Chapter 79: Rising to Prominence

Turgun advanced with the ball to the front court, and Cai Aihong moved up high to set a screen for him. On the opposite side, both corners were occupied by Wang Zhaohui and Li Kaize, while Hawur stood firm in the paint, forcing the opponents to hesitate in extending their defense.

The formation was simple, the screening cooperation straightforward, but when Turgun used Cai Aihong’s high-quality screen to shake off his defender, the Shahezi University team’s defense was thrown into a dilemma.

Should they double-team Turgun, who had already sunk four three-pointers in the first quarter, or focus on Cai Aihong, whose mid-range shots were unstoppable when double-teamed? Or perhaps switch defenders? No matter how they adjusted, there would always be an opening to exploit.

While the Shahezi University defenders hesitated, Turgun seized the moment, sending a sharp bounce pass through the gap between them. Cai Aihong, who previously hadn’t ventured into the paint, suddenly cut diagonally inside. The Shahezi University center, distracted by Hawur, failed to come over in time, allowing Cai Aihong to catch the ball and slam it in with force.

Cai Aihong, stubborn as ever, was also someone who relished showing off.

This match was already the third warm-up game for Wang Lei’s team in March.

In the first match, Wang Lei’s squad easily dispatched their old “friends” from the Frontier University of Finance and Economics. The second warm-up was against another familiar face—the Frontier Normal University team.

Compared to the first game, the provincial youth team played even more comfortably in the second. Many tactics hadn’t been fully rehearsed in the opener, and the players were still a bit nervous. But after cruising to victory, they handled this one with ease.

Simple, efficient offensive plays paired with a compact defense. Normal University lacked shooters or attackers skilled enough to break the provincial youth team’s zone, so by the end of the third quarter, most home fans had already left.

94 to 79—the Normal University lost by a full fifteen points.

In college-level games, it’s rare for teams to score over ninety points. Young players are inconsistent and their shooting wavers, so most college coaches play it safe, preferring stability over change or speed. Stability keeps teams from falling apart, which secures the coach’s position. Wang Lei, however, paid no heed to such conventions—he was like a catfish stirring up a school of sardines.

For their third warm-up, the provincial youth team traveled to the only national key university in the region whose campus wasn’t in Urumqi—the Shahezi University.

After two warm-ups, the rapidly transformed provincial youth team was rising in fame. Old-school coaches began claiming Wang Lei was reckless and would not last, but home fans who watched both games praised the youth team highly. Some of Wang Lei’s supporters even commented online, saying it was the most energetic team they’d ever seen.

With such reputation, invitations for warm-up matches poured in, and Shahezi University was among them. They were this year’s second-ranked team in the region, heading to the national college league finals alongside Frontier University.

Traditionally, teams headed to the college league finals wouldn’t play local squads, since they were well-acquainted and had little to learn from each other. Instead, they’d seek challenging warm-ups against strong teams from other provinces not participating in the finals.

But this time, Shahezi University’s coach Xu Hui found the provincial youth team’s style fascinating and wanted to arrange an exchange, hoping his players could gain fresh insight.

Xu Hui wasn’t particularly old—thirty-nine is still young for a basketball coach—so his tactical ideas remained flexible. After watching videos of the youth team’s previous games online, he felt they were a team full of creativity.

Yet what surprised Xu Hui was how his supposedly iron-willed defensive squad crumbled against the youth team’s relentless attack.

The provincial youth team’s approach appeared simple, but it was never static. After their foundational training and conditioning, they constantly played fast-paced, high-pressure scrimmages within the team. At first, each attack was limited to fifteen seconds; later, they squeezed it down to twelve. The players had grown accustomed to thinking on their feet in rapid transitions.

They learned to think as they played, without losing speed. The result was an offense that was ever-changing, with players cooperating seamlessly—often a mere glance sufficed to communicate intentions, because they had internalized such rhythms in their scrimmages.

With solid basics, excellent stamina, tight cooperation, and intelligent play, the provincial youth team was hardly a typical college squad anymore. In some regards, they even surpassed professionals; most of the young men in the team were deeply passionate about basketball. The new style and their achievements allowed them to fully experience the joy the sport could bring.

Wang Lei had returned to his old habit, sitting absent-mindedly at the sideline, seemingly indifferent to the game. In truth, he was carefully sensing the team’s state, preparing for his next round of transformation.

Shahezi University’s coach Xu Hui never expected his opponents to play with such ease and delight. In contrast, his own team always treated games like battlefields. While that attitude strengthened their defense, Xu Hui now genuinely doubted if it was the best approach. After all, they were all young; the other team enjoyed basketball and the competition, while his players would slack off the moment he wasn’t watching over them.

Compared to the previous games, Shahezi University’s audience was far more loyal. Despite their team trailing by nearly twenty points, almost none left their seats and continued to cheer loudly until the end.

After the match, Coach Xu Hui earnestly requested the provincial youth team to stay another two days. He hoped for further exchanges, especially with Wang Lei, admitting that this youth team had left a profound impression on him.