Martin definitely had no intention of trying to make things better. He chose Gawain to be the first singles player because Gawain's psychological quality could withstand such pressure; and also because this was the most risky but subtle move in the comparison of strengths between the two sides.
Since he was ready to disrupt his opponent's plan, he launched a major rebellion, completely disrupting the situation, and completely breaking the opponent's judgment and expectations. The most important thing is that Martin arranged for Gawain to shoulder a heavy responsibility, and he was not just causing trouble blindly without a plan - —
The USC Trojans' first singles player was Ray-Sarmiento, and their second singles player was Yannick-Hanfmann.
The two players have very different styles. Saramento is also an Asian mixed race. He is not tall, but his defensive ability is particularly outstanding, covering the entire court. He also has a very good sense of the ball and excellent defensive quality. Last year, he was ranked outside the 50th place in the United States. , this year it has soared to seventh place.
Hanfman is an international student from Germany. He is tall and powerful, but he grew up training on clay courts, so his skills are not monotonous. He has many techniques and tricks on both offense and defense. Last year, he was ranked 30th in the United States. Ranked around 1, this year it has reached the twelfth place.
It can be seen that both Salamento and Hanfman are in the period of rapid growth, and they are not inferior to Thompson, Giron and others. Although the national rankings may be higher, the overall strength comparison is about the same. , contend with each other.
Last season, Saramento was still the Trojans' fourth singles player, but as a result, he was repeatedly promoted to the second singles and first singles positions. As a surprise player, his overall performance was more wins than losses, because his solid defensive ability did make it easy for his opponents to feel guilty. Offensive players are prone to mistakes in continuous attacks, especially young players who lack offensive stability.
Saramento and Geelong met three times last year, winning two and losing one; they met Thompson once and ended in victory.
Hanfman was already a regular player in the second and third singles last season. His aggressive and skillful style of play is indeed very competitive. Although he has no record of playing against Thompson, he faced the Bruins who have graduated. Last year's number one singles player, Dennis-Novikov, did not fall behind at all; he even won three consecutive victories against Geelong.
In other words, this is also a difficult opponent.
This year, both Saramento and Hanfman continue to grow and may become more difficult to deal with.
In terms of tactical style, there are many variables in Thompson's full-court offensive style when facing Saramento. Because the styles of play are incompatible, it will be more difficult for Thompson. Of course, the specific performance still depends on the on-the-spot performance.
Similarly, Geelong faced Hanfmann and suffered from conflicting styles of play. From a purely theoretical analysis, it was also a disadvantage. I am afraid that Geelong needs to break out of the small universe.
Compared with ranking numbers, the conflict of styles is the most fatal.
In Martin's original plan, he actually hoped that Geelong would play against Sacramento and Thompson would play against Hanfman. In this case, both games could return to balance - but the question is, will the Trojans obediently remain unchanged?
Moreover, the formation of Thompson and Giron switching positions was too simple and lacked changes, so it was easy for the Trojans to catch them red-handed.
Martin then thought of Gawain.
Gao Wen's style of play is advantageous against Salamento; he can give it a try against Hanfman - now in the team's mini duel, Gao Wen's performance is getting better and better when facing powerful players like Thompson. It's getting better, it's no longer the one-sided situation it used to be, and there are many ways to do it.
If Gauvin is promoted to the first singles against Sacramento, then Thompson will take advantage of the situation to play Hanfman, and Geelong will play against the Trojans' third singles Roberto Quiroz——
By the way, Queiroz's strength is also very good. He has the upper hand against MacDonald and Bremer, but Giron's words can turn the situation around.
In other words, in the most ideal situation, Gawain is used to fight the Trojans' first single against Saramento, and at the same time, the second and third singles can take advantage, and the problem of arranging the formation suddenly becomes simple.
Even if the Trojans also change their formation, Martin's coup can bring about more changes. In the first three singles, no matter which player Gao Wen plays against, the Bruins can take more initiative in the close confrontation. .
"Gawain serves as the first single", maybe this can be a brilliant move to completely reverse the situation - of course, like Cowell, it is also possible that the cleverness can be mistaken for the cleverness. After repeated thinking, Martin made such a move Decide.
But deep down, Martin was still slightly uneasy. He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing for Gao Wen and the Bruins.
Why doesn't Martin know about Grant's concerns?
However, Martin's personality is slightly different. Now that he has made a decision, he will move forward courageously. As for the result, no matter what the situation is, he will face it calmly.
The Bruins are ushering in a new atmosphere because of Martin's bold adventure; at the same time, the Trojans are no exception.
"Hey, Ray!"
When Saramento arrived at the training ground according to the schedule, there was a small group of reporters gathered at the door. There were not many, only three people. Compared with the attention the football team received, it was just a sprinkle of water, but the three reporters They all swarmed forward and surrounded Saramento easily.
"Ray, everyone is talking about the Bruins' freshman Gao. Maybe he will appear as a surprise player in the next game. What do you think?"
Saramento gave a polite smile and said, "Sorry, we have been concentrating on training. News about other teams is not what we need to care about. As long as we focus on ourselves, we will be confident in winning any game."
Saramento's emotional intelligence can be seen in a short sentence. The Bruins were not mentioned throughout the whole process, but the disregard for the opponent can be conveyed between the lines.
As a student at the University of Southern California, questions from rivals in the same city are always the hottest focus. Saramento has experienced it many times last year, and now he is much more comfortable facing it again, even from reporters who would never show up at ordinary times. , and did not disrupt his position.
The reporter immediately asked, "You mean, you haven't heard of Gao?"
Saramento did not answer, but smiled slightly, "I want to focus on myself." Then he pushed the reporter away and walked straight into the training ground.
The three reporters exchanged glances with each other, unable to conceal their excitement, and the news headlines came out——
"Saramento: I don't know Gao."
This piece of news is enough to push the atmosphere of the duel between the rivals in the same city to a higher level. I am afraid that this Los Angeles Derby should be a good show.
Saramento is serious. His goal is the National Championship and becoming a professional player. The NCAA is definitely not his end. He has more ambitious ideals and goals and has no time to pay attention to the endless but fleeting "geniuses." .
