Jerry Stackhouse was beaming.
Last year at the Sunshine Classic, Oak Hill Academy was shockingly defeated by Block High School, after which O'Neal had said,
"Many people say Block High School managed a surprise because Stackhouse wasn't there. Believe me, even if Stackhouse were there, it would merely make Oak Hill's loss a bit less embarrassing."
This comment had really irritated Stackhouse, making him feel belittled by that foolish 'fat carp'.
He had been holding a grudge ever since. As a player with an almost perfect high school career, how could he be outdone by a tennis-playing Asian?
Stackhouse's resume was indeed impressive; he had been a top national guard since his sophomore year, and starting from his junior year, countless NCAA Division I league coaches had been calling his home.
The senior season that had just ended should have been perfect too; he and Oak Hill Academy had achieved a record of 37 wins and 1 loss.
The only loss was to Block High School!
That single defeat was as glaring as Stackhouse's bizarre frog squat free throw stance.
If not for that one game, Stackhouse would have ended his high school career with a spotless record.
It was Roger who had tarnished what should have been a flawless record.
And today, he finally got his chance to hold his head high.
He finally had the opportunity to tell the world, Roger wasn't even in the same league as him!
At first, Stackhouse was very cautious, every move calculated, afraid that Roger's scoring would surpass his own.
But now, it was all over. Soon he could proudly tell the reporters, "Hey Shaquille, Roger's scoring is indeed very impressive; he came only 2 points close to matching me."
He had finally vented his frustration!
So, he pompously started trash-talking Roger and began celebrating his victory.
That was until the referee walked onto the court and informed everyone present, "The game continues!"
Stackhouse, with a face resembling a bewildered frog, was full of confusion.
The game continues?
How could it continue?
The West didn't even meet the essential requirements to operate!
At that moment, the referee headed to explain the situation to the East's side. Meanwhile, Roger walked toward his remaining three teammates and gathered them together.
"I know this sounds unreasonable, but we have to play 4 against 5 now."
Andrae, among the three, paused, yet none of them voiced any objections.
Thankfully, the three teammates left with Roger were excellent players.
Andrae goes without saying; he was currently the only inside player on the West's side.
There was also diligent and tenacious Charles O'Bannon, a 1.98-meter small forward. He was subdued and outstanding in defense. This guy later became a key starter for the UCLA basketball powerhouse during their '95 championship season and was drafted into the NBA in '97.
Another was a point guard named Jacque Vaughn, the seventh best in the nation, just behind Randy Livingston, the second-best point guard in the country.
In his high school stage, he was a triple-double maniac who loved passing more than scoring. He too was drafted into the NBA in '97.
Roger had only scored 15 points so far because he loved sharing the ball too much.
He always passed it here, there, making sure everyone had a touch, which meant that Roger wasn't able to consistently be on the offensive.
Overall though, for the rest of the game, these three weren't likely to compete with him for the ball.\
Roger first gripped Jacque Vaughn's shoulder, "I don't mind you running the show, but we need to focus our offense. So stop passing the ball around too much. Buddy, the key to winning is to give me that damn ball!"\
No one spoke up, which meant everyone agreed, as they all knew Roger was the best scorer in the nation.\
"Leave scoring to me, but on defense, we all need to give it our all! Even if it's 4 against 5, we need to win! This year's McDonald's All-American Game will be our stage to make a national name for ourselves!"\
Roger wasn't joking about winning 4 against 5, since similar incidents had occurred in the NCAA before.\
On November 25, 2017, the game between the University of Alabama and the University of Minnesota defined bad luck to the extreme.\
With 13 minutes to go in the second half, a brawl broke out, resulting in the entire Alabama bench getting ejected. A minute later, one player fouled out, and shortly after another was injured in-game.\
Eventually, Alabama had to compete with just three players!\
However, Collin Sexton, who was playing for Alabama at the time, refused to give up. He and the other two teammates resolutely fought back, even if they were exhausted to the point of needing oxygen on the bench, they battled until the end.\
Although Alabama lost by just 5 points, Sexton and his teammates earned respect from everyone that day.\
If three could lose by just 5 points, why couldn't four still win?
The referee had already made the explanation to the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
Jerry Stackhouse first looked surprised, and then he wore a disdainful smile.
Four against five? Did Roger really think he could turn the situation around under these circumstances?
He walked up to Roger, and with a scornful shrug, said, "It's okay, I don't mind playing with you for a few more minutes, after all, this is your last chance to face off against a future superstar."
Roger's expression was serious: "I'm not here to play with you for a few minutes. I'm here to win."
"Hahaha, good luck then; you can only rely on luck."
At this moment, the venue staff also explained the situation to the entire audience through the microphone.
CBS commentators Ian Eagle and Tom McCarthy were instantly thrilled: "Ladies and gentlemen, the referee signals the game to continue! The Western Conference All-Stars will play with four players against five from the Eastern Conference All-Stars! The young men from the West haven't given up fighting! Oh God, this could become the craziest game in the history of the McDonald's All-American Game, even crazier than the Baby-Faced Assassin's overtime victory in '79 against the Human Film Highlights!"
The game resumed, and the 12,000 fans inside the Mid-South Coliseum erupted in cheers.
A basketball game of four against five was a rare sight, and everyone's curiosity was piqued.
The Western Conference All-Stars had the ball and Jacque Vaughn brought the ball across half court and passed it to Roger, who came open.
At this time, two players were guarding Roger, one of whom was Stackhouse's teammate and also the one facing Roger for the second time, McKinney.
There's no such thing as illegal defense in high school basketball, so Roger was already being marked by two players even without the ball.
However, perhaps because the opposing team was a little complacent with their 5 on 4 advantage, Roger was left with a two-step distance from both defenders when he received the basketball.
But for most players, this still wouldn't count as an opportunity.
However, Roger, surrounded by two players, raised his hand and took the shot!
A real assassin never misses a chance to take his enemy's head!
Seeing Roger's shot, people weren't surprised; a double team left a big gap after all.
Textbook shooting form and top-notch shooting touch let the basketball swish through the net, and this deep three-pointer completely ignited the Mid-South Coliseum!
As it turned out, the Eastern team's numerical advantage was worthless in front of Roger!
McKinney swallowed hard; it felt like he was back to that summer of 1992.
This guy's terror hadn't diminished at all!
After the basket, Roger pointed towards the hoop and made a shooting gesture.
Even though outnumbered, today he intended to shoot wildly like the world-renowned indoor target shooter Chen Guilin!
Stackhouse furiously berated his teammates: "When Roger decisively took that shot, he was thinking that you two couldn't handle him alone; it's a great disgrace!"
The hot-tempered man decided to take matters into his own hands for the next offense.
Five against four, the Western team was clearly at a disadvantage defensively.
This time, Stackhouse first passed the ball to a teammate who was open; after O'Bannon went over to help defend, Stackhouse cut in, received the pass, and then went up for a dunk.
But just as he raised the ball, a "big truck" burst out of nowhere, flipping both him and the ball!
Andrae, who came back in time to defend and complete the block, stood in front of Stackhouse and let out a beast-like roar: "Now, this is a great disgrace, buddy!"
Andrae knew that it was Roger who had led him across sewage-filled streets to a place where he could see sunlight.
So if Roger said they were going to win, he was willing to be the shield that Roger carried into battle!
Roger was grateful; Andrae had completely transformed from a coward into a real man.
Jacque Vaughn received the basketball and immediately passed it to Roger, who had already run to the frontcourt.
Counterattack, that was the best strategy when outnumbered.
If it was a positional game, it would have to be four against five. But in a fast break, it now became a one-on-one between Roger and McKinney!
Roger advanced rapidly while McKinney, nervously, backed off quickly.
At this moment, McKinney wasn't thinking about how to stop Roger but was wondering, "Why am I so unlucky to run into him twice!"
McKinney walked at peace.
Roger, just inside the three-point line, completely ignored McKinney, took off on one leg, glided beautifully through the air, and then elegantly flicked his fingertips. Stackhouse, chasing from behind to block, was powerless. This graceful, long-range flick was gentle but left Stackhouse bloodied on the spot!
"A gentle, long-distance flick from just inside the three-point line; Roger simply takes whatever he wants from the basket at will! He is the truth on the offensive end! Four against five, and the game still holds suspense!"
CBS commentator Ian Eagle, watching Roger easily score five points under the four against five odds, truly felt that, at least on the offensive end, Roger might be even stronger than NBA player Nick Anderson!