Walker's Return

"Summer? Which month do you mean?" he asked.

"Mid-July," the Professor replied.

"No problem." Tang Tian agreed readily. The draft was in June, the Summer League would be in early July, and training camp would probably start in September. Only mid-July and August were relatively free.

"No problem for me either," Foster agreed.

"Great, then it's settled. Give me your contact information." The Professor took out his phone as he spoke.

Once they exchanged contact information, the matter was settled.

He could make money and play streetball with the Professor. The more Tang Tian thought about it, the better it sounded.

"You look like you're a little short on money?" After they finished discussing things, the Professor turned to Tang Tian and asked.

"Something like that." Tang Tian nodded. What he lacked was top-up points, but that was more or less the same as lacking money. The only difference was that he had to earn the money himself through legitimate means.

"Go to New York. The streetball courts there offer plenty of unexpected opportunities," the Professor suggested.

"Thank you. I'll go." Tang Tian nodded.

New York was the birthplace of American streetball culture, and Queens was now where that culture thrived the most. There were indeed far more opportunities there than in New Haven.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Tang Tian returned to UConn first.

"Professor, which league do you think he plays in? He's Asian, so he should be easy to remember, but I've never heard of someone like him in the NBDL, CBA, or even the Drew League," Foster said curiously.

(Note: CBA here refers to the Continental Basketball Association, founded in 1946.)

"Him? He isn't a professional player." The Professor shook his head with a smile.

"He isn't?" Foster was even more confused. With Tang Tian's defensive ability and physical confrontation, how could he not be a professional?

"I wasn't completely sure before, but when he specifically asked which month the games would be held, I was basically certain. He should be a student at the University of Connecticut."

"University of Connecticut? He's an NCAA player!" Foster suddenly realized.

Right. He had been thinking of Tang Tian as a professional player the whole time and had forgotten about the NCAA.

Tang Tian was so young, and the NCAA did not allow endorsements or commercial games. That was why he had come to streetball courts to earn this kind of small money.

That was the most logical explanation.

"Let's go. We can watch a UConn game sometime. It might be interesting," the Professor said with a smile.

After the off-season day ended, UConn hosted Syracuse University.

Syracuse University produced scorers in abundance, with the most famous being Carmelo Anthony. They also currently had Dion Waiters, a player with considerable offensive ability.

Waiters was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, though he was still a freshman at this point.

Tang Tian had made his life miserable defensively in their previous matchup, and this game was much the same. Tang Tian's Pressuring Defense left him with almost no shooting opportunity.

With Waiters contained, Syracuse University's offense became somewhat sluggish. Meanwhile, Lamb continued his excellent form from the previous game, Drives and shoots helping the team increase its score again and again.

The gap gradually widened. UConn suppressed its opponent from beginning to end and ultimately won easily, 63-50.

Tang Tian made four three-pointers and recorded 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block. Napier had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Lamb continued his efficient play, shooting 10-for-19 for a Game High 25 points.

One strong performance might have been a fluke, but scoring heavily in consecutive games showed that he had truly broken through that mental barrier and was completely coming into his own.

After a game in which they dominated their opponent throughout, the team's morale rose even higher.

Riding that momentum, UConn entered February, the final month of games before the conference championship tournament.

This month would essentially determine each team's conference ranking. Teams fighting for spots in the championship tournament and teams trying to improve their conference standing for more favorable matchups would all make a desperate push this month.

UConn's first opponent in February was DePaul University, which was currently tenth in the Big East Conference and making its final push to reach the championship tournament.

UConn was stronger and in better form than its opponent, but once the game began, it became unusually tight.

The NCAA was college basketball. While there were differences in talent, the gap was nowhere near as great as in the NBA. That was why a blue-collar team like Louisville University could become League First.

DePaul University brought 120 percent effort in its fight for a championship tournament berth, battling fiercely on both ends of the floor. The score remained close throughout.

It was not until the final five minutes of the second half, when DePaul University began suffering from fatigue after the physical exertion it had endured earlier, that Lamb and Tang Tian combined for an 8-0 Run to help UConn secure the win.

A Three-game winning streak after three straight losses was undoubtedly good news for UConn.

Moreover, after this three-game winning streak, they returned to second place in the conference.

Even more encouragingly, Walker's injury had healed better than expected. In theory, he could play in the next game.

UConn's next opponent was the University of Pittsburgh.

The University of Pittsburgh was a prestigious basketball program, but it had performed poorly this season. It was currently only thirteenth in the Big East Conference and had essentially missed out on the championship tournament, making it a good Return Timing for Walker.

The game was held at home, and the arena was packed for Walker's return night.

As a precaution, Cahoon did not put Walker in the starting lineup.

After the game began, UConn played with overwhelming momentum amid fans' cheers. Just over eight minutes into the first half, it already led 15-5, a double-digit advantage.

The game entered a University of Pittsburgh timeout, and when play resumed, Cahoon substituted Walker in for Napier.

Cheers surged through the arena. After all, they had not seen Walker play in nearly a month.

After Walker checked in, O'Riaqi set a screen for him, giving Walker a One-on-one opportunity on a Breakthrough Layup.

However, when he went up for the layup, the opposing center blocked his shot outright.

A stir ran through the arena.

Yet that was only the beginning. Missed free throws, an Airball, even losing the ball—things that had once been rare for Walker all happened to him.

For a moment, the fans thought they were watching a fake Walker.

In the end, UConn still relied on its overall strength advantage to crush its opponent 58-43.

Lamb also continued his efficient play, recording 19 points and 6 rebounds.

However, Walker's first game back was poor. In 10 minutes, he went 1-for-6 from the field and 2-for-4 at the foul line, finishing with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers.

That was clearly not his normal level.

"This was only his first game back. I've never doubted him. He'll find himself again soon," Cahoon told reporters at the postgame press conference.

Thanks to Xiaolou Huayuye for the tip.