One Guard

"Crazy March's top eight list is out! The dark horse Butler moves on!"

"Ranking of the March Madness Tournament Leaders: Yiyang overwhelms Hayward and ranks fourth!"

"The crazy pursuit of the yellow lightning! Yiyang dominated the audience and helped the Bulldogs successfully counterattack!"

The day after the Sweet Sixteen ended, almost all the news media were reporting news related to it. When March Madness reaches the Elite Eight, not even some NBA teams get the same attention.

At the moment, it's not just in Indianapolis. As far away as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and other big cities, fans gradually know the name Yiyang.

As long as they pay attention to the NCAA, they can see Yiyang in the top ten balls last night. The yellow-skinned defender wearing the No. 1 jersey seems to be more terrifying than Jeremy Lin from Harvard back then.

Yiyang's mother must be very lucky now. Fortunately, Yiyang has used his full scholarship to pay the medical expenses of the high school teammate who was injured by him in advance. Otherwise, after Yiyang became famous now, it would be no wonder that guy didn't blackmail Yiyang well.

In Long Beach City, Wen Xue's house has more and more visitors every day. Among them were the neighbors in the Wood District, and of course, there were also the reporters who found Yiyang's trace.

"Sir, I kept you waiting!" Wen Xue held a cup of coffee and handed it to the visiting man.

"Thank you Ma'am, just speak Chinese. I said I am a reporter from China." Mu Ran smiled at the young mother.

Mu Ran took a sip of coffee and looked around. The old walls of this house are even a little yellow, and there are large water stains on the ceiling. Maybe the water pipes upstairs are leaking? A kitchen, an extremely small living room, a toilet that can only fit a toilet, and two pitifully small rooms are all that Yiyang's family has.

Mu Ran put down the cup, feeling a little unbelievable in his heart. Under normal circumstances, Chinese players who can go to college in the United States and play basketball in the NCAA usually have a very good family background. Otherwise, the cost of studying abroad and living in the United States is beyond the reach of ordinary families.

But Yiyang is completely different. He lives in a slum area, deals with gang members every day, and associates with drugs and crimes. Such a Chinese can still perform well on the NCAA stage, which really subverts Mu Ran's perception of Yiyang.

No wonder that guy Yiyang is always quiet when interviewed by reporters, because the reporter only sees the bright side of Yiyang. They smiled and didn't know the experience behind the No. 1 of the Bulldogs.

It is very normal for children who come out of this kind of place to be somewhat withdrawn. Mu Ran, who has lived in the United States for a long time, really can't believe how Yiyang grew up under the exclusion.

"Ma'am, you said that your husband used to be a professional basketball player?" Mu Ran looked away. There are too many stories behind Yiyang, and he couldn't figure it out even if he thought about it for a day. So, the experienced reporter began to question the enthusiastic mother.

Although Yiyang's father has passed away for ten years, every time this matter is mentioned, Wen Xue is always secretly sad. Her subtle expression of sudden depression did not escape the eyes of this reporter, Mu Ran.

"His father played in the domestic CBA before, but he wasn't very famous." Wen Xue answered truthfully, and probably didn't want to mention the rest.

"In this way... it seems that your son has inherited all the advantages of your husband! Do you know Ma'am, now basketball fans all over the United States know Yiyang's name. Your son is already a big star I watched the game against Syracuse University, and Yiyang was a savior on the field. Congratulations, wife, for having such an excellent child!" Mu Ran knew that he had made the atmosphere a little heavy, so he quickly changed the topic Moved on to something pleasurable.

Sure enough, Wen Xue, who was a little downcast, suddenly smiled again. "Yiyang has been working very hard. Of course, this is also thanks to Mr. Stevens' cultivation."

"Mrs. Yi, if possible, I would like to come to your home to do an exclusive interview with Yiyang and you before Yiyang participates in the NBA draft this year. I really want to know you very much, and I believe domestic fans think the same way. But Now, the March Madness Championship has entered a critical stage. As one of Yiyang's fans, I don't want to disturb his preparation! Here is my business card, and now I have to go back to Indianapolis. Every game of your son , I have to follow up and report." After Mu Ran finished speaking, he got up and handed out his business card with both hands. Now, Yiyang should not be able to refuse his request for an exclusive interview.

"Sir, let me take you down."

"Don't bother, ma'am. My car is right below. Your son is great. Everyone in the country is looking forward to him making it to the NBA soon!"

After saying goodbye to Wen Xue, Mu Ran walked down the precarious looking stairs. In the dim corridor, Mu Ran could even hear strange screams from other tenants.

"Yiyang, Yiyang, you are amazing!" Looking at the environment he was in, Mu Ran started talking to himself. If he had lived in such a place instead, Mu Ran might have rotted in Wood District long ago. A kid who comes out of this kind of place will either accomplish nothing. Or, it will be a blockbuster!

"Brother Mu, so fast?" Seeing Mu Ran come out of the apartment, the photographer who was waiting outside asked in surprise.

"That's right, just a casual chat with his mother. The NBA is the only chance for that kid to escape from this kind of place. I can't disturb him and his family now. Let's go, let's get out of this damn place!" In fact, today At the beginning, Mu Ran planned to conduct an exclusive interview with Wen Xue directly. Through Wen Xue, Mu Ran felt that he would be able to handle Yiyang with ease.

But what Mu Ran saw in Wood District made this principled reporter give up such an idea. It was precisely because of this trip to Long Beach that Mu Ran's love for Yiyang suddenly increased. The experience behind the No. 1 defender really has to be awe-inspiring.

Just focus on your game, kid. After all, I'm your fan...

※※※

While Mu Ran was imagining Yiyang's life in Long Beach's Wood District, the guard, who had become famous all over the United States and even China, was working hard with his teammates to prepare for the next life-and-death battle.

For the teams participating in March Madness, every game is a battle of life and death. Therefore, they cannot celebrate after a victory. Instead, you can only work hard for the next more difficult game after a victory.

The Bulldogs had no time to be happy about their last win, despite just beating a tough Syracuse and their insanely high-shooting No. 4.

Stevens has now abandoned the previous rule of a day off after a game, and Stevens doesn't want to miss any second of training time.

Although the game has become increasingly tense, but for the Bulldogs, there are still two pieces of good news that Stevens can breathe a sigh of relief.

The first good news is that after Hayward's poor performance in the last game, he is now completely rebounding. The white small forward's outstanding performance in training made Stevens expect a lot from him.

As for the second piece of good news, the Bulldogs' opponent in the Elite Eight has already been determined to be Michigan State University.

In fact, Michigan State is not a soft persimmon. It is clear at a glance to see their impressive record: 12 regular season championships in their league, 24 NCAA championships, 15 sweet 16 advances, 11 elite 8 finals, 8 final 4 finals, 3 finals, and 2 championships . The strong team is for this.

And Magic Johnson, the most noteworthy stroke in the history of the Spartans, has added a lot of legend to Michigan State University.

It stands to reason that when encountering such a quasi-rich team, Stevens would have a headache before it was too late. But unfortunately, the number one star player in the Michigan State team, Carlin Lucas, who serves as a point guard, was injured in the last round of the game.

In fact, Lucas had problems with his feet a long time ago. It was reported at the time that he needed a truce for at least 4 months, but Lucas still insisted on coming back for the dream of the championship.

However, in the fierce game against the University of Tennessee in the last round, Lucas was completely injured and his left Achilles tendon was torn. At present, he has missed all the remaining games of the championship. And his professional basketball dream was cast a shadow.

Originally, this battle between Carlin Lucas and Yiyang had attracted much attention. But now, without Lucas, the game itself has lost its suspense.

Lucas is not only the first scoring point for Michigan State University, but also the soul of the whole team. If a team has lost its soul, how can it resist?

Two days later, the Bulldogs and Michigan State faced off. Today, Carlin Lucas watched the live broadcast of the game on TV in the hospital.

Before the game started, TN.T's commentator Reggie Miller was talking about Yiyang's draft pick. They predict that Yiyang will most likely be picked before the 15th pick in the first round.

Lucas shook his head silently, originally this position belonged to him. But when he was injured, his predicted pick suddenly changed from the first round to losing. After all, no one drafts a player who can't play.

Carlin Lucas was a little discouraged, and so was the giant Michigan State University.

In the beginning, Michigan State University was forced to step up the starting No. 1 player Corey Lucius, but Yiyang's continuous breakthroughs made him lose confidence.

Without Lucas, Michigan State's offense can only be described as chaotic. This substitute No. 1 position has actually done a good job, but he is naturally not as good as Lucas.

For Michigan State, which is accustomed to having Lucas handle the ball, replacing a brain makes them at a loss.

Ten minutes into the game, the point difference has been widened to 15 points. At that time, Carlin Lucas turned off the TV and closed his eyes. The defender knew that his dream was completely shattered...

In the end, Yiyang helped the Bulldogs win easily with a terrifying double-double of 15 points and 12 assists. Lost Michigan State, the head star, even with Tom Izzo, one of the best coaches in NCAA basketball, the Spartans are powerless.

The moment the game ended, all the fans in blue T-shirts were boiling.

This team did not officially enter the NCAA Division I until 1962, and this school was never a basketball giant. At this moment, it is historic to reach the final semi-finals of this year's March Madness Championship!

Perhaps just like the movie "Ambition of the Stadium" filmed at the Bulldogs' home court, the legend of "Cinderella" is about to be re-enacted!