"Get your heads in the game. We're taking this championship into March Madness."
Yuuto clapped his hands, snapping his teammates back to reality.
They were all too focused on the Blazers' head coach sitting courtside.
Right now, Yuuto was probably the only one on the team who could maintain absolute composure.
His words had the desired effect—especially "March Madness," which pulled Mosely and the others out of their daydreams and back to the present.
After all.
Everyone watching knew that Nate McMillan was here to scout.
Fantasizing about skipping straight to the NBA was delusional. Better to focus on the game at hand.
March Madness was a massive stage—and their opportunity.
Seeing Yuuto so calm, McMillan mentally added a few more points to his evaluation.
He believed Yuuto possessed the temperament to lead a team.
Little did he know.
Yuuto was only this calm because he wasn't worried about his draft stock.
Even if Jerry West himself were sitting courtside, his expression wouldn't change.
He kept up with the news—especially news about himself—so he knew plenty of league bigwigs had come to watch him play in person.
Those who are loved have nothing to fear.
The Bruins returned to normal operations. Yuuto began applying suffocating pressure on the perimeter.
The frontcourt also started putting pressure on their opponents.
Singler couldn't even get inside the three-point line. Seeing his teammates equally bottled up, he had no choice but to force a one-on-one play.
Isolation after your set plays get shut down is the ultimate test of individual ability.
Singler's one-on-one game was solid, but today he was facing Yuuto—widely regarded as the best perimeter defender in the Pac-12.
A sidestep pull-up jumper. Yuuto couldn't block it, but with his arms fully extended, he still managed to contest effectively.
Singler's shot clanged off the rim.
Reeves hustled for position but realized he couldn't win the rebound battle. Thinking quickly, he jumped and volleyball-spiked the ball away.
If I can't get it, neither can you.
This was Tyson Chandler's signature move.
In last year's Finals, he'd used this technique to battle for rebounds.
Back then, he was outnumbered in the paint—facing Bosh, LeBron, and Wade, the league's best rebounding guard.
Against those physical freaks, he couldn't win with just two fists against eight hands. So he started playing volleyball during games.
The Heat's rebounding strategy relied on numbers and hustle. When Chandler batted the ball out, the Mavericks' perimeter players actually had the numerical advantage and could usually secure possession.
Dallas generated countless second-chance opportunities this way.
Yuuto leaped, snatching the ball out of mid-air.
Singler immediately fouled him.
The referee's whistle blew.
"What? You think this is gonna stop me?"
"It's useless. Even if all five of you come at me, I'll still kick you into the Pacific Ocean."
Singler didn't bother engaging.
Everyone knew the Bruins' #10 had the best trash talk in the Pac-12.
Anyone who got into a war of words with him on the court never ended up well.
Why have these Americans gotten so docile?
Yuuto couldn't figure it out. Lately, his mouth had been idle—no worthy opponents.
He caught the ball on the perimeter again. Singler pressed up tight.
Yuuto protected the ball with his back. Norman wanted to set a screen, but Yuuto waved him off.
The others saw this and immediately spread the floor for an isolation.
Then.
A step-back into a sudden burst of acceleration—once again, he used that explosive first step to blow past his defender.
Oregon collapsed into the paint.
Yuuto had long since proven he couldn't be guarded one-on-one. Today, the Ducks had deployed heavy help defense and rim protection specifically for him.
The result?
That kind of collapse inevitably left other Bruins open.
If this were Kobe, he might not see those opportunities.
That's why meticulous scouts had changed Yuuto's player comparison from Kobe to Jordan.
Because Yuuto could see those opportunities.
With a one-handed whip, he threaded a bounce pass through the defender's legs during his drive, delivering the ball right into Reeves's hands in the paint.
No hesitation. Reeves caught it, spun, and threw down a dunk—drawing a foul in the process.
"AND ONE!"
Reeves pumped his fist and roared with excitement.
Especially after seeing McMillan applauding courtside—his enthusiasm intensified.
However.
McMillan's eyes were fixed on Yuuto.
He felt the scouts were still being too conservative. Yuuto's comparison shouldn't be Jordan either.
How could that ball-hogging chucker possibly make a pass like that?!
Yes.
Jordan had gone through a phase of racking up triple-doubles, but his playmaking was easily picked apart by media critics.
Eventually, Jordan realized padding triple-doubles was pointless. He dropped the act, went back to doing what he did best, and promptly won another scoring title.
So.
Whether Jordan or Kobe, neither was a true floor general type of player.
But Yuuto could be.
What an imaginative pass. McMillan praised internally.
Court vision that missed nothing, combined with unpredictable, creative passing.
Now THIS is talent!
McMillan couldn't find an appropriate comparison for Yuuto. He believed Yuuto possessed Jordan's scoring ability while also having Magic Johnson's extraordinary imagination.
Why was Magic the greatest point guard in history?
There were many reasons—too many to list.
But one thing was certain: Magic's passing was art.
His passes were filled with imagination and the unexpected. In all of basketball history, you couldn't find another point guard this creative—including the great Chris Paul.
Watching them play, you could immediately sense the gap in their natural gifts.
Yuuto's pass just now gave that exact feeling.
So... was his comparison Jordan AND Magic combined?!
...
The first half was perfect for UCLA.
They had essentially achieved their pre-game objectives. Yuuto dominated his matchup while running the offense—scoring, driving, and passing to activate the entire team.
Steve had designed multiple plays for him.
Some used him as the primary scorer. Others featured him as the playmaking hub.
This made it incredibly difficult for opponents to game-plan against him.
If they double-teamed too aggressively, Yuuto would relocate to the weak side and wait for teammates to create space before finishing himself.
But if the help wasn't strong enough, he'd simply destroy whoever was in front of him.
It was maddening!
Oregon's coach understood exactly why he had such a headache.
It was because the Bruins' #10 was just too damn talented.
"I'd bet anything that kid could put up great numbers in the NBA right now."
Looking at the 57-40 halftime score, Oregon's coach knew they were in serious trouble tonight.
...
Their defensive schemes had zero effect on Yuuto.
NCAA possessions were 30 seconds, so the pace was much slower than the NBA.
Nearly 60 points in a half—in a conference championship game—was already exceptional.
Yuuto's headshot appeared on screen alongside his stats.
Halftime: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
"AD is the most talented freshman. Yu is the most destructive freshman."
The commentators gave Yuuto high praise.
"This half, he haunted the Ducks like a ghost! You know he's going to attack. You know how good his defense is. But no matter what you do, you can't escape him."
"Yu is like Mount Olympus—standing directly in Oregon's path!"
Back in the locker room, Steve praised the team's performance.
Then came the warning. "We still have a half to play—a full 20 minutes. Don't let up. Maintain your hunger for victory. If we blow it in the second half, everything that happened in the first half becomes meaningless."
"Trust every teammate beside you. Stay focused. Do the right thing. That's how we become champions!"
Steve always told his players to stay calm and do the right thing.
Yet he was usually the one who lost control.
Sometimes Yuuto wondered what exactly Steve had learned from McMillan.
While mentally criticizing his coach, he suddenly heard his name called.
"Yu."
"Yes!"
Yuuto straightened up.
"Nice work. Your first-half performance already broke them. But it's not enough—I want to reduce Oregon to rubble."
Translation: Turn up the intensity.
"I trust you can handle it, just like you always do!"
"Mission accepted."
"Good. Today, you're even more handsome than Leonardo DiCaprio!"
...
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