The longest river

Chapter 28 You Will Be the Best One
After Treller, other students asked questions, and Barkley answered them one by one in his humorous and precise manner.

Overall, aside from the previous "unconventional" viewpoint, this guest invitation was very successful.

At the end of the Q&A session, a student stood up and asked if he could get an autograph. After Barkley nodded in agreement, the room erupted into chaos.

A large number of students gathered around, holding their notebooks.

Getting an autograph from an NBA superstar is a very meaningful thing.

Yang Shuai didn't go up to sign autographs. It didn't mean much to him. After all, he would have plenty of opportunities to sign autographs once he entered the NBA.

However, instead of him going to Barkley, Barkley went to him.

The crowd dispersed, and Barkley waved to Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai got up and walked over to Barkley.

"They told me you scored a last-second game-winning shot in yesterday's game?"

Yang Shuai turned his head in confusion, only to find that Garnett had given him a look.

He nodded.

"Now I know why you said those things earlier. Your mental fortitude is already that of a professional player." Barkley looked at Yang Shuai and nodded repeatedly.

This praise drew envious glances from the other trainees.

However, Barkley's next words instantly turned those gazes into shock.

"Keep up the good work. Maybe you're not the most talented in the training camp, but one day you'll be the best one here."

This training camp features Allen Iverson, Steve Fields, Stephon Marbury, and Kevin Garnett!

Yang Shuai was also somewhat incredulous. If it weren't for his system, he would have thought Barkley's words were an exaggeration.

"Remember, talent only determines your lower limit; what determines your upper limit is your mental attributes, and you possess them."

Barkley picked up his pen and signed his name on the front of Yang Shuai's jersey, above the number 101.

Sir Charles.

Barkley's departure had the biggest impact on Yang Shuai.

Barkley's comments made Yang Shuai an instant hot topic at the training camp.

Wearing number 101, he was considered a future number 1 player.

That sounds really cool, and of course, it also makes people jealous.

In the second group stage match in the afternoon, Yang Shuai felt targeted.

The moment he receives the ball, it's as if a gravitational field of hatred automatically forms, and double-teaming comes without warning.

Yang Shuai didn't expect things to develop in this direction, but he didn't mind at all.

Because this kind of targeted attack by the opponent will not only not help them, but will also cause their defense to be out of position in various ways.

Moreover, Yang Shuai also automatically gained a lot of negative energy during this process.

From this perspective, Barkley did him a favor.

After three days of group matches, Eskrich finished first in their group with a perfect record of three wins.

This allowed them to easily advance to the semifinals in the fourth day of the knockout stage.

However, when they faced Marbury and Carter's team in the semifinals, they were unable to solve Marbury's defensive problems and ultimately lost.

Marbury and Carter also defeated Garnett and Fields in the final to win the eleventh-grade championship.

Although he didn't win the final championship, Yang Shuai was still selected for the All-Star Game on the last day of training camp thanks to his outstanding performance.

The final day of the competition was like the NBA All-Star Weekend, featuring not only the main game but also a slam dunk contest and a three-point contest.

The last two events were open to voluntary registration; Yang Shuai registered for the three-point shooting contest.

As a result, he easily won the three-point contest.

He only performed normally; he scored 20 out of a possible 30.

However, most of his opponents are below 15 points.

This made him realize that not only did this era not value three-pointers, but even these top high school students didn't take them seriously.

The most exciting part of the day was the slam dunk contest.

Before this, Fields won the national high school dunk contest, and rumors circulated that Carter was afraid to compete because of Fields' participation.

Whether the rumors are true or not, the two faced off in the training camp.

Both players performed exceptionally well in the preliminary rounds, eliminating Corey Benjamin and Shia Cotton to advance to the final.

In the final, Carter narrowly defeated Fields to win the Slam Dunk Contest with a spectacular 360° spin between-the-legs dunk.

Fields' jumping ability is undoubtedly better, but Carter's dunks are not only aesthetically pleasing, they are true violent aesthetics.

This championship was a powerful response from Carter to the previous rumors and solidified his status as a dunking legend in high school across the United States.

In the final All-Star Game, Yang Shuai came off the bench and played 10 minutes, scoring 8 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and dishing out 2 assists, delivering a commendable performance. After the All-Star Game concluded, the training camp officially ended.

Iverson led his team to the 12th grade championship and was also the best performer in the All-Star Game, unsurprisingly winning both Player of the Week and MVP of the training camp.

Yang Shuai didn't come away empty-handed; he was selected for the All-NBA Second Team in the training camp.

More importantly than the second team, the training camp changed jerseys at the end of the season.

Yang Shuai received his new jersey number, 31.

In other words, he spent a week improving his ranking in the training camp by a full 70 places!
This player also saw the biggest improvement in rankings during this training camp.

His initial idea was indeed correct: the lower the ranking, the greater the potential for improvement.

Although Yang Shuai may not be able to become a five-star high school student in the media rankings because of other training camps like ABCD, he won't be too far off.

He made the right choice by coming to this Nike training camp.

The team members will leave one after another the day after the training camp ends.

That same evening, Eskrich approached Yang Shuai and asked him about his plans for the summer.

"I should find an amateur league to play in before school starts."

This is Yang Shuai's true thought, because he has basically reached the limit of his talent in all aspects. Training has limited effect on him and is more about maintaining his form.

In contrast, gaining points is a more useful improvement for him.

The old way of playing pickup basketball earned points quickly, but there was a risk of encountering the truth. In contrast, participating in the summer amateur league can avoid this.

The Drew League, which he knew from his previous life, would be just as good, but he wasn't sure if Cleveland had a similar league.

As Yang Shuai was thinking, Eskrich on the opposite side suddenly became excited:
"Are you interested in playing in the Sonny Hill League 1?"

Yang Shuai looked puzzled; he had never heard of this league.

"This is the most famous league in Philadelphia, with a history of over thirty years."

If Yang Shuai remembers correctly, Eskridge is from Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is in Pennsylvania, right next to Ohio, so that's not a bad thing.

Eskrich noticed Yang Shuai's change in mood and pressed his advantage: "Although the conditions there are not as good as here, I can help solve the accommodation problem."

"I need to go back and discuss it with my family." Yang Shuai basically agreed.

"Looking forward to your good news." Eskrich gave Yang Shuai his contact information.

The next morning, Yang Shuai and Garnett parted ways at the entrance of the training camp.

Yang Shuai will take a taxi to the airport and then fly back to Cleveland, while Garnett will stay in Chicago.

As they parted, Yang Shuai also talked to Garnett about the Sonny Hill League.

"That's the most famous street league, the level is very high, and the prize money for the champion is said to be quite substantial." Garnett knew more than Yang Shuai.

Hearing that there was also a bonus, Yang Shuai became even more interested.

"Why don't you come with me?" he invited Garnett directly.

Unexpectedly, Garnett shook his head: "I still need to take care of my sister. I will stay in Chicago to play in the Midnight League."

Hearing this, Yang Shuai didn't continue to persuade him.

Because they lived in the same dormitory, and as they talked more, Yang Shuai learned why Garnett came to Chicago.

Garnett had a similar experience to Iverson in Greenville, where he was expelled from school and faced jail time for getting into fights with white people.

However, the laws vary greatly from state to state in the United States. If he transfers to a school in Chicago, he can have the lynching transferred to Chicago, where he would only be fined $50.

However, his parents did not come with him. He not only had to live here, but also had to take care of his younger sister who was four years younger than him.

After returning to Cleveland, Yang Shuai first consulted with Paul and learned that Cleveland did not have any established amateur leagues.

He then talked to Lin Xiulan about going to Philadelphia to play in the street league.

Lin Xiulan is very supportive. After witnessing Yang Shuai's outstanding performance in Las Vegas, she now only wants to help Yang Shuai embark on a professional gaming career as much as possible, which would completely change Yang Shuai's destiny.

Moreover, Rondo expressed great interest after hearing about it.

Finally, Yang Shuai called Eskridge to confirm that the two of them could join, and then he and Rondo embarked on their trip to Philadelphia.

Just before he set off, Paul brought him some good news.

In the latest ranking of the 1995 high school graduates published by the media, Yang Shuai ranked 28th, just ahead of Paul Pierce.

Thanks to his outstanding performance in the training camp, he is now a near-five-star high school student.

-Dividing line-

①: Founded in the 60s by Philadelphia basketball godfather Sonny Hill, players such as "Big O" Robinson, Chamberlain, and "Dr. J" Irving all played here.

②: The matches between midnight and 3 a.m. are an adult league founded by Willie Stoudemire, the father of "Flying Squirrel" Damon Stoudemire, and the participants include many gang members.

(End of this chapter)