Chapter 11: Then Wait Until I Win One Too
89 to 67
The game ended with Texas Tech University defeating Marquette University by a 22-point margin.
This was an outcome no one had expected.
After all, there was a gap in roster depth and starter talent between the two teams, not to mention that TTU’s acknowledged strongest player Julius Jackson was absent.
Normally, TTU wasn’t even favored to reach the finals.
But they surged forward under a freshman’s leadership, winning game after game, ultimately advancing to the finals, defeating the top-20 nationally ranked Marquette University, and winning $50,000 in prize money.
Xu Ling was unanimously named the most valuable player of the Pete Newell Invitational Tournament.
College Sports Network interviewed him on site.
“Eli, you won the invitational tournament championship when no one favored you—what does this mean to you?”
Xu Ling said honestly: “It doesn’t mean much to the team, but it has some practical significance—for example, we got $50,000 in prize money.”
The reporter asked again: “You’ve said before that you want to be TTU’s Jordan. After tonight’s performance, do you feel you’ve achieved that goal?”
“Not TTU’s Jordan, but Jordan of the college basketball world,” Xu Ling said. “I have a long way to go to achieve that goal.”
Then came the most sensitive question of the day—
“ESPN draft expert Chuck Ford thinks you could be a dark horse in the 2007 NBA Draft. Are you considering entering the 2007 NBA Draft?”
Xu Ling gave the most standard answer possible: “Entering the NBA is my dream, but I’m not thinking about it now. I only focus on the present; I’ll let other things happen naturally.”
If he really had the chance, Xu Ling would want to enter the NBA right now.
But of course he wouldn’t say that.
Because he had only built up his market value so far, far from the level where “entering the draft guarantees a pick.”
After the interview, as Xu Ling prepared to return to the locker room, he encountered Marquette University’s Wesley Matthews at the player tunnel entrance. This opponent who had just lost on the court looked gloomy and coldly said: “Hope we meet again in March Madness.”
Unlike his sharpness during the game, Xu Ling now seemed exceptionally calm: “Relax, the game is over.”
The Xu Ling in front of him was completely different from during the game.
Matthews was even more convinced that Xu Ling’s “Jordan comment” was just to attract attention.
He wanted to play in the NBA.
But then again, who didn’t?
Moreover, Xu Ling had already proven his strength—what was the point of dwelling on it?
They had been defeated single-handedly by Xu Ling; what Matthews should consider most now was how to recover scout impressions in the upcoming games.
Xu Ling walked into the tunnel, which seemed empty except for him, until he spotted a veteran not far from the locker room—he had a full head of white hair, a grim face, unremarkable features, but years of leading the team gave him a general’s dignity, and he wore the same black sweater unchanged for decades, now staring straight at him.
Who else could it be but Bob Knight?
“Were you waiting for me, Coach?”
If Texas Tech University had lost tonight, Xu Ling would be nervous right now.
But they were champions, and he was the invitational tournament MVP, so even if Knight nitpicked, he couldn’t pick a fight at this moment.
So Xu Ling seemed very relaxed.
“Actually, J.J.’s academics already met the requirements, but I insisted he not return until the Big 12 league championship began.” Knight’s words carried no emotion, as if recounting something trivial. “Do you know why?”
The scene was very quiet, almost able to hear each other’s breathing.
There was an obvious sense of detachment on Xu Ling’s face, and his answer was unexpected:
“Honestly, I’m not interested in that.”
“He’s the team captain; his presence affects the team’s direction this season, and you’re not interested?”
Xu Ling replied: “If he’s a qualified captain, he’ll handle the trouble and return ASAP. Otherwise, if he thinks it’s not important, I don’t need to worry about someone irresponsible. In the end, he’s a senior; he has more experience than me. He’ll handle it. My job is to play my role well.”
“What role?”
“Precisely, the various roles my coach—Mr. Bob Knight—assigns me before every game.”
Knight finally smiled.
In some cases, Knight’s smile didn’t mean good things were coming.
When Knight was at Indiana University, a student named Dan Dakich（Dan Dakich） once told this story: during March Madness, Knight kept smiling at him, and then suddenly one day, Knight told him: “Dan, our next opponent is North Carolina State. I’m planning to have you guard Michael Jordan⑴.”
⑴In the end, Dakich held Jordan to 6-of-14 shooting, and North Carolina was eliminated in the second round of March Madness.
“Since you say that, can I take it to mean you’re ready to become our leader after J.J. graduates?”
That was the sentence that made Xu Ling understand Knight’s intent.
The old man’s instincts were not only sharp but accurate.
After the disastrous 2005 recruiting class, TTU’s team building had huge hidden risks. Once Julius Jackson graduated, the team would be leaderless, potentially plunging into the abyss.
Xu Ling’s emergence relieved the coaching staff; they thought they’d found the core for the next three years of team building. But when Xu Ling quickly showed draft prospects and attracted media attention with high-profile comments unlike his personality, Knight realized his vision didn’t match this future core he’d handpicked.
So he wanted to test Xu Ling’s bottom line.
“Coach,” Xu Ling looked straight into Knight’s eyes, “as soon as the timing is right, I’ll enter the NBA Draft.”
Knight’s eyes widened; he hadn’t expected such a straightforward answer.
“So on the leader question, I think M.Z（Martin Zeno） and Allen are more suitable than me.”
Under Knight, no one in history had left after their freshman season to enter the draft.
“Come on!” Knight said loudly. “They can’t carry TTU! They don’t have the qualification!”
“But you do!” Knight angrily pointed at Xu Ling. “You’re the most talented player I’ve seen since coming to TTU. I believe you can lead this team to greatness. As long as you’re patient enough, you’re still young, you have many flaws, but give me time, and I can get you fully ready before entering the NBA!”
“That might take two or three years!”
An emotional Knight wasn’t rare; a Knight showing complex emotions was.
Xu Ling saw such a Knight.
He was first happy, then angry, then a bit frustrated and helpless. After saying all this, he just hoped for a commitment from the freshman the team was counting on.
But the weight of that commitment was more than Xu Ling could bear.
“Two or three years”?
In this era, whether someone had NBA talent was clear after one year.
The league had become increasingly professional; NBA training quality, competition level, and logistical security were incomparable to NCAA, not to mention the insane salaries—while NCAA still clung to the “pure competition” ideal, PUAing struggling students to give everything without security or return.
Xu Ling didn’t think that complicated; his thinking was simple. Since he’d lived a second life, he had to climb as high as possible with all his effort. He had no affection for TTU, little admiration for Knight, and everything the school and team represented came from the original Xu Ling—that wasn’t him.
All he could do was guarantee he’d give his all every day playing for TTU.
Xu Ling asked flatly: “Coach, back then, did you let Isiah Thomas enter the draft because he was fully ready, or because Indiana University didn’t need him anymore?”
“Isiah was already the best player in the country as a sophomore!” Thomas and Indiana University were Knight’s sensitive spots; hearing Xu Ling bring it up made him more agitated. “That year he won the national championship! He had nothing left to prove!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Knight seemed to realize something. National champion—that standard was natural for him, but for this freshman in front of him, for TTU, it was almost unattainable.
Xu Ling caught Knight’s momentary pause and the double standard in his words. Instantly, a mix of pride and defiance surged in him, making him blurt out: “Then wait until I win one.”
“What did you say?!!!”
The words were light, but they hit Knight like a heavy punch. He looked at Xu Ling in shock, as if seeing for the first time the arrogant soul hidden in this freshman.
“Coach, I need to go in.”
With that, Xu Ling headed to the locker room.
Knight still stood there, not wanting to dampen the players’ spirits with negative emotions. At least tonight, he confirmed one thing: Xu Ling was the same type as Isiah Thomas at his core—they both wanted to fly higher, and that ambition couldn’t be contained.
People like this either reached their highest possible peak or crashed. TTU couldn’t keep him.
But he actually said “wait until I win one”?
Win one?
At TTU?
At this place where he’d toiled for five years to barely build some competitiveness?
An extremely complex mix of emotions surged in Knight’s heart: annoyance at being offended, amusement at the absurdity, but at the deepest core of that annoyance and amusement hid a faint spark forcibly ignited, one he himself was unwilling to admit.
“Arrogant little bastard!”
Knight muttered under his breath, but that curse no longer held pure anger.
Xu Ling was destined not to see Knight stomping in frustration.
Because as soon as he entered the locker room, his teammates doused him with campus basketball’s signature “champagne”—mineral water. Everyone shook new bottles of mineral water vigorously, hoping to create some spray.
Xu Ling could only cover his head with both hands and enjoy the teammates’ mineral water bath.
