On his room, Lance is training himself physically.
In this past few days all, he had been doing is training and training. He hasn't left his apartment since then. First, he noticed his greatest weakness in the try-out, and second, there is no school for the whole week.
Lance looked at the dark skies and his wet window. It is still 1 in the afternoon. Apparently, there is a storm that hasn't left Welcity since the day before yesterday. The heavy weather is assumed to persist until the weekends. That is also why all classes of all levels are suspended.
While taking a break, Lance looked at his legs and remembered his jumping height. It was 40 inches (101.6 cm). A height that can instantly label him a high leaper.
He began to lightly leap on his feet while making his ankles act like a spring.
"This is a weapon I never knew I have..."
He looked outside once more. The sky is dark and the wind is strong. Even with the window closed the sound of the raindrops are clearly audible.
Somehow he remembered his previous self in the rain. Always in the cold, lost in the storm and under the weather.
"If I pursued playing basketball back then... How far would I have had achieved?"
Suddenly, he heard the tv still open. He forgot to turn it off and went to get the remote. When he was about to turn it off, he heard the show talking about someone he is familiar with, his father.
[Oh god gracious! The league is so quiet! Even though Karoleen is carrying the waves right now it is in no way near the excitement I get when watching Michael!]
[So harsh John.]
[I'm serious! Dead serious! Try to think a player who can come close to his legend!]
[I- I do agree there is none but look at the league right now, Karoleen, McKay, and Bolton each are outstanding individuals that basketball has ever seen. It is unfortunate that Michael left us too early but the 3 aren't even at their peak yet. Also, there are too many prospects to look out for! Max Instill, his college career is louder than Michael Peyn himself! He can shoot, dunk and drive while carrying a large build! You'll never know when someone is going to replace Michael.]
The black man in the show shook his head hard seemingly not convinced.
[I'm not convinced, Steve. Not convinced at all.]
[What do you want to see? What can make you want to watch the league like Michael's in there again?]
[Haha!]
The black man laughed and pointed at the screen on his back and said, "Look at the screen! who is that?"
[It's Michael.]
[Who?]
[The 4-time league Champion, 4-time finals MVP, and 5-time league MVP. Everyone knows who he is! Come on! It's Michael!]
Lance watched the TV as it switched from the seen of the two men arguing to the video John is pointing at. It was one of his father's highlight.
In the video, his father jumped over blockers and dunk the ball hard on the rim. Everyone was shouting and excited in the background.
[That man! He led his team to the finals 7 times! 7 times, Steve! That is 7 times steve! Not only that but also for 7 straight years before he died! Also, let me tell you this! He became a league champion 4 times within a 6-year span of time!]
[I know John! You don't have to lecture to me. Just tell me what's your point.]
[Michael has a vert of 46 inches (116.84 cm), he has a very strong scoring average when inside the paint! An eagle eye on mid-range and exceptional defensive IQ that can capture the opponent's offensive end off guard! He is both an offensive and defensive anomaly in the league!]
[So what's your point, John.]
[So, tell me. Will, there ever be someone that can replace him? Without him the league has gone bland!]
[You- you- Don't speak too soon my friend. I have been with you in this show for who knows how long!]
[Yeah, for about a year and a half.] John jeered as he found it actually quite short.
[Yeah, alright. It's not long but the thing is, I have seen you falsely predict a lot of scenarios for who knows how many now. You predicted that Karoleen won't make it big but he is now an MVP candidate. You once said that Lexer will beat Michael but he ultimately failed. You said that the Rockie-Borghe duo will make it to the top but they kept sinking to the bottom ever since!]
[But this is a different story, Steve! Michael is an anomaly himself! Where can you find a man like that!?]
[Look, John. I actually found someone who might just sweep the league once he entered. He might even be able to drop a hundred like Wilson in a game!]
[Who?]
[Look at the screen.] Steve began to confidently stand and leave the table to point out the man on the screen.
[Who is that?] John was puzzled as he does not have any idea who the man on the screen is. When he looked he can only conclude on two things, the guy is young and tall.
When Lance saw it he was also surprised because he didn't expect to see the guy on TV.
'Levi Becreux'
[His name is Levi Becreux. Big build and long arms. Currently, he is already 6 foot 10 inches and he is still in his 3rd year of high school. He is 17 this year. He is a valuable varsity from Citadel State High School. He plays as a strong FC, he can play forward and center at the same time effectively!]
[So? I don't see anything appealing in him other than his size, Steve. I've seen much bigger players than him in the league and some of which are one of the leagues best but they all ultimately fell short in front of Michael!]
[Hey, I'm not done introducing him yet!]
[Alright, go on, go on...]
[*Clears throat* Behold, he is a strong player that is expected to dominate the high school championships this year.]
[And?]
[Look at his stats.]
[Stats?]
'Stats?' Lance looked closer as Steve brought up Levi's high school career.
[This kid, Levi, apparently had outstanding numbers in his pocket. Not only is he physically big but he is also a basketball genius! He averages a double-double!]
'Double-double? Even though I know his future performance. I can't help but feel astonished by his prowess.' Lance smiled and felt amazed by Levi's achievements.
Steve looked at John and continued, [This is his high school career average for the two years. He is an unstoppable scorer who averaged 20 points a game. He had once pulled a 70 point game against Solan Archers last year in the National Championship Quarter Finals. I know, it's a big number but not only that, but he also rakes another two 50 point performance for the next two games.]
[How come I never heard of him?]
[Unfortunately, they lost before getting to the finals. But I am not done yet. Do you remember I told you how he averaged a double-double?]
[Yes, why?]
[Because he averages 13.6 rebounds a game!]
[He is big! So what's the deal?]
[Not impressed?]
[Of course!]
[What if I told you he got an 18 rebound game last year against the Champions who had a 7-foot tall center!]
[What!!!] John jolted when he heard Steve and fell silent. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Lance also fell in a daze when he heard it. It is a given that a rebounding power is very important in a game. A strong team can average 45% field goal percentage which also means that they miss a field goal 65% of the time, and that is when rebounds are the most essential!
To put up 18 rebounds meant making 18 more scoring opportunities!
[That is just insane! It is a given that he can do that in high school but to think that he has done that against a 7-foot tall center! Unbelievable, Steve! You sure you are not making this up?]
Steve shook his head and said, [There is one more thing that I forgot to tell you. That kid, not only does he have long arms and tall stature but he also has a freakish jump for his size! His vertical alone is 38 inches on average! His full-powered dunking height is well above the 12-foot barrier!]
[Impossible!]
[It is true! With his ingenuity he averaged 20 points per game, 13.6 rebounds per game, 5 assists per game and a whopping 4.5 blocks per game!]
Let alone, John, Lance couldn't even move in his seat and remembered his game against Levi early summer.
'That means he did not even play the game for real?'
Lance couldn't help but fell in a daze while looking serious at the same time. The image of Levi in his head became bigger and stronger.
'Insane.'
He looked at the basketball on the couch and thought, 'I have to get stronger if I want to become the best.'
'Currently, I have to work on my playmaking skills more, I have the play-making strategies of the future in my disposal. It is my greatest weapon today but it won't last long until people got used to it. I can shoot but not good enough. My stamina is also a problem but I am already working on it.'
He looked at the TV once again and saw someone jumping on the commercial.
'Jump'
As if a lightbulb was turned on, he remembered his vertical.
'I can improve my jump which will make my scoring potential go much higher.'
Suddenly he smiled and stood up from the couch.