McNamara was far more professional than Su Xi. He set up numerous cones on the court, and after warming up, he began weaving through them—accelerating, changing direction... It was a dazzling display.
His dribbling was simple and clean.
His cuts were swift.
Su Xi watched from the side for a long time before approaching McNamara. "Is this your training routine? I want to learn it."
He was very direct.
McNamara was taken aback by his directness. 'Are all people from New York State this blunt?' he thought.
They weren't.
It was just Su Xi.
Su Xi's mentality was different from that of a normal person. He was convinced he was a quasi-God of Basketball destined to win an NBA championship within five years. Therefore, when it came to basketball, he refused to waste time beating around the bush. He said what was on his mind—the more efficient, the better.
"Of course."
McNamara ran through the drill for Su Xi. It was a crossover-drive technique that broke a complex move down to its essentials. Su Xi struggled with it at first. He had always played against opponents who were physically superior, forcing him to rely on complicated skills to create space. He wasn't used to simplifying things.
McNamara watched and shook his head.
But he was a devout Catholic who went to church every week, and arrogance wasn't in his nature. He patiently taught Su Xi the finer details.
Su Xi's practice gradually improved.
McNamara was a better teacher than the assistant coaches at Syracuse University—though, of course, that was because the assistant coaches at Syracuse wouldn't waste their energy on Su Xi.
For half an hour, Su Xi practiced meticulously, patiently running through the drill again and again.
McNamara could already see that this new teammate of his was pretty average. His speed was nothing special, his burst was mediocre, and he was probably a benchwarmer.
And his stamina didn't seem great, either.
After practicing for half an hour, he was sitting on the sidelines resting again.
A few moments later, however, he stood up, full of energy.
"Let's play one-on-one."
Huh?
McNamara froze. 'One-on-one with me?' he thought. 'With the top scorer in all of Pennsylvania high school basketball? Are you sure about that?'
"Yeah, that's right. You're a great player. If you can beat me, you might be able to join the Orange Team. You deserve a shot like that," Su Xi told him. "I can tell you're a good person."
The praise came out of nowhere.
McNamara had never been hit with the "nice guy" card like this before.
But he couldn't deny it felt good.
Validation from a stranger who didn't know his name was far more gratifying than the flattery from people who only knew him by his reputation.
The one-on-one began.
Su Xi let McNamara take the ball first.
McNamara lived up to his reputation as a top high school scorer. He gave Su Xi a hard jab step, and the rapid shift in his center of gravity pulled Su Xi off balance. Then, he exploded forward. His above-average burst of speed instantly sliced through Su Xi's defense.
Su Xi turned to give chase, but McNamara had already pulled up for a jumper at the free-throw line.
SWISH. It was good.
McNamara had a textbook-perfect shot.
Su Xi stared at McNamara in surprise, a look of genuine joy spreading across his face. In the instant McNamara had flashed past him, he felt the explosive power talent left by Reggie leap within him. There were faint signs of a breakthrough in its fusion.
He quickly summoned the Little Elf.
The Little Elf then read McNamara's talents.
Elite Speed Talent.
Elite Agility Talent.
Excellent Coordination Talent.
Excellent Stamina Talent.
Excellent Vertical Leap Talent.
Excellent Flexibility Talent.
Elite Strength Talent.
Elite Explosiveness Talent.
The Little Elf said, "This opponent's explosiveness is stronger than what you're currently fusing. When he made that sudden move, it stimulated and accelerated your fusion process. You should keep training with him."
"Guard him, feel how he generates his power, and you'll accelerate the fusion."
The Little Elf's explanation made Su Xi overjoyed.
As the Little Elf faded away,
He looked at McNamara with a grin and gave him a thumbs-up. "That was great! Again!"
Huh?
McNamara thought Su Xi would back down after that. The basket should have been enough to show him the massive gap between them.
But instead, he was giving him another thumbs-up and asking for more.
McNamara found Su Xi incredibly interesting.
He tossed the ball to Su Xi. "Let me see what you've got on offense."
Su Xi passed the ball right back to McNamara. "Nope. You keep attacking. I'll guard you."
Huh?
McNamara's brain short-circuited for a second. 'What is with this handsome guy?' he wondered. 'Does he enjoy getting torched by me?'
McNamara took the ball and attacked again.
It started with another light probe, and then he was gone in a flash. His burst was significantly stronger than Su Xi's—he was Pennsylvania's Mr. Basketball, after all.
But in the instant McNamara blew past him, Su Xi felt a distinct jump: his explosive power talent fusion ticked up from 60% to 61%.
A full percentage point.
Su Xi was ecstatic. He quickly gave chase, his own initial burst a little faster this time. He caught up inside the paint but was still powerless to stop McNamara's reverse layup.
After the ball went in, McNamara landed and looked at Su Xi, raising an eyebrow. He was trying to get him to give up.
But all he saw was that same innocent, joyful smile. Su Xi gave him another thumbs-up. "You're amazing! Again!"
The praise was genuine.
McNamara hadn't received praise like that in years. Usually, when he blew past an opponent, all he saw was frustration, or even resentment.
But Su Xi was just so... genuine.
McNamara thought to himself, 'This guy's skills are trash, but he must be a true child of God. He has such a big heart and a kind of childlike innocence.'
So, he decided to continue the one-on-one with this guy.
Su Xi still couldn't stop him, but he sincerely praised McNamara every single time, never getting frustrated or losing his temper. McNamara had never met a player like this. Su Xi was so sincere, friendly, and hardworking, giving it his absolute all.
Aside from his lack of skill, he was practically the perfect person.
Moreover, McNamara noticed the handsome teenager's defense was actually improving. His reads on the driving lanes were correct, and his reaction time was getting faster.
The two of them practiced against each other for half an hour.
Su Xi's explosiveness rating rose from 60% to 63%, which made him ecstatic. It had been a long time since he'd seen any improvement.
Su Xi was getting tired, though. "Let's take a 10-minute break, then keep going, okay?" he said to McNamara.
McNamara pointed at the gasping Su Xi. "You're that exhausted, and you think 10 minutes will be enough?"
"It will be!" Su Xi replied firmly.
Su Xi had once been struck by lightning—for a full 23 minutes—and the pain had been unbearable. But the incident had left him full of energy with a crystal-clear mind. More importantly, his stamina recovery was incredibly fast. Even though his endurance was poor, he could get most of it back just by sitting and resting for ten minutes or so. Of course, the most important change of all was that the violent lightning storm had altered his very presence. He became incredibly popular with girls; women loved being around him, saying he had a special... and very attractive... scent.
McNamara sat next to him. He asked, "Are you a member of the Orange Team?"
"Yes," Su Xi replied. "But my skill level is the worst on the Orange Team. I got in through the back door."
Su Xi was very candid. He added, "You'd be making a huge mistake if you judge the strength of the actual Orange Team players based on me."
McNamara smiled. He then asked Su Xi, "I heard the greatest star in the history of the Orange Team is Reggie Williams. How do you think my skills compare to his?"
At the mention of Reggie Williams,
Su Xi fell silent for a moment. He didn't hide the truth. "I'm only on the team because Reggie Williams used his influence to get me in."
"I'm sorry." McNamara reached out and patted Su Xi's shoulder.
"It might not sound very objective coming from me, but one thing is certain: Reggie's physical abilities were on a completely different level than yours. Much, much higher," Su Xi said.
Su Xi had already figured it out: using Reggie Williams as the benchmark, McNamara's explosiveness was around 78%.
The Little Elf had just confirmed this as well. McNamara's explosiveness was merely at the Elite level. In the Little Elf's basketball system, above Elite was Excellent, above Excellent was Top-Tier, and above Top-Tier was Super. He was a full three tiers below.
McNamara shrugged, not denying it. "Reggie's physical gifts were insane, that's for sure. It's why he was the frontrunner for the number one draft pick for a while."
A hint of melancholy touched McNamara.
He was a white player, and the ceiling on his physical abilities was his greatest source of frustration. He knew his skill and shooting were enough to dominate in high school. He could even be a star in the NCAA. But the NBA wouldn't hand him a ticket so easily. The league's physical demands are incredibly high; a lack of natural athletic talent washed out countless players.
In that moment, McNamara suddenly felt a deep empathy for Su Xi.
Su Xi facing him was like him facing the NBA.
What he didn't know, however, was that in theory, Su Xi had a better chance of making it to the NBA than he did.
After about 10 minutes, Su Xi stood up. "Let's keep going."
McNamara was a little surprised. "You're rested already?"
Su Xi did two deep squats. "No problem at all."
McNamara felt like Su Xi was some kind of monster. That recovery rate was terrifying. Just moments ago, he had been gasping for air.
Their one-on-one continued.
McNamara focused on his offense while Su Xi poured one hundred percent of his energy into defense, giving it his all.
They played for another half an hour.
Although Su Xi's explosiveness talent only rose to 64%, he managed to disrupt McNamara on the final play. Su Xi broke up McNamara's layup.
McNamara was tired. As a white guard, his stamina reserves weren't exactly deep either.
"Okay, let's call it a day,"
McNamara said to Su Xi.
Su Xi seemed reluctant to stop. "Are you coming back tomorrow?" he asked. "I want to play you again. If not here, we can go to an outdoor court."
Su Xi was very sincere.
McNamara smiled and replied, "If nothing unexpected comes up, I'll be here every day. Nice to meet you, my name is Gerry McNamara."
"Same here. I'm Su Xi. Jack Su!"
Su Xi stuck out his hand. They shook and bumped chests. Though they had only met that day, the seeds of a friendship were already sprouting.
Head Coach Jim Boham sat in his office overlooking the court, a cup of coffee in hand, watching the entire session unfold. His attention had been fixed on them since the very first play of Su Xi and McNamara's one-on-one.
This was a unique tryout.
Coach Jim was very satisfied with McNamara's command of his offense, and he loved his textbook shot.
But as it went on, he found himself involuntarily drawn to Su Xi, the one who was defending with every ounce of his being.
Su Xi was the supporting character in this matchup, a bit like a jester, even, since he couldn't get a stop to save his life.
But to Boham, he had the feel of a Don Quixote. He admired the warrior who kept charging, no matter the odds.
He was moved by Su Xi's tenacity.
Moreover, he could see Su Xi's improvement.
Su Xi's improvement was significant. His reads on defense and his ability to recover after getting beat were both getting better.
'He really is the kid who turns down a beautiful girl's confession.'
'I should give this kid a chance.'
'After all, besides myself, I've never seen a kid who loves basketball this purely.'
...