Following the delirious championship night in Atlanta, the Texas Tech players boarded a charter flight back to Lubbock, carrying the heavy championship trophy and reeking of victory water. The moment the plane touched down at the airport, the entire city seemed to hold its breath before erupting into deafening cheers.
From the airport to campus, the championship parade stretched for miles. Countless residents and students flooded the streets, dressed in scarlet and black, waving flags, and chanting the players' names. The usually quiet neighborhoods were thoroughly set ablaze with excitement, as if plunged into an enormous carnival.
Three days later, the championship rally was held on Texas Tech's home court at United Spirit Arena. This arena had witnessed countless victories and defeats, but today, its significance was entirely different. Not a single empty seat remained in the whole building. Over ten thousand fans held handmade signs high, happiness radiating from every face. When the lights dimmed once more and a giant banner reading "2007 NCAA National Champions" slowly descended from the rafters, the arena boiled over.
Beneath the banner, the players stood proudly in uniform as the announcer introduced them one by one. The crowd's roars rose and fell in waves, but when he called out the name Xu Ling, the sound level in the arena reached its absolute peak.
Moments later, Coach Bob Knight walked up to the stage. He took the microphone but did not speak right away. He swept his hawk-like eyes across the entire arena, taking in the overwhelmed fans, and a rare trace of gentleness softened his face.
"I don't think I need to say very much," Coach Knight's voice rang out, deep and powerful. "Because you've all seen it. These kids—they proved through their actions that as long as you believe, and as long as you work your tails off, anything is possible!"
Thunderous applause rolled from below, echoing for a long, long time. It did not stop until Knight raised his hand once more, signaling for quiet.
"Especially this kid," Knight said, resting a heavy hand on Xu Ling's shoulder. "He came here, and he changed us. With his talent, his grit, and his determination, he brought us this trophy. I am damn proud of him!"
At that, the arena was swallowed whole by another tidal wave of noise.
Then, Knight handed the microphone to Xu Ling.
Just as Xu Ling was about to speak, someone in the stands bellowed at the top of their lungs: "One more year!"
That cry served as a spark, instantly igniting the entire arena. Tens of thousands of fans began chanting in unison:
"One more year! One more year! One more year!"
The frenzy lasted for several minutes. Once the building finally quieted down, Xu Ling could only play along with Knight's earlier words: "If you guys yell a little louder, well, anything is possible."
Cue another round of madness from the crowd.
Everyone was laughing, but only those inside the Red Raiders program knew that it was impossible. Xu Ling had no reason left to stay in the NCAA.
Afterward, the college season came to a close, and the basketball team went on break. The Red Raiders coaching staff entered recruiting season, needing to spend the next several months evaluating prospects for the incoming class.
Jarrius Jackson's college career was officially at an end, and his senior season had been nothing short of a dream. As the starting guard for the national champions, he had averaged 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. While his spotlight had been completely eclipsed by Xu Ling, if he wanted to pursue professional basketball, an NCAA championship on his résumé would be a massive asset.
Darryl Dora was graduating as well. Unlike Jackson, who still harbored a shot at the NBA, Dora was pragmatic; he had already decided to look for opportunities overseas.
Martin Zeno was slated to be next season's captain. His primary concern right now was figuring out Xu Ling's plans. Even though Xu Ling was virtually guaranteed to enter this year's draft, what if? What if he had been moved by the championship celebration and decided to run it back for another year, just like Florida's starting five had done the year before? If that really happened, then as captain, Zeno would have to consult Jarrius Jackson for advice. How was a nominal team leader supposed to play second fiddle to an underclassman? That was truly an art in itself.
Over the past few days, aside from keeping up with his training, Xu Ling went to and from class like an ordinary college student. Curiously, Zeno, the captain-in-waiting, shadowed him everywhere, constantly pestering him about his future.
"M.Z., you've been dogging me for days now. Is this answer really that important to you?" Xu Ling looked at him with an amused expression.
"It's crucial," Zeno replied with deadpan seriousness. "It determines whether I'm Texas Tech's Ricky Davis or Texas Tech's Lamar Odom next season."
Hearing that, Xu Ling almost felt tempted to ask him what he thought his role had been this past season. Smush Parker? Well, saying that out loud might be a bit rude.
"Uh-huh," Xu Ling simply hummed in acknowledgment.
"'Uh-huh'? That's it?" Zeno blurted out in exasperation.
Xu Ling shot him a sidelong glance. "What else? You want me to write you a farewell letter?"
Xu Ling leaned back lazily against his chair, deliberately dragging out his words. "Fine—I'm about to pack my bags and drag myself off to the NBA to be a poor, pitiful millionaire rookie. How's that? Is that version sentimental enough for you, Captain, sir?"
"Now that's more like it." Zeno nodded with mock approval, then dropped his voice to mimic a broadcast commentator's tone: "Let us offer our best wishes to this rookie. He managed to put up an almost-passing grade this year, after all."
Zeno couldn't even keep a straight face and broke out laughing. Truly, all Xu Ling had done was take a team that was expected to be a first-round March Madness exit and carve through every opponent to win the national championship. Just barely passing.
"Jokes aside," Zeno said, turning serious again, "you'll have to make an official announcement eventually, right?"
Xu Ling looked up at the championship banner hanging from the rafters and gave a soft nod. "Of course. But before that, let me stay Texas Tech's Eli for just a little while longer, okay, Captain?"
"Sure, no problem. I'm outta here." Zeno trotted off happily.
When Xu Ling got back to his dorm room later that day, his roommate, Roderick Craig, spoke up: "Another agent just called."
"Who was it?" Xu Ling asked.
"Bill Duffy."
Yao Ming's agent? Xu Ling didn't think too deeply about it. Aside from Zeno, the people who had bothered him the most over the past few days were sports agents. First came a guy named Arn Tellem, claiming to represent Tracy McGrady and Amar'e Stoudemire, expressing tremendous sincerity over the phone. Xu Ling didn't think the man was a fraud, but clearly, the career paths of those two players hadn't turned out ideal, so Xu Ling wasn't keen on his pitch.
After that came David Falk, famous for having represented Michael Jordan. But nowadays, Falk had long fallen from the pinnacle of the agent world following Jordan's fallout with the Washington Wizards. He was largely a big-name agent in name only.
Today's call from Duffy was somewhat intriguing, though. At the very least, Duffy had a track record of working with a Chinese player like Yao Ming, so he knew how to manage Chinese athletes. Even so, Xu Ling wondered how much maneuvering room an agent really had left.
With the national title game over, the 2007 draft landscape had grown murky. Greg Oden was still the presumptive No. 1 overall pick. Although he had fallen to Xu Ling in March Madness, his individual performance had been utterly dominant, dropping 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant had been knocked out early in the tournament; despite showing off monstrous offensive talent, Xu Ling was more well-rounded and had led an ostensibly weaker Texas Tech squad all the way to a national title.
As a result, scouts ranked Xu Ling first in immediate impact among the 2007 class. While his raw physical ceiling was considered slightly below that of Oden and Durant, how many players ever fully realized their theoretical potential anyway? The battle between Xu Ling and Durant for the second and third picks looked set to rage all the way to draft night.
With stock this high, what kind of maneuvering did he even need?
Xu Ling asked, "What did you tell him?"
"Just what you told me to say," Craig recited. "'Call back after Eli officially declares for the draft.'"
"Thanks, Roderick." Xu Ling smiled.
On an afternoon in late April, the Lubbock sunshine was as dry and blistering as ever. Xu Ling walked alone to Coach Knight's office. The door was cracked open. Knight sat behind his desk in his signature black sweater, staring at a computer screen, seemingly studying something.
"Come on in, Eli." Knight didn't turn around, his voice calm and authoritative, as if he had anticipated Xu Ling's arrival all along.
Xu Ling stepped inside, shut the door, and took a seat across from Knight. The room carried the faint scent of aged paper and black coffee.
"I know why you're here." Knight turned his chair around, his piercing gaze locking directly onto Xu Ling. His expression was complicated—full of pride, yet laced with a subtle hint of melancholy that was hard to detect.
"Coach, I..."
"Remember what we said after the Pete Newell Challenge?" Knight cut him off in a low voice. "I asked if you were ready to be the leader of this team. You said, 'Once I win one.' At the time, I thought you were just being a smartass, or maybe talking out of youthful impulse. But you did it. You damn well did it."
"You led us to a national championship," Knight said, his tone softening. "You brought Texas Tech something this program has never had in its entire history. Now, you don't have a single reason to stay. You've fulfilled your promise, and I don't have a single reason to hold back an eagle that wants to soar higher."
Xu Ling had thought Knight might try to persuade him to stay, but the old man had been coaching college basketball for over forty years. He knew exactly when it was time to say goodbye—and that time was now.
"Thank you, Coach."
"All right, don't get all sentimental on me." Knight waved a hand dismissively, his voice regaining its usual gruff edge. "Get yourself ready. We're going to hold a proper press conference for you. I'm going to send my national champion and Final Four MOP to the NBA with my own two hands!"
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"Agent Zero Gilbert Arenas Named Cover Athlete for NBA Live." — The Washington Post
"NBA Executives Select Dirk Nowitzki as This Season's Most Valuable Player." — Associated Press
"Under the Watchful Eye of Bob Knight, 2007 Final Four MOP Eli Xu Officially Declares for the 2007 NBA Draft." — Texas Daily News
"After Years of Struggle and Frustration, Kobe Bryant Has Reached His Limit, Officially Demanding a Trade from the Lakers This Saturday." — Los Angeles Times
"Oden, Eli, Durant: Could the Class of 2007 Become the Greatest Draft Class in NBA History?" — Sports Illustrated
Chapter 45