The First Volume: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered!

The First Volume: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered! Chapter 37: Before the Game

Missouri, St. Louis. After washing up, he picked up the phone on the table, called the hotel front desk, and ordered breakfast.

Click!

"Brad, what's wrong?" Zhang Yu asked, puzzled.

"Sure, no problem. You can tell them yes for me," Zhang Yu replied readily.

This beautiful city on the banks of the Missouri River had a relaxed pace of life, but overnight it had been flooded with visitors from out of town.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning.

Although Curry was the NCAA's leading scorer, his opponents had four players with NBA potential. Apart from Indiana State's own fans, nobody thought Butler had a chance.

Nearly every hotel and inn downtown was fully booked. Streets that had once seemed quiet and deserted had grown lively.

They didn't have to wait long. The Gators came out of the arena after practice, and the cheers from the crowd suddenly swelled.

"Butler is a strong opponent, but we've prepared thoroughly for them. Florida will win this game."

"Besides the Indianapolis Star, nobody thinks the Bulldogs have a chance. They all think we're going to lose by a lot!"

Stevens suddenly sighed. "Take a look at these newspapers!"

He went to the table, sat down, and slammed the stack of newspapers in his hand onto it.

"Joakim, how could you say that in an interview? You're going to give people the impression that you lack social awareness. It might even affect your draft prospects."

"I think going to a strong team would be better. Winning matters a lot..."

Although Curry was the NCAA's leading scorer, his opponents had four players with NBA potential. Apart from Indiana State's own fans, nobody thought Butler had a chance. There was no other reason: St. Louis was hosting this year's NCAA March Madness Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games.

Fans from out of town were scattered through the streets and alleys, making the most of their last free time before the games to tour this city, filled with Catholic churches.

Missouri, St. Louis.

"I know it'll be hard to win, but I can't accept it. We worked so hard to make the Sweet Sixteen, and we were so close to surpassing our best-ever result, only to run into Florida. We're so unlucky."

"Joakim, what do you think about tomorrow's game?"

After the second round of March Madness, fans followed the Sweet Sixteen teams here, arriving in droves.

The name was so familiar to him. Back when he was in middle school, the Chinese internet had been underdeveloped, and Basketball Pioneer had been his only source of information about the NBA.

This was completely different from his interview with USA Today. That had been an ordinary interview to him, no different from a postgame interview.

"I hope I can go to a weak team. That way, I'll get enough shots as a rookie..."

Horford immediately put an arm around him and leaned closer, smiling politely. "Besides the Indianapolis Star, nobody thinks the Bulldogs have a chance. They all think we're going to lose by a lot!"

After a quick read, he set the newspaper down, picked up his knife and fork again, speared a piece of bacon, and popped it into his mouth with a smile.

The Bulldogs, one of the Sweet Sixteen teams, were staying at a hotel near the arena.

He reached around the nightstand with his left hand, picked up his phone, and saw that Micah Shulsbury was calling.

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

Nearly every hotel and inn downtown was fully booked. Streets that had once seemed quiet and deserted had grown lively.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise.

This beautiful city on the banks of the Missouri River had a relaxed pace of life, but overnight it had been flooded with visitors from out of town.

But some Florida fans wearing dark blue sweaters had gathered outside the Sweet Sixteen teams' practice arena, holding signs that read things like "Go Gators!"

"Butler?" Noah shook his head. "I haven't looked into them. Coach will tell us how to play. I don't think they're any different from the other teams we've faced. They're all..."

"Ding..."

With the Gators' staff coordinating things, the commotion soon died down, and the interviews proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Facing such a formidable opponent, it was no wonder the media didn't favor Butler.

Among the "Florida Four," Horford was the most steady. He was the team's locker-room leader and looked after the other three.

With the Gators' staff coordinating things, the commotion soon died down, and the interviews proceeded in an orderly fashion.

In the early morning, warm sunlight fell on Zhang Yu's face. His phone rang, waking him. He opened his bleary eyes, but the dazzling sunlight hit him, and he squinted again.

"Without a doubt, we'll win." Noah answered much more straightforwardly.

Among the stack of newspapers on the table, the Washington Post sports section was on top. A menacing green alligator head seemed to stare at Zhang Yu. Beside it was the headline: "NCAA Giant Faces Rising Underdog—Butler's Cinderella Run Comes to an End."

This was completely different from his interview with USA Today. That had been an ordinary interview to him, no different from a postgame interview.

"I know it'll be hard to win, but I can't accept it. We worked so hard to make the Sweet Sixteen, and we were so close to surpassing our best-ever result, only to run into Florida. We're so unlucky."

After defeating Kentucky University, the Bulldogs waited a day. Once all the second-round games across the regions had wrapped up, they flew to St. Louis yesterday.

During the second round of March Madness, fans followed the Sweet Sixteen teams here, arriving in droves.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

He sat up in bed, saw that the curtains had been pulled all the way open and that the other bed was empty, and muttered in complaint, "Basketball Pioneer?"

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up...

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

"Brad, couldn't he see I was still asleep..."

"Ronan, a Chinese media outlet wants to interview you. It's called... Basketball Pioneer. Do you want to accept?" Micah Shulsbury said with a laugh. He sounded extremely pleased.

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

"Besides the Indianapolis Star, nobody thinks the Bulldogs have a chance. They all think we're going to lose by a lot!"

Horford immediately put an arm around him and leaned closer, smiling politely. "Brad, I didn't know you could be so unreasonable. I thought you'd only say coldly, 'Ronan, get your head in the game. We're going to win!'"

"Not necessarily. We might face Ohio State later, and Greg Oden is a tough opponent." Brewer leaned closer, looking worried.

Taurian Green turned around from the front row, looking excited. He said:

With the Gators' staff coordinating things, the commotion soon died down, and the interviews proceeded in an orderly fashion.

After seeing that logo, every NCAA fan knew it belonged to last year's national champions, the hottest team in the NCAA: the Florida Gators.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise. "How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Receiving an invitation from Basketball Pioneer filled him with a strange kind of excitement.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise. "Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning.

This sort of thing should ordinarily have been handled by a coordinator in the operations department, but the Bulldogs had just made the Sweet Sixteen, and Micah Shulsbury was riding high. He had taken Zhang Yu's importance to a whole new level and handled everything related to him personally.

Every NCAA fan knew that logo belonged to last year's national champions, the Florida Gators, the hottest team in the NCAA.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise.

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Click...

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

"Brad, couldn't he see I was still asleep..."

"Ronan, a Chinese media outlet wants to interview you. It's called... Basketball Pioneer. Do you want to accept?" Micah Shulsbury said with a laugh. He sounded extremely pleased.

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

After defeating Kentucky University, the Bulldogs waited a day. Once all the second-round games across the regions had wrapped up, they flew to St. Louis yesterday.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning.

Stevens gave a wry smile. "Brad, couldn't he see I was still asleep..."

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Click...

He perked up, quickly got dressed, got out of bed, and washed up, ready to start the day's work.

"Brad, I didn't know you could be so unreasonable. I thought you'd only say coldly, 'Ronan, get your head in the game. We're going to win!'"

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

After defeating Kentucky University, the Bulldogs waited a day. Once all the second-round games across the regions had wrapped up, they flew to St. Louis yesterday.

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning...

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

He perked up, quickly got dressed, got out of bed, and washed up, ready to start the day's work.

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

"Brad, I didn't know you could be so unreasonable. I thought you'd only say coldly, 'Ronan, get your head in the game. We're going to win!'"

This sort of thing should ordinarily have been handled by a coordinator in the operations department, but the Bulldogs had just made the Sweet Sixteen, and Micah Shulsbury was riding high. He had taken Zhang Yu's importance to a whole new level and handled everything related to him personally.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Click...

"Brad, couldn't he see I was still asleep..."

"Ronan, a Chinese media outlet wants to interview you. It's called... Basketball Pioneer. Do you want to accept?" Micah Shulsbury said with a laugh. He sounded extremely pleased.

"I know it'll be hard to win, but I can't accept it. We worked so hard to make the Sweet Sixteen, and we were so close to surpassing our best-ever result, only to run into Florida. We're so unlucky."

"Without a doubt, we'll win." Noah answered much more straightforwardly.

After seeing that logo, every NCAA fan knew it belonged to last year's national champions, the hottest team in the NCAA: the Florida Gators.

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

With the Gators' staff coordinating things, the commotion soon died down, and the interviews proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Last year, after winning the championship, they could have entered the draft, but they had all chosen to stay and help Florida win another NCAA title. The other powerhouse schools were practically in tears over it.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise.

"Besides the Indianapolis Star, nobody thinks the Bulldogs have a chance. They all think we're going to lose by a lot!"

"Ronan, a Chinese media outlet wants to interview you. It's called... Basketball Pioneer. Do you want to accept?" Micah Shulsbury said with a laugh. He sounded extremely pleased.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Click...

The Bulldogs, one of the Sweet Sixteen teams, were staying at a hotel near the arena.

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

With the Gators' staff coordinating things, the commotion soon died down, and the interviews proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Last year, after winning the championship, they could have entered the draft, but they had all chosen to stay and help Florida win another NCAA title. The other powerhouse schools were practically in tears over it.

Among the stack of newspapers on the table, the Washington Post sports section was on top. A menacing green alligator head seemed to stare at Zhang Yu. Beside it was the headline: "NCAA Giant Faces Rising Underdog—Butler's Cinderella Run Comes to an End."

But this time, it was Basketball Pioneer!

"Brad, what's wrong?" Zhang Yu asked, puzzled.

After washing up, he picked up the phone on the table, called the hotel front desk, and ordered breakfast.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

The four of them were all considered potential NBA players. Under head coach Billy Donovan, however, they played unselfish team basketball, passing to one another and working together in perfect harmony, making Florida the dominant force in the NCAA.

"Sure, no problem. You can tell them yes for me," Zhang Yu replied readily.

Last year, after winning the championship, they could have entered the draft, but they had all chosen to stay and help Florida win another NCAA title. The other powerhouse schools were practically in tears over it.

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

"Brad, I didn't know you could be so unreasonable. I thought you'd only say coldly, 'Ronan, get your head in the game. We're going to win!'"

With the Gators' staff coordinating things, the commotion soon died down, and the interviews proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Last year, after winning the championship, they could have entered the draft, but they had all chosen to stay and help Florida win another NCAA title. The other powerhouse schools were practically in tears over it.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

He perked up, quickly got dressed, got out of bed, and washed up, ready to start the day's work.

A female reporter handed a recorder to Billy Donovan. "Joakim, how could you say that in an interview? You're going to give people the impression that you lack social awareness. It might even affect your draft prospects."

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning...

Stevens suddenly sighed.

After seeing that logo, every NCAA fan knew it belonged to last year's national champions, the Florida Gators, the hottest team in the NCAA.

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

This sort of thing should ordinarily have been handled by a coordinator in the operations department, but the Bulldogs had just made the Sweet Sixteen, and Micah Shulsbury was riding high. He had taken Zhang Yu's importance to a whole new level and handled everything related to him personally.

The warm sunlight fell on Zhang Yu's face. He woke to the sound of his phone, opened his bleary eyes, and was dazzled by the bright sun, so he squinted again.

The four of them were all considered potential NBA players. Under head coach Billy Donovan, however, they played unselfish team basketball, passing to one another and working together in perfect harmony, making Florida the dominant force in the NCAA.

"Besides the Indianapolis Star, nobody thinks the Bulldogs have a chance. They all think we're going to lose by a lot!"

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

"Ronan, a Chinese media outlet wants to interview you. It's called... Basketball Pioneer. Do you want to accept?" Micah Shulsbury said with a laugh. He sounded extremely pleased.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

This sort of thing should ordinarily have been handled by a coordinator in the operations department, but the Bulldogs had just made the Sweet Sixteen, and Micah Shulsbury was riding high. He had taken Zhang Yu's importance to a whole new level and handled everything related to him personally.

The four of them were all considered potential NBA players. Under head coach Billy Donovan, however, they played unselfish team basketball, passing to one another and working together in perfect harmony, making Florida the dominant force in the NCAA.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Receiving an invitation from Basketball Pioneer filled him with a strange kind of excitement.

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

"Brad, couldn't he see I was still asleep..."

"How do you feel about Butler, tomorrow's opponent?" the reporter pressed.

The female reporter smiled politely, then went straight over to Noah without wasting any time.

After seeing that logo, every NCAA fan knew it belonged to last year's national champions, the Florida Gators, the hottest team in the NCAA.

Zhang Yu looked at him in surprise.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

Click...

"Brad, couldn't he see I was still asleep..."

Zhang Yu took the chance to sleep in for once instead of getting up early to work out as usual.

The warm sunlight fell on Zhang Yu's face. He woke to the sound of his phone, opened his bleary eyes, and was dazzled by the bright sun, so he squinted again.

"Not necessarily. We might face Ohio State later, and Greg Oden is a tough opponent." Brewer leaned closer, looking worried.

Click...

His spirits lifted. He quickly got dressed, got out of bed, and washed up, ready to start the day's work.

The four of them were all considered potential NBA players. Under head coach Billy Donovan, however, they played unselfish team basketball, passing to one another and working together in perfect harmony, making Florida the dominant force in the NCAA.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning...

Stevens gave a wry smile.

The city was beautiful, with a relaxed pace of life, but overnight it had been flooded with visitors from out of town.

Fans from out of town were scattered through the streets and alleys, making the most of their last free time before the games to tour this city, filled with Catholic churches.

"I know it'll be hard to win, but I can't accept it. We worked so hard to make the Sweet Sixteen, and we were so close to surpassing our best-ever result, only to run into Florida. We're so unlucky."

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

After seeing that logo, every NCAA fan knew it belonged to last year's national champions, the Florida Gators, the hottest team in the NCAA.

The warm sunlight fell on Zhang Yu's face. He woke to the sound of his phone, opened his bleary eyes, and was dazzled by the bright sun, so he squinted again.

The four of them were all considered potential NBA players. Under head coach Billy Donovan, however, they played unselfish team basketball, passing to one another and working together in perfect harmony, making Florida the dominant force in the NCAA.

"Basketball Pioneer?" Zhang Yu instantly woke up.

He perked up, quickly got dressed, got out of bed, and washed up, ready to start the day's work.

"Hey, Micah, what's up?" He checked the time. It was 7:30 in the morning.

"Not necessarily. We might face Ohio State later, and Greg Oden is a tough opponent." Brewer leaned closer, looking worried.

The warm sunlight fell on Zhang Yu's face. He woke to the sound of his phone, opened his bleary eyes, and was dazzled by the bright sun, so he squinted again.

Missouri, St. Louis.

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