“I can invite you to the Spurs’ training camp this summer.” After much thought, Kevin George finally found a way to make up for his failure to properly fulfill his responsibilities.
Bruce thanked him, took Kevin George’s business card, and ran back to the arena.
The game was about to start, and as the starting point guard for this match, he absolutely could not miss the pre-game meeting.
Back in the arena, assistant coach Jamie Lin immediately pulled him aside, and the two began to talk.
Coach Jamie’s primary concern wasn’t how to win the game.
He knew better than anyone just how difficult winning would be.
If it weren’t difficult…
would the head coach have run off and left him to deal with this mess?
Instead, he hoped Bruce would seize this rare opportunity to start and play with style and skill.
Most importantly: “Don’t push yourself too hard; avoid injury.
I want you to leave Stanford healthy, not with a body full of injuries.
Your health is always the top priority.” It sounded almost like a farewell message.
If this were Bruce a day ago, he would have felt sentimental too.
But now, he was filled with fighting spirit.
He believed he had a chance to work a miracle; after all, his speed had improved significantly, and…
his “positive energy baby” had told him that as long as he followed the method, he could gain 10 points of strength from Pruitt.
This was why he had emailed Zuckerberg the night before, stating that he had no plans to sell his Facebook shares.
With only three games left, he decided to go all out.
→ … As Time Warner’s TV broadcast equipment was moved to various locations around the court and cameras were set up, the Stanford players looked restless.
No one had expected this game to be broadcast live on television.
Even though Time Warner was only broadcasting to viewers in California, it was still a rare opportunity to appear on TV.
Scott grew incredibly excited and deliberately pulled Bruce aside: “Bruce, I just called my mom and dad, my older brothers and sisters, my cousins, and my aunt.
You’ve got to pass me the ball a lot tonight; I want them to see Scott flying on TV!!” Uh… Okay.
Bruce nodded.
Truth be told, he wanted to call his parents too, but Time Warner TV broadcasts didn’t reach New York State.
Besides, those two old-school academics probably wouldn’t watch a basketball game like this anyway, right?
He shook his head.
Suddenly, the voice of the ‘Genius Baby’ echoed in his head again: “The game is about to start; are you ready to beat them?” Bruce carefully recalled the tutorial the Genius Baby had taught him, then nodded: Ready.
Honestly, he found the tutorial a bit absurd.
But then again, he had already accepted the fact that a Genius Baby was living inside his head, so what was so strange about that?
… As University of Southern California supporters filled the home stadium, the start of the game was announced.
Before stepping onto the center court line, Scott—acting like a poor country bumpkin—was brimming with hormones and a burning desire for fame.
He kept pacing around Bruce, emphasizing: “The girls at USC are absolutely gorgeous; they dress way more fashionably than the girls up in Northern California.” Bruce knew, of course, that Scott was just venting his emotions—using this method to ease his nerves.
So, he chuckled and joked, “Look, all those stylish girls are here for Nick Young.
They’re chanting his name and holding up signs with his name on them.” “Yeah!” Scott sighed softly and said ruefully, “These superstar players are always at the top of the dating food chain; they never run out of hookups.” Bruce nearly choked on his drink at those words: How could he say something so vulgar with such a philosophical tone?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was contemplating the meaning of life.
*Whistle!* As the whistle blew, Scott—positioned in the middle of the lineup—leaped up.
The Southern California center facing him, despite standing over seven feet tall, looked awkward and couldn’t jump at all; he could only watch helplessly as Scott tapped the ball to Bruce.
Bruce caught the ball and immediately shouted, “Run!” He sprinted toward the frontcourt like a lightning bolt.
Before his defender, Pruitt, could react, he had already reached the three-point line.
When Nick Young came over to help, Bruce flicked his wrist, delivering a perfect pass to the corner.
Thompson arrived right on time, caught the ball, and shot…
*swish!* Three points!
Stanford instantly dampened the home crowd’s enthusiasm.
The commentators were caught off guard, and the fans were still riding the wave of excitement from the game’s opening.
Stanford had actually scored?!
The Southern California players were still reeling from the play.
It took only five seconds from the initial pass to the ball finding the basket.
At that moment, Thompson gave Bruce a thumbs-up, signaling: “Great pass!” While the two Time Warner commentators sat in stunned silence, Kevin George—seated in the fifth row—had a sudden realization.
Even before the game started, his eyes had been drawn to the Stanford guard he’d run into at a fast-food joint during lunch.
Then, witnessing Bruce’s lightning-fast speed instantly reminded him of the Spurs’ Tony Parker; both possessed incredible quickness.
What really caught his eye was how Bruce had spotted his teammate making a run without slowing down and delivered the pass ahead of him, effectively leading the receiver into the play.
That was the mark of a top-tier guard!
Some guards go their entire careers without ever developing the skill to lead teammates with their passes—let alone the ability to react in milliseconds while moving at high speed.
“Interesting!” He made a mental note of the name.
He then focused even more intently on the court, eager to see how Bruce would handle defense.
For the Spurs, defense was a crucial element.
If the young man could clear that defensive hurdle, George wouldn’t mind recommending him for an opportunity.
The USC Trojans played at a slower offensive tempo; they were a team built around a dominant center.
Their center, Emeka Curry, was a giant standing 211 cm tall and weighing 130 kg.
While he would never make it to the NBA, his slow, methodical style wreaked unstoppable havoc in the NCAA.
Some even dubbed him and Nick Young as USC’s version of the “OK” duo—a very poor imitation, of course.
Pruitt slowly brought the ball up the court.
Then, he signaled a “2” to Nick Young, indicating he was going to take the shot himself.
Nick Young immediately broke into a run.
“Kid, you’re done for,” Pruitt said, crouching low and slowly dribbling the ball while taunting Bruce.
In his eyes, the Asian kid guarding him was no different from a sheet of paper; the slightest bump would be enough to send him tumbling and turn him into the laughingstock of the entire arena.
That bastard Kevin George actually dared to compare the kid to him?
What a joke.
The arrogant Pruitt decided to teach the boy a lesson he would never forget.