"This way, I'm not afraid of being eliminated, and I'll have more opportunities in the game when the time comes."
Zeng Xingyang smiled, the pressure of being eliminated at any moment that was there from the beginning had now largely disappeared.
As his strength improved, he became more confident and more assured.
Zeng Xingyang could vaguely feel that his chances of staying on the team had increased a lot, otherwise the assistant coaches wouldn't have paid as much attention to him.
Zeng Xingyang knew very well that as long as he continued to progress this way, his ceiling would not just be as an NCAA player but the NBA.
Before next year's draft, as long as he displayed NBA-level skills on the court, he would have a chance to be selected.
However, Zeng Xingyang wasn't aiming too high. For now, he still had to do everything possible to stay on the Kentucky Wildcats.
The first step of a long march must be taken well; if he couldn't even make the school team, it would all be just empty talk.
After resting for a while, Zeng Xingyang stood up, grabbed the towel hanging on the basketball hoop, and walked toward the gym entrance with a basketball.
Every effort and struggle further boosted Zeng Xingyang's self-confidence.
Now, Zeng Xingyang had developed his unique training rhythm, and his body was increasingly adapting to this intensity. After waking up, his body wouldn't feel sore, and his muscle definition was becoming more prominent.
September 29th.
The day before the game against the University of Florida Gators.
Assistant coach Kenny Payne came to the center of the basketball court and clapped his hands, signaling everyone to come over.
Players training in small groups quickly gathered around.
"Regardless of whether tomorrow's game counts for points, I hope we can win it."
"The coaching staff will also use this match to make final evaluations of you, which will determine who will go with us for the new season!"
Hearing Kenny Payne's words, many people, including Zeng Xingyang, felt very apprehensive as the day finally arrived.
"I will now announce the lineup for tomorrow's game."
"Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Dakari Johnson, Aaron Harrison..."
As each name was read, Zeng Xingyang's heart was in his throat, and finally, when the 15th name was called, Kenny Payne paused and then said, "Zeng Xingyang!"
Kenny Payne looked at those whose names were not called and said to the somewhat discouraged players, "The 15 people above will play in tomorrow's game, but this isn't the final school team roster. Not hearing your name doesn't mean you don't have a chance to make it. The final list will be announced the day after tomorrow."
Kenny Payne's words were very polite, but everyone knew that this was essentially the school team's basic roster. If there were any changes, it would only be minor adjustments.
Many people looked towards Zeng Xingyang.
The order of the names in this list was clearly arranged according to the team's standing, and Zeng Xingyang being called last meant he was the most likely to be squeezed out.
Those who felt they were stronger than Zeng Xingyang had already begun silently hoping Zeng Xingyang would perform poorly the next day.
If Zeng Xingyang didn't play well, the coaching staff might give up on him.
Zeng Xingyang naturally knew the situation he was in, and his expression became serious.
Being on tomorrow's lineup meant he still had an advantage with the coaching staff, but it was not a significant one.
Even if he was replaced, no one would find it strange.
"The head coach will also be there to watch tomorrow. I think you all know that if you want more playtime in the future, you need to show your best performance."
In the NCAA, the head coach holds absolute power over a team.
Calipari rarely gets involved in the specifics of this selection, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have control over the team.
He just delegates some of the work to the assistant coaches.
During the official NCAA games, Calipari is the one who decides who can play and who has to stay on the bench.
......
"Only by maintaining good physical fitness can you perform better on the court."
After the roster was announced, Zeng Xingyang didn't continue his training load and went back to the dormitory to rest early.
At 4 PM the next afternoon, the Kentucky Wildcats' home basketball court welcomed the challenge from the Florida Gators.
Even though it was just a friendly match, it still attracted some reporters with cameras.
The NCAA has always been focused on brand promotion, and they will take every chance to showcase the prowess of NCAA strong teams to the outside world.
Some media outlets also like to follow strong teams to report on their games.
The 15 players whose names were called yesterday started warming up on the court.
Those whose names weren't called sat in the stands like ordinary fans.
The Kentucky Wildcats are almost always NCAA championship contenders each year, which continuously garners them a fanbase.
There is even a Wildcats fan association within the University of Kentucky, specifically organizing fans to watch games. Even though it was just a warm-up match, nearly a thousand fans attended the sports arena.
These fans weren't necessarily all students; there were also nearby residents and children, as well as other longtime supporters of the Wildcats in the city.
"Go Wildcats, go! I heard we've got several high-quality newcomers this year."
"Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, keep an eye on these two. They're both lottery-level rookies."
"I've seen them train. These two guys are indeed strong."
"Why is there an Asian player on the team?"
"I only know he's from China, and he's not in the rotation yet."
"Oh, can Chinese people play basketball? Aren't they only good at table tennis? Haha."
"With this season's lineup under Coach Calipari's guidance, we can definitely win the championship."
Some die-hard fans in the arena constantly discussed the Wildcats' situation.
...
In the front row.
A few casually-dressed middle-aged men gathered, scribbling in notebooks and occasionally conversing with each other.
Coach Calipari, sitting on the bench, saw them and specifically waved his hand at them.
Coach Calipari immediately recognized these people as scouts from various NBA teams.
Coach Calipari maintained a good relationship with the scouts.
NBA scouts are generally divided into two types: player scouts (or rookie/potential scouts) and tactical scouts (or senior scouts).
Player scouts are responsible for observing and evaluating the potential and readiness of rookies, occasionally even recruiting from development leagues, and assessing potential trade targets to provide draft recommendations.
Tactical scouts are responsible for gathering intelligence, observing upcoming opponents' tactical changes and trends, preparing analysis reports, and offering pre-game tactical strategy suggestions.
These were clearly player scouts; otherwise, they wouldn't typically be on the sidelines of a college game.
The work of NBA scouts is more complex than imagined. They need to not only observe a player's performance but also assess their character, leadership, coachability, competitiveness, and killer instinct—intangibles that are crucial.
The work of scouts is very important for NBA teams' success.
Especially during the draft.
Since it's important, it inevitably faces temptations of money.
A scout from a certain team once revealed that during the investigation of a player, the player attempted to bribe him to enhance the player's attributes in the scouting report.
Or an agent might hope the scout alters the report, so a player who is merely second-round material appears to be a first-round pick...