Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1027 - 590 Those Destined to Meet Will

Chapter 1027: Chapter 590: Those Destined to Meet Will Surely Come Together_2 Chapter 1027: Chapter 590: Those Destined to Meet Will Surely Come Together_2 Leaving when it’s time to leave might just be the right thing to do.

He cautioned himself this in his heart.

It was nearing September, and Yu Fei took time to visit Hu Jinchu, who was participating in the AAU competition.

After being awarded the “Yu Fei Scholarship” last year, Hu Jinchu landed in the United States and caught the eyes of college scouts within a few months.

Soon, he was rated as a four-star center by various major rating agencies for the class of 2015.

The agency that ranked him highest was ESPN, which placed Hu Jinchu 30th nationally for the class of 2015.

This rank, situated at the top of the four-star level, indicates potential to be a mainstay in the regulars of March Madness.

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However, ESPN differed in one aspect from other rating agencies.

ESPN classified Hu Jinchu as a power forward, while other agencies labeled him as a center, a slight difference that led to varying rankings. Agencies that considered him a center placed him in the middle four-star range, but ESPN saw his height combined with remarkable speed and energy as a perfect fit for the modern power forward position.

Hu Jinchu’s four-star rating met Yu Fei’s expectations.

Unlike Zhou and Wang, who were selected by the NBA, Hu lacked solid static talent and fundamental skills as an interior player; he stood out with his exceptional speed and energy for his height and through his noticeable enthusiasm.

Due to a lack of inherent talent and foundational skills, he indeed did not possess the potential to be rated five-star, but his thirst for improvement could potentially allow him further growth in the NCAA.

As a result, every time Yu Fei visited, he would have him shoot baskets like a teacher checking homework.

The results were promising. Hu Jinchu had developed a sound mid-range shot and a respectable three-point shot from the top of the arc—traits not apparent in high school but invaluable at the higher levels of the NCAA, where a shooting interior player can greatly enhance team strategy.

“Received any new offers lately?” Yu Fei asked.

Hu Jinchu appeared dejected: “Just one…”

“That’s unexpected, you’ve been playing well in the AAUs,” Yu Fei said surprisingly, “Don’t mind it, you’re not going to college until the year after next, the most important thing now is to improve yourself.”

Then, Yu Fei asked, “Which college made the offer?”

Hu Jinchu blinked, “It seems to be Duke…”

“Good lad, you were waiting for me here!” Yu Fei exclaimed unexpectedly, “Has Coach K contacted you?”

“He came to watch my game a while back.”

Yu Fei nodded, realizing that Duke was indeed an ideal place. He had encountered Coach K during his time with the Dream Team, an impeccable coach in all respects. Over the past decades, numerous NBA teams had tried to recruit him, but all had failed.

Playing under Coach K could benefit Hu Jinchu, but there was also a downside—the competition at Duke was fierce. A four-star high schooler playing at Duke would have no notable status, as his teammates could well be NBA lottery picks or five-star recruits from his own or previous classes.

But then again, it was such fierce competitive environments that could potentially break barriers for players.

Take Rui Hachimura, during the Asian Youth Games he was no match for Hu Jinchu, yet after sitting out a year at Gonzaga, he seized an opportunity the following year to emerge as a star, and by his third year, he became a key player entering the lottery— a miraculous triple jump possible only in elite programs.

Having a basic understanding of Hu Jinchu’s current situation, Yu Fei became even more attentive to him.

In addition to helping with day-to-day living, he also arranged, through his good friend Lawson and his training team, to develop a nutrition plan and training schedule tailored for Hu Jinchu’s physical condition.

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This was the joy of a nurturing game; Yu Fei’s greatest hope for Hu Jinchu was that he could stabilize and play in the NBA like Yuta Watanabe.

If he could achieve that, he would completely surpass his former self.

From September onward, Yu Fei mostly stayed at home, only working out in the home gym and on the basketball court.

The court was filled with all kinds of sounds.

Bouncing of the ball, swishes of nets, clangs of the rim…and the cries of a child.

2-year-old Yu Bufan, speaking in cryptic phrases, tried to catch his father’s attention.

Unfortunately, the doting dad treated it as yet another of the child’s nonsensical monologues.

When little Bufan realized it was futile, he resorted to his most effective weapon—crying.

Kwame Brown chuckled, “Frye, have you heard that saying?”

Yu Fei asked, “What saying?”

“A child is not dad’s child, a child is just a daddy’s tail.”

“That’s not a saying.”

“It is now,” Brown declared like a philosopher, feigning depth, “It’s to serve as a reminder for future generations.”

So, is this why some black men employ the ‘divine severance’ technique when they get their girlfriends pregnant, merely not wanting the child to become their tail?

Yu Fei did not voice this racially charged joke. He walked over to little Bufan, and a miracle happened—the child stopped crying.

With the situation as it was, Yu Fei had no choice but to have the nanny put the child to sleep before continuing his training.

This was Yu Fei’s life before the pre-season training camp began.

It was also the calm before the new season.

In mid-September, the 2014-15 season’s training camp began.

As the previous year, the Clippers’ training camp continued in Los Angeles, the advantage being that those under contract don’t have to separate from the players, daily entering and leaving the training camp just like going to and from work.

The downside is that a lot of camp news tends to leak to the media.