The locker room of the Mountainers is lifeless and lifeless. Since D.J. White and Eric Gordon entered the NBA, Indiana University's performance has been worse than each year.
Time goes back two years ago. At that time, if the Mountainers ran into Butler University, then Butler University would suffer. A coach without a rich resume and a group of mediocre players is not worth mentioning in front of Indiana University.
But look now, Indiana University, which has won the NCAA championship five times, is 20 points behind the Bulldogs in the opener! And their head point guard Harlan Gaudi. He was beaten by an unknown Asian defender so that he couldn't find North!
This kind of humiliation is not something everyone can bear. None of the Mountainers players were embarrassed to speak. They knew they had a terrible game in the first half.
As soon as Tom Kling opened the locker room door, everything around him felt lifeless. Even his head star Harlan Gaudi has his head down.
20 points behind halftime, this is indeed a huge blow to an NCAA team. But as the team coach, Tom Klin is definitely impossible to give up. You can't let him admit defeat in front of so many players.
"Luke! What, do you want to give up!?" Tom Klin stood among everyone, scolding loudly.
"I..." Harlan Gaudi, who was full of flesh and looked fierce, now hesitates to speak. Thinking of his provocation against Yiyang before the game, Harlan Gaudi blushed for himself.
"If that's the case, you won't have to participate in the draft this year! After you arrive in the NBA, you will encounter much greater difficulties than you are now. You can lose, but you can't give up!" Klin's roar made Harlan Gaudi Gradually raised his head.
Last year, Harlan Gaudi signed up for a draft. But because the predicted pick did not meet expectations, Harangudi gave up participating in the draft and decided to hone in the university for another year.
Nowadays, Harlan Gaudi, who is already a junior, can definitely be regarded as an "older" rookie. If you can't get any results this year, next year, the rank will only be lower.
"I...I didn't give up!" Harlan Gaudi gritted his teeth, and Tom Kling was delighted. As long as this guy hasn't lost his fighting spirit, there is hope for the Mountainers!
"Well, listen! To win away, we have to make some changes. Luke, I don't want you to hold the ball in the first position. In the second half of the game, you top me up to the fourth position. Willie Wesley is a courageous insider. Your goal is to keep attacking near the three-second zone and create kills!" Tom Kling knows that Harangoldi has the ability to play multiple positions. If it weren't for the height of only 1.98 meters, in fact, Harangudi's favorite position is still inside.
Maybe in the NBA, this kind of vaguely positioned rookie is not very popular. But in the NCAA, such a player is a big killer!
Klin decided to let Harangodi avoid Yiyang and score on the inside where he is better. From the first half match, Link also saw that Yiyang is a defender who likes to break through to better than shoot.
If Harlan Gaudi is inside, he can also become a hard barrier between Yiyang and the basket!
"The same goes for others, putting pressure on the Bulldogs' inside line. In the first half of the game, you wasted too many opportunities on the outside line. In fact, inside defense, it is precisely the Bulldogs' weakness!" Matt Howard, the center, is technically technical. Outstanding, but the style of the game is softer, and the ability to protect the frame is average. Willie Wesley is strong in the fourth position, but his defensive awareness needs to be improved. Tom Kling believes that his team will be able to penetrate the opponent's inside line.
No matter how powerful Hayward and the No. 1 rookie are, they have nothing to do with the attack on the inside.
Tom Klin's arrangement undoubtedly regained the confidence of the Mountainers' players. After completing their wishful thinking, Klin has imagined that his team will complete the Jedi counterattack in the second half!
"If Harangudi is still playing outside in the second half, you will be able to surprise him. If he is inside, also, I want you to use your passing ability to drive the team to the basket to attack. Harangudi is only tall At 1.98 meters, the wingspan, shoulder width and jumping are not great! If you can get the ball into Matt or Wesley, trust me, they will take care of everything!"
After came on the field, Yiyang kept thinking about the tasks the head coach gave him during the half-time break.
In fact, Stevens spent the most time talking to Yiyang during the entire half-time break. If Hayward is the core of the Bulldogs' offensive, then Yiyang is the tactical core that controls the overall situation!
Stevens only cares about the strength of a player, not his skin color and age. Yes, this is indeed Yiyang's first NCAA game. But if he can, why not let him play a more important role?
The second half of the game began, and the Mountainers took the lead. Harangodi did not continue to entangle with Yiyang on the outside this time, but went straight to the basket according to the arrangement, raising his hand for the ball.
In the face of Willie Wesley's defense, Harangudi was not impatient. He just shook his shoulder to the left and tricked Wesley into shaking his center of gravity.
Feeling all of this, Harangodi turned around to the right instead, turned his jumper, and hit easily.
score, that's why Tom Kling let Harangodi play the fourth position. His shooting ability and super high basketball IQ can make up for his short height in the paint.
The Mountainers did not relax their vigilance after the goal. They knew that one or two successful strikes were not enough to move back to the 20-point difference. A series of offensive climaxes are what the Mountainers need now.
Yiyang received the baseline ball and started to advance towards the frontcourt. Right in front of him at the moment, it was John Harding who was tortured to the death in the first half of the game.
Harlan Gaudi adopted a defensive strategy against Willy Wesley, so that he can not only prevent Wesley from receiving the ball, but also complete the defense against Yiyang more quickly.
"Inside, inside, inside..." Yiyang meditated on Stevens' request in his heart, and began to change hands and dribble rhythmically.
This time, Yiyang did not choose to break through. Instead, he passed it lightly and gave the ball to Shelvin Mark.
Almost the moment the ball was let go, Yiyang began to get rid of the running position.
The ball can pass, but people must not stop! As the core of the team, Yiyang doesn't want to be a defender who stands still and waits for the ball.
Every position and every interspersion of oneself is leading the team to complete the offense!
After Mark got the ball, he didn't hesitate to dribble the ball to break through. Harlan Gaudi is a little embarrassed, he doesn't know whether he should cover the rim now or whether he should continue to guard Yiyang.
Seeing Mark getting closer and closer to the basket, Harlan Gordy suddenly threw Wesley's arm away, and he planned to make up the defense!
Although Mark is the team's second scoring point, he is not greedy for merit. Seeing that Harlan Gaudi blocked the basket, Mark suddenly turned the ball out of the way! At the bottom corner on the left, Yiyang is just in place!
Facing an open three-pointer shot, Yiyang didn't rush to make a shot, but instead went inside with the ball.
Harangodi immediately turned around and opened his arms. He just waited for Yiyang to come in. The opportunity for revenge is within reach!
"What kind of sparks will there be between Yi and Luke?" The narrator stood up. Did Harangodi give Yiyang a hot pot, or did Yiyang hit the basket in a wonderful way? Among them, there is too much room for reverie.
Yiyang's breakthrough attracted the defense of three people from the mountain team, which naturally included the Harangodi who was guarding the basket.
The encircling circle gradually shrinks, and Yiyang seems to be desperate! At this critical moment, Yiyang suddenly tossed the basketball onto the hoop at will. Throw it! ?
Haranguodi leaped hard, but he was not good in height and jumping, and he had no chance to touch the basketball at all. If the ball was a throw, it would be too big. Not only did the basketball go past Harlan Gaudí, but he didn't even touch the basket.
The orange basketball slid across the top of the basket and was thrown "crossing the bridge" by Yiyang.
"Are you too nervous in the face of huge pressure!?" Seeing that Yiyang threw a "no level" ball, countless commentators shook their heads. The newcomer is still a newcomer after all.
The basketball flew to the other side of the basket, just when everyone thought it was an unqualified throw. A wide palm held the basketball steadily. After that, the palm and arm slammed into the basket, dunking the ball in mid-air.
Suddenly, everyone was dumbfounded. This is not a throwing shot at all, it is a wonderful aerial relay dunk!
"Alley-oop! Perfect in-air coordination! Yi's pass is too confusing! Until Willie Wesley flew into a dunk, everyone thought it was a throw! In fact, it was a success. Attracted the defense and created a great opportunity for the team to score goals!"
After successfully dunked, Willie Wesley bounced back to his own half, looking excited. Where is Yiyang? This guy is still expressionless, even though the scene of his wonderful pass is being replayed on the big screen.
Yiyang didn't score, but he became the biggest contributor to this offense.
In the subsequent game, Harangudi was indeed overwhelmed near the three-second zone. As a star player, his performance in the second half of the game finally showed his strength.
But no matter how Harangodi scored, the Mountainers could not close the point gap. Because under Yiyang's ghostly passing, the mountain team's defense is basically useless!
If Yiyang is a guard who likes to break through to score, then Tom Klin may not have to worry so much. As long as the protection of the basket is strengthened, the body will definitely be misfired against the disadvantaged Yiyang.
The problem now is that Yiyang has a strong breakthrough ability, but he likes to pass after the breakthrough. So even if Link sends heavy soldiers to the basket, it will not help. Yiyang can always see the gaps on the basketball court.
Yiyang, who used to study game videos with his father, was very sensitive to opportunities on the basketball court. Some people have only the basket in their eyes, but Yiyang's vision is a whole half.
"Ye's breakthrough, he intends to layup directly! No, also changed his posture in the air, he retracted the basketball, a pass from behind, to Matt. Matt made a short jumper and scored easily!"
"Yes, the ball is fast! Hayward chased for three points! Another hit! This year, Hayward's improvement is not small. I think this guy is expected to be selected in the lottery area!"
"Yi Hou hits the ground to pass, there is no one in front of Mark! BOOM! One-handed fly buckle!"
"Alright! Well, this time I was also replaced because the game has entered the garbage time ahead of schedule. In the second half of the game, no points were scored, but there is no doubt that it was him that directly caused the current result!" On-site commentator Picking up the statistics of Yiyang in this game, 9 points and 15 assists, but only 2 turnovers. Very different, but also very illustrative.
"Be prepared for Enzo, our phone may be blown up these days!" Stevens smiled and joked at his assistant coach.
If the scouts of that group of NBA teams are not fools or blind, they should have seen how terrifying Yiyang's ability to control the game is!
Yiyang didn't show a smile like everyone else after he left the game, he just said a bland word to Stevens. "You told me to blow him up, I blow him up."
Stevens only smiled at Yiyang and patted Yiyang on the shoulder.
This kid, holding his breath.