Chapter 13: Sorry, Who Are You?
In the final Associated Press national poll of 2006, Texas Tech University successfully displaced Marquette University with its outstanding performance at the Pete Newell Invitational Tournament and was selected as the 20th best team in the nation.
《Associated Press》 wrote in its team introduction for Texas Tech University: “With Julius Jackson resolving his academic issues, TTU now has on paper the offensive firepower to destroy college basketball—Eli, Julius, Martin Zeno. If their shots are falling, even the University of Florida would tremble before them.”
However, things did not unfold as the 《Associated Press》 had predicted.
After Jackson’s return, TTU still had two warm-up games to play. They had already won twelve straight games prior, with morale at an all-time high.
The outside world expected them to enter the Big 12 League Championship with a perfect record, but instead, they first had their unbeaten streak snapped by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and then were soundly defeated by the University of Arkansas.
As captain, Julius Jackson averaged 20 shots per game over the two games, but his shooting percentage was dismal, below even 40%.
“Julius Jackson may be burying his already slim draft prospects.”
Xu Ling was likely the only one blameless in the two-game losing streak. Against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he took 15 shots to score a team-high 24 points, while against the University of Arkansas, for some reason, Knight only played him 22 minutes, and the game collapsed before he could make enough of a contribution.
Although neither game would affect their Big 12 League Championship seeding, Xu Ling could clearly sense that Julius Jackson was competing with him.
This player, who had been a starter since his freshman season and was regarded as a Texas Tech University legend, was obviously unwilling to have his status on the team replaced by a freshman rookie just because he missed a dozen games due to academic issues.
So, he hoped to make an “immediate impact.”
To be honest, this was truly difficult.
Because the team had won twelve straight before his return, and Xu Ling, as the core player at the time, averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game with balanced offense and defense, otherwise they wouldn’t have quickly entered the first-round mock draft predictions of various experts.
By that standard, Jackson delivered a near-failing grade.
Couldn’t score, couldn’t defend, showed no captain’s leadership at all, and instead exposed his inner anxiety.
Xu Ling wasn’t annoyed; he just thought Jackson was foolish.
A person like this was either overly arrogant or clueless about the situation.
If the former, he was beyond saving; if the latter, there might still be hope.
The championship was about to begin. If Jackson didn’t change his ways, then he really would be challenging authority as Jackson wanted.
In the end, the core position on the team goes to the capable.
Back in the locker room, before Xu Ling could speak, Knight stormed in angrily and bellowed: “If you bastards think these games aren’t worth taking seriously, we can forfeit! If this shitty performance is your true strength, I swear you’ll be the laughingstock of the district again this year like last year!”
“J.J.!” Knight roared, “You’re fucking like a wild dog that sneaked into the wolf pack! If that’s your strength, then get the hell out! I’d rather not have you on the team, got it? If you can’t even guard a clown like Winko Adams! How can I expect you to handle D.J. Augustin and Mario Chalmers?”
Then, Knight turned to the others and said sharply: “If you keep playing basketball this way, you won’t win a single game in the Big 12 League Championship schedule. Not one. I can’t find a weak enough opponent for you to beat!”
Xu Ling’s ears could no longer take in Knight’s ranting.
Another thought was spinning in his mind—just as Tracy McGrady had said, he was already thinking about the opponent in the first game of the Big 12 Championship.
This indifference was like a needle, precisely piercing Knight’s fury.
“And you, Eli!” Knight’s voice suddenly rose, his anger flaring up like gasoline had been poured on it.
“Hmm???” Xu Ling looked up.
“Don’t think tonight’s loss has nothing to do with you! You didn’t step up at all! You say you want to be the Jordan of college basketball, but the college Jordan wouldn’t do nothing in 22 minutes!”
Xu Ling’s stats that night were 14 points and 5 rebounds.
“My plus-minus was +4 tonight,” Xu Ling replied simply. “In other words, the team didn’t lose any points during the 22 minutes I was on the court. Instead of blaming me, explain why you only played me 22 minutes.”
The locker room atmosphere instantly turned icy.
“Kid!” Knight suppressed his rage and barked, “You want to teach me how to do my job? You want to call the shots here?!!!”
“Someone has to take responsibility for the loss.” Xu Ling had a knack for infuriating anyone trying to pick on him without saying a single curse word. “But that person isn’t me. I hope you can discern right from wrong.”
“You!!!”
Several assistant coaches watched in trepidation.
Some of them had followed Knight for years, and they knew no one had ever dared to challenge the “general” like this.
“I don’t mean to offend you,” Xu Ling said. “I just won’t accept blame and criticism that isn’t mine. That’s all.”
Knight breathed heavily—I have to put up with this bastard for how much longer? What the hell am I putting up with?—actually, he knew why he tolerated Xu Ling. Because Xu Ling was right.
Pressuring star players to set an example for others, whether they were at fault or not, had always been Knight’s specialty, but that tactic failed against Xu Ling.
He had the guts to push back against Knight, and when he truly hadn’t done anything wrong, Knight couldn’t find any further ammunition to attack him.
In the end, Knight turned the one-on-one confrontation into a group berating, saying to everyone: “I’m fucking tired of yelling at you every night! Really tired! Go take a shower and get out! I don’t want to talk to you anymore! This is fucking bullshit! You people just don’t want to work hard at basketball! I’ve never seen a team with so many excuses!”
And so, a terrible night came to an end.
Everyone except Julius Jackson would be grateful to Xu Ling.
Because Xu Ling single-handedly took on Knight’s wrath, preventing Knight from dragging out and judging one by one the culprits behind the team’s losing streak.
Now, the Texas Tech Red Raiders just needed to return to Lubbock to rest and regroup.
The final warm-up game was over.
Now they just needed to prepare fully for the league championship.
The next day, Knight decided to run that day’s training.
Normally, after a loss, Knight would punish the players with extra practice.
But today he seemed to have some kind of amnesia, acting as if he didn’t remember what happened yesterday.
After the usual two-hour training session, Knight tossed the ball to Xu Ling and said: “Shoot from this spot into the basket on the other side, and I’ll end today’s training. You get three chances!”
“This spot?”
Xu Ling glanced at it. It wasn’t quite a logo shot, but it was nearly ten meters from the opposite basket.
“If you think it’s too hard, I can give you five chances,” Knight said. “Make it and we rest; miss and you take these bastards on suicide sprints for thirty trips!”
“This spot.”
Knight asked: “Too hard for you?”
Then Xu Ling launched it, hitting the ultra-long three on the first try.
“Too close,” Xu Ling said, wiping the sweat from his hands with his jersey. “That’s what I was going to say.”
Knight laughed.
It pretty much defined the dynamic between Xu Ling and Knight.
If Xu Ling had to describe it, based on his months of experience since crossing over, he could precisely liken their relationship to a Hollywood drama—like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in 2006. One moment they were inseparable best friends, the next Paris was mocking Lindsay’s personal life details to the media, and Lindsay turned around and dated Paris’s ex. Then inexplicably they reconciled, only for Lindsay days later to accuse Paris of assaulting her at a party. When everyone thought they had fallen out for good, they were photographed partying together, leaving in the same car, with Lindsay vehemently denying she said those things. But then Paris blasted Lindsay as a “psychotic bitch” on a show.
By comparison, their relationship was actually “healthy.”
A few days later, the world marched into the next year.
2007 arrived.
For college basketball, the real feast was about to begin.
Teams from various Division I leagues were about to embark on tense and thrilling league championships to vie for tickets to March Madness. For top districts like the Big 12 League, their opening day was none other than the first day of 2007.
Texas Tech University was one of the teams in the opener, facing in-state rival Texas A&M University. Texas A&M was a mid-tier team in the Big 12 League—not quite first-class in strength, but calling it second-class was a bit harsh, since they had the acknowledged Big 12 League lead point guard Acie Law.
That afternoon at four o’clock, both teams gathered at United Spirit Arena.
During warm-ups, Acie Law came over with an impolite greeting: “J.J., you’re still around? I almost thought TTU was already the 1st pick rookie’s team a few days ago.”
Jackson said with a sour face: “I have nothing to talk to you about.”
Law clearly knew psychological warfare well; he first rattled Jackson’s mentality, then spotted Xu Ling’s missed three-pointer and jeered: “Rookie, you’re a decade early dreaming of being Jordan!”
“Sorry,” Xu Ling said to Acie Law, who was ranked high in the lottery on ESPN’s first NBA mock draft of the year, “who are you?”
Off-court tidbit
ESPN Mock Draft 1.0
Author: Chad Ford
Release Date: December 9, 2006, 9:40 AM ET
Pick Team Player Name Class School/Country Position
1 Boston Celtics Greg Oden Freshman Ohio State University Center
2 Memphis Grizzlies Kevin Durant Freshman University of Texas Small Forward
3 Milwaukee Bucks Joakim Noah Junior University of Florida Power Forward/Center
4 Seattle SuperSonics Brandon Wright Freshman University of North Carolina Power Forward
5 Philadelphia 76ers Julian Wright Sophomore Kansas University Small Forward
6 Atlanta Hawks Al Horford Junior University of Florida Power Forward/Center
7 Sacramento Kings Yi International Player China Guangdong Hongyuan Power Forward
8 Minnesota Timberwolves Jeff Green Junior Georgetown University Forward
9 Charlotte Bobcats Mike Conley Freshman Ohio State University Point Guard
10 Chicago Bulls Spencer Hawes Freshman University of Washington Center
11 Indiana Pacers Corey Brewer Junior University of Florida Shooting Guard/Small Forward
12 Philadelphia 76ers Acie Law Senior Texas A&M Point Guard
28 Dallas Mavericks Eli Xu Freshman Texas Tech University Shooting Guard/Small Forward
