"Han, tomorrow you'll be facing Stephen Curry. What do you have to say about that?"
At the press conference for Barry University's season opener, an NCAA reporter directed a question to Hansen.
Though Hansen had yet to play in a single game for the team, he was the only player from Barry University who had been a four-star high-school recruit.
Hansen shifted in his seat, propped his elbow on the table, and said:
"I will defeat him."
As soon as he said this, everyone in the room immediately turned to look at him.
How could Hansen dare to say such a thing?
Leaving aside that Barry University was just a Division II team, they had finished last season with a dismal 2-16 record.
On the other hand, Davidson College, led by Curry, had reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA's "March Madness" tournament the previous season.
Even the reporter who had asked the question was stunned. He had just expected some compliments for Curry from Hansen.
"Are you saying you'll defeat the league's top shooter?" the reporter asked, recovering from his surprise.
"Yes. I will score more points than him. I will prove…" Hansen leaned forward, trying to get as close to the microphone as possible,
"…that I am the NCAA's best shooter."
The audience buzzed with excitement.
Right now, they only saw Hansen as a clown.
Curry had averaged 25.9 points per game last season, shooting 10.3 three-pointers per game and making 4.5, with a 43.9% accuracy rate. Both his volume and accuracy were the best among NCAA shooters.
Meanwhile, Hansen hadn't even appeared in a single NCAA game in the past two years.
The difference between the two was not just vast, it was incomparable.
Even Barry University's new head coach, Reggie Theus, turned his head in surprise.
Hansen, was he always this rash?
The man in question however, ignored everything as he entered his system space. He frowned as he looked at the meagre "+13" on the system's display.
He had gone so far as to make a cocky statement, yet the reporters had only given him this little bit of backlash?
Was it because there weren't enough people present?
He stroked his chin in thought.
In truth, he wasn't originally from this world.
In his previous life, his family had a bit of money. Since he was passionate about basketball, his family sent him to the U.S. for high school, where he displayed quite a bit of talent, especially in basketball IQ. He learned everything quickly.
However, by his senior year, he began facing the same problem Michael Jordan's brother had faced: he stopped growing taller!
By the time he graduated from college, he was still only 1.75 meters (about 5'9"). Left with no choice, he became a basketball trainer.
But during that time, the global economy was in decline, and every industry was becoming more competitive. To survive, he worked hard, even staying up late to make videos and run social media.
In the end, he accidentally became one of the many victims of sudden death in the 21st century.
When he woke up again, he had crossed into this parallel world.
The reason he knew it was a parallel world was because of the person he had crossed into.
This person was also named "Hansen," a four-star prospect from the class of 2006.
He had no memory of such a person. If someone like that had existed, the Chinese sports media would have hyped him to the moon by now.
This "Hansen" had a tragic backstory.
He stood 1.98 meters (about 6'6") tall, had a wingspan of 2.10 meters (6'10"), and a running vertical jump of 93 cm (36.6 inches). These were elite attributes for an Asian player, comparable to many Black athletes.
So, why was he considered tragic?
Because of his haters.
Before he entered the NCAA, the Chinese media and fans had praised him relentlessly. As the first four-star recruit in the history of Dongda, he was expected to be the next NBA player from China after Yao Ming.
With all these expectations on him, "Hansen" chose to join Gonzaga, a powerhouse in NCAA Division I.
And then everything changed.
Gonzaga was full of five-star recruits, and even the four-star players had to wait a few years to get playing time. Hansen couldn't get on the court at all.
The Chinese media and fans exploded.
First, they questioned the coach's decisions, then they highlighted the poor performances of his teammates, and finally, they resorted to mocking and insulting Hansen personally.
"Does he even know his own skill level? Why choose such a strong team? Would it kill him to pick an ordinary school?"
"Stop fooling yourself. He can't even compare to those American players. And he wants to get into the NBA?"
"Why isn't he playing? It's because he's bad. He probably slacks off in practice. Maybe American girls drained his energy."
…
For a four-star recruit, not playing in a powerhouse school was normal. With one or two years of hard work, he could improve and get playing time as a veteran.
But the immense pressure from the media and fans led Hansen to transfer to Barry University to get playing time.
However, the criticism didn't stop. It only got worse.
"By choosing a Division II team, he's already given up on the NBA."
"Instead of working hard to earn playing time, he ran to a lower division. He's a coward!"
"What's the point of putting up stats in Division II? Even if you dominate, can you make the NBA?"
…
NCAA rules prevented players from competing for one year after transferring, a period known as "sitting out."
"Hansen" endured nearly a year of hate during this time.
In the end, overwhelmed by the abuse, he went on a sea voyage to clear his mind, only to die in a helicopter crash.
After swallowing a mouthful of salty seawater, the current Hansen woke up in this parallel world.
Living another life, and having grown over 20 cm taller, was an incredible joy for him, who was passionate about basketball.
However, the system that appeared next left him speechless.
It was called the [Hater System].
As a young man of the 21st century, Hansen had read many novels.
There were systems for spending money, talent templates, and court-side sign-ins, all of which had positive outcomes.
But a hater system? WTF?
After exploring it briefly, he learned that this system absorbed energy generated when others badmouthed him, creating [Hater Points] that could be exchanged for talents.
In simple terms, the more people trashed him, the stronger he became.
Once he understood this, his silence turned into excitement.
What a system!
The previous "Hansen" had been constantly hated. Now, he could get stronger just by sitting back and letting it happen.
But he soon realized something was wrong. The Hater Points were increasing, but barely.
It took him a while to understand: "Hansen" wasn't getting hated anymore.
Not because his haters had changed their minds, but because "Hansen" was no longer worth hating.
Everyone's attention had shifted to the Olympics and two new NBA draftees, Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue.
The harsh truth: You need to have some ability to even be hated.
Fortunately, the system came with a starter pack.
It contained three options:
- "Mediocre Physical Talent"
- "Eagle Eye"
- "One Lottery Chance (activated at 10,000 Hater Points, with selectable prize pools)."
After realizing he couldn't pick all three, Hansen chose the lottery and "Eagle Eye".
Eagle Eye: Enhances catch-and-shoot and pull-up three-point shooting abilities.
"Hansen," I'll continue the life you couldn't finish!
After some emotional reflection, Hansen threw himself into three months of intense training.
The system had only raised his talent ceiling. To improve his actual abilities, he had to train. Train hard.
And as a basketball trainer in his past life, he knew exactly how to do that.
From sunrise to sunset, from spring warmth to autumn chill, rain or snow, he never stopped.
He poured all the passion and regret from his past life into every corner of the court.
Finally, just before the season began, he felt himself reaching a bottleneck.
By then, his shooting skills had greatly improved.
One clear measure was his performance in a three-point shooting contest, where he could consistently make about 20 out of 25 shots in one minute.
His progress was encouraging, but Hansen knew it wasn't enough.
A Division II player couldn't make it to the NBA just by shooting threes.
He needed to become even stronger.
And he needed more Hater Points.
At a school like Barry University, there wouldn't be many press conferences in a year, so he had to seize every opportunity.
—End of Chapter—
Footnotes:
1. Espn is a well-known sports website that ranks high school players based on scouting reports and performances: usually players ranked 1-25 are five-star, 25-100 are four-star, and 100-200 are three-star.
2. "March Madness" refers to the NCAA Division I tournament held every March, where the single-elimination format is known for its craziness.