Seeing that the head coach still looked disgusted with Li Ao, Brown just smiled and said nothing.
Xavier Johnson was not without work this evening. Before Li Ao called, the assistant coach was teaching shooting on the women's team. After receiving Li Ao's call, their head coach was stunned and called him. I came over and was complained for a long time by the head coach of the women’s team.
Henry Bibby looked at Li Ao on the court and began to learn new things. The newcomer with almost zero foundation entered a clumsy state again, but he actively worked hard to make adjustments according to the guidance of the assistant coach...
Maybe you really found a treasure?
But, as he said just now, this kid received professional basketball guidance too late.
Even if Li Ao is only 18 years old and has great talent, he will probably have to wait until next year before he can put it to use.
With Adam Spanik and David Brusenthal graduating from college, their front line has become very weak. Shelby Jordan doesn't know where he is now. It is said that this guy ran away when he was about to run out of money. I went to Las Vegas to gamble and actually won a lot of money. I continued to take my girlfriend everywhere.
As the head coach, he is very authoritative, but this player is really messed up. He has nothing to say when he plays and works very hard. However, if he wants to be expelled from the team or punished within the team, he can neither beat him nor fine him. not give a damn about.
The time came on October 2, Saturday, and the USC Trojans entered the roster selection stage.
At 8:30 in the morning, Li Ao arrived at the Memorial Stadium. When he changed into training clothes and came out, more than 50 people were already basically there.
Seeing his teammates being so motivated, he was inevitably a little frustrated.
After the training yesterday afternoon, Henry Bibby informed him that special training would continue today.
This means the first roster selection day has nothing to do with him.
I didn’t even get a chance to participate on the first selection day, and then...
Fortunately, he had already licked his wounds silently last night. After following Xavier Johnson to the small training ground inside, he readjusted his mentality and trained hard.
At this moment, he was ready to be a sparring partner for the first year.
Xavier Johnson was very dissatisfied with Henry Bibby's choice this time. Although he also felt that Li Ao would not make the roster, he should give him a chance at least!
This decision is too hurtful.
He also had a dispute with Henry Bibby when making the decision yesterday, but he is the head coach and he cannot change the decision made.
Seeing Li Ao regain his energetic expression, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, stopped thinking about it, calmed down and gave good guidance.
On the other side, at the main training ground, dozens of players were divided into six teams, with eight people in each team. They started intra-team training matches on three courts respectively. The rules were consistent with the NCAA games, with the first half and second half being 20 minutes each.
There are still a few remaining players, but like Li Ao, these people don't even have a chance to compete for a roster spot.
The two teams in pairs are of equal strength. Through previous training and intramural games, the Trojans' coaches and scouts have a relatively clear understanding of the strength of each player.
What Henry Bibby is observing is the 16-man game he values most, the showdown between Team A, led by Trey Paganier, and Team B, led by Scalabrine.
The two had just met in the school finals, and when they met again, they both played harder.
Trey Paganier has better teammates, and he is working hard to repay Scalabrine with a loss.
Brandon Granville gave Tre Paganier a strong assist. He continuously supplied ammunition to Tre Paganier, who hit consecutively.
The newly added high school talent Nate Hale, ranked 89th in the United States, is not very good, but at least he is not as rough as last year's Sam Clancy. He is passable and has repeatedly sent wonderful passes to Scalabrine.
In the main matchup stage, the two teams played back and forth, and Henry Bibby was also quite satisfied.
Compared with last season, Granville, Trey Paganier, and Scalabrine have all made great progress.
But after entering the rotation stage, the situation tilted in the favor of Team B.
With Sam Clancy serving as the main attack point for Team B, Team A was completely unable to stop his impact.
This is not about how strong Sam Clancy is. In Henry Bibby's view, this high school genius can only use his body to punch. It's just that David Lucentabull of the A team doesn't like confrontation. Wes Turner is a lanky power forward who can't stop him at all.
However, Sam Clancy's defense is also very poor and he can't fly at a moment. Lucentabull's rich offensive skills can lead Team A to barely maintain the situation.
But in college basketball, or intra-squad games, Sam Clancy's offensive success rate is obviously higher.
Seeing this, Henry Bibby shook his head helplessly.
Alex Ayuso is still better, integrating offense and defense. In 1997, it was thanks to this tough guy from Europe that they reached the top three for the first time in many years. Their results in the past two years are actually pretty good, and they are far from crazy. Three were just a hair away, but it's a pity that the former captain graduated from college.
Now, their frontline defense is good, but they only have one Shelby Jordan. Not to mention his weird personality, this guy is from the class of 1996 and will graduate from college soon.
Suddenly, a voice came from the side, which startled Henry Bibby.
"Henry, you can let the kid have a try."
Henry Bibby almost jumped away, but luckily he held it back, otherwise it would have been so embarrassing.
He said angrily: "Sam, you want to scare me to death...that kid? Who are you talking about? The one at the small training ground?"
Sam Hayes nodded.
Henry Bibby said disdainfully: "What can he do?"
Sam Hayes recalled the recent special training, his cold expression became complicated, and said: "His defense is very special, I think it will surprise you."
Henry Bibby was curious to have this powerful defensive technical director who was abandoned by Kentucky due to personality reasons give such an evaluation.
After thinking about it, he nodded in agreement with Sam Hayes' suggestion.
…
Li Ao has practiced several sets of shooting, and his body and hands have become active. He is ready to try the training task again and directly told Xavier Johnson how he wants to practice next.
Xavier Johnson did not refuse. He was very happy to see that Li Ao had his own training ideas, which proved that Li Ao himself also used his brain.
Moreover, the training content Li Ao mentioned seemed to him to be in line with the current training progress, and he could do this kind of training a few times occasionally.
Just when Li Ao took a five-minute rest and the special training was about to begin, Sam Hayes came, left the words "The head coach asked you to go over and play the game" and left.
This news is very sudden.
Li Ao and Xavier Johnson looked at each other. The latter reacted first and said quickly: "Go quickly! The opportunity has come!"
Li Ao didn't have time to think too much, and immediately followed in the footsteps of Sam Hayes with Xavier Johnson.
Through the long and narrow fitness area, the three of them arrived at the main training ground.
Looking at his teammates who were playing the game in full swing, Li Ao was envious for a moment, but then he remembered that he seemed to be playing too!
He sprinted directly to Henry Bibby at a sprint speed of 100 meters and asked: "Coach, do I have a chance to play too?"
Henry Bibby remained expressionless for two seconds before responding: "Yes."
Li Ao became even more excited and asked: "Team D? Or team F?"
This is promising!
Henry Bibby pointed to the front and said: "Here, you go to the A team."
"Team A?"
Li Ao asked uncertainly.
This is not just a surprise, it can also be called a shock.
Henry Bibby asked: "Are you afraid?"
Li Ao came up in anger and immediately responded: "Who is afraid of a puppy! You agreed to let me go, right? If you go back on your word, you are still a puppy!"
Henry Bibby, who was thinking about how to give a few encouraging words, was also angry, but he couldn't help but let this kid go on the stage to spread his anger. Wouldn't he be a puppy?
Seeing Li Ao and Henry Bibby entering Cold War mode, Xavier Johnson, who quickened his pace to catch up, was helpless.
He didn't even want to ask what was going on. The two people probably had conflicting zodiac signs, so they wouldn't have a good word to say when they met.
Not long after, the first half of the game between Team A and Team B ended. Team B relied on Sam Clancy's outstanding performance to gain a 5-point lead, with the halftime score 45 to 50.
The defense of the two teams made Henry Bibby sigh.
After a 5-minute rest, Henry Bibby made personnel adjustments and placed Li Ao in the third position of Team A.
And Team B's No. 3 position is occupied by Sam Clancy!
It's not that Henry Bibby deliberately wanted to trouble Li Ao, he just wanted to see what Sam Hayes meant by 'special'.
This rotation surprised the players of both teams.
In intra-team training matches, the rules are actually not that strict. From time to time, members of other competing teams are transferred to a group with stronger overall strength due to their outstanding performance.
But that's not the case with Li Ao. This guy didn't even make the 48-man competition list!
Surprised, their reactions varied.
Granville, who had abused the Computer Science School led by Li Ao, stepped forward and patted Li Ao's butt and said, "Perform well and I will pass the ball to you when I get the chance."
Trepagnier also came to encourage Li Ao, and team B center Costa Charles came up and told him to be careful and would give him a big hat.
Seeing that Li Ao didn't respond, several people didn't feel surprised.
From being 'assigned' to special training in a small training ground, to directly participating in the competition with the strongest group, they felt that Li Ao was too excited.
As for Li Ao, he was indeed excited, but not because of this. He had just adjusted his mood and was ready to be abused on the court.
He was excited because the mission was coming!
"Newcomers see:
Goal: Surprise the coach and teammates with a performance in this team training match.
Reward: 1 primary lottery draw. "
Number of primary draws! Equivalent to 1000 achievement points!
But to perform a surprising performance... surely it doesn't mean to surprise his teammates with how talented he is, right?
He is very confident and no matter how good he is, he cannot surprise them.
Seeing that the other 9 people were already on the stage, Li Ao shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and just got done!
He is a barefoot rookie, but he is not ashamed of himself even if he plays poorly. What if he performs well?
Walking onto the court, Li Ao took the time to look at the people on both sides.
For their A team, the point guard is Granville. The team's leading point guard is 175 centimeters tall. He is known for his speed, good breakthroughs, good vision, and excellent passing ability. The disadvantage is that he does not have long-range shooting.
The current shooting guard is Rashad Jones, who is 188 centimeters tall. He has good physical fitness and okay skills, but he is not particularly outstanding. He was a substitute throughout his freshman season and his performance was average.
The 206-centimeter Brusenthal plays power forward. He has a strong body, good skills, and excellent rebounding. His biggest shortcoming is that he doesn't like confrontation and his shortcoming is his average athletic ability.
The center is junior Frankie Evanisco, who is 211 centimeters tall. His height and wingspan are his strengths. He is good at pick-and-rolls, but his other abilities are not outstanding.
On the opposite side, the 89th-ranked high school student genius Nate Hale continues. He has a huge advantage in height and size of 190 centimeters, has first-class athletic ability, and can shoot and pass well.
The shooting guard is Sandy Fletcher, a new candidate for the roster. He is a junior and has been a sparring partner for the past two years. He is 190 centimeters tall and is a standard white player. He is strong and has good shooting ability, but his athletic ability is average.
The small forward position is Sam Frank, who is 201 centimeters tall. He is very strong, not very fast but full of explosive power. He dares to play and fight hard. Technology is his weakness.
The power forward position is freshman Rob Erez, a black player the team invited to join in the summer. He has excellent running and jumping ability, but is afraid of inside confrontation and has few other advantages.
The center position is the team's center forward Costa Charles, who is 211 centimeters tall, good at protecting the frame, good at blocking shots, and has good low-post offensive steps. He is a mature senior player.
After a quick glance, the information of the other nine people on the field quickly popped into Li Ao's mind.
Although he has been in special training for more than a month, he is also paying attention to those teammates who have shown outstanding performance, plus the information collected by Liam and Vivian. Although he has not officially cooperated or played against these people, he is very interested in his teammates. He already knew their general situation.
After the players from both teams took the field, the trainer who served as the referee blew the whistle to start the second half. Team B, which had lost the jump ball at the beginning, attacked first.
Nate Hale received the serve and advanced to the frontcourt, passing it to Sam Clancy who was directly asking for the ball from the top arc. The person guarding him was Li Ao!
Sam Clancy looked at Li Ao with contempt, he wanted to destroy this newcomer!
He is dissatisfied and dissatisfied!
Everyone can see that Li Ao's treatment in the team is very special.
The two assistant coaches took turns giving him special training. This kind of treatment made Sam Clancy, who was highly anticipated last year, jealous.
Xavier Johnson and Sam Hayes are both well-known technical instructors in the college basketball world. In recent years, the Trojans' record has improved. In addition to Henry Bibby's strong coaching ability, these two assistant coaches also played an important role.
The former graduated from this school and chose to join after receiving an invitation from Henry Bibby. The latter got a bargain. After Sam Hayes was kicked out of the University of Kentucky, Henry Bibby was the first to send out the invitation. Here it comes.
In fact, the special training time arranged by Henry Bibby was not that long at the beginning. Shooting and defense were all done in one group. It was Li Ao who gained more special training time with his positive attitude and excellent physical strength.
But it doesn't look like this to others.
For now, Sam Clancy is not afraid of Li Ao in terms of strength, but what about in the future?
Both of them are sophomores, and Sam Clancy is already feeling the crisis.
He wants to keep his pride among the top 50 high school students in the United States!
Trample this nasty guy under your feet! Let the coaching staff know that he is the one worth focusing on training!
Just when Sam Clancy was holding back all his energy and wanted to make a violent breakthrough to crush Li Ao, beyond his expectation, Li Ao took the initiative to stick to him.
Sam Clancy was not surprised but overjoyed, violently thrusting... "pop"... the clear sound of muscle impact reached the ears of the people around him.
But unlike what others expected, after the confrontation, although Li Ao was knocked back a little, Sam Clancy was also forced to stop starting!
At this moment, Sam Clancy was frightened and angry. Feeling that he had lost face, he irrationally changed direction and continued to attack, while Li Ao continued to press on.
This time Li Ao was more confident. In the confrontation just now, he confirmed that although he was a little weaker than his opponent, he could definitely withstand it!
With confidence, he moved more freely and stayed close to Sam Clancy.
Sam Clancy lunged forward to close range, but he didn't pick up the speed and failed to create any impact.
Sam Clancy had lost his cool at this moment, and he got up and wanted to force a shot on Li Ao's head... "Bah"... it's a hat!
Li Ao jumped up hard and caught the ball thrown by Sam Clancy!
Granville, who had shrunk, grabbed the ball and counterattacked!
Nate Hale, who was on the outside, ran directly to the backcourt to prevent Granville from counterattacking. He saw Li Ao immediately going for a fast break after blocking the shot, but he didn't care. Sam Clancy was already chasing Li Ao. This forward teammate with excellent athletic ability is very confident.
Nate Haier knew Granville's competitor very well. He knew that although the latter was fast, he had no long-range shooting ability. He ran directly to the backcourt and successfully blocked Granville on the left side of the three-second zone, but he had just After blocking Granville, he saw Li Ao reaching the three-second zone almost at the same time as the two of them!
Granville dropped the ball, Li Ao jumped up hard and pushed the ball into the basket in the air!
And Sam Clancy had just reached the free throw line at this time!
Nate Hale got messy, so fast!
If he hadn't originally stood further outside and ran directly to the backcourt with all his strength, he might not be as fast as Li Ao!
The teammates staying in the backcourt were even more surprised. They saw Li Ao and Sam Clancy start at the same time. Sam Clancy started a little faster, but when they left the three-second zone, Li Ao and Sam Clancy started. Arriving at the same position, Li Ao had already thrown Sam Clancy away when he crossed the center line. Even though Sam Clancy put all his strength into sucking, he still couldn't catch up!
But Henry Bibby, who was watching from the sidelines, looked strange at the moment.
He seemed to understand what Sam Hayes meant by 'special'.
He saw Li Ao's little moves when he ended the defense!
