Yang Yan had no idea what Jeff Green was thinking. He was locked in, mind focused solely on the rhythm of the game. Holding the ball at the top of the arc, he adjusted his pace slightly—no flashy crossovers, no tricks. Just a sudden burst of acceleration to the right, like a sprinter out of the blocks.
Jeff Green didn't flinch. He braced himself, shifting his weight slightly left, anticipating contact. He was confident that he would bump Yang Yan off balance again, like he'd done to so many other guards before. This wasn't his first rodeo. His body was ready, his mind even more so.
But what happened next shattered his expectations.
Right before they made contact, Yang Yan snapped his wrist and pivoted, reversing his momentum with shocking fluidity. In an instant, he went from attacking the left to slicing through the right. Green felt only a gust of wind as Yang passed him.
By the time Jeff turned, Yang was already under the rim. Oden, ever alert, had sealed off the center. The paint was clear. Yang took flight and slammed the ball home with a powerful one-handed dunk.
Half a world away, Dragon Kingdom fans erupted in joy.
[He's back! That insane no-slowdown change of direction!][I thought we wouldn't see it today!][So fast—he's like a blur!][Even Durant got shaken like that once!][Go Yang Yan! Show them Dragon speed!]
Streamer Xiao Liang watched as the viewer count surged past 10,000. His failed bets didn't matter anymore. His channel had exploded in popularity thanks to Yang Yan.
—"Brothers! I can only say... Father Yang is on fire!"
[If Yang scores 20+ points today, I'll give away 5,000 yuan!][You better keep your word!][I'd kneel too for that kind of exposure!]
Back at the court, Georgetown was reeling. Coach Ilya called a timeout to stop the bleeding. But the damage was done. Since Green got burned, their defense had crumbled.
Yang Yan tore them apart. When defenders collapsed on him, he passed to Conley or Oden, who always delivered. Their chemistry was unstoppable.
With every minute, the score gap widened—eventually crossing 10 points. In the NCAA's slower pace, that's a mountain to climb.
Coach Gallagher couldn't deny the impact. When Yang came to the bench, he said something rare:
—"Good job."
Yang looked up, surprised. Praise from Gallagher? That was new.
Despite his issues with Yang's training attitude, the coach had to admit it—Yang's talent was undeniable. First-class for the NCAA. And with Conley and Oden backing him, his performance neared elite levels.
Gallagher sighed. He couldn't keep Yang buried on the bench any longer. Even if Yang was reckless with his potential, he was a genius. And geniuses need space to grow—even if they stumble.
After the timeout, nothing changed. Yang kept scoring. When double-teamed, he dished dimes. Conley and Oden capitalized.
At the buzzer, Ohio State finally snapped their losing streak. Yang Yan had scored 21 points, a new career high.
No one was happier than Johnny. He played only three minutes. No more nightmares of being bullied by power forwards.
With Yang Yan in the spotlight now, Johnny could finally rest easy.