Y13 [EN]: Chapter 4

Y13-4. Regression

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The San Diego State Aztecs are known for their tough, defense-oriented basketball.

While their offensive capabilities are average, their ability to shut down opponents is arguably top-notch in the NCAA. Although their perimeter defense has weaknesses, they were confident that their post defense could withstand pressure even from championship contenders.

Coach Fisher, the architect of this defensive organization, took pride in his defense-oriented basketball, and San Diego State University was renowned as a defensive team. He had been in charge of the San Diego State University basketball team for 11 years.

(Notably, they were ranked No. 1 in defense nationally in 2014. For example, they defeated Kansas, which featured future NBA stars Andrew Wiggins [No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft] and Joel Embiid [No. 3 overall pick], on the road thanks to their defensive prowess.)

However, the San Diego State starting team, once so solid, was being dismantled by one Asian freshman.

Yoon Young-jae.

A player considered a decent guard but without the accolades of being selected as California’s Mr. Basketball like Kawhi Leonard, also a freshman, or ranking 48th in Rivals.com’s prospect rankings [a popular website for recruiting rankings].

The attack of Team 1, centered on Young-jae, was simple. Young-jae directed the offense from the top of the key, with Chase Tapley and Alec Williams positioned on the left and right wings. Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas alternated setting screens for Young-jae.

Young-jae would receive a screen, shake off his defender, and then pass the ball to Leonard and Thomas, who were cutting into the paint, or kick it out to Tapley or Williams, who were open on the perimeter as the help defense rotated.

“……”

Kelvin Davis, a senior starter tasked with guarding Young-jae, was being thoroughly outplayed to the point where his confidence was shattered just 10 minutes into the game. Young-jae cleverly used the screens to lose Davis. Moreover, his speed surpassed Davis’.

If Davis and the opposing big man switched (changing defensive assignments; in this case, the big man guarding Young-jae), Leonard and Thomas, with a mismatch, could exploit Davis’s defensive lapse and take advantage of the situation.

It was proving impossible to stop him. He was fast, possessed excellent footwork, and cleverly used fakes to disrupt the entire defense.

Moreover, since Davis wasn’t particularly quick or a strong defender, he was repeatedly victimized by Young-jae’s pick-and-roll plays.

“Ugh!”

When Davis attempted to impede Young-jae’s free movement and passing, Leonard would suddenly step into Young-jae’s path and set a screen. Then, Young-jae would quickly use Leonard’s screen to pivot and drive toward the basket, while Leonard simultaneously cut to the basket. It was a textbook pick and roll, the quintessential 2-2 play.

“Hoo-cha!”

A perfect layup opportunity. Brian Carwell, who was firmly guarding the paint, swung his arm as if to swat Young-jae’s wrist as he went up for the layup.

However, Young-jae, seeing Carwell’s forceful swing, smiled and softly passed the ball to Leonard, who was cutting to the side.

Bang!

After a thunderous one-handed dunk, Leonard quickly approached Young-jae, who was backpedaling, and offered a fist bump, which Young-jae returned with a smile.

Coach Fisher couldn’t conceal his astonishment. Even in the NCAA, teams utilize various tactics through team training, although not as extensively as in professional leagues. The 2-2 play that Young-jae and Leonard had executed flawlessly, especially the pick and roll, was an offensive tactic that the starters had faced and defended against countless times.

But they couldn’t stop it. All because of Young-jae. Usually, the roller (the screener, typically a big man) is more crucial in a pick and roll, but it also hinges on the skill of the ball handler utilizing it.

‘That’s…not the level of an ordinary college student.’

It was a 5-on-5 scrimmage, a simple practice game without official substitutions, played for a full 20 minutes without dividing it into halves, yet there hadn’t been a single turnover. In fact, there hadn’t even been a close call.

Typically, guards dribble and pass frequently, leading to more turnovers due to prolonged ball possession. However, Young-jae’s play was stable and consistently created scoring opportunities.

‘If that’s the real him…he’s something special. He is something.’

Fisher clenched his fist unconsciously, his gaze fixed intently on Young-jae.

Fisher hadn’t given any specific instructions to either Team 1 or Team 2. However, he told Team 1, composed of freshmen, to ‘show their potential’ and provided guidance on their respective positions. He instructed Team 2, the starters, to ‘demonstrate what it means to be a starter’ and ordered them to play as if it were a real game.

According to high school scouting reports, Chase Tapley and Yoon Young-jae, the guards on the freshman team, weren’t particularly strong three-point shooters. Therefore, he instructed the starters to play basic man-to-man defense, but advised the guards to maintain some distance rather than sticking too closely to prevent penetration. Additionally, center Brian Carwell was instructed to protect the paint and act as a secondary barrier to stop drives.

But they couldn’t stop Young-jae. When Davis initially gave Young-jae space, he immediately took and made his shots. After three consecutive 3-pointers, Davis switched to a tenacious defense instead of sagging defense (a defensive strategy where defenders give ground to weaker shooters beyond the three-point line but contest shots closer to the basket).

After those three-pointers in a row, Young-jae couldn’t help but be surprised inside, even though he was an NBA player who had trained hard for a month.

In any case, Young-jae easily shook off Davis and penetrated into the paint, drawing help defense and passing to an open teammate. And the vicious cycle continued.

Even though Leonard and Thomas’s screens weren’t exceptional, no one could contain Young-jae’s drives. If the shooter receiving Young-jae’s pass wasn’t completely open, he would set a screen for them or receive the pass again to create another opportunity.

Young-jae freely used shooting, passing, and penetration to generate chances for his teammates and dictate the tempo. Even if his teammates didn’t always convert the open looks, Young-jae remained unfazed. An open jumper might not fall. Even in the NBA, not all open shots go in during games. Regardless of the outcome, Young-jae quickly retreated and joined the defense.

Was Young-jae’s defense lacking? Absolutely not. In contrast to the offensive matchup, Young-jae guarded the opposing point guard, D.J. Gay, on defense. Shutting down the point guard, who was practically the only ball handler for the starting players who generally lacked good ball-handling skills, would disrupt their offense.

“Eek!”

San Diego State University’s starting point guard, D.J. Gay, was unable to mount a proper attack despite having two more years of NCAA experience than Young-jae, who was a junior. He couldn’t even execute a successful drive after receiving a pick, let alone an isolation drive or a jumper. Young-jae quickly closed the gap between himself and the screener, applying pressure.

Even when Gay used fakes, Young-jae remained unfazed. Gay was rushed into taking contested shots or making risky passes, leading to increased turnovers. Team 2’s offense sputtered. Gay’s teammates weren’t receiving quality assists.

Instead, Young-jae quickly anticipated and intercepted passing lanes, creating fast-break opportunities. At times, he would confidently double-team other members of the opposing team, forcing turnovers.

Malcolm Thomas, playing center, was also 2 inches shorter than Brian Carwell, but he exploited Carwell’s weaknesses and stuck to him tenaciously. Even if he couldn’t block Carwell’s shots, he displayed exceptional rebounding ability with his unique agility. Alongside him, Leonard also secured loose rebounds and fought for second-chance opportunities.

‘?!’

Fisher realized that the defense of this team was also centered on Young-jae, and the teammates moved in sync with Young-jae’s cues. Young-jae not only effectively shut down his own assignment but also caused turnovers through timely help defense. Leonard and Thomas adequately protected the paint, while Young-jae controlled the perimeter players.

Before he knew it, there were only 30 seconds left in the game. The score was 37:21. A dismal score. Typically, the starting team should be beating the freshman team by a significant margin. But the reality was the opposite.

“Hmm…”

Young-jae had his own concerns. The expressions of the players, unaware of his NBA background, were flushed with embarrassment, and Coach Fisher was staring at Young-jae with a bewildered look.

The teammates who had been asked to follow Young-jae’s instructions at the start of the game had come to trust him, in contrast to their initial doubts. The teammates were visibly happy rather than tired, even though they had played continuously for about 20 minutes. Young-jae assigned teammates with simple instructions in a short time and determined the direction according to both hands.

Last 10 seconds. Even if it ends like this, Young-jae has sufficiently showcased his abilities to the players, coaches, and coaching staff. Game management, passing, no turnovers, 3-point and mid-range shooting ability, spot-up shooting, pull-up jumper shooting… He demonstrated everything that a point guard and shooting guard should possess at a minimum.

However, as human ambition is never easily satisfied, Young-jae didn’t want to stop there.

When he signaled to Thomas and Leonard, they began to converge to one side. He decided to run an isolation play. It was an extremely old-school tactic where four players gather on one side of the court, leaving one ball handler to attack 1-on-1.

Tung-tung-

D.J. Gay stood in front of him. Whether he had spoken to Kelvin Davis or not, Gay had been guarding Young-jae directly for the past few minutes. Perhaps because he hadn’t been shooting well from the start, Gay, who was shorter but had quicker feet and better steal instincts, was assigned to guard him.

‘That’s what it is.’

Young-jae began to incorporate more advanced techniques into his dribbling for the first time. Then he started stepping. A hesitation step so textbook that there was no unnecessary movement. Then he leaned his upper body forward to feint a drive.

“?!!”

But immediately after that, in a flash, Young-jae’s upper body moved twice in sync with his footwork.

Right foot, left foot. Accordingly, his upper body also shifted right and left. The center of gravity changed so subtly that Gay’s body followed only the initial step, unable to react to the second step, and completely lost track of Young-jae.

And the final step. With explosive speed, he safely and quickly protected the ball and burst forward.

“Yoo, Euro step?!”

Young-jae, having immediately bypassed Gay, began to sprint toward the basket without slowing down. As soon as Gay was beaten, Carwell rushed to the paint, preparing to block Young-jae. Young-jae smiled and leaped to the side, even though a big man nearly 30cm taller than him was attempting to block him.

Carwell tried to block him cleanly, feeling like a freshman who was much smaller than him was making a fool of him, but his hand met only air, not the ball. It was a double-clutch layup. He had evaded the block and attempted a layup.

Only silence remained on the court. There were 0.7 seconds left, but no one looked at the clock.

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

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