Halftime.
Yuuto played the entire first half—20 minutes. He shot 8-for-12 from the field, including 3 three-pointers, no free throws, and finished with 19 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Mosely chipped in 8 points. Center Reeves Nelson feasted on lobs for 10 points.
They looked like a three-headed monster.
Norman Powell focused primarily on defense, hitting just one mid-range jumper for 2 points.
UCLA led Washington 58-34 at the half—up 24 points with the game essentially decided.
Anyone hoping to see UCLA collapse could go to bed early.
In the second half, Washington changed their strategy.
Since winning required more offense, they inserted another guard with penetration ability.
This had some effect—the Huskies' offense showed improvement.
But that also meant their defense would inevitably weaken.
Coming out for the second half, Yuuto immediately went to work on Terrence, drilling fadeaway after fadeaway before repeatedly slashing into the paint—either scoring himself or finding teammates for assists.
Just seven minutes into the second half, he had already reached 30 points—and was still distributing.
The margin ballooned past 30. The game entered garbage time.
Washington refused to be blown out, so their defensive intensity ramped up.
To protect his core players from injury, Coach Steve pulled most of his starters.
Yuuto strutted off the court, casually patting the Washington Huskies mascot's head on the way.
The move infuriated the entire arena.
Not that it mattered.
With Yuuto off the floor, Terrence looked like he'd broken free of his shackles.
He immediately drained three of five threes, finally pushing his scoring into double digits.
At this point, the outcome was never in doubt, but for draft stock purposes, Terrence had to pad his numbers.
In the final 13 minutes, he accounted for half of Washington's shot attempts, clawing his way to 20 points.
Whether this helped his draft position remained to be seen—but it certainly highlighted to scouts and media just how dominant Yuuto's defense could be.
Terrence with Yuuto guarding him versus without—completely different players.
Fans, commentators, scouts—everyone saw it clearly.
The game ended. UCLA cruised to their second straight victory.
Yuuto played 27 minutes, efficiently pouring in 30 points and 8 assists while clamping down on Terrence.
"Yu's performances keep getting better. He's mature beyond his years for a freshman." Coach Steve was chatting with his assistant after the game.
His joy was mixed with apprehension.
Because if Yuuto kept playing like this, UCLA would only have him for one year at most.
Back-to-back 30-point games—that kind of production would absolutely catch NBA scouts' attention.
UCLA's coaching staff couldn't understand it. How did Japan's goldfish pond produce such a monster?
"Yeah, he's polished in every aspect—offense and defense. I honestly don't know what I could teach him at this point," the assistant said. The only issue he could identify was that Yuuto was a bit thin.
But that was a problem most young players faced.
After the game.
Washington's head coach said bitterly, "Our scouting report had significant gaps. They didn't tell me Yu was at this level. The good news is he probably won't stay in college for more than a year."
The reporters went wild at that comment.
"Are you saying Yu would get drafted this year if he declared?"
"Yes, absolutely. If I were an NBA executive, I wouldn't pass on him."
His tone was certain.
Partly because he genuinely believed Yuuto's talent and immediate impact were NBA-ready. Partly because he didn't want to face Yuuto again in college next year.
Yuuto's post-game interview was unremarkable. He answered the standard questions and left.
This game significantly boosted his draft projections.
Consecutive 30-point performances against quality opponents like USC and Washington made every UCLA game must-see viewing for NBA scouts.
Notably, ESPN's draft website maintained a dynamic 2011 mock draft that updated based on player performance.
After two games, Yuuto's ranking had jumped from 24th to 10th—a leap of 14 spots.
This meant the next ESPN update would likely slot him directly into the lottery.
Furthermore.
Fans had nicknamed him "Asian Kobe" after the first game, and now his actual draft comparison was Kobe Bryant.
Following this game, agents came knocking—including some of the biggest names in the business.
Though the NCAA strictly prohibited player-agent contact, well-connected agents had their ways.
Yuuto rejected them all. He already had an agent—Walker. That guy had worked hard to become a certified agent ever since they'd had their heart-to-heart two years ago.
Many agents offered incredible terms.
One New York agent promised that if Yuuto signed with him and declared after his freshman year, he'd pay Yuuto $10,000 per month in living expenses.
For some players, this was an investment. For Yuuto, it was basically free money.
Especially now, with Yao Ming's early retirement due to injuries, Yuuto was essentially the lone Chinese hope. He would attract the attention of all of China.
It was just a matter of where he'd be drafted.
So $10,000 a month in "living expenses" might sound generous, but it was actually nothing compared to his true value.
This was one form of the NCAA's infamous under-the-table dealings.
The NCAA's black-market transactions were never truly secret—just uninvestigated.
Because with the numbers Yuuto was putting up plus the market behind him, he was guaranteed to be selected if he declared.
But this wasn't even really an issue. The moment Yuuto got drafted, the Chinese market behind him would generate endless revenue streams.
Later, the FBI got involved, and a series of illicit communications surfaced—though that was merely the tip of the iceberg of NCAA corruption.
Of course, while Yuuto declined the agent's monthly "investment," he had received a tidy sum when he committed to UCLA.
...
Days later.
Facing Stanford—a Pac-12 opponent.
Stanford's first impression on people was academic excellence, but in basketball, they were decidedly mediocre.
Though they competed in Division I, their talent level was far below traditional powers like UCLA and North Carolina.
This game, Yuuto poured in 39 points, extending his scoring streak and leading the Bruins to a 3-0 start.
"Our goal is the national championship. That hasn't changed."
"UCLA is an 11-time champion, and we're planning to make it 12 this year!"
Yuuto's post-game interviews grew increasingly bold, because American fans loved confident, personality-driven players.
As a player, beyond playing well, you had to market yourself.
Why else did LeBron broadcast "The Decision 1.0" on live television?
It was a classic case study in personal branding.
Too bad for Cleveland fans—they got publicly humiliated by LeBron on national TV.
"As for my draft position, I think I deserve higher."
"If you don't believe me—just watch."
Yuuto strolled out of the arena with swagger.
"Damn it, Yu, you shouldn't be this high-profile. What you need to do is focus on basketball. All that media attention only adds pressure." Coach Steve didn't want his players drawing too much attention.
Because whether the coverage was positive or negative, it only affected a player's mentality and added unnecessary pressure.
"Pressure creates motivation, Coach. That's always been my fuel," Yuuto said, making no attempt to hide his ambition. "I need more exposure."
"Why?"
"Because I'm taking my talents to the NBA."
Pfft—
Someone in the locker room burst out laughing. His words reminded them of a certain absurd TV broadcast from 2010.
"What's so funny?"
The team had plenty of LeBron fans. The moment someone laughed, he knew exactly what they were mocking.
"Hey Rudy, don't be so sensitive. We're not talking about LeBron."
"You clearly are. Nobody else has ever said something like that."
"Hahaha—"
The locker room filled with laughter.
...
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