But when others were excited , Lin Ying was confused.
"Coach, I'm not fit to be the captain."
When he came to his senses, he spoke.
The old team members were shocked when he opened his mouth.
Barnes always has the final say in the team!
The composition of the NCAA and NBA coaching staffs is similar, but there are huge differences.
Because the NCAA is a student league, there are no trades, the coach won’t give you a chance to play, and no matter how talented you are, you won’t have the chance to show it!
Although the NCAA allows transfers, it also stipulates that transfers must be suspended for one year!
This is what is often called "sitting in prison".
The NCAA only lasts four years, and the NBA draft is based on talent. The draft prospects of a player one year older or one year younger are very different.
So unless they really have to, generally no one would choose to transfer schools.
In summary, the head coach of the NCAA is the sky above the college team's head, holding the power of life and death over the players.
If you have a falling out with him, your basketball career may be ruined.
The freshmen were also surprised, including Durant, who bumped Lin Ying with his arm again.
You don’t even want the captain you picked up for free?
Barnes' brows also frowned.
Although Lin Ying's performance in the competition surprised him, he was still embarrassed to have his request rejected in public.
“I’m really not suitable.”
Lin Ying felt the reactions of the people around him and continued.
He really wasn't very good at talking.
"reason."
Barnes looked on the verge of a breakout.
"I'm not good at communication, and being captain can only do harm to the team."
Lin Ying mustered up the courage to speak.
This is the truth, the captain is responsible for leading the team.
But now, apart from Durant, he has problems communicating with others. How can he be the captain of a team?
Barnes stared at Lin Ying for a long time, causing Lin Ying to lower his head unconsciously.
He has coached in the NCAA for many years and has met many players, many of whom are withdrawn and taciturn.
This kind of person is indeed not suitable to be a captain.
He took out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote the note "introverted (can be improved)" on Lin Ying's face.
There are two types of introverted people: those who are born introverted and those who are acquired introverted. Lin Ying speaks with clear logic and has perfect expressive ability, which can be improved slowly.
"Kevin, it's yours."
After Barnes put away the notebook, he looked at Durant and said.
“Don’t say ‘no.’”
And after saying this, Barnes added another sentence.
If Durant also did something to me, he would definitely go crazy.
"Yes! Coach, I will lead the team to the national championship!"
Durant is full of ambition.
Others had no doubts either.
Durant is the most talented and strongest player on the team, and his personality is also suitable.
"Are you satisfied with the national championship?"
Barnes asked back at this time.
It was a simple sentence, but it touched everyone's heart like a beautiful woman lifting her skirt.
"The Longhorns' goal this year is the Elite Eight!"
Barnes saw the light in the players' eyes lit up by them, and he spoke up.
When these words came out, the team members all looked incredulous.
In its 60-year history, the University of Texas has only reached the quarterfinals six times.
Although we reached the quarterfinals last year, all three core players have left the team.
Now, relying on these ordinary players who can't enter the NBA, plus a group of rookies, can we make it to the top 8?
Coach, you have no respect for your opponents!
"Don't think it's impossible. I've seen your progress and your talent. If you can't reach your goal, it's definitely not your problem, but mine."
As Barnes spoke, he glanced at the veteran players and then at the freshmen.
Snapped!
Bang bang bang!
After listening to this, Lin Ying felt like applauding Barnes.
This is different from those pseudo chicken soup coaches who shout slogans at a high volume. This is a real chicken soup master!
Sure enough, after Barnes finished speaking, the players were eager to try as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
If this was a pre-game speech, the University of Texas would probably beat up its opponent.
"So for this goal, put in your best efforts in training in the next year. God will not let down those who work hard!"
Barnes finally finished his words.
In response, his teammates roared with cheers.
…
After finishing the first day of training, the freshmen were still very excited when they left the training hall.
Because after listening to what Barnes said, they really felt that they could make it to the quarterfinals.
"We'll be the new Michigan Fab Five!"
Augustine couldn't help but shout excitedly.
“Why not a national championship?”
Durant asked back.
"Yes, our goal is to win the national championship! That's it!"
James echoed loudly.
The freshmen burst into laughter.
The younger people are, the easier it is to be inspired and the more daring they are to think.
Lin Ying was also walking beside them. Although he also seemed to be in a good mood, he did not join them.
"Where are you going to eat, guys?"
Just then, a voice came from behind them.
It was Randy Williams, a junior on the team.
There are no seniors on the team this year, and Williams is the oldest player on the team.
“We haven’t figured it out yet.”
Augustine smiled back.
Just like what they had seen before, Williams spoke in a gentle tone and was easy to get close to.
"I'm going to eat there too, I'll treat you guys."
Williams was gracious.
No one objected, only people cheered.
In American culture, politeness is not mainstream, and if you are offered a meal, you are a fool if you don't want to take it.
Williams said he would drive them there, but when they arrived at the parking lot, they found out that it was a 2-door, 5-speed manual classic car.
Of course no one thinks it is bad. There are only a few students in this kind of public school who have their own cars.
Lin Ying was against this kind of party-like activity and wanted to go back to the dormitory to rest first, but Durant forcibly pulled her into the car.
Several people squeezed into the car. Although the space was small, they were having a lot of fun.
It was Pittman. This guy was so big that he couldn’t fit in the car, so he had to take a taxi to the restaurant.
In the small space, there was a stench of sweat from playing ball, but it couldn't stop their excitement.
Feeling the wind, listening to the old songs playing in the car music, and shouting.
Lin Ying was inexplicably touched. Although he had never heard the song before, the atmosphere felt both familiar and strange.
…
NCAA, the full name is not the American College League, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Of course, the meaning is pretty much the same.
American campus sports are the most mature and complete in the world.
The role of campus sports is basically equivalent to that of youth training teams in domestic professional sports, and it supplies a large number of sports talents to the NFL, NBA and other countries every year.
The association consists of more than one thousand universities, including some in Canada.
These more than one thousand universities are divided into three levels and dozens of alliances.
The most popular among them is naturally the highest level "First-level Alliance".
There are currently 32 first-level alliances and 346 universities.
The University of Texas is one of these 346 universities.
The league they are in is called the Big 12 League.
As the name suggests, it is a league composed of 12 college teams.
Speaking of basketball, the NCAA schedule starts in late November every year and ends in April of the following year.
This schedule consists of two parts, the conference tournament and the famous "March Madness"!
The championship lasts from late November to early March. All teams in each league play one home and one away game. The top eight teams will enter the league playoffs, and the final league champion will be decided according to the single elimination system.
The team that wins the league championship will directly qualify for March Madness.
March Madness, abbreviated as March, is a common name for the NCAA national competition. Because the competition is held in March every year and adopts the simplest and crudest single-elimination system, upsets occur frequently, hence the name.
A total of 65 teams (increased to 68 after 2010) will be invited to the March Madness.
In addition to the 32 league champions, there are another 33 wild card teams.
Wild cards, also known as expansion invitations, are awarded based on each college's performance in the conference tournament.
This system is designed to avoid the situation where there are multiple excellent teams in a season, but only one team is selected in the end.
Sometimes, a strong league, such as the Big East, where the University of Connecticut is located, often has seven or eight teams receiving expansion invitations.
However, there is no clear standard for this kind of invitation, so there will be something extra here, called an invitational tournament.
The invitational tournament is organized by each university, and the results will not be counted in the regular season, but it will enhance the reputation of each university and thus obtain wild card qualifications.
After the 65 teams are confirmed, they will be divided into four regions and then numbered 1 to 16/17 according to their strength. They are also called No. 1 seed to No. 16/17 seed teams.
The first day's competition was between the 16th and 17th seeds in a certain region.
The winner will continue to compete on the second day, while the loser will successfully obtain a one-day trip experience card to the NCAA tournament.
After the top 64 teams are determined, each region will conduct single elimination matches with the No. 1 seed VS the 16th seed.
After one round, the top 64 teams became the top 32 teams, and the eliminated teams received a two-day tour experience card.
Then, the same competition system continues to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and finally the champion and runner-up!
From this competition system, you can feel how difficult it is to win the championship.
Because except for the championship, starting from the league playoffs, all the competitions are single-elimination systems.
If you want to win the championship, you have to start from the beginning and keep winning.
You cannot have any poor performance. If your opponent performs exceptionally well, you have to perform even better than him.
…
"I think 'Angry Rick'...what Coach Barnes said is a little difficult, but we have a great chance of making the Crazy Three."
In a cheap steak house, Williams introduced them to the Big12 league they were in and analyzed the team's prospects.
"Kansas will be our biggest opponent."
"Which Kansas?"
Pittman asked, he looked just like him, a bit silly.
As soon as he said this, he was met with disgusted looks from everyone.
"Kansas Gazelle Hawks."
Randy Williams said with a smile.
The University of Kansas is one of the most prestigious schools in the NCAA and is at the same level as North Carolina, Duke, and Kansas.
Moreover, the first head coach of the University of Kansas was James Nesmith, the inventor of basketball, and the second head coach was Fogg Allen, the founder of the basketball coaching system.
It's no exaggeration to say that it's the place where basketball was born.
It has provided a lot of talents to the NBA, the two most famous ones are "Basketball Emperor" Chamberlain and "Truth" Paul Pierce.
"We lost to them last year, 80-68. We had LaMarcus, P.J. and Daniel, but we had no chance."
Williams went on to recall, and he looked helpless when talking about his experience last season.
Although the University of Kansas did not go far in the NCAA as the University of Texas last year, it is not surprising what happened in the March Madness.
"Mario Chalmers, the captain and soul of Kansas, was the MOP of the Big 12 last year. His offense is as fast as a whirlwind, and his defensive ability is very terrifying. Last season, he had 97 steals in a single season, setting a school record in Kansas."
When Williams said this, some unpleasant memories were awakened and the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously.
"Having more steals doesn't necessarily mean he's a good defender. This shows that his defense is very gambling."
Augustine whispered that this was someone he might directly face off against on the court in the future.
"No, he is the best defender in big defense. His defensive pressure... AJ should know it best."
Williams shattered that fantasy.
Lin Ying was listening nearby and some of his memories were awakened as well.
Qian Moss, if it is translated into Chalmers, perhaps more people will know it.
This guy's story is legendary. He is an absolute big shot in the NCAA. He led Kansas to win the championship in 2008 by defeating the University of Memphis led by Rose and was elected MOP of the semi-finals.
This is already legendary enough, who would have thought that it would be equally legendary after entering the NBA.
As a second-round pick and a player who joined the NBA after four years of college, he started with Wade in his rookie season thanks to his outstanding combat effectiveness.
Later, when James and Bosh joined to form the Big Three, he became the "Fourth Big One" and was nicknamed "Super Mario", helping the team win two consecutive championships.
His three-point shooting and defense perfectly match James' technical characteristics, just like the protagonist in a novel.
"Brandon Rush, 6-foot-6, 233 pounds, is one of the best small forwards in the Big 12. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last year . He also has outstanding defense and a three-point shooting percentage of over 47%."
"Why didn't he participate in the draft?"
Pittman asked again in confusion.
But this time no one thought he was stupid.
Chalmers' physical condition is not very good, so it is understandable that he needs to play for two more years, but with Rush's physical condition and performance, and he is in a powerhouse like Kansas, he is guaranteed to be a lottery pick if he participates in the draft and will be a hot candidate to hit the top ten.
"He was injured. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee in an amateur match in May and returned to school to recover."
Williams began to explain.
"So he probably won't be able to play this year?"
Augustine was a little happy, because a torn ligament is not a minor injury.
"No, the severity of the same injury is different. He can catch up with Crazy Three."
When Williams said this, no one else said anything.
Just the fact that these two university figures are so awesome is enough to give them a hard time.
"I'll beat him to pieces."
Perhaps sensing that morale was a little low, Durant spoke up.
"Yeah, we have Kevin, and he can't guard Kevin."
Augustine responded.
"Yes, Kevin's talent is the best I've ever seen, and we have a chance."
Williams also nodded. He just wanted the freshmen to get to know their opponents this season, not to dampen their spirits.
The depressed atmosphere eased and Williams continued his introduction.
In addition to these two, the University of Kansas also has Julian Wright.
Although Wright's development in the NCAA was not as expected, he was a McDonald's level player in high school and had outstanding talent.
What is McDonald's Level?
Every year McDonald's holds a high school all-star game, and those invited are the best high school students in the United States. Being selected means that you are the best among high school students in the country.
In addition to these three, the University of Kansas also wants Russell Robinson, Sasha Cowan, and Sherron Collins...
These are all rookies selected in the second round by the NBA in history.
Although their talents are not as good as those mentioned above, they are definitely much better than ordinary players.
And players like Robinson and Cowan have already played in college for two years and have rich experience.
The University of Kansas can be said to be a top-tier super school in the NCAA in terms of both fame and strength.
"Oh I almost forgot, they also recruited a big man who was a McDonald's High School All-Star this year."
At the end Williams remembered that he had forgotten to mention someone.
"who?"
Augustine's eyes were already a little helpless at this time.
"Darrell Arthur, a 6-foot-6 power forward, is from Texas, from Dallas."
“Texans don’t come to Texas universities…”
Augustine muttered something, but didn't say much.
He also knew that players had their own reasons for choosing colleges, and that it was mostly because Kansas's luxurious lineup made them a little uncomfortable.
In fact, it was not just Augustine. The other players from the University of Texas also calmed down a lot after listening to it.
Their opponents are very strong!
Lin Ying remained silent.
However, in addition to having similar emotions to others, he was more focused on listening.
The basic requirement for being a data analyst is to have a full understanding of the data in your hands.
So even people like Cowan and Collins mentioned by Williams before, Lin Ying had an impression of them.
Arthur knew better.
He has an excellent wingspan, outstanding defense, quick movement, low-post offensive skills, mid-range shooting, and is a killer in the NCAA. He once had a performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 2008 NCAA finals and was a contributor to the team's championship.
Of course, he was not just listening, he had already made a list of the advantages and disadvantages of these opponents in his mind.
He wrote these things down and when he returned to the dormitory he wrote them down and they became basic data.
When the NCAA season officially begins, these will be the keys to his success.