Before the regular season finale, Wake Forest, determined to win the ACC Championship this season, received some good news.
Last season's second-leading scorer, Justin Gray, after a long period of injury recovery, has fully recovered and officially returned to the team roster. (Note①)
On the day Gray recovered, the Devil's Deacon Team prepared a grand welcome ceremony for him.
In a corner of the ceremony, Qin Yue, after probing memories, was helplessly taking the blame for "him" once again.
Because, in "his" memories, Qin Yue discovered that he was actually the culprit behind Wake Forest's backcourt general's long absence.
In the original timeline, although Gray also suffered an injury during his freshman year, he would quickly make a full recovery for his sophomore season after a summer of healing.
Moreover, he would form the famous "Wake Forest Double Guns" duo alongside Paul during their time playing together.
So now, the question arises, why did "he" become the reason for the change in Gray's destiny in this life?
In "his" memories...
This is truly a past event that leaves one at a loss for words:
During that training session in which "he" participated as a freshman, due to "his" full-on overwhelming defeat at the hands of Ellis, "he" completely lost composure on the court, inadvertently causing an accident to happen.
On the training court, while actively vying for an offensive rebound, Gray, upon landing, accidentally stepped on the foot of a completely numb "Qin Yue"...
At that moment, upon seeing Gray painfully collapse on the ground, "he" was extremely panicked and helpless.
Qin Yue knew that considering the mental state of the original owner of this body at that time, this training mishap was purely an accident.
Yet, this accident quietly altered the fates of Gray and "Qin Yue".
Because of the poor performance and causing a teammate's injury during that training session, "Qin Yue" completely lost the confidence to continue playing basketball.
And although Gray quickly recovered and rejoined the team after this accident, the landing on his foot made Gray's right ankle his subsequent "Achilles' heel".
Last March, during the ACC Championship quarterfinals, Gray, defying advice, insisted on playing injured due to a recurrence of his ankle's old injury, resulting in his right knee's cruciate ligament punishing him with a long year of injury recovery.
This long recovery period nearly shattered Gray's basketball dream.
However, at the same time, after bravely enduring through it, this accident also granted Gray a heart stronger than ever before.
On his return day to the team, seeing a Qin Yue who was completely different from a year ago, under the gaze of teammates worried he might bring up old grudges, Gray slowly approached Qin Yue, took a deep breath, and said, "I never held that accident against you. In fact, when I learned you quit basketball out of guilt, I more than once thought of coming to you.
Fortunately, you found your way back. Honestly, even now I can hardly believe that the person who didn't dare compete with guards for rebounds back then, has become our current pillar in the paint."
Pausing for a moment, Gray continued, "Lead us to make some noise in March Madness, Principal!"
At this moment, looking into Gray's sincere eyes, Qin Yue was at a loss for words.
And beside him, witnessing this scene, Evans hurriedly stepped forward, simultaneously pulling Qin Yue's and Gray's hands together, saying, "Welcome back to the team, Justin."
...
In the regular season finale, the recovered Gray was given 15 minutes of playing time.
His recovery clearly better than expected, he shot 4 for 8, all shots being three-pointers, totaling 12 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds.
During the game, his chemistry with Qin Yue and Paul, the two team cores, was seamless, easing old Prose's initial worries about him needing time to reintegrate into the team.
Additionally, Gray's comeback also, in a certain sense, further liberated Paul on the court.
Because before Paul learned how to face those tank-like guards, the 188 cm tall, 91 kg Gray could well handle the task of switching defense with Paul to directly confront those tank-like guards.
In fact, this season, besides awaiting Gray's return, Prose never stopped exploring potential within the team.
Unfortunately, the Jamal Rive in "Qin Yue's" memory, only slightly better than "him", still needs time to grow. (Note②)
As a future national player for Panama, you can completely understand the 206 cm tall, only 81 kg as a sophomore Jamal Rive as a "reverse Qin Yue".
Although his mobility on the court is decent and he possesses the second-best leap in the team next to Qin Yue, he is destined this season to play merely as a backup surprise weapon for the team due to his weak ability to contend.
Thus, Gray's timely return undoubtedly improved Wake Forest's chances by a notch towards their ambition of winning the ACC Championship.
Right now, this Wake Forest team has Qin Yue on the inside, Paul on the outside...
And they also have quality shooters in college basketball like Gray, Evans, Monk, and Taron Donnie. Even looking across the entire NCAA, in Prose's eyes, this is a king's team.
Then, just as the Devil's Deacon Team was ambitiously preparing to make a mark in the ACC Championship...
They unexpectedly met with an unexpected turn of events.
On March 4th, in the ACC Championship quarterfinals, Wake Forest lost 84 to 89 to the Georgia Institute of Technology, regrettably missing the chance to advance to March Madness as the ACC conference division's top seed.
In this game, Qin Yue scored 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks for the team.
Paul, on the other hand, managed 21 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
The Wake Forest twin stars continued their excellent form this season, but at that moment, Georgia Tech, which had four future NBA players on their roster, gave them a lesson in the ACC Championship:
As one of the strongest conferences in the nation, the ACC has never had a weak team.
Throughout the game, Georgia Tech had a total of six players score in double digits.
Standing 191 centimeters tall and weighing 91 kilograms, Jarrett Jack, who in the future would be dubbed by fans as the "starter point guard crusher," scored 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds for the team.
Standing 216 centimeters tall and weighing 120 kilograms, "Australian Giant" Luke Schenscher, who would go on to play two years in the NBA, scored 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Along with Will Bynum, who contributed 12 points to the team and hit a crucial three-pointer in the final quarter, and Mario West, who came off the bench to score 10 points.
Added to this, Georgia Tech's current ace, B.J. Elder, who scored 18 points, showcases a team where everyone can contribute when they're on the court.
It's evident, based on Qin Yue's memory, that this Demon Deacon team that Paul led to March Madness for two consecutive seasons in the future has only one potential NBA player for a reason.
Compared to Georgia Tech's diverse and distinct group of NBA margins, besides Paul and Qin Yue, the rest of the Demon Deacon team is not only very mediocre but their traits also tend to be homogenous.
Evans, Monk, and Donnie may be excellent shooters in college basketball, but in crucial moments, they lack the ability to take the initiative, only serving as spot-up shooters to create space for Paul and Qin Yue.
Gray, who has just recovered from injury, does have the potential to be the team's third scoring option, but Prose wouldn't let Gray play for too long in this quarterfinals.
In short, on this night, the Georgia Tech team that would reach the NCAA finals this season told the world with their team basketball:
In college basketball, relying solely on superstar power isn't enough to go far.
Even Carmelo Anthony back then had teammates like Hakeem Warrick, Gerry McNamara, and Kueth Duany who could step up in crucial moments.
After the game against Georgia Tech, Gray was very dissatisfied with the performance of the other team members and bluntly said in the locker room post-game: "We can't rely on Chris and Qin like this. I know many of us won't make it to the NBA in the future.
But in college basketball, if we want to leave ourselves with a beautiful memory, we must give our all on the court.
Everyone should now ask themselves, did you strive for every ball, did you exhaust yourself in every defensive play?"
Gray paused and then turned his attention to his teammates who performed poorly tonight: "Beast, it's been a year since we last met and your skills haven't improved much, but your temper sure has. What, are you so big now that our core inside player has to help you on defense?
Ronnie, I want to ask you, is the ball really that hot to handle tonight? As a shooter, if you don't even dare to shoot when open, why are you even playing basketball?
And Terence, Taron, are your defenses made of paper? Damn it, I really want to kick you both because even my grandma can defend better!"
Losing unexpectedly, no one would feel good.
Yet at this moment, Qin Yue realized that after Gray's reproach, the depressing atmosphere that had been lingering in the locker room had dissipated.
In fact, the issues Gray pointed out post-game were exactly the tragic patterns Wake Forest habitually repeated against strong teams this season.
As team leaders, Qin Yue and Paul couldn't always chide these teammates from a superior standpoint.
Just like on the court, when team leaders show discontent, it often makes the other players increasingly nervous, unable to perform at their true level.
The truth is...
Whether in the NBA or NCAA, the spiritual leader and the on-court leader of most teams are not the same person for this exact reason.
Amidst Gray's reprimands, which diluted the negative emotions from the loss, Qin Yue noticed...
Wake Forest had quietly filled in their most crucial missing piece.
A piece called "Political Commissar."
As a sophomore, Gray, with his achievements for the team last season, had certain qualifications within the team but wasn't the absolute core like Qin Yue and Paul.
He had just recovered from his injuries, yet played more fiercely than others on the court.
Indubitably, in every respect, Gray was the most perfect leather whip for Wake Forest right now.
The whip, which could be used to motivate other role players.
With this whip, Wake Forest has a chance to progress further in the upcoming March Madness.
In the locker room, after Gray's intense scolding, Qin Yue and Paul tacitly took on the role of soothing their teammates.
In the NCAA, no team can guarantee constant victories.
Now, after being taught a lesson by Georgia Tech...
Prose, who had been quietly observing in the locker room tonight, realized:
The spirit of this team at this moment surpasses what it once was.
...
Note ①: Justin Gray, currently the head coach at the University of the Carolinas at Coastal, played for Wake Forest University during college and was one of the best shooters in Wake Forest's history. His later career mainly spanned various European leagues. Due to plot needs, "Qin Yue" made him sicker in the story.
Note ②: Jamaal Levy, who played for Wake Forest in college, represented the Panama National Team in the 2006 Men's Basketball World Championship, nicknamed "Panama Spring." His introduction was hinted at in Chapter 10, with the original text: "The remaining guy, in Qin Yue's memory, was only slightly better than the original owner of this body."
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