Almighty Coach

Members in the visiting group were envious of the hardware equipment in the AP Training Center. However, everyone knew that a provincial training team couldn’t afford them and even if they could, they couldn’t afford the maintenance costs.

Just like cars, the more expensive it was, the higher the maintenance costs would be. If you bought a luxury car, you would only use the highest octane gasoline to fill its tank.

The guide introduced all the advanced equipment to the group with pride, like a guy who was showing off his fortune. Then everyone was brought to the reception room where they saw David Mills, the head of the AP Training Center.

"You’ve just seen our training equipment, and I know that you must be eager to see the real training activities here. But I am afraid that you can’t see it." David Mills smiled and continued, "You must know that many famous athletes come here and do their training, which they hope can be secretive. Besides, it involves privacy. So, most of training is done in private."

Hearing this, all of them were disappointed.

In America, people cared about their privacy more than people in China. Even if they weren’t famous athletes, they didn’t like the interruption from visitors.

David Mills said, "Please cheer up! The latest Adidas Basketball Camp will be undertaken by our Training Center. The camp gathers excellent high school students, and it is open to anyone, including coaches in universities, scouts in professional basketball teams, reporters, and you."

There were a number of similar camps in America. Some coaches, even athletes may host their own camps. There was no doubt that Adidas Basketball Training Camp was the one that everyone wanted to join in. Of course, those athletes who could join in this camp were top players from all the schools in America. Therefore, it could attract attention from the media, coaches in universities, and NBA scouts who were eager to find future stars.

Those young athletes joining in the camp can no only improve their skills, but also attract attention. They were happy to have more people observe them.

It was the first day in Adidas Basketball Training Camp. Dai Li saw that black woman on the training ground again who followed tightly the head coach of the Adidas Basketball Camp, Hyde, an old man around 50 years old.

"Mr. Hyde, please give Allen another chance, please!" The black woman begged.

"Mrs. Hampton, I’ve explained to you several times. We sent out an invitation to your son Allen Hampton before, but he didn’t reply to us that he would come to our camp."

"He didn’t have his parole then." the woman said.

Mr. Hyde threw up his hand sand said, "Mrs. Hampton, I hope you can understand. Since we’ve made rules, we must observe them, right? If everyone who came here and asked for privileges got them, our camp could no longer do what we do."

Eventually, the woman left, disappointed.

Sitting in the stand and watching the athletes, Dai Li screamed in his heart, Are these really high school students?

Besides Dai Li, the other coaches in the visiting group showed their surprise.

"Those high school students bear comparison with our professional athletes of the provincial team, right?"

"In my view, they can play in our national lower-level leagues."

"Far more than that! See that guard! What a wonderful breakthrough, and he dunked directly! This guy can play in CBA."

Yet, the American audience looked more at ease. Obviously, they were accustomed to it.

A reporter beside Dai Li, of about the same age as him, kindly introduced the players for Dai Li.

"See the young lad who dunked just now? He is from New York. His nickname is Son of New York. When he was just an elementary student, he could compete with adults in basketball game already. Among high school students this year, he may be listed within the top 3. And he may be the MVP in this Adidas Training Camp."

"Pupils compete with adults!" Dai Li was shocked. He observed this young lad immediately and found he had A-level talent.

"A-level talent is good enough. He is a strong basketball player in America. I don’t know the talent of our national professional athletes."

The young reporter continued his introduction, "that lad who did a three-point shot is a leading scorer in Mountain Top High School in southern California, and he helped his school become state champions this year. Although he is only 19 years old, he is a father. So, he is trying to find a school which could provide him with a basketball scholarship."

Dai Li began his observation again.

"He has A plus talent, and he is good at shooting three-pointers. It seems like this athlete will be an excellent shooter."

The reporter pointed to a big guy under the basketball frame. "He is six-feet, nine-inches, and he might grow to around seven feet. He is thin, yet he has a long wingspan. His ball handling skills are just so-so. But he is good at grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. Just some more weight will make him a wonderful defensive center!"

"This big guy has A-minus-level talent who can be counted as a superior basketball athlete in America, not so good as I’ve imagined. I thought their talent would be higher in America as the country is a top basketball power. Maybe that is the gap caused by training."

Dai Li took a deep breath and thought again, If we could grow up in America where sports are everywhere around us, maybe our achievements in sports wouldn’t be defeated by the Americans.

Again, the reporter said, "Those guys I mentioned just now can definitely enter the NBA, even the lottery. But there is one guy who didn’t come this time. What a pity."

"Who? Is there anyone who is willing to ignore such a good chance like this?" Dai Li asked with his poor English.

But the reporter knew what Dai Li meant. He said, "Maybe due to injury or something. That guy is Allen Hampton from Holy Land High School. He is not only an excellent basketball player, but also a great football player. He helped his school get the state championships in both football and basketball. In the last season, he averaged 31.6 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.7 rebounds per game. He is a real genius!"

By football, the American reporter meant American football, not soccer.

The reporter continued, "But the genius is a bad boy. It was said that he was sentenced to jail for carrying drugs when he was 15. Then he broke his parole regulations, which resulted in a longer prison term. After a while, leading a group of people to cause trouble got him another prison sentence. His lawsuits succeeded owing to help from The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The coaches of famous universities don’t like this bad boy, I guess."