From sparring to superstar

Chapter 21 20. The First Road Trip

"Wow... Leo, you look so handsome in a formal suit! Next time there is a party at school, I may consider you as my boyfriend."

Vivian looked at Li Ao, who was wearing a charcoal gray slim-fit suit, with stars in her eyes.

Li Ao looked at the assistant's aunt with this look, which was too much like the granddaughter of the professor next door. The young lady whose computer often broke down always had this look every time she saw him.

He also liked this dress, but he still asked, "Aunt Vivian, can this dress be returned?"

Vivienne understood Li Ao's meaning, and replied: "Gifts, I can't return them, my mother liked a shawl, but it has flaws, but it can't be seen on the clothes, that store can't discount, the store manager asked us Pick something as a gift, I thought you were going out to play soon, I couldn’t lose my face, so I asked your team for the size you measured when you customized the jersey, and I helped you choose a set, don’t you I can throw it away if I like it."

Li Ao could tell the truth from the tone of the hospital assistant's aunt.

Although he doesn't know how rich the auntie's family is, thanks to Dean Totten, in the small circle he lives in the United States, every family has a mine, including Dean Teng, who has a lot of stock assets. In terms of spending power, the house assistant auntie must have a mine...he is the only one who is poor.

He usually eats and drinks, and he will not refuse. They always come and go. At most, his treat is steak, hamburger, and the other party treats vegetables and fruits.

He did have a need for hiring a physical therapist, and he took note of the favor.

But a suit is not a necessity, if you don't owe this favor, it's better not to owe it.

But when it came to this point, Li Ao took off his suit decisively, straightened it out, put it in the storage bag, and stuffed it into the suitcase.

Vivian helped to check the luggage. Arizona is warmer than California, and the clothes she brought are not very thick. She even brought a red and white camera. She is also drunk, and the little boy just doesn't understand.

Tomorrow the Trojans will play away against the Sun Devils, and today Li Ao will go to Phoenix with the team.

Vivienne knew that this was the first time for Li Ao to go to other cities in the United States other than Los Angeles. She heard that other athletes would go to other cities and wanted to go shopping. She was especially interested in some special service places. Bringing a game console to pass the time is also... very good.

Seeing that nothing was missing, Vivian went to the storage room, opened a cabinet, and there were a bunch of mobile phones of different styles in it, and there was even a big brother who used to pretend to be a sharp weapon... In the pile of mobile phones, she rummaged and rummaged and rummaged. .

Finally found a satisfactory old mobile phone, opened the back cover, without the battery, he looked at the code, and called the communication company with the mobile phone he was using.

After making the phone call and returning to the living room, Vivienne handed the old mobile phone to Li Ao: "Phoenix is ​​not very safe, I have activated the Arizona communication service for you for 3 days, if something happens, call the police, or call me, no Fight! There's no one to back you up there."

Li Ao did not refuse to borrow an old mobile phone. He often saw the auntie who helped the hospital change a new mobile phone. When he went shopping and saw a new model he liked, this little rich woman would buy it. Moreover, the price of mobile phones has not been considered particularly expensive in the past two years. This kind of functional phone has also become popular in China. His parents want him to buy one, but he doesn’t have much phone calls. He also has a landline in his apartment. The landline is much more expensive, and you will be charged whether you use it or not, so I don’t need it.

However, looking at the shape of this pink Hello Kitty, the antenna still has two cat ears...

"Aunt Vivienne, can I change my mobile phone, I remember you have a cool black mobile phone."

"Ah, you like that, but I already paid the carrier, so what?"

Vivienne's tone was blaming herself, but her expression... her eyes were bent into crescent moons.

knock!Do not give a chance to struggle!
Li Ao silently put the charger in the suitcase, put the battery in the mobile phone, pressed the hang-up button for a while, and it turned on directly.

After chatting for a while, the landline in the living room rang. Xavier Johnson called. His home was also here. By the way, he took Li Ao to the airport, so Li Ao didn't have to go to school first and then take the bus to go to the airport.

Saying goodbye to the aunt who was helping the hospital, Li Ao took the mentality of going out of the province to build a team and hitched a ride with the shooting coach to the airport to meet the team and head to Phoenix.

...

Get in the car...sleep on the plane, take pictures after getting off the plane, sleep on the bus, and take pictures after arriving at the hotel. The team has a cameraman, and the other party did not refuse to ask the other party to take pictures.

It is the first time to play an away game, so you have to keep some souvenirs, wash a few more copies, and give them away.

Then, Li Ao didn't leave the room except to have lunch and dinner with the team.

Relying on popularity, no one wants to live in the same room as Shelby Jordan. Since last season, the Trojans have given Shelby Jordan a separate room for away games. Someone must be lucky enough to live in a single room , the lucky one this year is Li Ao.

When I came to the away city, I just got on the plane. Today the team did not arrange training, let the players rest, and when they come to other cities, they have to give time for sightseeing.

Some teammates were curious about what he was doing and whether he was dating a girl.

It turned out that this guy was actually playing games in the room!
Isn't it said that this guy is so energetic that he has to drive a sports car to ask a mature girl to the hotel at night after practicing for several hours?
Recently, Li Ao's scandals have begun to increase again.

In the opening match, he showed his sharpness, and for a few days, no one hated him.

But once Thanksgiving was over, there were more posts on the campus forums revealing his scandals.

Before, he was attacking him by telling the truth, but now, he directly blamed Liam's usual behavior on him.

He has also seen these remarks, and he is very speechless.

Looking at the number of posts, he can guess who did it.

As the saying goes, the writer of novels hopes to die with his peers, and those fat nerds in the class guess that seeing him flourishing in the school team makes them feel sour again.

He was very sad and indignant about this, it's okay if he really did it, the key is not him who is happy!
But he is really not interested in those flesh and blood.

Some of the teammates also saw the black material and discussed it behind Li Ao's back, but they didn't dare to discuss it in front of this evil star... They were still a little suspicious.

But when they came to the hotel in Phoenix, they saw Li Ao using his mobile phone to report his safety, and took an expensive suit for the hotel waiter to help iron it... That suit was a gift, and what Vivienne said was true, but The items in that store are very expensive, and the original price of the gift is not cheap, but it is not as expensive as the custom-made ones in that store...I also thought that this product often fights and has never been dealt with, and they have learned a lot about China. International students spend money like water, they believe it!
But when this guy came to Phoenix City, he was actually playing games in his room!

Teammates speculate that this new teammate who is too energetic may be because he has not met a mature girl.

After a night of rest, on Sunday, December 12th, the third game day of the Trojans arrived.

After lunch at noon, Li Ao changed into a handsome suit and accompanied the team to the University of Phoenix gymnasium.

Seeing this large comprehensive gymnasium, Li Ao felt very strange.

Before coming here, he investigated the information here.

The University of Phoenix is ​​a well-known private university in Phoenix and the largest private university in the United States. It has more than 200 campuses, spread over more than 20 states in the United States, and has more than 30 students.

The University of Phoenix Gymnasium is located within the University of Phoenix.

This University of Phoenix gymnasium is not the super large stadium that can accommodate 10,000+ people in the future and is often used to hold rugby games and many NCAA finals, but a venue in the University of Phoenix.

However, the University of Phoenix is ​​not a member of the NCAA Athletic Association. The University of Phoenix Gymnasium does not usually have a lot of business. There are concerts, product launches, and large-scale events. They are more willing to go to the Suns. Hall held.

And here is still a bit famous, not because of the University of Phoenix, but because the Arizona State University Sun Devils chose this place as their home field.

As a result, among the tens of thousands of students on the main campus of the University of Phoenix, not many of them knew the name of their school team participating in an unknown league. These wealthy students all became the ticket holders for the Sun Devils.

Earlier, I heard Liam say that the human brain circuit in Phoenix City is very strange. Several mayors like to build infrastructure one after another, emptying out all the finances, and making Phoenix City look like a western region. The busiest city.

These universities are also different.

When he came to the visiting team's locker room and changed into his training uniform, Li Ao put aside his distracting thoughts and followed the team for the final preparations before the match.

The first time is raw, the second time is familiar, and the third time, he is still in charge of listening...

Although it is certain that there is not much playing time, when it comes to the warm-up session, Li Ao is still patient and meticulous. Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, and there is still a skill called "perfect warm-up" that needs to be activated.

At 6:[-], Li Ao entered the stadium with the team.

It was the first time he played an away game, and it was also the first time he felt what an away game is.

Most of the people here are students at first glance. Not surprisingly, they are basically high-achieving students from Arizona State University and University of Phoenix.

Cultural people are different. The words and sentences used to swear are much more advanced than the aunts and uncles who grab food in the supermarket.

Seeing Li Ao looking around with great interest, Henry Bibby snorted softly, this kid's ability to resist pressure was unexpectedly good.

Within 2 minutes of the Trojans entering the court, the Sun Devils also entered the field.

Li Ao's eyes were attracted by one of the opponent's players - Eddie House!

185 cm, the standard height of a point guard, 80 kg in weight, fair speed, average strength, super shooting!

Eddie House, who has played two games so far, averaged 32 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He ranked first in the division in scoring average. He lost the first game against the Wildcats and scored 20 points. In the second game, he scored 44 against the Bruins. point.

With a comprehensive evaluation of 94, Li Ao is the strongest player he has ever seen!In college basketball, Eddie House, a senior super shooter, is like a superstar.

With such a strong opponent, let the back line teammates have a headache.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the game started.

The Trojans are still the starting combination of Granville, Trepagnier, Shelby Jordan, White Mamba and Charles.

The Sun Devils sent Eddie House, Turner Hill, Avi Straiter, Sean Redharg, and Chad Pruitt to the starting lineup.

Just look at the lineup, the Sun Devils lineup is not as good as the Trojans and Dukes, but they play well together.

Their five starters have been fixed since Christmas in the 98-99 season, and the youngest is also a junior. They have rich experience in the game, and their tacit understanding has long been full. All five of them have the ability to pass the ball.

Eddie House, as the core scorer and the first organizer of the back line, averaged 4 assists in the first two games. Averaged 9.7 points, 6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

The other three averaged the least assists per game last season with 1.6 times.

The tactics of the Sun Devils revolve around creating shooting opportunities for Eddie House, who can score more than 40 points in a single game, to create shooting opportunities for others. Ferocious attack.

The Trojans played well offensively under the leadership of Granville, but they were still overwhelmed by the Sun Devils at the beginning.

However, the situation is not good, and the coaching staff of the Trojans are not too anxious.

It is the third year that the five starters of the Sun Devils have cooperated together. To be precise, after one and a half seasons of cooperation, in the new season, there are still no substitutions. It can be said that they cooperate so well that no one can replace any of them. , but this also means that the Sun Devils have not had newcomers who are strong enough to replace any of them in the past two years.

With the University of Arizona Wildcats, the Sun Devils are just like the Trojans next to the Bruins. All the geniuses go to the Wildcats, and the Sun Devils can only eat leftovers, or occasionally there is someone who would rather be a chicken head. A talented high school student who is a phoenix tail joins, but he may not be able to play well.

This kind of team can play well, which means that a good coach is ready. In the past few years, the head coach of the Sun Devils, Rob Evans, led the University of Mississippi rebels to win the Southeast Division championship for two consecutive years, and was defeated by the Sun Devils. The rise of the Sun Devils came about after a lot of money was paid to hire them back.

Apart from the five starters for the Sun Devils, the bench lineup is actually not bad. Rob Evans has been working hard like Henry Bibby these years, but Eddie House is still in his senior year. Can find a core that can take over.

And when it comes to substitutes, the coaching staff of the Trojans are confident that they are better, so despite the unfavorable start, Kevin Henderson, the chief assistant, is still guiding Li Ao calmly.

"Leo, I told you before that Avi Strait is worth learning from. Have you watched the video prepared for you?"

"Watched it twice on Thursday."

"Very good, you see, his speed is not fast, but he can always appear in the right position, maintain tactical bonding with his teammates, and his passing is very clean... He is actually a pity, in 97 He is ranked 51st in the United States. He started his freshman season after Christmas. He is a solid starter, but his athletic ability is not good. What a pity..."

Li Ao deeply thinks that, as a frontcourt player, he must either have height and wingspan, or he must have athletic ability, neither of which... They all say that Big Bird's physical fitness is not good, and it depends on who he compares with. During the NCAA period, no one talked about his physical fitness, but most of the players who could enter the NBA were at the livestock level.

But he is different, although his physical fitness is 'average' at present, but he can add points!

The Trojans were as solid as ever. In the middle of the first half, the two teams rotated. Li Ao played for Shelby Jordan for a few minutes and was responsible for defending Avi Straiter.

Shelby Jordan couldn't guard against Avi Straiter, his skills were so good, and Henry Bibby didn't expect Li Ao to do well.

He was counting on Nate Hale, Trepagnier, and Brusenwaal.

But after entering the rotation stage, the situation was not as expected by the coaching staff of the Trojans. They played well offensively, but their defense collapsed!
Li Ao failed to guard Avi Straiter, and the opponent did not aim to score. This did not exceed the expectations of the Trojans coaching staff, after all, Shelby Jordan could not guard.

But when Shelby Jordan defended against Avi Straiter, he could interfere with the opponent's passing and movement. Li Ao was not as good as Shelby Jordan.

After this rotation, the Sun Devils replaced Alton Mason, another guard with strong passing ability, and a small guard with the same height of 185 cm as Eddie House, forming a two-guard combination that can pass and shoot .

Under the restraint of Eddie House, Alton Mason and Avi Strait freely connected the whole team's offense. The Sun Devils scored in 4 consecutive rounds and played a wave of 9-3. The pass and cut cooperated successfully, and Eddie House created a three-pointer and made a shot, opening the point difference to double digits in one fell swoop, leading the Trojans 28 to 17 by 11 points!
In the first half of the NCAA game, each team had only two timeouts. The Trojans had already used one. This time, they didn't call a timeout. Henry Bibby yelled at the sidelines how to adjust.

After receiving the instruction, Charles directed his teammates to adjust the zone defense position, the main defense cut in, and protected the basket.

The effect was excellent. Just now the Sun Devils had a good time eating cakes and scored 6 points. The backup center Tommy Smith and power forward Sean Redhag lost their temper immediately.

But Eddie House went berserk immediately!

He just scored a three-pointer, facing Nate Haier's defense, he made three consecutive singles retreat three-pointers and scored 12 points in a row!
Including the 5 points before the timeout, Eddie House has scored 17 points!
Brusenvale played a 2+1, but after 3 rounds, the point difference was opened by 6 points.

20 to 37, the point difference came to 17 points, the Trojans called a timeout again!

Henry Bibby wanted to spout ten thousand swear words, but he forced himself to maintain a calm posture.

This hell, what happened to the Bruins a few days ago seems to be repeated on their Trojans!

Eddie House, the guy, in Henry Bibby's opinion, had an uncertain future as a professional player.

But in college, with a system that worked for him, Baron Davis's super-genius would have succumbed to this guy.

It's just, did the Los Angeles team eat this guy's rice?
Why did they catch their Los Angeles team breaking out?

Seeing Eddie House with his hands on his hips, enjoying the crazy cheers of the fans in a posture of not knowing where his opponent is, Henry Bibby was very angry, but he couldn't think of a good way.

Their team's guard group, Granville, who moves faster than this guy, is not tall enough; Nate Hale, who is tall and fast enough, lacks defensive ability; Trepagnier, who has good defensive ability and enough experience, moves Can't keep up...

Wait, enough speed, enough height, good at defensive shooting... Henry Bibby set his sights on that kid.

On Li Ao's side, he was feeling his scalp numb from Eddie House's performance, when suddenly a chill came from his back, and his whole body went numb.

Some villains want to harm me!
"Leo, go up and defend against House."

"Chu!"

　Another 10 words, the [-]th day of publishing the book, it’s really fast... Ask for a monthly ticket recommendation~ I will continue to update the speed later~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)