Two years later.
Pauley Pavilion.
This was the UCLA Bruins' home court, capable of holding 13,800 spectators.
Today would host a highly anticipated game.
The matchup: UCLA versus USC.
As crosstown rivals in Los Angeles, the UCLA-USC battle was one of California sports' most watched events.
Historically, the two schools had met many times in the tournament, with intense competition.
A lot had happened in the past two years.
For instance, in July 2010, after the season ended, Cleveland's Chosen One went on live television to announce he was taking his talents to South Beach, forming the league's first superteam with Wade and Bosh.
But even more shocking—this super-trio lost in their first season.
They hadn't delivered on what LeBron promised when he joined the Heat: that his team wouldn't win just one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven championships.
However, as Wade deferred and the Heat built around LeBron, this year's Miami Heat was still a serious title contender. Vegas had them as heavy favorites.
Everyone knew it—year one, the Heat lacked chemistry and still almost won. After gelling, they'd only get stronger.
Of course, none of that concerned Yuuto right now. His focus was helping UCLA defeat their crosstown rival USC.
Yes.
After graduating high school, Yuuto had chosen UCLA and become a Bruin, rather than going to Indiana University as the people of Indiana had hoped.
His reason for choosing the Bruins was simple: Los Angeles meant more exposure.
For college basketball, this was the most exciting time of year.
Various Division I conferences would hold their conference tournaments, fighting for spots in March Madness.
NCAA was different from the NBA, which only had Eastern and Western conferences.
In NCAA, there were five major conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conference.
UCLA was in the Pac-12.
Over the years, UCLA had remained competitive. But John Wooden's ten championships seemed to have used up the program's luck—they hadn't won a national title in years.
Since 1995, over a decade had passed since UCLA last stood atop college basketball.
Their closest call was 2006, when they made the national championship game but couldn't seal the deal.
Their best result since then was the Final Four in 2008.
Last year, the Bruins made the tournament but were eliminated in the Round of 32—a rebuilding phase.
Their opponent USC was doing even worse.
In the Pac-12, USC was a mid-tier program, at least in recent years.
In terms of strength, they weren't truly elite, but calling them second-tier would be doing them a disservice.
After all, they had Jason Sierra, considered one of the best point guards in the Pac-12.
That afternoon at four o'clock, during warmups, Jason Sierra rudely came over to say hello.
"Oh, John, you're still here? I thought UCLA had become an Asian team."
John Morris's face darkened. "I have nothing to say to you. Get away from me."
Jason Sierra smirked internally—mission accomplished, getting in his opponent's head.
"Hey, don't be like that. I know getting knocked out in the Round of 32 last year hurt, but you guys shouldn't be pinning your hopes on an Asian. Am I right? Yu?"
After messing with Morris, he wanted to mess with Yuuto too.
In recent years, the Bruins had struggled.
Last year's Round of 32 exit would be a success for some programs.
But this was UCLA—eleven-time national champions. The Round of 32 was practically a black mark on their history.
Yuuto thought calling the Bruins a bottom-tier team was premature.
Because historically, UCLA wouldn't even make March Madness this year.
The reason was simple.
This batch of players—not a single one would make the NBA.
The measure of a college player's strength? Whether they made the NBA.
Draft position correlated with player performance. If a player performed well in college, his team's record couldn't be too bad.
Never underestimate professional scouts—their eyes were sharp.
"Sorry, who are you?" Yuuto wasn't afraid to fire back. "Is your name on ESPN's latest mock draft? My phone screen is small—might've scrolled right past you."
What the hell?
Jason Sierra never expected this Asian guy to have such a sharp tongue.
Yuuto's retort left him momentarily speechless.
Jason Sierra had explosive athleticism and excelled at crossovers and drives, but his mid-range and long-range shooting was mediocre.
Playing the point, his playmaking was average, but his penetration among guards was impressive.
The reason he wasn't on ESPN's mock draft was simple.
His shooting was subpar. Despite decent driving ability, compared to other prospects, he was nothing special.
The game began.
USC started with the ball. Using the tempo, they brought it across halfcourt and found Richardson off a screen—splash, a pull-up three.
3-0.
USC's coach applauded from the sideline. He'd designed the opening play.
Getting Jason Sierra to facilitate for teammates would prevent UCLA from aggressively trapping him.
After all, Sierra was a junior now. His style was set and unlikely to change. Three years without developing a jumper meant he probably never would.
Against traps, all he could do was attack, attack, attack.
That wouldn't be enough to beat a quality opponent.
Even though the Bruins had fallen off, this year they'd brought in MVP Yuuto from Covanord.
This young Asian had been highly praised by media over the past two years.
He was touted as the third Chinese player likely to be a lottery pick, after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.
On the other end, John Morris tried to answer back, calling for a screen and attacking the paint, but his layup rimmed out under defensive pressure.
Clang~
The rebound was headed USC's way.
Since Yuuto joined, Morris's performance had declined.
Head coach Steve Alford's favoritism toward Yuuto was obvious.
The reason was clear too.
Last year, UCLA wasn't the only school after Yuuto. Duke, North Carolina, and other powerhouses had extended offers.
Steve Alford saw Yuuto as crucial to UCLA's resurgence.
Round of 32 wasn't enough to save his job.
In fact, historically, after UCLA failed to make March Madness this year, he was fired.
...
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