.

“Huff, huff…”

After about an hour, Youngjae was out of breath, but he didn’t bend over and just gasped for air. Youngjae had been continuously doing this training since he started dribbling on the rocky field. Ray Allen (former Miami Heat shooting guard and NBA legend), said that you have to engrave the image strongly and clearly understand from practice what kind of situation you are shooting in. Not just shooting, but engraving the image and recreating the situation where you can dribble or act alone according to the situation and shooting. He said that if you accumulate a lot of training, accumulate images, and develop adaptability to the situation, you can shoot with the same shooting form, the same release, and the same intensity when you want to in a real game without shaking.

In addition, by incorporating the ‘shooting in the dark’ training that Klay Thompson, who would grow into one of the best 3-point shooters in the Golden State Warriors, did, Youngjae was engraving images in the dark and practicing shooting according to the situation.

Receiving the ball with his back turned, turning half a circle towards the rim and doing a fadeaway.

Receiving the ball at the top, getting screened, breaking through, and doing a pull-up jumper in the mid-range.

Receiving the ball behind the 3-point line and immediately doing a spot-up 3-pointer.

By practicing shooting with these countless situations in mind, Youngjae’s shooting release and mechanism were becoming more and more consistent and accurate, and he was being trained to be able to make shots in any situation. After spending a couple of hours with hundreds of shots, Youngjae entered the dormitory when it was completely night.

The 2010 NBA Draft will be held soon. But before that, NBA teams with picks near his mock draft number will invite him to workouts (a kind of team training participation where teams do a final player check before the draft; these can be public or private).

“Workout, huh…”

He didn’t know which teams would call Youngjae, but for some reason, he didn’t want to walk the path he had walked in his previous life, so he decided to exclude the San Antonio Spurs.

At the same time, Steve Fisher’s cell phone, who was preparing to leave the office, was ringing loudly.

“Yes. This is Steve Fisher.”

– Hello. My name is Bill Duffy, an agent. –

Coach Fisher couldn’t help but be surprised. Bill Duffy. A famous agent who represents NBA superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash. In particular, Yao Ming, the best center in China and the Houston Rockets, was also represented by Bill Duffy.

Bill Duffy, who was good at basketball enough to be drafted by the Denver Nuggets during his playing days, had an accurate eye. At the same time, he thought from the player’s point of view and was a human agent who valued ‘human relationships’ rather than just customer and player relationships. In particular, he is unique in that he is black but has a Korean sister and a Taiwanese younger sister due to a unique family environment, so he has no racial discrimination or stereotypes. He also travels around various countries with his father, who is a soldier, so he is fluent in various languages and cultures.

Perhaps because of this, his company, BDA Agency, is famous for having players from various countries as its main clients, and the human relationship between agents and players is also strong.

– It’s late, so I think it’s better to get to the point. Coach, I would like to meet the shooting guard Yoon from your school. Can you arrange a meeting? –