Chapter 14 NCAA Kickoff

  "Coach, let me come off the bench, James is more suitable for starting than I am."

  Zhuang Fei looked at the young man in front of him and couldn't help but think that he was still far from becoming the formidable defender of later years.

  "Raja, you know that your defensive ability is the best among our team's outside players, but in games, you always perform the worst. Do you know why?"

  Lagabell shook her head in confusion.

  "Aggression, ferocity, determination, perseverance - you lack this kind of spirit. In a game, when it's 1-on-1 defense, you can do very well, but as soon as the opponent starts to coordinate with their teammates, you give up on your own defense. It seems like in your subconscious mind, you think you're not capable of doing it. You don't have the spirit of a mad dog - even if the opponent shakes you off, what's next? Chase after them and bite again! Even if you can't catch up, have you forgotten that you still have your teammates? We still have Tim Duncan, what are you afraid of?"

  Zhuang Fei said very crudely, without noticing Zhang's astonished expression, LaGabele continued: "You have the potential to enter the NBA, this is not me talking nonsense, you also have the ability to stand in the NBA, but first, you must open yourself up, can't be timid and hesitant during games, you always look like you lack a sense of position, actually this is not a technical issue, but a spiritual one. When your teammates are working hard on something, if you don't follow suit and work hard too, then you will appear out of sync with your teammates, and it will be very obvious on the court that you are different from others, which directly reflects your lack of sense of position."

  Lagabrielle was too careful, after joining the team he was directly put on the starting lineup by Zhuang Fei, always thinking that he must not make mistakes, which made him unable to let go in both offense and defense, and also couldn't keep up with the rhythm of his teammates.

  "Raja, I can tell you very clearly now that this season you will be the team's starter, no matter how badly you perform, you will still be the team's starter. I have always been confident in you, and if you don't want to embarrass yourself on the court, I hope you can bravely show your personality." Zhuang Fei looked at Raja Bell with a serious face, without any pretence.

  Lagabere stared at Zhuang Fei in surprise, he never thought of himself as a basketball genius. He and Duncan were born in the same place without a basketball tradition - the Viking Islands. Lagabere had contact with basketball earlier than Duncan, leaving the Viking Islands with his father to Miami when he was 13 years old, where he truly started his basketball career. Like Carter, James Posey, Lagabere's high school was also an ordinary one, not a famous school, but Carter led an ordinary team to win the championship, and James Posey had some fame in the American high school scene. What about him? He was far behind Carter, James Posey, even Szebiak. When he was about to graduate from high school, no NCAA Division I league team wanted him. When he received the invitation letter from Vicksburg University, he couldn't sleep for several days due to excitement. In his heart, he was self-abased and afraid of losing out. Even though his strength wasn't weak.

  "Can I really do it?" Raja Bell asked himself more than once, especially when he performed poorly in the first few friendly matches. He was also very concerned about Zhuang Fei's thoughts, wanting to know how Zhuang Fei viewed him as a player and whether he could see sincerity and trust in Zhuang Fei's eyes. This made his nose slightly sour.

  At this time, Lagabe didn't know where he got the courage from, and he suddenly bowed deeply towards Zhuang Fei, then shouted loudly: "Coach, I won't let you down!" After finishing speaking, he turned around and left Zhuang Fei's office.

  "I hope so." Zhuang Fei muttered to himself as he gazed at Lagabe's frail back.

  .............

  .............

  The NCAA is a specialized term for American college athletics, and basketball is just one of them. As of now, there are over 300 teams in the top division of NCAA basketball and dozens of large and small leagues. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons, coached by Steve Forbes, are part of the ACC league, which is one of the six major conferences. These six conferences, including the ACC, Big East, Southeastern Conference, Big Eight Conference, Pac-10 Conference, and Big Ten Conference, are collectively known as the "Power Six" and are considered the most competitive leagues in NCAA basketball. The ACC has teams like North Carolina, Duke, and NC State that have won national championships, while the Big East has powerhouses like UConn, Syracuse, Marquette, Cincinnati, Georgetown, and St. John's. In Steve Forbes' previous life, the Big East was arguably the strongest of the six major conferences. Additionally, traditional powers like Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida in the Southeastern Conference; Kansas in the Big Eight Conference; Arizona and UCLA in the Pac-10 Conference; Michigan and Michigan State in the Big Ten Conference; and Indiana have a rich history and competitiveness that is on par with or even surpasses Wake Forest University.

  It can be said that the competition in the US NCAA is extremely fierce. Just looking at the ACC league where Wake Forest is located, there are not a few teams whose strength is not inferior to that of Wake Forest.

  The ACC currently has nine teams: Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina Tar Heels, NC State Wolfpack, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Virginia Cavaliers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Florida State Seminoles.

  Among them, North Carolina and Duke are strong, Georgia Tech led by Ma Buri and Virginia led by Duncan are evenly matched, and it's not easy for Zhuang Fei to lead Virginia to win the ACC championship. The ACC league champion directly qualifies for the national championship, of course, even if you don't win the ACC championship, it doesn't mean you lose the qualification for the national championship.

  In short, this season's Vicksen Forest was not easy. To aim for the national championship, even harder efforts are needed.

  Zhuang Fei's office has always been the meeting place for him, Bill Lambo and Mark Allen, but now Mark Allen and Bill Lambo are training players in the stadium, while Zhuang Fei is arranging the starting lineup, although this lineup was determined a long time ago, Zhuang Fei still takes it out to take a look.

  "Power forward position, Tim Duncan, the undisputed team leader, with a high ability value of 88, already has NBA All-Star level strength, and his passing ability has also improved recently. This season will be the team's offensive axis and defensive core."

  "Power forward Stef Green, blue collar, almost no attacking ability, defensive ability 62, so-so, from the performance of the game is a defensive player with a floor flow, physical quality is not explosive enough, defensive rebounding positioning is good, in NCAA is a qualified starter, also the weakest starter of Vicksburg"

  "Small forward Vince Carter, with extremely strong attacking ability, especially good at breaking through and dunking, has made great progress in organizing ability, is the team's outside attacking core, and also this season's organizational core. Only his defensive ability and shooting ability need to be strengthened." Coach Zhuang has always wanted to improve Carter's shooting and defensive abilities, but recently he has been letting teammates practice the triangle offense, so there hasn't been time for Carter to practice shooting and defense.

  "Guard Wollis Zebiac, the team's calmest three-point shooter, has a strong shot and can score from anywhere, but his footwork is a bit slow, and his defense is just okay."

  "Guard Lagabrielle, defensive general, basket is not bad, just can't integrate into the team, making his position and sense of existence lacking, currently the team's biggest black hole. Zhuang Fei still hopes in his heart that Lagabrielle can grow up as soon as possible."

  "Jamal Crawford, the team's sixth man, super substitute, a weaker version of Carter in offense, can inject vitality into the starting lineup, excellent defense, all-around player on the outside, but sometimes not calm enough."

  These six people are the core lineup of Zhuang Fei's team this season. On paper, this lineup is currently one of the top two in the NCAA, but the game isn't just about looking at the lineup on paper, and Zhuang Fei still can't grasp the team's prospects.

  Zhuang Fei firmly believes that this lineup can achieve success, but perhaps only after truly succeeding will he be able to feel slightly at ease.