Arjun was really stirring the pot, calling everyone out right in front of the varsity coach and all the upperclassmen.
His gaze and gestures were clearly provocative.
But the players there just scoffed at him.
Arjun didn't care what they thought.
That really got them riled up.
"I got this!"
"I'll take him!"
"This rookie is way too cocky."
The players were shouting one after another.
Arjun just smiled,he was getting exactly the reaction he wanted.
While scanning the varsity team and the new recruits, Arjun spotted a familiar figure.
Russell Westbrook.
Russ looked pretty green, but he was calm in the face of Arjun's challenge, not yelling like most of the others.
Arjun remembered Westbrook was just a backup to Collison in his first college season.
Coach Howland raised his hand, calming things down.
Without any prior info on Arjun, Howland hadn't really taken him seriously, not thinking his scouts would miss a NCAA prodigy.
Plus, he wasn't too impressed with Asian players from past experiences.
If it weren't for Arjun's decent build and the fact that he seemed serious, Howland might have just kicked him out.
"Someone shows up to challenge and I should drop everything to watch a one-on-one? Do I even need to be a coach then?"
"Arron, you play him," Howland called out to the composed team leader Arron Afflalo.
"Arjun, if you beat Arron, I'll consider you further. Otherwise, please leave and let me do my job," Howland said.
"OK, got it," Arjun nodded.
"Coach, you don't need Arron for this rookie, I can handle it," the backup guard Ethan volunteered.
"Let Arron handle it. Do I need to repeat myself?" Howland snapped at Ethan.
Seeing the coach's stern look, Ethan backed down.
Afflalo stepped forward without a word.
Afflalo, a shooting guard, 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 216 pounds, had averaged 15.8 points per game in the 2005-06 season for UCLA, leading them to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament and making the All-Pac-10 First Team.
Arjun had seen Afflalo play in his previous life. Afflalo was a precise shooter, decent with the ball, average athletically, capable of attacking from the perimeter and the post, technically skilled, with a high basketball IQ, and was known for his defense at one point.
Now, he was UCLA's star player.
"How many points? What rules?" Arjun asked.
"Your call," Afflalo replied.
Afflalo's brief response showed his strong confidence in his abilities.
"Let's play to 7, no dribble limit, no alternating possessions," Arjun said.
"No problem," Afflalo nodded.
Afflalo passed the ball to Arjun, signaling him to start.
"If I start, you won't stand a chance," Arjun said.
"Hope your skills are as good as your mouth," Afflalo shot back.
Everyone around stopped to watch the showdown.
It wasn't just the varsity team watching... others had gathered around too.
Receiving the ball from Afflalo, Arjun didn't start dribbling immediately but began with some probing steps.
After all, Afflalo was a first-round caliber player with plenty of experience. Arjun couldn't afford to take him lightly.
Afflalo was well-positioned, ready to defend both Arjun's shots and his drives.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Seeing no clear shot from the triple threat position, Arjun started dribbling.
After a sharp change of direction, Arjun burst towards the right.
"Man, that's fierce!"
The spectators on the sidelines could feel Arjun's explosive power.
Arjun's main advantage over Afflalo was his height and robust physique.
Gaining a slight positional edge, Arjun used his body to muscle past the intercepting Afflalo.
"Boom!"
The clash of muscles pushed Afflalo aside.
Arjun, combining speed and physical superiority, completely shook off Afflalo.
Clear path, he gathers the ball, takes three steps, grabs it with his left hand, and leaps up for a one-handed slam!
"Boom!"
2-0.
"Whoa!"
"Nice one!"
"Great shot!"
The onlookers cheered enthusiastically.
Arjun had caught Coach Howland's attention with just the first play.
Laymen enjoy the show, experts appreciate the technique.
Arjun showcased his physical gifts.
Afflalo was confident in his defense, but he hadn't expected Arjun to overpower him so directly.
Too dominant.
Since the rules didn't allow for possession changes, Arjun still had the ball.
Afflalo handed it over and quickly closed in, not giving Arjun any room to accelerate.
Afflalo thought Arjun had used the momentum of his sprint to push him away.
By staying close, he believed Arjun wouldn't be able to play the same way.
Afflalo was too close this time.
This time, Arjun was even more decisive, exploding off a dribble and darting past on the right.
"So fast!"
Arjun completely left Afflalo behind, took a step, gathered the ball,
Took off, soaring through the air.
Both hands on the ball, he slammed it into the hoop!
"Boom!"
4-0.
Arjun hung on the rim, swinging with the sway of the basket.
Compared to his opponents back in India, playing against Afflalo made Arjun want to unleash his full potential.
Afflalo's defense wasn't weak,he was just unfamiliar with Arjun's style, and Arjun's exceptional physical talent far exceeded his expectations.
"Great play!"
"Keep it up, beat him!"
"Arron, can you even handle him? Haha"
The crowd continued to jeer, loving the drama of a rookie dominating a star player.
The freshmen who had been scolded earlier were especially thrilled.
Initially, they had looked down on Arjun, but now, they were more than happy to see this turn of events.
Newcomers are always rebellious.
Coach Howland picked up a pen, noting down Arjun's technical attributes.
"Great physique, explosive power, superb at attacking the basket!"
The plays were quick, but they revealed a lot.
"Again!" Afflalo passed the ball to Arjun.
This time, Afflalo gave Arjun a step back, focusing on defending the drive.
After Arjun's consecutive dunks, Afflalo figured he was better at driving.
By giving him some space to shoot, mainly guarding the drive, maybe he could stop him.
Afflalo now just wanted to block him once, then take him down with his offense!
Afflalo was more confident in his offensive skills.
The space Afflalo gave wasn't much, but it was enough for Arjun.
Without dribbling, just a step beyond the three-point line, Arjun caught the ball and shot it straight away!
The shot was quick, Afflalo barely reacted.
Easy!
The ball traced a beautiful arc.
"Swish!"
7-0.
Arjun defeated Afflalo with two dunks and a three-pointer in a one-on-one.
"Yay!"
"Impressive."
"He completely outplayed Arron."
....
"You played well, what's your name?" Afflalo came over to shake hands with Arjun.
Losing a one-on-one didn't make Afflalo angry,that would be petty.
"Arjun."
"OK, I hope to see you on the team. Next one-on-one, I start."
"No problem."
After speaking, Afflalo stepped off the court.
The freshmen rushed up to high-five Arjun in celebration.
Even though they didn't know each other, as fellow newcomers, they were thrilled by Arjun's victory over Afflalo.
Coach Howland kept his word, turning to his assistant coach Matt, "Matt, take that kid for a physical."
A one-on-one can't show everything, but it does reveal fundamental abilities.
Howland felt it was time to give Arjun a chance.
"OK, hope he doesn't disappoint you!" Matt said with a smile.
Matt could tell Howland was interested in Arjun,now it all depended on the physical test.