r18novel Chapter 13: A Concise and Efficient Second State Championship
Chapter 13: A Concise and Efficient Second State Championship
"2006? No, you should have entered the draft in 2005. This should have been the last chance for a high school graduate to enter the draft."
"Why did you change it again!"
In September 2002, Wang Kai's second year of high school was about to begin. However, when Coach Kobe saw news about Dwight Howard, he once again considered making Wang Kai change his career plans.
"My bad, buddy. You have to consider that I'm an old man who's been dead for almost four years. My memory isn't that accurate. I remember that high school students weren't allowed to participate in the draft after 04, but now that I've seen that bastard's news, I'm sure of it. Who told that bastard to be the number one pick in the 04 draft?"
"Who are you talking about? This Howard? Attending Southwest Christian College in Atlanta? 18 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 6 blocks per game? Wow, he seems pretty good, at least much better than Eddie."
Wang Kai was genuinely surprised when he saw the content on the computer screen. After all, he had already played for a season. Although there was a big difference in the strength of high school teams in different states in North America, and it was possible that a player could raise his season average with a super stat line in one game, the average of 6 blocks per game was still a solid achievement.
"That bastard is the biggest bastard I know. He has top-notch physical talent, but his ability to waste that talent is also top-notch. Have you ever seen a professional player who never managed to develop a proper shot in his entire career?"
"Yes, I've seen it. I think Eddie might never be able to develop a proper shooting form. When he shoots, it makes me think there's something wrong with his nervous system; his hand and body are disconnected."
"Haha, that's it, you've learned how to joke with Americans."
"I get the feeling that you hate Howard even more than that fatso."
"Your feeling is right, kid. I've never fought with that fatso, but I have fought with this Howard."
"You've never fought with that fatso? No way! I've seen the news lately, it looks like you two were fighting tooth and nail in the locker room. Oh, I know, you didn't fight him because you couldn't beat him, right? Haha!"
"There's a sly fox in the law school. I swear to God, if I ever get out of here, I'll kill you first."
Wang Kai now has two great joys in life: playing basketball and poking someone's lungs after playing basketball.
With the new season approaching, the Montverde Hawks have assembled. Coach Kevin Boyle is very satisfied with the players' summer training, and even more satisfied that Wang Kai was able to organize a group of carefree young people to train during the summer vacation.
Kevin Boyle was not very satisfied with the team's recruitment for the new season. Apart from a promising young point guard named Brian Black, the team did not make any effective additions to other positions.
Although the Montverde Hawks won the state championship last season, in this era before the full development of online information, print media was the mainstay, and Montverde was too little known, being a small town with a population of less than two thousand.
Therefore, the team's recruitment work is very difficult, and there are not many local talents available.
For this reason, Coach Kevin Boyle is paying even more attention to Wang Kai. He hopes to rely on Wang Kai to build the Hawks into an invincible team in the next few years, and then use Wang Kai's influence to go overseas, recruit overseas students, and improve the team's hard and soft power.
In the following season, Wang Kai continued to demonstrate his dominant abilities. Having transitioned to a swingman, Wang Kai reduced his ball-handling and increased his off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot plays, while also significantly improving his rebounding.
During the regular season in Florida, Wang Kai led the Montverde Hawks to a record of 29 wins and 2 losses. Apart from two games he missed due to a sprain, the team won every game in which Wang Kai was on the court.
During the regular season, Wang Kai averaged 27 minutes per game, scoring 24.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.1 assists. He also averaged 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. It can be said that Wang Kai is now the undisputed offensive and defensive core of the Montverde Hawks.
This season, Wang Kai has played a more concise and efficient game, reducing his ball-handling offense and ineffective dribbling, while increasing his off-ball shots and low-post offense.
As Wang Kai continues to grow taller, and as Coach Kobe's understanding of how to develop a young player deepens, he has revised his plans for Wang Kai's future once again.
After the 2005 labor dispute, the landscape of the NBA began to change gradually in the 2006 season. Outside shooting became more and more important, but it was still not as important as it was after Golden State won the championship in the 14-15 season. If Wang Kai had entered the NBA in 06 according to the previous development plan, he would have had a hard time getting opportunities in the team without top-notch physical talent.
Therefore, Kobe believes that while ensuring the continued development of Wang Kai's ball-handling and shooting talents, improving offensive and defensive efficiency will increase the success rate of a high draft pick in the future.
Wang Kai, who made it to the semifinals of the tournament, played even better in the game. The team's good chemistry on both offense and defense has been established. In addition, a group of senior players, such as Eddie El, played with all their might. Although some old rivals recruited some good players, such as Chris Richard recruited by Lakewood and Tyler Smith recruited by Deerfield Beach High School, they all performed well in the regular season.
However, thanks to Wang Kai's performance of 43 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in the first game of the semifinals, the Hawks still made it into the finals.
In the final, facing the explosive performance of Lakewood High School, the Hawks, with their defense nearly collapsing, scored an astonishingly high score against their opponents.
119 to 109, that was the final score of the game, a score extremely rare in high school games, with the two teams going into two overtime periods.
With one minute left in regulation, the Hawks led by four points, but Lakewood High School nearly pulled off a comeback in the final minute. They shot over 4% from three-point range throughout the game, leaving the Hawks' zone defense helpless.
Ultimately, thanks to Wang Kai's buzzer-beating block, the two teams went into the first overtime.
In the crucial moments of the first overtime, Hawks' key interior player Eddie El fouled out, and with the team's starting center also leaving the game due to injury, Coach Kevin Boyle had no choice but to move Wang Kai to the power forward position.
In the final possession of the first overtime, Lakewood led by two points. Wang Kai asked for a one-on-one opportunity in the low post, but the opponent did not dare to double-team him. Wang Kai was attacked in the low post and hit a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer, sending the game into a second overtime.
After entering the second overtime, Lakewood High School finally couldn't hold on any longer. First, their key inside player fouled out after being fouled by Wang Kai, and then Wang Kai hit two consecutive three-pointers from the outside.
Thanks to Wang Kai's 8 points in the second overtime, the Eagles won the state championship again.
Wang Kai played the entire game, totaling over 42 minutes, and all the opposing players defending him suffered cramps.