Carrying an old science teacher with him

Chapter 8: Attention from Scouts

Miami in November is warm and comfortable. After the rainy season, the whole of Florida enters its peak tourist season, attracting tourists from all over the United States and even the world.

Rick Thomas walked out of Miami International Airport with his simple luggage, feeling very comfortable in the warm Florida sunshine.

As a professional scout, even though he was only a scout for NCAA college teams, Rick was still very happy to be able to come to Florida every winter at public expense under the guise of scouting players.

After spending so much time among the skyscrapers of New York, Rick Thomas longed for the winter in Florida.

"Rick, have you arrived in Miami yet?"

Rick Thomas received a phone call as soon as he left the airport.

"Uncle, I just arrived."

"I've told you many times, don't call me uncle. You're at work now, call me Coach Jim."

"Okay, Uncle."

Jim Beheim is a living legend of NCAA college basketball, having coached the Syracuse Oranges since 1976, a total of 25 years.

Jim Beheim resisted the urge to hang up and continued speaking to his scout and nephew: "Remember, when you go to Florida this time, first go to Orlando and check on Amar'e Stoudemire. While you're at it, visit his mother and see if you can get her to persuade him not to go straight to the NBA. After that, you should also check out Anthony Robertson of Sarasota and von Weaver of Klewell. If you have time, go to Montverde. Kevin Boyle just took office there; that school is worth keeping an eye on."

"Don't worry, Uncle, I'll be back before Christmas."

"Get lost, you bastard."

Kevin Boyle previously served as an assistant coach, so why did he become the head coach of Montverde Academy? The reason is simple: Kevin Boyle's father was actually Jim Beheim's most trusted assistant coach back then.

In the America of that era, ability was just the foundation; connections were the key to advancement. However, just twenty years later, it became a situation where ability didn't matter; as long as you had connections, even a dog could become a head coach.

Although his uncle had made the request, Rick Thomas spent almost a week in Miami before beginning to perform his duties.

"The Stoudemire family never even considered going to the NCAA; Amaré's mother was only thinking about getting her son to make money as soon as possible."

Rick Thomas kept a record of his work in his notebook.

"Anthony Robertson said he doesn't like the weather in other states and wants to stay in Florida."

"Von Weaver is worth considering, but I'd prefer the top-tier basketball scholarship."

"Alright, next we should head to Montverde. I heard they have a match coming up soon, we can go check it out."

After entering November, the Florida high school state championships officially began.

Montverde played their first four games with ease, as their opponents were all those they had defeated last season. Wang Kai played the full 90 minutes in all four games, and what he needs most now is to get used to the rhythm of the game.

The intensity of the Hawks' internal scrimmages is no longer enough for Wang Kai at this point. In addition, Kevin Boyle hopes that the team can practice tactics through games. As the core of the team's offense, Wang Kai naturally cannot just clock out at halftime.

This resulted in Montverde winning by nearly 20 points on average in his first four games.

Keep in mind that this is a high school game where each quarter is only eight minutes long, and each offensive possession is limited to thirty-five seconds.

This is enough to demonstrate the Montverde Hawks' formidable strength on both offense and defense.

Of course, the strength of the opponent is also one of the reasons.

Montverde's opponents in the first four rounds are all those they defeated last season, although Montverde's victories last season were not so easy.

In the fifth game, Montverde faced a strong opponent – ​​the Miami High School Capybaras.

This team is a long-established powerhouse in Florida's 6A league. Last season, they finished as runners-up in the state championship, and this season they are making a comeback. The team's core player is Weaver.

This match attracted significant attention from other teams participating in the Florida Championship.

Montverde has risen strongly this season, while Miami high school teams remain strong, leading many to believe this is a matchup between state championship-caliber teams.

Rick Thomas arrived at the game venue a full ten minutes late, but he managed to get into the stadium by using his scout credentials.

"You won't have another chance. I'll protect you from all danger."

Weaver didn't bother wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead; his attention was focused on Wang Kai across from him.

Wang Kai dribbled the ball with ease, without even lowering his center of gravity, but Weaver didn't dare to go for it because he had already tried three times before, and not only did he fail once, but Wang Kai easily beat him.

Wang Kai suddenly feinted while dribbling with his left hand, prompting Weaver to immediately shift his weight in an attempt to block Wang Kai's path to the basket.

But Wang Kai's movements were too fast. He pulled his right hand back in the direction of the ball's movement, and then took a step back to a point one meter outside the three-point line before decisively shooting.

The seemingly simple move drew gasps from the crowd, as this was Wang Kai's fourth attempt at a three-pointer, and he hadn't missed a single one of his previous three shots.

The basketball spun and flew precisely into the net, giving Weaver a chance to wipe the sweat from his brow.

As Wang Kai hit another three-pointer, the entire arena erupted in cheers: "Nanbo!!"

With Wang Kai leading Montverde to their best start in nearly five years, his nickname "Eastern Deadly Weapon" has spread throughout Florida, and many Orlando fans are flocking to watch Wang Kai's games.

Rick Thomas saw Wang Kai's precise step-back three-pointer and was surprised by Wang Kai's skill, because such a move would be impossible for most players in the NCAA today.

In the following match, Rick Thomas filled two whole pages of his notebook with praise and attention, without a single word questioning Wang Kai's abilities.

"What is this? What is this? Is this a combination of Ray Allen and Allen Iverson? God, I feel like this is not even in the same league."

This was Rick Thomas's exclamation after watching Wang Kai's performance in the first half of the game.

Wang Kai nearly destroyed Weaver's will in just the first half. The self-confident Weaver dared to ask Syracuse University scouts for a full athletic scholarship because of his confidence, but now his confidence was almost destroyed by Wang Kai.

Weaver's physical gifts were explosive, but Wang Kai completely overwhelmed Weaver by using changes in dribbling rhythm and accurate three-point shooting.