Chapter 162 I Only Trust the Coach's

The argument between Ma Dongmei and Wang Lei took place in mid-November, just as Wang Lei had returned to Jinling.

When Wang Lei left Urumqi, many matters had not yet been fully settled, though general directions had already been established regarding the future arrangements for the players and the coaching staff.

Xu Hui, accompanied by Wang Zhaohui and Si Junwei, confirmed their departure for Beihai. They would join the newly established Beikuang Club to compete in the Republic's Basketball League Division Two the following year.

As for Hawur and Cai Aihong, after in-depth discussions with Wang Lei, both agreed to enter the domestic draft together next year. They shared a similar mindset—trusting Wang Lei completely and holding no excessive demands for the future. Being drafted would be ideal, but if not, they would figure something out; worst case scenario, they could continue their studies.

Sun Dexun also had a conversation with Wang Lei. The young man from Guangdong Province had actually secured his path forward quite early.

During the group stage of the National Games Youth Basketball Tournament, the Xinjiang Youth Team had played against the Guangdong Youth Team. Their head coach was quite appreciative of Sun Dexun, who was a Guangdong native. Of course, the coach's primary target had actually been Turgun, but seeing that Turgun was unlikely to follow him, he instead invited Sun Dexun to join a Division Two professional team in Guangdong.

Being able to return to his hometown to play basketball made Sun Dexun quite happy. Although his education still had a year to go, Sun Dexun applied for a suspension of his studies shortly after the National Games concluded.

Faced with this very opinionated young man from Guangdong, all Wang Lei could do was offer his best wishes. In addition, Wang Lei urged Sun Dexun to work hard on his three-point shooting; given Sun Dexun's height and physical conditions, lacking a perimeter shot was a major flaw.

Regarding the futures of the other role players on the team, Wang Lei had conversed with almost everyone individually. Most of them were now adults, and aside from Turgun, who was only seventeen, the others were fully qualified to bear the responsibility for their own futures and paths. Wang Lei did not conceal anything about their abilities and characteristics, explaining the situation very directly to every player. Their choices varied, but most of these players had not given up their love for basketball and hoped to continue playing. Wang Lei also did his utmost to contact quite a few Division Two league teams for these players. As for what their futures might hold, Wang Lei had done everything he could and could only offer his warmest blessings.

As for the members of the coaching staff, quite a few were prepared to stay behind. Some of them were young folks who had just graduated a year or two ago. Through a year of tempering, although they had gained some understanding of how to manage and operate a team, their experience remained very thin. Finding a coaching opportunity out there at this stage was simply impossible. Rather than leaving, staying behind was a better option. Although the Xinjiang Youth Team was not a permanent fixture, following this success, there was still plenty of potential to recreate the team in the future. Moreover, even if Wang Lei could not stay, there was at least the amiable Xue Yongjiang, meaning salary issues likely wouldn't be too major.

Speaking of Xue Yongjiang, this older brother of a man genuinely intended to stay behind and hold the fort. He had long since abandoned his plans to start a catering business, and now his heart and mind were entirely focused on guarding this small operation. In truth, Xue Yongjiang saw things very clearly. He knew that Wang Lei ultimately could not stay. Once Wang Lei and Xu Hui left, he would certainly have the opportunity to become the next head coach without any major obstacles. For Xue Yongjiang, who was already in his forties, becoming the team's coach could be considered his greatest ambition.

Wang Lei had also spoken with Xue Yongjiang in private. Regarding the topics Xue Yongjiang hinted at intentionally or unintentionally, Wang Lei maintained an affirmative attitude. After a year of getting along, whatever else might be said, Xue Yongjiang had been deeply influenced by Wang Lei, at least in terms of tactical ideology. With a broadened way of thinking, Wang Lei felt that Xue Yongjiang was entirely capable of sitting in that head coach's seat.

Finally, there was Turgun, who was still underage. It must be said that Turgun was now a widely renowned young player across the country. In this National Games Youth Basketball Tournament, he not only won the final MVP title but also claimed the scoring title and finished second in assists—an achievement almost unprecedented in the Republic's basketball circles.

Online, quite a number of Turgun's supporters had already appeared, with some even claiming that Turgun should be directly selected for the national team.

Upon returning to Urumqi, scout after scout from various top professional teams arrived in a continuous stream. Their objective was extremely clear: they wanted to sign Turgun, and they wanted to sign him directly. After all, for teams at the top of the league standings, drafting Turgun was out of the question; rather than that, it was better to present generous terms right now and secure this rare genius.

Some of these scouts and managers were actually aiming at Wang Lei, but these individuals came from mid-to-bottom-tier league teams. After all, successful teams were hardly going to fire their current head coaches just for Wang Lei, and expecting Wang Lei to serve as an assistant coach was equally unrealistic, as Wang Lei's reputation had also grown tremendously.

Turgun expressed his stance regarding these teams inviting him very clearly: he just wanted to play basketball properly, and it didn't matter where he played, but he only listened to Wang Lei. Wherever Wang Lei told him to go, that was where he would go. This point even won the full support of his parents and his older sister, Aziguli.

In the eyes of Turgun's family, Wang Lei—the person who had initially brought Turgun into the team—was the most trustworthy person to them. Their family conditions were indeed quite poor, but this simple and honest family's trust in Wang Lei was never shaken by external temptations. Furthermore, Turgun's parents believed that Wang Lei understood much more than they did, and this very gentle head coach who thought so highly of their child would certainly not harm Turgun.

Faced with this heavy trust, Wang Lei actually felt a considerable amount of pressure, but he would not shrink back because of it. Since they chose to trust him, Wang Lei had to live up to this rare trust.

Regarding Turgun's future, Wang Lei actually felt that he should go directly to North America. Regardless of one's stance, that place remained the environment with the best basketball ecosystem on the planet. At this stage, Turgun might not be able to stand out as a prodigy in the eyes of North American professional teams, but catching the eye of some North American universities was entirely possible. However, how to navigate and operate this process required further consideration from Wang Lei. Moreover, there was another issue: Turgun had not even graduated from high school yet, and completing this high school education was mandatory; otherwise, no subsequent steps could be carried out.

Among the reasons for Wang Lei's return to Jinling this time, aside from missing his girlfriend, was the task of finding a suitable language school for Turgun. He planned to find a way to transfer Turgun directly to Jinling to study. On one hand, this would provide better language instruction to prepare for the future, and on the other hand, being nearby would allow him to better look after Turgun's daily life.