NCAA Opening? No!

Chapter 6: NCAA Opening? No!

"Smith, Sun, congratulations."

Smith introduced himself first, then reached out and gave Sun Hao a big hug.

Americans always seemed so enthusiastic.

Because he had been an assistant coach at UConn in his previous life, Sun Hao felt an instinctive sense of familiarity with American basketball.

And his English was fluent. After only a few exchanges, the two hit it off.

Amid the laughter and conversation, Sun Hao felt that going to America to play ball was practically a done deal.

"We'll give you an opportunity to play for Sierra Canyon School."

Smith finally gave him his answer.

Sun Hao's performance in this game had exceeded his expectations.

He had thought Yellow Race players lacked physicality, but Sun Hao was the exact opposite.

He had thought scoring thirty or forty points in this kind of game was nothing special, but Sun Hao had scored fifty.

It had to be said that Sun Hao had indeed earned himself an opportunity, even if Smith had not originally intended to give him one.

"It's an honor."

After two years of hard work, Sun Hao finally experienced what success felt like.

"It's just that we can't offer you a full scholarship. You'll have to pay your own way."

But Smith's next words immediately dampened Sun Hao's joy.

It was not about the money. His current family was doing reasonably well, and they could afford for him to pay his own way.

The key was his standing on the team.

Having spent so many years in the NCAA, he knew exactly what scholarships meant at American schools.

American college basketball was unlike the NBA. There was no mandatory roster limit, but whether you got playing time had a lot to do with scholarships.

Generally speaking, if a school was willing to offer a full scholarship, it meant you would definitely be part of the rotation at the start of the season.

Otherwise, getting playing time would be quite difficult.

This opportunity looked like an opportunity, but it was really just a stepping stone—and the kind that shattered after one use.

Sun Hao looked at Smith, hoping to hear how he would explain it.

But Smith offered no explanation. He merely smiled at Sun Hao.

It seemed that although he was willing to offer an opportunity, it was like a non-guaranteed NBA contract. Sun Hao would have to fight for more on his own afterward.

"I understand."

Sun Hao nodded.

The two chatted for a few more moments, then Smith said he had something to do and left first.

Watching Smith's departing back, Sun Hao still felt somewhat unwilling to accept it.

He had already shown enough ability, yet Sierra Canyon School valued him only a little more than Hongyuan had—and only by that little.

He shook his head and cast the thought aside.

No matter what, this was still an opportunity to attend an American high school, one he had earned through two years of effort.

He still wanted to give it a try.

It was nothing more than being harder than he had expected.

He was not scared.

After packing everything into his backpack, Sun Hao said goodbye to his teammates and prepared to go back and rest for a while.

On one hand, he really was tired after giving it everything tonight. On the other, reality had fallen short of his ideals, so he needed to go back and adjust his mindset.

The moment he stepped out of the locker room, he ran straight into someone entering.

He did not move, but the other person was knocked back several steps.

Looking up, he found that it was a European.

The man looked at Sun Hao in surprise, clearly not expecting Sun Hao to be able to knock him backward.

But he quickly smiled and spoke to Sun Hao.

"Bob Raul. I'm the head coach of the Real Madrid Youth Team."

The other man introduced himself in English, but Sun Hao was visibly surprised.

He had not expected there to be another coach at tonight's game.

And he was even a coach from a European team!

Sun Hao knew about Spain's Real Madrid Team. It had both football and basketball teams, and both were very strong.

There was no need to mention football. Beckham, Ronaldo, and Zidane were all world-famous.

As for basketball, its most famous player was the prodigy Luka Doncic.

"Did you need something from me?"

Sun Hao did not know why this Spanish Coach who had suddenly appeared was looking for him.

"I'd like to invite you to play for the Real Madrid Youth Team."

Raul's words caught Sun Hao completely off guard.

It felt like he had gone through countless hardships to finally win over the goddess, only for her best friend to say she liked him instead.

He had remembered the answer to a fill-in-the-blank question, only to suddenly discover that it had become a multiple-choice question.

And this extra answer was one he had never considered before.

At first, he had wanted to play in the CBA with Yi Jianlian, then enter the NBA.

After failing his tryout with Hongyuan, he had planned to attend an American high school, then enter the NCAA, and finally the NBA.

As for Europe, although he could communicate in English because of his previous life, it was still an unfamiliar place.

And he had only heard of European basketball before, never truly experienced it. If he went there, he would have to adapt to everything from scratch.

No matter how he looked at it, it did not suit him.

But perhaps because Smith's offer had not been as good as he had imagined, Sun Hao did not reject Raul right away. Instead, he invited him into the locker room.

There was nothing to lose by hearing his terms.

And although there were all the disadvantages he had mentioned earlier, Europe had also produced many NBA stars. It was not somewhere he absolutely could not go.

The two entered the locker room and sat down, and Raul laid out all his terms.

Food and lodging included, with guaranteed playing time.

Compared to Smith's offer, Raul's was far more generous.

Hmm... food and lodging included was far too tempting.

This made Sun Hao hesitate even more.

Should he go to Sierra Canyon School and seize the opportunity he had won after writing letters for two years, or go to Spain, where the terms were better, to seek his fortune?

The former was his original plan, while the latter was an unexpected variable.

Choosing the former meant following his original plan, which was also what he had initially believed to be the safest way to enter the NBA.

Choosing the latter would give him a better opportunity, but it also involved considerable risk, because European guards were not popular in the NBA at this time.

For the moment, he could not make a decision, so he told Raul that he needed time to think it over.

Raul agreed, but he could only stay in Guangdong for one week.

There would also be time needed to process the visa. In other words, if Sun Hao truly wanted to go to Spain, he might have to give his answer as soon as tomorrow.

After seeing Raul off, Sun Hao left the gym alone with his backpack.

October had already entered autumn, but Guangdong was still as warm as summer. Even at night, one layer of clothing was enough.

From leaving the gym to boarding the bus, then sitting on the bus, Sun Hao spent the entire way thinking about what he should choose.

Finally, he looked up at the scenery outside the window in Guangdong, and a decision formed in his heart.

Going to an American high school had many benefits, but it would be harder for him to stand out there, and he would have fewer opportunities.

There were simply too many guards in America, and they were all freakishly athletic. The advantages he had now would not be advantages there.

Not to mention that he did not even have a full scholarship now.

In other words, he would spend a considerable amount of time on the bench when he first got there.

For him, sitting on the bench would greatly slow his growth.

It was like drills and real combat. The practical benefits were worlds apart.

Though he had the system and would definitely make it in the end, he might not be able to fulfill the Five-Year Pact with Li Yuanwei and the others.

By comparison, guards were more valued in Europe, and he would have more opportunities.

That was the most crucial factor.

Rather than sit on the bench in America, he might as well go to Europe and level up the system faster.

There was also another reason that influenced his choice: his hobbies.

Everyone had hobbies. Sun Hao had two. Besides drinking Goji Berry Tea, the other was traveling.

His reason for drinking Goji Berry Tea was simply to stay healthy.

As for traveling, in his view, life was short. If he did not go out, explore, and see the outside world, he would truly be letting himself down.

Back in the NCAA, he had already traveled through most of America. Now that he had the chance to go to Europe, he naturally did not want to miss it.

Once he made his decision, everything that followed was quick and decisive.

He went home and told his parents what he was thinking.

His parents were quite open-minded and fully supported his decision to play basketball in Europe.

His mother even planned to go to Europe with him, but Sun Hao immediately refused.

He was long past the age of being a mama's boy, and more importantly, having his mother with him would make many things inconvenient!

He absolutely was not lusting after those European babes.

He just needed to become independent sooner.

His mother was eventually persuaded.

After settling things at home, Sun Hao called Smith and Raul one after another.

Smith was somewhat shocked and regretful that Sun Hao had politely declined Sierra Canyon School, but he did not say anything else.

Sun Hao had earned that opportunity himself, so naturally he had the right to give it up.

Sun Hao then called Raul.

Raul first welcomed him to Real Madrid on the team's behalf, then told him to hurry up and get his visa sorted out.

Sun Hao's parents had connections, and a few days later, they successfully resolved his visa issue.

One week later, Sun Hao and Raul prepared to head together for Madrid, the capital of Spain.

That was also where the Real Madrid Youth Team was based.

P.S.: Thanks to I Am Eighteen Every Year for the 100,000 reward—congratulations on becoming this book's first Alliance Leader. Thanks to Too Lazy to Change Name for the 50,000 reward, and to Blue Wind and Snow Trail, Overlord Grass Among Weeds, Ya Wu Bu Wu, and Gentle Breeze Rampage for the 10,000 rewards. I'm worried that too many updates right now will make it hard to keep up in the recommendation rankings, so extra chapters will come after release. Thanks for your support, bosses. Muah, hearts times three~

P.S. 2: I'm adjusting the update schedule. From now on, updates will be at midnight and 6 p.m., two chapters a day. But each chapter is now around 3,000 words, about the equivalent of the previous three updates.

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