After the game, Wade was immediately surrounded by reporters.
Although Wade is at an age disadvantage compared to most players in the 2003 draft, his athleticism and skills mean that he will have no problem entering the lottery.
No reporter paid attention to Wang Chong. After all, reporters are not scouts and lack some professionalism. They cannot see Wang Chong's value in the game.
Wang Chong was also very aware of this situation. He never expected to be favored by reporters. It was enough for him if some scouts paid attention to him.
Besides, Wang Chong's main goal at this stage is to help Wade reach the NCAA finals, complete the system's tasks, and get rewards. As long as Marquette University can reach the finals, his exposure will increase significantly, and he won't have to worry about not getting noticed.
Wang Chong was stopped before he had taken a few steps toward the player tunnel.
Wang Chong was slightly startled when he saw the man in front of him, with black hair and yellow skin, who looked similar to him. "A Chinese reporter?"
This was in 2003, and he didn't even know there were Chinese media reporters paying attention to the NCAA.
"Hello, are you Chinese American?"
The Chinese reporter in front of him asked in slightly stiff English.
Wang Chong nodded and responded directly in Chinese: "Yes, I can speak Chinese. We don't need to communicate in a foreign language."
The Chinese reporter was delighted to hear Wang Chong speak fluent Chinese.
He knew that many Chinese Americans do not speak Chinese at all because they grew up in the United States. People like Wang Chong might be no different from Chinese people except for their nationality and might be more popular with Chinese fans.
He immediately said, "You are the first Chinese American I have ever seen playing in the NCAA. I am a reporter for Sports Weekly and would like to interview you. Do you have time?"
Sports Weekly?
This is a newspaper with great influence in China. Wang Chong knew that the well-known commentator Su Qun worked for Sports Weekly in his early years.
But Wang Chong didn't know at this moment that the reason why the reporter from Sports Weekly came to find him was thanks to Su Qun.
Hearing that the reporter wanted to interview him, Wang Chong thought about it, nodded, and said, "Of course, but I have to prepare for the game these two days and don't have time. If possible, we can sit down and have a good chat after the NCAA Championships."
"Okay." The reporter nodded without thinking too much, believing he wouldn't have to wait long.
He had already researched that Marquette's next opponent would be the Midwest Region's No. 1 seed, the Kentucky Wildcats. This team had won the NCAA Championship seven times in the past and was one of the favorites to win the championship. They were not at the same level of strength as Marquette.
Wang Chong's Marquette University was able to defeat the University of Connecticut and advance to the Elite Eight, which was a near-miraculous feat in the NCAA tournament. It seemed almost impossible for them to beat the Kentucky Wildcats.
That meant that in a few days, he would be able to interview Wang Chong.
—Obviously, he was wrong.
Two days later, the Elite Eight finals produced the biggest upset of the entire March Madness!
Marquette University defeated the No. 1 seed Kentucky University 88-71 and advanced to the semifinals, becoming the biggest dark horse in the NCAA tournament.
Throughout the game, Wade scored 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, achieving a triple-double, turning decay into magic, and leading the team to win the game, which shocked everyone.
This kid from Chicago is so good?
Wade's exposure skyrocketed overnight, and Marquette University's popularity also rose steadily.
Although Wang Chong played a supporting role in this game, he was the best among all the supporting roles, scoring 18 points and 9 rebounds.
The 2003 Kentucky Wildcats were what Wang Chong called a traditional NCAA powerhouse. The team's main players were mostly juniors and seniors who were relatively old, their physical growth had basically stopped, and their potential had been almost fully tapped. Although they were very strong in NCAA competitions, they did not have the qualities to be valued by NBA teams in the draft.
Once this kind of team encounters a team led by Wade, Anthony, and others, even if the overall strength gap between the two teams is large, they still have a chance to turn the tide by relying on the personal performance of the superstars.
However, after reaching the Final Four, Marquette's opponents in the semifinals were different.
The University of Kansas eliminated Marquette University in the original history, entered the finals, and eventually lost to Syracuse University, led by Anthony.
As a seeded team, the University of Kansas is not only as strong as the University of Kentucky, but also has ace players like Marquette University.
In 2003, the seventh pick in the first round, point guard Kirk Hinrich, and the 12th pick in the first round, center Nick Collison, were the most well-known twin stars of the University of Kansas. Last year, the two of them led the University of Kansas to the semifinals. There is no doubt about their strength.
The overall lineup is strong and has star players to back it up. For example, Hinrich, who switched to shooting guard as a senior, averaged 17+4 points per game, and his scoring ability is no worse than Wade's.
Even though Marquette University just defeated the Kentucky Wildcats as a dark horse, not many people were optimistic that they could make it to the finals.
However, Wade's popularity soared thanks to the game against the Kentucky Wildcats, attracting a large number of scouts and even management staff of NBA teams to come to the scene to watch the game.
Before the game started, Wang Chong had already seen management personnel from the Grizzlies, Heat, and other teams on the sidelines. Although the general managers of the teams were not present in person, it was obvious that these people were there for Wade.
West and Riley are both very optimistic about Wade. Before the NBA draft, when the media predicted the draft rankings, Wade was not favored due to his age and height, and was predicted to be very likely to be selected by the Grizzlies with the 13th pick in the first round.
But Riley snatched Wade with the fifth pick in the first round, and then Wade brought a championship trophy to the Heat with his outstanding personal performance in the third year of his career.
"I wonder if any of these people are here to inspect me..." Wang Chong thought silently in his heart.
In the past few rounds of games, although Wang Chong's performance was far less eye-catching than Wade's, it was definitely not bad. He basically showed all his technical characteristics. Coupled with the advantages of age and static talent, it stands to reason that some teams should have started paying attention to him.
Wang Chong has already made up his mind to participate in the 2003 draft and get a piece of the 2003 platinum generation. If possible, he naturally wants to enter the first round or even the top of the lottery.
With his growth template of Durant, he should also have this ability.
"Wang, what are you thinking about? The game is about to start, get on the court!"
While Wang Chong was still thinking, Wade patted him on the back. After he came to his senses, he shook his head slightly and walked toward the court.
"Never mind, let's just play the current game well and get past the University of Kansas first!"
End of this chapter
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