"I'm afraid none of us will be able to get him!" Duke's Coach K said in a low voice.
As a famous American college coach, Coach K has an extremely high reputation not only in college but throughout the entire American basketball world.
The assistant coaches beside him, as well as scouts and coaching teams from other universities, were also stunned upon hearing those words.
Is this kid, who is only a little over 17 years old, really that strong?
When someone pressed Coach K for further details, the latter did not offer much explanation.
"Coach K's praise for Link is a bit exaggerated. Although the scouting report shows he is still in his prime developmental stage, his athletic talent shouldn't be that strong..." other college coaches thought to themselves. However, after watching today's game, they could be certain of one thing: Link would definitely enter the NBA in the future.
"We must find a way to get him!"
This also became the consensus among many prestigious NCAA Division I schools.
After winning the game, Link and the losing side, LeBron James and his teammates, were invited to the center of the court again by the stadium DJ.
Next was the segment for presenting the MVP trophy.
As the founder of ABCD, Sonny Vaccaro attended in formal attire; after all, it was now being broadcast nationwide on the ESPN2 channel.
Even though he lost the final game, LeBron James still stared at the brand-new, shiny MVP trophy.
Young James still held onto a sliver of unrealistic fantasy.
After all, in terms of player statistics, Young James had a slight advantage.
LeBron James had 12-of-28 shooting, 2-of-7 from three-point range, and 9-of-13 from the Free Throw line, exploding for a comprehensive stat line of 35 points, 8 assists, 11 rebounds, 3 Blocks, and 2 Steals.
Link had 13-of-21 shooting, 4-of-9 from three-point range, and 3-of-3 from the Free Throw line, racking up 33 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 Steals.
Aside from shooting percentage, Link's individual stats were inferior to James's; however, in terms of assists, Link had at least 5 indirect assists after secondary ball movement. Because of this, the team's overall offensive flow and tactical execution success rate surpassed their opponents'.
The stadium DJ handed the microphone to Sonny Vaccaro, who clearly wasn't going to miss this opportunity to promote his training camp in front of fans across the country. After a round of self-promotion, he finally got down to business.
Sonny Vaccaro, face beaming with smiles, first glanced at LeBron James, which caused the latter's heart to race. However, in less than two seconds, his gaze moved away and landed on Link.
Sonny Vaccaro walked toward Link, presenting the 2001 ABCD Training Camp MVP trophy with both hands, and announced that the winner was Link, currently a senior at Lincoln High School.
At this moment!
Link felt a sense of relief wash over him.
To be honest, when Sonny Vaccaro's eyes first looked toward James, Link was a bit flustered inside despite his calm exterior. After all, he had seen cases in his previous life where the losing side won the MVP.
When Link held up the MVP trophy over his head, the players of the Dream Chasing Warriors began to roar one after another.
Especially Chris Bosh, who was howling at the top of his lungs!!!
The audience also clapped and cheered for Link and his team.
But...
Link seemed to hear the sound of hearts breaking. He turned his head to look at the dejected LeBron James and the others.
A general's success is built on ten thousand bones; although a single game to decide the winner involves a significant element of luck, competitive sports are just that cruel.
...
...
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining post-match rewards: 73 Goat points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the main quest—I am the MVP!]
[Ding! Reward: 500 Goat points!]
[Ding! The Special Offer Item Zone will open promptly at 8 PM tonight!]
"Damn!"
"This damn system is really a pain, always something going on every day."
Link couldn't help but complain.
[Goat points: 2,111 / 4,710] (To obtain the next player template, 30,000 Goat points are required.)
Link's current Goat points could be used for 21 random draws, but to get stronger as quickly as possible, he still wanted to buy some'specific items' in the Special Offer Item Zone, such as the [physical sports special training card].
...
...
Having become the training camp MVP, Link undoubtedly became the center of attention, surrounded by everyone like stars around the moon.
Those college scouts and well-known high school basketball media members, who used to be high and mighty among high school players, were now like sycophants, surrounding Link so tightly that not even water could leak through.
As for Chris Bosh and Josh Smith, although their performances in the All-Star game weren't as brilliant as Link's, their talent was visible to the naked eye, and they also received many media interviews.
Only... a 'nobody' like Matt Babcock, whose talent was too mediocre and who didn't even look like he could play basketball, was left ignored.
"Link is destined to be from a different world than me."
"Perhaps after today, we will never cross paths again..."
"But I will always remember that we once fought side by side and achieved the final victory..."
"And today will also become the most glorious and beautiful moment of my life!"
Looking at his teammate who had become a star, as well as his new friend in life, Matt Babcock was filled with emotion for a moment, but after coming to terms with it all, he prepared to leave without looking back.
And then...
Link, who was being interviewed by the media and asked about the key factors for tonight's victory, loudly mentioned Matt Babcock's name.
Standing nearly 2 meters tall, Link spotted Matt Babcock over the heads of the reporters and shouted loudly, "Matt, my man! He is also a hero who made our victory today possible."
At this moment, Matt Babcock, who just a second ago had planned to remain a 'nobody' and not disturb Link, clearly slowed his pace. Upon hearing the footsteps coming from behind, the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than an AK.
Noticing the change in Matt's expression, Link smiled knowingly.
He had told his teammates before the game that if they could defeat their opponents in today's All-Star game, he would not keep this glory to himself.
And by taking the initiative to mention Matt Babcock in front of the media, Link indeed fulfilled his promise.
The others on the Dream Chasing Warriors Team also gained a certain amount of media exposure, laying a foundation for their entry into the NCAA.
...
...
The week-long ABCD Training Camp came to a close today.
As the biggest winner of this event, Link's name resonated throughout the entire American high school basketball world.
Multiple media outlets rushed to report on it.
"The Magic Johnson from China defeated a host of powerful enemies in this year's training camp. No one expected that the person ranked 143rd at the start would actually become the final MVP. Without a doubt, he is the most outstanding guard in the Class of 2001, bar none." — Reported by Parade Magazine.
"The strongest high schooler! A combination of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. He can not only deliver magic-like passes but also hit three-pointers from the perimeter and post up opponents in the low Block. I believe the sky is the limit for him." — Reported by Sports Illustrated.