Chapter 57: The Shift in the Team's Mentality

In a four-person dorm room reminiscent of a typical college student residence, Turgon lay motionless on his bed. The training base had configured its dormitories according to the athletes' heights, so while the room felt a bit cramped, at least the beds were long enough.

Turgon lay there, reflecting on the match that had just ended—a game of profound significance in his relatively brief life. Having previously received no formal training, Turgon had, after less than two months of coaching under Wang Lei, performed remarkably well in the game. Sixteen points, though not the highest score on the court, was an outstanding achievement for someone just past his sixteenth birthday. As for his nearly ten turnovers, even Turgon himself didn't dwell on them.

It is difficult for most people to imagine the daily life of someone with albinism. Even mild ultraviolet rays can burn their skin, making every outing a battle. That is the norm for most people with albinism; yet Turgon, who was almost maniacally passionate about basketball, was even more exceptional.

The sun in the borderlands is merciless in summer. Under such conditions, Turgon had to wrap himself tightly and practice alone on the scorching court. To protect his eyes, he would break the arms off a pair of sunglasses and tie them securely to his face with string, so they wouldn't fall off during vigorous movement. Cooler hours did exist, but then the court belonged to others, and they generally wouldn't play with Turgon, the "odd one out."

Despite such an environment and atmosphere, Turgon never felt discouraged. Unlike some who shrink pitifully into corners, he persevered in his solitary training with unyielding willpower.

As mentioned before, those who succeed in competitive sports are strong both physically and mentally. Clearly, Turgon was at least tenacious in spirit, and his love for basketball bordered on obsession.

With such determination, as he lay on his bed now, Turgon's mind dwelled less on the outcome of the match and more on the specific decisions he made during play. He replayed scenes from the game in his mind, pondering how he might handle similar situations in the future.

Many who have played basketball or trained in other sports know that if you truly immerse yourself in the activity, you can't help but reflect in your idle moments on how to perform better. Your mind conjures up images of your movements, sometimes incorrect, but with professional guidance, these can be corrected. Other times, this self-reflection reveals your most natural methods—an internal sign of growing skill.

Clearly, Turgon was deeply focused on basketball. He rarely got nervous in games; his mistakes were more the result of overexcitement. Now, he was entering a phase of real growth as a player.

Having received professional training and played in official matches, Turgon was beginning to see basketball in a new light, and, almost unconsciously, was planning his development, even if he could not yet articulate it. This subtle transformation can sometimes manifest rapidly in subsequent training and games.

Turgon was not alone in his excitement. In other dorm rooms, many of his teammates were equally elated, especially Cai Aihong and Wang Zhaohui. As fringe members of their original college team, they had just helped defeat that very team, a huge boost to their confidence.

Since returning to the base, Wang Zhaohui had barely stopped talking. "Old Cai, honestly, I really admire my cousin now. He never loses his temper with us, always stays calm—unlike Turxun, who's always scolding us like we're a bunch of losers. But look, only his own players turned out to be useless. We aren't. What we lacked was a discerning coach. Lei is really something."

Wang Zhaohui was deeply grateful to Wang Lei for making him team captain. Though the role was tiring, he genuinely enjoyed looking out for others.

Cai Aihong, for once, did not complain about Wang Zhaohui's chatter. To be honest, he was a little moved himself. He had always resisted Wang Lei's focus on fundamentals and fitness, thinking them useless, but now his perspective had changed.

Though tall, Cai Aihong was too slender and often bullied when playing inside. He naturally gravitated to the perimeter, which used to earn him scoldings from Coach Turxun on the college team. But today, in the second half, Cai kept moving quickly, eventually outpacing the defenders inside. He received the ball and shot with ease, finally understanding Wang Lei's intentions. He now sincerely accepted the idea that basketball's greatest threat is not always found near the rim.

This modest victory brought about a profound shift in the state of mind of the entire provincial youth team. They began to look forward to the coming training and matches.

With the warm-up game against the University of Finance and Economics behind them, the provincial youth team would be heading to Borderland University for their second friendly in two days. Compared to their previous opponents, Borderland University was notably stronger, having reached the national collegiate basketball tournament finals for two consecutive years. Ranked fifty-sixth in the country last year, they were among the lower seeds in the final sixty-four, but still the second-best university team in the province.

Wang Lei had not made any elaborate plans for these three warm-up games. He simply wanted to assess his players' mental states and give them a basic feel for official basketball games. This first victory was already enough for him; it meant his work would be much easier moving forward.

The youth team's win over the University of Finance and Economics barely caused a ripple online. Aside from Wang Lei himself, the team still drew little attention. A few local netizens left congratulatory comments on Wang Lei's livestream, but these were limited in scope. Most people remained focused on whether Old Zhang's "Believe in Yourself" would ultimately win the recognition of the National Games Organizing Committee.