After receiving their jerseys and room numbers, all the students headed to the gymnasium to hear the welcome speech from the founder of ABCD—Sonny Vaccaro.
Like the educational 'experts' from his past life, Sonny Vaccaro spoke in clichés, giving the players some very general advice, but mostly boasting about how incredible his training camp was.
Kobe, McGrady, Odom, Marbury, and many other big-name stars had come out of this training camp.
In an era where online media was not particularly developed, the ABCD Training Camp was indeed an excellent platform. Back then, Kobe, wearing jersey number 143, was just as unknown as other talented players before participating in the '95 camp.
But in the final battle, after defeating the then-number one high schooler in America, Lamar Odom, Kobe gained a massive amount of exposure and won the favor of many scouts. Only then was he selected for the NBA as a high school graduate. One must realize that before '96, high school players being drafted into the NBA were few and far between.
McGrady's experience in the '96 camp was equally legendary. He hadn't even received an invitation at the time and entered the camp through his team's head coach and by recommending himself. Like Kobe, he became famous across America by dominating the ABCD Training Camp.
...
...
After Sonny Vaccaro finished bragging about the ABCD Training Camp, he began dividing them into groups.
The 258 students were divided into two groups.
To allow players to get to know each other in a short time, they were divided according to their dormitory room numbers. Dorms were generally six-person rooms. However, some students stayed in single rooms, such as the MVP of last year's 2000 ABCD Training Camp—Lamine Kook.
There was also Florida's number one high schooler—Amare Stoudemire.
New Jersey's Mr. Basketball, the mr. 100—Dajuan Wagner.
These three all lived in luxurious single rooms.
Meanwhile, Link, Bosh, and Matt Babcock from Room 31, along with the 12 people from neighboring Room 302, were assigned to the same team.
Among the 12 people, there were two five-star high schoolers in the nation: Chris Bosh (Jersey No. 39) and Josh Smith (Jersey No. 47).
There were seven four-star high schoolers; uh, among them were four pure Point Guards, two combo guards, and one forward.
The remaining three were three-star high schoolers like Matt Babcock.
The training camp assigned Chris Grant as the head coach for Link and the others. Incidentally, he was an intern for Matt Babcock's uncle.
"Young men, welcome to the ABCD Training Camp. I am your head coach..." Chris Grant first gave a self-introduction.
"Every team here will have a cool name."
"To that end, I have chosen a nice name for our team—Dream Chasing Warriors!"
"What do you think?"
Chris Grant looked like he was consulting everyone's opinion, but in reality, he was waiting for the students' praise.
The commoner students in America, who were raised on 'happy education,' didn't seem to catch on.
"Dream Chasing Warriors? My god, that name is so out. I thought I was watching a Hollywood movie from the last century!"
"Yeah, it's too tacky."
"Doesn't sound good at all."
The smile on Chris Grant's face gradually vanished.
Until Link suddenly said: "That's right. Every student who comes to the ABCD Training Camp is here to chase their basketball dream. And that requires the courage to face all powerful enemies; the brave prevail when they meet on a narrow path."
"Wow!"
"Student number 143, your explanation is simply too cool."
"That's exactly what I was thinking, heh heh, that's why I chose this name."
Chris Grant said somewhat excitedly, though a slight blush flashed across his face.
"Man, your bro really knows how to work it." The 188cm tall Matt Babcock stood on his tiptoes, leaned into Bosh's ear, and whispered.
Bosh smiled slightly and gave Matt Babcock a look as if to say: "Of course, why else do you think Link gets to be the captain of our team?"
The name of Link's team was thus decided—Dream Chasing Warriors.
To be honest, Link felt a jolt in his heart when he heard 'Dream Chasing,' but if he wanted to make a name for himself at the ABCD Training Camp, putting everything else aside, at the very least, he needed enough playing time.
A player's time on the court was arranged by the head coach.
Link's flattery provided unexpected help in the upcoming starting lineup selection.
The American basketball scene produced small guards in abundance...
In this 12-man Dream Chasing Warriors team, there were a total of eight guards, and four people like Link who were four-star Point Guards.
Their jersey numbers were: 121, 130, 143, and 151.
Everyone wanted to be the team's starting Point Guard, but theoretically, it was decided by jersey numbers since those were rankings based on the players' comprehensive strength.
However, Chris Grant took a special liking to Link, so he decided to give him a special opportunity.
"I know all four of you want to be the team's starting Point Guard. To be fair, you'll decide it through one-on-ones," Chris Grant said.
While a Point Guard needs a certain level of one-on-one ability, organizing and connecting the team is fundamental. However, to quickly unify the team's combat power as the floor general, you have to make everyone respect you. After a center gets a rebound, they must be willing to pass the ball to you to let you organize.
And in this short amount of time, the shortcut to gaining respect and recognition and quickly making your teammates submit was indeed a one-on-one.
The one-on-one rules were simple: a 5-ball system; whoever scores five balls first wins.
A 2-pointer counts as one ball, and a 3-pointer counts as two balls.
No change of possession; after scoring, you continue to hold offensive possession.
Second-chance points after grabbing an offensive rebound are allowed.
These rules were simply too advantageous for a 198cm tall Point Guard like Link. After all, the other three competitors were all under 185cm, with one being only 175cm.
At the same time, a series of mechanical and cold electronic sounds echoed in Link's mind.
[Ding, random mission triggered—I Want to be a Starter.]
[Mission Description: Become the starting Point Guard for the 'Dream Chasing Warriors'.]
[Mission Reward: 10 Goat Points; Random Player Animation Pack x1.]