"He Ximeng, are you done yet? Can't you play ball quietly without all the chattering?"
Chen Qiudao, who had been repeatedly beaten off the dribble and had his ball stolen, was getting agitated.
"What, you're not allowed to talk during a game?"
He Ximeng and Chen Qiudao were old rivals. They had been competing against each other since junior high school.
He Ximeng was a member of the school team at Chengguan Junior High, while Chen Qiudao was on the team at Huanjiang Junior High.
In their third year of junior high, they had a fierce showdown as captains of their respective teams in the finals of the junior high league!
In the end, Chen Qiudao had better individual stats but lost the championship.
It was rumored that after the game, Zhuji Middle School had extended special recruitment offers to both of them. However, after confirming He Ximeng's enrollment at Zhuji, Chen Qiudao chose to join Zhuji's archrival, Caota Middle School.
In their first year of high school, both were reserves with limited playing time.
In their second year, they both became starters. In the Zhejiang regional preliminary round, Zhuji defeated Caota, ranking third behind Huipu and Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School. Although they missed out on the Eastern Division finals, their third-place finish in the Zhejiang region was Zhuji's best result in recent years. He Ximeng's outstanding performance in the preliminary round led to his appointment as the team captain for the next term.
In comparison, Chen Qiudao was more reserved and short-tempered, so Caota Middle School's new captain was Yu Chu, not Chen Qiudao.
"Basketball is a team sport. I'm reminding my teammates to help them improve their skills, what's wrong with that..."
"Do whatever you want, but don't drag me into it!"
"Can't do that! Your team is strong, and it's the best template for demonstrating and analyzing tactics... We have limited resources and no video analysis, so I have to seize every opportunity for on-the-spot coaching..."
"Are you crazy? Are you a coach? This is what a coach should be doing..."
"Haha..." After Chen Qiudao's outburst, He Ximeng finally realized why Chen Qiudao was so angry.
"It's time to tell you a secret..." He Ximeng pretended to be mysterious, leaning closer to Chen Qiudao and whispering, "Actually, I'm not just a point guard..."
Chen Qiudao froze, then flicked his hand away. "Are you out of your mind..."
After saying that, Chen Qiudao recoiled in disgust, putting distance between them.
"It's okay if you don't accept it now... You'll understand eventually that I wasn't lying to you..."
He Ximeng chuckled, showing no intention of arguing with Chen Qiudao. He signaled his teammates to quickly fall back on defense to prepare for Caota Middle School's next attack.
"Don't get worked up! Although He Ximeng seems much stronger than last year, you're not weak either, are you? Think about the effort you put in this summer..."
Yu Chu deliberately came over and patted Chen Qiudao on the shoulder, urging him to calm down. They were still leading Zhuji by four points.
Chen Qiudao wasn't a sore loser. He Ximeng's skills had always been good, and it was normal for Caota Middle School to lose. But the problem was that He Ximeng seemed to have a screw loose today and had started 'coaching' on the spot, which Chen Qiudao found unbearable... He felt disrespected by He Ximeng.
After Yu Chu's reminder, Chen Qiudao temporarily suppressed his anger. After bringing the ball past half-court, Chen Qiudao rejected Yu Chu's offer of a high-post screen and chose to isolate He Ximeng one-on-one!
He Ximeng's original physical attributes were inferior to Chen Qiudao's, but after his transmigration, his leaping ability, speed, and core strength had all increased by more than one level. It was clearly impossible for Chen Qiudao to use his usual dribbling skills and speed advantage to shake off He Ximeng.
"Such skillful dribbling..."
"Such accurate defensive prediction..."
The previously listless stands began to stir.
Because He Ximeng had not been on the court, Zhuji had been dominated by Caota Middle School, and the game had been unexciting.
The entire stadium could only hear He Ximeng constantly reminding his teammates about their positioning, help defense, and collapsing defense... He was acting more like the head coach.
In the second quarter, He Ximeng finally took the court, and the game truly became exciting!
With He Ximeng's precise passing and control, Zhuji's offense immediately became fluid. On defense, with He Ximeng on the court, Chen Qiudao could no longer do as he pleased.
On this play, Chen Qiudao repeatedly changed direction but couldn't shake off He Ximeng, so he was forced to pass to Yu Chu, who was inside.
"Feng Chen, collapse and double-team the paint!"
"Tang Chenfeng, drop down and cover Feng Chen's position!"
"I'll take the top!"
...
He Ximeng's commands were swift and clear. Zhuji Middle School immediately double-teamed Yu Chu, preventing him from getting close to the basket. However, after Chen Qiudao's prolonged dribbling, Caota Middle School's offensive time was running out. Yu Chu wanted to pass to the perimeter, but He Ximeng had already compressed his position near the free-throw line, clearly preparing to steal the ball.
Yu Chu had no choice but to force up a shot under the defense of Yan Hui and Feng Chen.
Although the shot was not blocked, it deviated too far from the basket, and the ball bounced off the rim.