No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 415 - 193. Securing the top spot in the competition area in advance

Chapter 415: 193. Securing the top spot in the competition area in advance

After five consecutive away games, the Bobcats had two days to rest. On the 16th, Zhang Yang returned to Charlotte with the team and rested for a day. The coaching staff did not arrange training for the 17th, as their opponent the next day would be the Hawks team, which they had already faced four times during the regular season. Bickerstaff thought it better to rest more.

In the morning, Zhang Yang practiced three-pointers and breakthroughs. In the afternoon, he, along with Jordan and Felton, drove for an hour to Winston-Salem, the location of Duncan and Paul’s alma mater, Wake Forest University.

The home court of Wake Forest University is the Coliseum, which can accommodate thousands of people. This year, it is one of the venues for the NCAA basketball championship’s eastern division, hosting 8 of the 16 teams, that will compete in two rounds to decide which two will advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

This season, North Carolina secured the top spot in the Atlantic division with an 11-5 record and also achieved an impressive 11-1 in the invitational tournament, earning them a seed in the eastern division.

This afternoon, North Carolina will face Eastern Kentucky University at the Coliseum for the first round. Since it was so close and it happened to be a rest day, Jordan, Felton, and Zhang Yang definitely had to go and support them.

The top ten high school players nationwide were targets for various universities, and North Carolina currently had 4 of them: Tyler Hansbrough, ranked 4th nationally in the 2005 class; Branden Wright, also 4th nationally in the 2006 class; Ty Lawson, ranked 6th; and Wayne Ellington, ranked 9th. Not to mention top 100 - among the 12 main players and 3 substitutes, 11 were top 100 nationally.

Even those who weren’t top 100 were players like Carmelo Tatum, who were unknown but skilled.

This season, Tatum played an average of 5+4+4 over 28 games. He was the third guard option behind Ty Lawson, who averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Wayne Ellington, who averaged 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

When Jordan, Zhang Yang, and Felton arrived at the venue, the North Carolina players were all tremendously excited.

Tyler Hansbrough from the 2005 class had met Zhang Yang several times last season when he returned to school. In 2009, Joe, as the boss, refused to select Hansbrough in the lottery zone, opting instead for Gerald Henderson from Duke. He was severely criticized by the North Carolina-favoring media and fans.

Yet, Joe’s choice proved correct; Henderson, picked 12th, became a starting-level player in his sophomore year and later earned a $9 million annual salary. Hansbrough rapidly faded from the league after completing his rookie contract.

Unfortunately, Henderson sustained a severe hamstring injury during the 2017 offseason that prevented him from partaking in intense sports, leading him to retire at the age of 29 after four seasons of playing more than 70 games each; it was a regrettable end of his career.

Zhang Yang had the chance to meet his junior classmate Wright once, but it was the first time meeting Lawson and Ellington.

The junior players admired Jordan the most but envied Zhang Yang.

When Zhang Yang and others arrived, the juniors rushed to the parking lot to watch, but when NCAA officials came to meet the trio, they didn’t dare to greet them.

Joe and Felton drove relatively ordinary cars since it was a public appearance and they wanted to avoid gossip.

Previously, Joe was not concerned, but now as the owner, he had more to consider.

After becoming the boss, on the suggestion of his younger brother, Felton bought a car that looked mature and stable.

Unlike them, Zhang Yang drove his strikingly red car that he had purchased the year before for long trips.

"Little Fat Boss" once asked Dong why the flashy appearance, Zhang San answered — "I’m not good at driving; I drive slow when the road is busy, and if someone hits me, they would have to pay a lot. I don’t want them to pay, yet I’d feel like I’m losing out if they didn’t. Driving a car that looks odd but is obviously expensive makes normal people stay away from me."

After hearing this, Felton inwardly scolded himself for suspecting his younger brother of wanting all the limelight for himself when he was actually acting with high morality.

After Tatum had greeted his senior, Joe, he found Zhang Yang and joked, "Jack, if you hadn’t entered the NBA early, you could have been contending for the championship with us."

Zhang Yang responded, "If I hadn’t entered the NBA early, seeing you go to North Carolina, I would have transferred to Duke."

After exchanging jokes, Tatum returned to the bench, and Zhang Yang also sat down to enjoy his classmates’ performance.

The school team’s opponent, Eastern Kentucky University, wasn’t the seven-time champion Kentucky but a second-tier team from the Ohio Valley Conference, with less appearances in the Sweet Sixteen than Kentucky has championships. The media ranked them second last in this tournament, last in the East.

Indeed, the game held no suspense; North Carolina led by 17 points, 47 to 30, by halftime, a margin that is usually insurmountable in college games.

Eventually, North Carolina thrashed Eastern Kentucky 86-65, with Wayne Ellington scoring a game-high 22 points, shining the brightest.

Tatum also did well, contributing 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in 26 minutes off the bench. While his scoring might not seem impressive, it was the highest among the substitute players from both teams.

Though Tatum’s talent lagged far behind his brother’s, and he was older by a year than most freshmen being nearly 20, his physical abilities were good. Influenced by three top kings during high school, he worked very hard and was always optimistic and indestructible...Zhang Yang was quite hopeful that his old teammate would make a dash for the NBA after college. If he got in, their high school championship team would be formidable with three NBA players.

...

Zhang Yang’s attendance at the school team’s game was partly obligatory to support his alma mater and partly for relaxation. As an NBA player, he hardly ever had the chance to watch a game from the stands. Experiencing it occasionally was great.