At the same time, a hint of a warm smile finally appeared on Duncan's frosty face.
Duncan felt a sense of closeness towards this new yellow-skinned point guard, number 4!
Duncan was certain that they had never played together before. This was because Duncan had an excellent memory; while not quite photographic, it was very close.
Therefore, the chemistry that had just emerged between him and He Ximeng was purely due to their compatible playing styles!
On one hand, this indicated that He Ximeng's basketball IQ was at least on par with Duncan's. They possessed a similar understanding of basketball on the court.
On the other hand, it showed that He Ximeng was very familiar with Duncan's playing style, knowing how Duncan liked to move and where he would be at any given time...
Twenty minutes later, at the end of the half, Dave Odom immediately called a halt to the intrasquad scrimmage.
The outcome was already decided, and further play would be meaningless.
Within the 20-minute span, Duncan and He Ximeng's Red Team led the Blue Team by a commanding 16 points, 32-16!
Duncan's formidable defensive presence in the paint, combined with He Ximeng's perimeter disruption, resulted in the Blue Team being forced into a high volume of contested mid-range jump shots... Lacking sufficient open looks, the Blue Team's overall shooting percentage was low.
Meanwhile, He Ximeng's sharp passing and ball-handling skills on the Red Team were even more impressive than Dave Odom had anticipated!
The 32 points scored by the Red Team in the half were almost entirely orchestrated by He Ximeng! Duncan alone scored 22 points, with 8 of his 11 made shots directly assisted by He Ximeng. Another 3 shots came after He Ximeng's clever passes, allowing Duncan to score with a pump fake in the paint...
Of the remaining 10 points scored by the Red Team, He Ximeng himself contributed 4, and the other three reserve players scored the remaining 6.
Midway through the game, seeing He Ximeng continuously assisting Duncan, the Blue Team wanted to see if He Ximeng could score himself... They tried leaving him open, and He Ximeng immediately responded with two three-step layups after drives, making the Blue Team stick to their original plan.
Rather than being scored on by He Ximeng, the Blue Team preferred to let Duncan score...
Although the outcome was the same, Duncan was, after all, an All-American selection, and it wasn't embarrassing to be scored on by him.
He Ximeng, however, was a rookie who hadn't played a single NCAA game. Being scored on by He Ximeng was a blow to the pride of the starting players of the Wake Forest team, led by Rusty...
He Ximeng played the full 20 minutes, finishing with 4 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 turnover!
He Ximeng completed his debut with the Wake Forest team with an almost perfect assist-to-turnover ratio!
Not only did he win over head coach Dave Odom, but he also prompted the outwardly stoic but inwardly playful Duncan to slap hands in celebration.
After the game, Duncan unconsciously reached out and patted He Ximeng's head, praising, "Kung Fu kid, well done! When we get to the real games, we'll play like this again..."
"Okay, Tim!" He Ximeng subtly moved his not-very-thick hair away from Duncan's hand. "Can we talk about this? In the future, when we celebrate, can you not pat my head?"
"Why? In my country, this is a sign of the closest friendship..."
"I know! But in my country, only elders can pat the heads of younger people! Or, couples..."
Upon hearing "couples," Duncan flinched as if electrocuted and instantly retracted his hand, sheepishly saying, "I'm only interested in women..."
"Me too! So, in the future, try not to casually pat a Chinese person's head... Of course, customs in South America or Europe might be different from China, feel free to do as you please..."
"I understand!"
"In the future, we can definitely become brothers. Brothers can celebrate with high-fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, and hugs – all those greetings are fine!"
"Okay! I'll be mindful..."
After practice, a cheerful Dave Odom specifically instructed Duncan to take He Ximeng to handle his freshman registration.
Normally, this kind of basic guidance would not require a star player like Duncan to personally handle it.
However, Coach Dave Odom arranged it this way to help Duncan and He Ximeng become acquainted quickly, build some rapport in their daily lives, and subsequently enhance their chemistry on the court... Although their on-court chemistry was already like that of long-time friends, further improvement could only be better.
Duncan, though seemingly slow-witted, was actually quite sharp. He immediately saw through his head coach's intentions and saw no reason to refuse. Besides, he was very curious about this "Kung Fu kid."
"What major did you apply for?"
"Psychology!"
"Psychology?" Duncan was taken aback. "What a coincidence! I'm also majoring in Psychology!"
"Really? Then you'll be my senior from now on, you've got to look out for me, right?" He Ximeng grinned widely, feigning surprise.
At that moment, He Ximeng felt a pang of guilt, like a wolf tricking a rabbit...
To quickly build a good relationship with Duncan, He Ximeng was truly giving it his all. At the very least, he was willing to shed his pride.
Under Duncan's guidance, He Ximeng proceeded to the Wake Forest University Department of Psychology to complete his freshman enrollment procedures.
Because Coach Dave Odom had already communicated with the department in advance, He Ximeng, as an internationally recommended student through a special channel, could first complete the registration and then proceed with formal enrollment once his TOEFL scores and high school academic records were in order.
This meant that He Ximeng could now enjoy the basic services provided by Wake Forest University, such as applying for international dormitory housing, obtaining a school ID card, auditing professional courses, and participating in team training. However, he could not yet officially attend classes or represent Wake Forest University in games.
When applying for international housing, Duncan asked He Ximeng if he had any preferences.
He Ximeng replied that he preferred to be housed near Duncan's dormitory, making it convenient for them to go to the gym together later.
Duncan paused, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke up, "If you don't mind, I have a spare bed in my dorm..."
He Ximeng had never expected to become roommates with Duncan! He certainly wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity!
"That's great! I'm honored to be your new roommate..."
And so, Duncan, somewhat bewildered, led He Ximeng to his dormitory...