Reminded by Cui Tianci, He Ximeng also realized that his performance had been a bit "over the top."
As a transmigrator, he should have maintained a low profile at the beginning, allowing everyone to gradually accept his changes.
However, He Ximeng couldn't voice these thoughts. He could only try to gloss over his abnormal performance in the second quarter for now.
Speaking of glossing over, after more than twenty years of experience in top leagues across the ocean, He Ximeng was now somewhat of an expert.
"Hey, it's just that Third Master isn't here, so I'm here to help you guys out a bit..." He Ximeng immediately invoked the "head coach's entrustment" excuse. These naive high school students, without suspicion, all showed looks of sudden understanding.
Then, He Ximeng added, with a mix of truth and falsehood: "Let me remind you, I won't be as selfless in the second half as I was in the first half..."
His teammates in the huddle let out knowing smiles.
"That's right, that's the familiar Captain Ximeng..."
Inspired by Cui Tianci and his teammates, He Ximeng realized that he truly needed to act like a high school player... at least, he had to pretend convincingly!
Therefore, first and foremost, He Ximeng couldn't be solely focused on "teaching" as he was in the second quarter. He had to improve his own scoring stats; that would be more like a normal high school player.
As the third quarter began, He Ximeng's first offensive play involved using Yan Hui's high pick-and-roll to cut into the Cao Ta Middle School's paint. Before the opponent's defense could fully collapse, He Ximeng could have either pulled up for a jump shot or driven all the way to the basket for a layup against Yu Chu. However, He Ximeng couldn't resist the urge to pass. With a fake shot, he genuinely passed the ball to Yan Hui, who was cutting down the middle.
Yan Hui caught the ball, took flight, and before Yu Chu could recover, he made a floater, scoring another 2 points.
On the second offensive play, He Ximeng finally managed to control his passing urge. Facing Chen Qiudao's tight defense, he showcased his individual scoring ability!
He Ximeng feigned using Yan Hui's high pick-and-roll to go right, but in reality, he faked a move and accelerated to the left, driving into the middle.
Chen Qiudao was caught off guard and quickly retreated. He Ximeng executed a behind-the-back dribble, stopped abruptly, and leaped high near the free-throw line!
For this shot, He Ximeng suddenly exploded, with exceptional vertical leap. Chen Qiudao's interference was ineffective.
"Damn... When did this guy start jumping so high?"
Chen Qiudao suddenly realized that even if he had disrupted He Ximeng's rhythm, he wouldn't be able to block this shot.
In fact, Chen Qiudao wasn't the only one surprised; He Ximeng himself was a little astonished by his jumping performance.
Although He Ximeng knew before the game started that he had received a "transmigrator's gift package," and his physical attributes had significantly improved, his standing vertical leap had gone from "floor-bound" to "sky-high." But because he had been busy assisting and teaching, He Ximeng hadn't truly experienced his own changes.
Therefore, this shot, strictly speaking, was He Ximeng's first attempt after transmigrating.
Higher jump, stronger arm strength, and consequently, the wrist power and the arc of the shot all needed adjustment. But He Ximeng hadn't properly integrated these "new abilities" yet, so he could only rely on his feel, adjusting the power and spin at the moment of release in mid-air. As expected, even though He Ximeng intentionally raised the arc, the ball still hit the inside of the rim due to excessive force.
"I knew it, this number 4 can't shoot..."
Zhang Zhenpeng's gloating remark was cut short as he watched the missed-shot He Ximeng charge into the paint like lightning.
A shooter knows best whether a shot will go in or not!
The moment he released the ball, He Ximeng had already predicted the outcome.
So, He Ximeng accelerated instantly, driving into the paint. While Yu Chu was still battling for position with Yan Hui, he had already secured the best spot. Using his momentum, he leaped up, grabbed the offensive rebound with his right hand, reached forward, and dunked...
A thunderous one-handed slam dunk shocked the entire arena!
In his more than twenty years of coaching in the league, He Ximeng had witnessed countless top players use this move to boost team morale. He was thoroughly familiar with the technique of this dunk. It was just that the previous He Ximeng, limited by his physical condition, had been incapable of performing such a dunk.
Now, with his dreams becoming reality, He Ximeng, after landing, stared blankly at his right hand, his shock no less than that of his opponents and the spectators by the sidelines.
Dunks weren't unheard of in the high school league, but most were two-handed slams from centers over two meters tall.
For instance, Yan Hui and Yu Chu were adept at performing two-handed dunks in the paint when unguarded. However, for a point guard like He Ximeng to be able to dunk, especially such a powerful one-handed slam, was quite rare.