Su Xi and Carmelo Anthony's friendship heated up quickly.
They quickly became thick as thieves. Although Su Xi was a bit cool and distant, Sweet Melon's smile could melt anything. They were now inseparable, even eating their meals together, not just facing off one-on-one on the court.
But what was increasing even faster than their friendship was Su Xi's talent fusion value.
By mid-October, Su Xi's Super Explosive Power talent fusion had reached a startling 83%. His explosive power was already a huge step above that of McNamara, a top-tier white guard.
What made McNamara despair even more was that Su Xi's Supreme Strength talent fusion had also reached 81%.
What did that mean?
During one attempt at a post-up, McNamara completely lost his footing and fell right in front of Su Xi, who didn't budge an inch. In that moment, McNamara felt like the laws of physics had ceased to exist.
Although McNamara was a bit shorter than Su Xi, their builds weren't that different. So how could there be such a huge gap in their physical confrontations?
He no longer pestered Su Xi for one-on-ones. Even when watching Su Xi and Anthony's inseparable clashes, he could only sigh. 'It's supposed to be a movie about three people, but I'm the one without a name.'
It was a helpless situation. Su Xi was successfully defending against him more and more often. Now, McNamara could only play evasively, relying on his advantages in speed and agility to launch sneak attacks on Su Xi. The moment he stopped, there was a high probability Su Xi would lock him down.
Su Xi's abilities had improved immensely. Once his fusion levels entered the 80% range, his two talents underwent a true qualitative change. According to the Little Elf's evaluation system, his explosive power was now at an "Excellent" level, and his strength was top-tier among NCAA guards. This made Su Xi realize that once he broke into the 90% range, there would be another qualitative leap.
Carmelo Anthony challenged Su Xi to one-on-ones two or three times a day, with each session lasting half an hour.
Su Xi was the only player at Syracuse University who could provide him with high-quality defense. Whether it was strength, reading the ball's path, or understanding the triple threat and post-up game, Su Xi could give Anthony a real challenge. He was the perfect training partner.
Jim Boham saw all of this and was delighted.
He usually forbade players from doing one-on-one training, believing that tactical drills were more important. However, he never stopped Su Xi and Anthony's sessions.
Because he could see Anthony's offense improving, and Su Xi's defense was advancing by leaps and bounds.
The stronger Anthony became, the greater Syracuse University's chances were of making it past the Final Four this year. He hoped Syracuse University could create a miracle.
And the stronger Su Xi became, the stronger Syracuse University would be for the next three seasons. In Jim's view, Su Xi couldn't make it to the NBA. The NBA wouldn't give a chance to a player with average running and jumping ability, especially a yellow-skinned guard. If Yao Ming were only six-foot-three, he wouldn't have been the number one draft pick either.
"Jack, if I faced LeBron James again right now, I'd destroy him with ease," Carmelo Anthony said, sitting next to Su Xi. They had just finished a round of competition.
Su Xi was always hearing him bring up LeBron James.
So, Su Xi went back and specifically searched for some video clips and media reports on James using the computer in his dorm room. The media's evaluation of James was extremely high; the general consensus was that he would change the future landscape of the NBA, and at this point, he was still just a high school student.
What shocked Su Xi even more was what happened next. When he summoned the Little Elf and it "saw" the video on the computer, it said, "He's very likely a Super Talent. And it's a combination of multiple super talents. Not one, not two, not three..."
Su Xi was stunned by this evaluation.
It was even more shocking than the authoritative magazine *Sports Illustrated* calling James "The Chosen One."
Because the Little Elf's evaluation described what a true "Chosen One" really was.
Honestly, Su Xi felt a little jealous at that moment. But he quickly composed himself. 'So what if he has multiple super talents? I can too. I'll also have the chance to fuse multiple super talents. He was born with his, but I can acquire mine.'
Su Xi's thoughts returned to Carmelo Anthony. He asked him, "Where do you think LeBron James is better than you?"
Carmelo Anthony thought for a moment, then said, "He can't beat me in terms of skill. His post-up game is clumsy, and he travels a lot when he drives with the ball. But, he's fast! He can really jump! His strength is also a little better than mine, and he has great court vision."
After saying that, he felt like he was hyping up his rival too much, so he added, "I play with my brain. Just like you, Jack. You also play with intelligence."
Uh...
Su Xi was struck speechless. 'I don't want to play with intelligence,' he thought. 'I just want to hurry up and fuse these talents.'
Recently, when Su Xi competed against Carmelo Anthony, the speed of his talent fusion had stalled. Just like with McNamara before, it hit a certain value and wouldn't go any higher. This had to do with Carmelo Anthony's own stats.
Therefore, Su Xi was now just hoping for the official games to start soon. The Little Elf had told him that the stimulus of real-game situations on a big stage would increase the fusion speed.
...
The Syracuse University Orange Team's first opponent of the season was Georgetown University.
Georgetown University was a traditional powerhouse, famous for producing centers. They had sent super-centers to the NBA like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Mutombo, as well as top-tier guards like Allen Iverson.
They had always been a powerhouse in the NCAA's Great East District, making it to the tournament's round of 64 almost every year.
The NCAA is divided into Division I, Division II, and Division III, with each division having its own competitions.
Division I consists of over three hundred universities split into thirty-two conferences. Among them, the stronger ones include the Big East Conference, where powerhouses like Syracuse University and Georgetown University reside, as well as the Pacific-12 Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Big 12 Conference... Weaker ones include the likes of the Ivy League.
The top team from each conference automatically gets a bid into the tournament's round of 64. The remaining 32 spots are selected by a special committee, taking into account the varying strengths of the conferences. It's not a given that the second-place team from each conference gets in. For a conference like the Big East Conference, it's even possible for the fourth or fifth-place teams to be selected for the round of 64.
After entering the round of 64, the 64 teams are divided into four districts: the East District, South District, Midwest District, and West District. Each district contains 16 teams, which are seeded and matched up via a lottery to determine the first-round pairings. They then face off in single-elimination games.
The NCAA Division I tournament receives a huge amount of attention in the United States, even surpassing NBA games. When March Madness arrives, especially once it reaches the Sweet Sixteen, many NBA games have to make way for it. On the day of the championship game, the NBA even stops its own games.
In a large-scale, battle-royale-style tournament like this, many unexpected players have a breakout season each year, fighting their way through the competition and reaching the pinnacle of their lives.
Many highly anticipated Five-star High School Students also fall in this brutal environment.
This is the most captivating part of American basketball: one moment in heaven, the next in hell.
Carmelo Anthony was now eagerly awaiting the official start of the games. He couldn't wait to dominate.
McNamara felt the same way, but he was even more anxious than Carmelo Anthony.
Carmelo Anthony's talent had long been validated by authoritative experts. Even if he didn't perform perfectly, he could still make it to the NBA.
But it was different for McNamara. He was the kind of player who could just touch the edge of the NBA. So he had to seize every opportunity. It was the only way to achieve the dream in his heart.
It was the same for Hakim Warrick.
The three of them were the most likely players at Syracuse University to become professionals. They were also the three players for whom the team ran the most plays.
In comparison, Su Xi seemed to have no connection to the NBA whatsoever.
Jim Boham made a decision. He decided to have Su Xi start in the game against Georgetown.
Both assistant coaches thought this move was a bit risky.
"What if he screws it up? After all, last season he was just some guy who got in through the back door to scam financial aid," Haywood said, not without a hint of worry.
"I have to build up our strength for next season and the season after. If Cameron, Hakeem, and McNamara all decide to enter the draft, someone has to be left to watch over the Orange Team," Boham said. "I have faith in Jack. He won't screw it up."
Boham was very confident.
...
Meanwhile, Qin Xing and Huang Xiaoman were sighing in front of a computer in the library.
"We screwed up."
"How did it turn out like this? It wasn't supposed to go this way."
They looked at the comments under the promotional post on the Georgetown University BBS forum. They were all mocking them.
Their post's title was: *Raise Your Guard: Syracuse University Basketball's Hidden Super Boss, The Absolute Leader in Carmelo Anthony's Eyes, Little-Goat, Jack Su!*
...
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