On the night of April 1, 1996, the University of Connecticut ushered in its first championship in team history.
Although everyone was prepared before the game, when everyone changed into championship T-shirts and came to the center of the field again, seeing the golden spherical trophy in front of them, they couldn't help but shout happily with the fans again.
Head coach Calhoun is still a little excited. He has been coaching for 10 years and has worked hard to recruit talented players. After experiencing lows and ups, the team finally reached the top this year and won the championship!
The University of Connecticut fans cheered constantly. For young people, championship means partying.
The strong energy that had nowhere to vent has finally been released, and many people have even begun to look forward to the celebrations after returning to school!
Jim Nantz, who acted as the on-site host, asked Coach Calhoun a question with a smile after the noise in the arena subsided:
"Jim, we all know that most of the players on the team were recruited by you personally. What do you want to say to them at this moment?"
Coach Calhoun adjusted his mood and then said sincerely:
“I want to thank my players, the Connecticut Huskies are one big family that sticks together!”
"Thank you Ray, I have very high demands on him, but he can always fulfill them meticulously."
"He is independent, responsible, proud, and humble. You can't imagine that he is still a junior student. In the three years at Connecticut, he has never missed a training!"
“It’s unimaginable, I learned a lot of new things from him!”
Ray Allen on the side held up the brim of his hat with a smile on his face. His hard work will eventually pay off!
The audience applauded and cheered again. Coach Calhoun paused and then spoke again:
"Of course, I also want to thank Lee, who could have chosen New Mexico State University closer to home, for his belief that without him we wouldn't be here this year."
"Lee is special. Jump shooting is not a talent given to him by God. Many people only see his precise shooting, but fail to see the hard work behind it!"
“Don’t change yourself for anyone, you will succeed, God will look after kids who work hard, and Connecticut will always be your home!”
Coach Calhoun hugged Li You, and the good old man thought more than once about what would happen if no one stood up on the bench this year.
They stopped in the quarterfinals last year and won the championship this year. The biggest difference is that Li You's playing time has increased.
Head coach Calhoun knows that the team can win the championship, and Li You also played a huge role!
The surrounding media focused their heavy cameras on Li You.
Among a bunch of blacks and whites, Li You really stands out.
With a smile on his face, Li You just smiled and patted the head coach on the shoulder. He chose Connecticut back then mainly to hug his thighs...
Only he understands this in his heart. He needs to show himself on a higher stage and needs a professional agency that can help him enter the NBA.
Head coach Calhoun thanked all the players one by one. Almost all of these young people were recruited by him personally. At the end of the speech, there was a proud expression on his face.
The University of Connecticut fans in the audience just wanted to see their team win the cup. After a thank you, head coach Calhoun excitedly raised the golden spherical trophy in front of him.
In addition to the NCAA logo, the trophy is also engraved with "National Champions (National Champions)".
Dragging the wooden square base, coach Calhoun shouted excitedly, and Li Youye and his teammates jumped up and raised their hands to cheer.
Golden ribbons floated over the arena. In the auditorium, University of Kentucky fans showed envious eyes. The sixth championship in team history finally came to nothing...
For Ray Allen, this year is a harvest year.
The Final Four MOP was directly awarded to him, plus the NCAA All-American Championship Team, Big East Player of the Year, and Big East All-NBA First Team, he almost won all the honors he could get in college.
Li You suffered a bit in terms of honors. Even if Iverson's grades were worse, he still...
The All-Big East Second Team and the All-NCAA National Championship Team are his gains this season!
The championship team does have better treatment, and big man Knight was also selected to the best team.
Coupled with Antoine Walker from the University of Kentucky and Marcus Camby from the University of Massachusetts, the five players on this year's best team have a high probability of entering the NBA.
Perhaps due to the lack of entertainment options, University of Connecticut fans continued to party after leaving the arena. In addition, fans watching the game in the bar also joined in the fun, making the scene a mess.
Before the security personnel could disperse the crowd, the University of Kentucky fans who were in a bad mood began to use civilized language again, "Fuck", and the two sides quickly became a knot...
Screams, cheers, and shouts from security personnel continued to ring outside the arena. For young people who like liveliness, tonight will be a sleepless night.
Several campuses of the University of Connecticut are not together. After returning to the hotel, head coach Calhoun had to discuss with the school where to celebrate at the first stop...
Li You and his teammates took this opportunity to drink again. Although he was not yet old enough to legally buy alcohol, with several seniors around, this was not a problem.
Returning to the room at two o'clock in the morning, Li You quickly took a shower. After winning the championship, he could draw talents again!
Lying in bed, Li You couldn't help but think of his experience living in New Mexico.
At that time, he beat the children of his age, but the talent he received was mediocre, because he was already the strongest among his peers.
Li You chose Connecticut for this moment.
Watching the disc whirring on the simple panel, Li You already got the hint while he was still dazed:
"[Ray Allen's excellent explosive power]"
Li You blinked and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he expected, the talents extracted were all to make up for his shortcomings.
So far, only the [Marksman] talent was activated after two and a half years of special practice.
Thinking of the conditions for extracting talents, Li You couldn't help but secretly complain:
"If the bad team catches up with the craze of losing, at least a year will be wasted..."
On April 2, everyone in Connecticut got on the bus for the return trip.
The total distance from East Rutherford, New Jersey to Hartford, Connecticut is about 181 kilometers and takes at least three and a half hours by bus.
Li You has become accustomed to this kind of life. After getting in the car, he read the newspaper. Unlike his teammates who were chatting, he wanted to get the information of this era.
Next to him, Ray Allen also received news from Mark Bartelstein in the morning. In this year's draft, another high school student appeared:
"This is really crazy. High school students play in the NBA. If there are no restrictions, this will have a huge impact on the NCAA!"
Ray Allen often seems very old-school, just like he prefers to watch Larry Bird and Magic Johnson game tapes, and he is a staunch supporter of college basketball.
Li You understands this very well. This phenomenon is caused by the beautiful sword. The NCAA does not allow players to have any economic activities, while the NBA waves money and shouts at talented teenagers:
"come into the bowl!"
People from lower-class backgrounds need beautiful swords more. College life is good and they can hone their tactical awareness. But in front of beautiful swords, these conditions are not important.
Regarding this year's draft, Li You only has a few memories in his mind:
"Would you like to make a bet that high school players can be successful too."
Ray Allen immediately shook his head. He had never won a bet in the past two years:
“God is always on your side and I trust your instincts!”
