MCL Sprain

Playing my ass!

The game stall owner's heart was bleeding. So all these past few days, he had been working for Tang Tian!

His mindset was about to collapse, but this was a long-term business, and he couldn't possibly renege on the payout. Fighting back the pain in his heart, he forced out a smile. "One person can only play once a day."

"I see." Tang Tian was somewhat disappointed. He had originally wanted to keep going.

With his stamina, he could probably play three or four rounds.

But thinking about it, if there were no limit on the number of attempts, someone like him could bankrupt the stall in minutes.

Seeing that Tang Tian did not insist on playing again, the stall owner finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had never mentioned a rule against playing multiple times in one day. If Tang Tian insisted, the stall owner would be in the wrong.

Tang Tian took the 1,000 us dollars and put them away.

Although it was far less than the 50,000 US Dollar Scholarship he had won in one go before, it was still a decent start.

"Once a day, right?" After taking the money, he confirmed it with the stall owner.

"Right, right." The stall owner wanted to send him away as soon as possible.

"Fine, then I'll come again tomorrow." Tang Tian said with a smile.

"..."

Seeing that Tang Tian did not seem to be joking, the stall owner suddenly felt like dying.

"Haha!"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter.

Most of them knew this was a trap game, but no one had forced anyone to play, so even if they were annoyed, there was nothing they could say.

But Tang Tian's words had amused them all, and whatever irritation they had felt was long gone.

Tang Tian left, and the crowd gradually dispersed as well, leaving the stall owner alone, a mess in the wind.

"Should we go say hello?" Zeller asked as he watched Tang Tian's retreating figure.

"No need. If we meet in the tournament, we'll naturally get to know each other. If we don't, there's no point in greeting him." Though Barnes was only a freshman, his words carried an air of maturity.

After the next day's training session, Tang Tian went to the entertainment center again, only to discover that the guy running yesterday's game stall was gone. He had been scared off by Tang Tian...

After taking a lap around the entertainment center and finding no other ways to make money, it seemed he could only try his luck at the streetball court next time.

UConn's next opponent was Villanova University. The two teams had faced each other before, and UConn had easily beaten them then. Now, riding a nine-game winning streak, beating Villanova for their tenth straight win was a high probability.

The game was played at Villanova University.

UConn was on the road, but Walker came out hot from the opening tip. He kept scoring with drives and shoots, quickly helping UConn build a lead advantage.

By halftime, UConn held a commanding 46-30 lead.

Everything was going smoothly.

"I heard a new steakhouse opened near Villanova University, and it's supposed to be good. Want to try it after the game?"

"Sure, as long as the coach doesn't find out."

When the second half began, Forsyth and Orland were already discussing late-night food on the bench.

But at that moment, an accident suddenly happened.

Walker stole the ball and broke away in transition. The opposing forward leaped for a desperate block, and the two collided and fell together. As they came down, the forward made a protective rolling motion, but accidentally landed on Walker's right ankle.

Walker's entire ankle took force from the side, and after hitting the floor, he lay there without moving.

The opposing forward was at a loss after getting up, clearly not having done it on purpose.

Seeing Walker motionless, Tang Tian and the other players on the court all rushed over.

Everyone at UConn, including Cahoon, was terrified.

Walker was UConn's core. If he suffered a severe injury, UConn's season would effectively be over early.

The team doctor came onto the court and spoke with Walker for quite a while. Only then did Walker stand up with Tang Tian and Lamb supporting him. Unable to walk, he could only sit in a wheelchair and be pushed off the court.

Walker's injury left the UConn players in no mood to compete, but because their early lead had been so large, they still defeated their opponent 71-61 in the end.

As soon as the game ended, the players hurried to a nearby hospital, where Walker was receiving treatment.

"Guys, don't look like that. The doctor just checked me. It's only an MCL sprain in my ankle. I'll be able to play after a month of rest. I should still make it back for the tournament." When the players entered, Walker showed no dejection over his injury. Instead, he smiled and appeared quite optimistic.

An MCL sprain in the ankle was a relatively minor injury. Compared to how he had lain there without moving after the fall, it was already a blessing in disguise.

When Tang Tian entered and saw Walker beaming, he could not help but admire him.

A month was not especially long, but a month later would already be February, when the tournament would begin soon after. Walker would have only half a month to a month to recover, and whether he could regain his form in such a short time was truly hard to say.

He could not possibly be unbothered by such a situation, but as the team's leader, he did not pass his negative emotions on to his teammates. That was not something just anyone could do.

After talking with Walker, Cahoon and the players gradually left.

Tang Tian was the last to go.

"I'll wait for you to come back." Before leaving, Tang Tian held out his fist to Walker.

"Definitely." The two bumped fists, sealing an agreement.

Walker's one-month absence was undoubtedly terrible news for UConn. As the core, he averaged 24.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. It would be difficult for anyone else to fill that void, especially since 80% of the team's tactics revolved around him.

After returning to UConn, Cahoon was plagued by headaches. The little white hair he had was becoming even sparser.

Napier was Walker's backup, but the strength gap between them was too great. For UConn to get through this month, someone else had to step up.

Among them, Lamb was undoubtedly the best choice.

Lamb could drive, shoot, and pass. He was the new core UConn was grooming. Looking on the bright side, Walker's absence was also an opportunity for him.

But Lamb's mentality was an issue. If Tang Tian had not entered the game before and given him a chance to break out, he might still be struggling badly.

So the coaching staff was especially cautious in how they handled Lamb.

Cahoon called Lamb into his office alone.

"The team will set up more plays around you. You need to prepare yourself for this new challenge. You may encounter some difficulties at first, but you have to believe in your ability. You have what it takes." Cahoon offered Lamb a great deal of encouragement.

Lamb was somewhat nervous, but he still nodded.

"This is your chance too, Jeremy. If Kemba declares this year, you'll be the team's future." Seeing his reaction, Cahoon stood and patted him on the shoulder.

"I understand." Lamb nodded.