On-Court Coach

Individual Defense (Tony Allen) is a purple skill. Its direct effect is to reduce the opponent's shooting stability by 20% and has a certain chance to steal the ball from the opponent.

But in reality, its foundation is to improve the owner in all aspects such as reaction, speed, and prediction, giving them top NBA-level individual defense capabilities.

Tang Tian's current body is not as strong as Tony Allen's, which prevents him from unleashing the full potential of this skill. This is also why he couldn't completely limit Walker in the previous practice match. However, against Butler in his NCAA days, it's more than enough.

After being forced to stop, Butler chose a fadeaway jumper.

Tang Tian stretched his long arms forward, applying significant pressure.

"Bang!"

His shot was already not very stable, and with a 20% reduction in shooting stability, the ball firmly hit the front rim of the basket.

Tang Tian turned and grabbed the defensive rebound.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Tang Tian had successfully defended Butler once again!

This was truly full of surprises!

Tang Tian used to be a coach and was excellent at handling details. After grabbing the rebound, he held the ball high above his head.

Butler failed in his attempt to steal.

Cahoon breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines.

Basketball IQ can indeed make up for many things. Tang Tian deliberately kept his distance from Walker on offense, making the opponent completely overlook his inability to score, while his impact on defense was transformative.

Walker's shot under the frontcourt double-team missed. O'Riaqi, using his height, grabbed another offensive rebound.

"Pass to Jeremy!"

Just as O'Riaqi was about to force another drive, Tang Tian shouted at him.

As a coach, he was exceptionally skilled at observing the game situation.

Lavoy Allen was clearly a short and sturdy type of interior player, not very good at protecting the rebound, but with long arms, he was quite intimidating in the paint defensively.

O'Riaqi was tall and could grab offensive rebounds, but it was very difficult to overpower him.

Walker's previous drives had drawn the defensive attention of Marquette University, leaving Lamb open on the perimeter.

O'Riaqi turned his head upon hearing the shout and, seeing that Lamb was indeed open, passed the ball with a flick of his wrist.

Lamb caught the ball. Marquette University's defense rotated over. He faked a shot, fooling the defender, took one step forward, and executed a mid-range jumper.

"Swish!"

A crisp sound.

Lamb's shot was also good!

UConn's offense continued unabated. After a 6-0 run, they had narrowed the deficit to just 5 points!

Cahoon's frown disappeared, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Old man, why does he feel more like a coach?" Ollie couldn't help but say.

"An 18-year-old coach?" Cahoon retorted with a smile.

Ollie shook his head. Coaching requires time and experience; there's no such thing as absolute genius.

"Then his basketball IQ is truly unusual," he mused.

Cahoon nodded.

Many aspects of basketball can be trained, but some inherent qualities cannot be developed, such as height, wingspan, and basketball IQ.

A player with high basketball IQ can survive and even thrive even if their physical abilities are lacking.

The most classic example is Steve Nash. Without his high basketball IQ, with his physical confrontation ability, he would never have become the legendary "Son of the Wind."

Marquette University did not call a timeout, indicating their head coach preferred the players on the court to resolve the issues themselves.

The ball was brought up the court and then passed to Butler. He didn't force another shot; instead, he passed it to Allen to take on O'Riaqi one-on-one.

Allen looked somewhat excited upon receiving the ball.

He was originally a freshman recruited by UConn in the summer, but he wasn't heavily utilized by Cahoon at the time. Coupled with UConn's turbulent situation, he chose to transfer.

Now, he was playing exceptionally well at Marquette University and naturally wanted to perform well in front of the UConn fans to prove how mistaken their old man was for not prioritizing him!

His wingspan and speed were his advantages. He used a drive-and-fake to force O'Riaqi back, then immediately pulled up for a sudden mid-range jumper.

The shot was somewhat unexpected. O'Riaqi was slow, and by the time he retreated, he couldn't lunge forward in time.

"Swish!"

Allen's mid-range jump shot was good again.

Allen appeared somewhat agitated after making the basket, pounding his chest and letting out a roar at the crowd.

The arena stirred.

Allen was just a reserve at UConn before! Now, at Marquette University, he was a starter and had already scored 6 points before halftime!

NCAA games consist of two 20-minute halves. Except for the last two minutes of the second half and overtime, the clock doesn't stop after a made basket. Furthermore, the shot clock is 35 seconds per possession instead of 24, leading to generally lower scores. Half-time scoring of 6 points is already a very good performance.

Cahoon's expression turned a little grim; Allen was directly challenging him!

"Stick to him! Stick to him!" Ollie felt a burning sensation on his own face and shouted loudly at O'Riaqi.

O'Riaqi lowered his head, clearly showing some frustration.

Tang Tian then walked over to his side.

"Lavoy really likes his mid-range jump shot. When you're defending, focus mainly on stopping his shot," he advised.

Ollie was actually not wrong, but his method was too harsh and completely lacked explanation, leaving O'Riaqi unable to grasp the meaning.

"His speed is faster than yours, but he's much shorter. If he chooses to drive, you'll have plenty of time to recover and help defend," Tang Tian added.

O'Riaqi had been a bit stunned by Ollie's scolding, but hearing Tang Tian's explanation suddenly made everything clear.

He nodded in agreement, and the confidence on his face returned.

Even though Tang Tian was a freshman, his explanations were progressive and easy for him to accept.

On UConn's offense, Walker found O'Riaqi for a pick-and-roll. After drawing a double-team on his drive, he forced a shot and drew a foul.

He made both free throws, and UConn maintained their 5-point lead.

"Stomp stomp!"

"Defense!"

"Stomp stomp!"

"Defense!"

This stretch saw UConn and Marquette University trading blows, and the home crowd was incredibly hyped, cheering on their team with the DJ's encouragement.

Marquette University advanced to the frontcourt. Under Butler's instruction, the guard passed the ball back to Allen at the free-throw line.

Allen was a bit hyped.

He hadn't expected to become a focal point for the team. Truly, a change of scenery can revitalize a person; his decision back then was so wise!

O'Riaqi was sticking to him closely now, and his continuous jab steps couldn't shake him off.

This guy's reaction time is quite good, but don't think he'll only shoot jumpers just because he likes the mid-range!

Today, he was going to dominate O'Riaqi and prove just how mistaken old man Cahoon was!