Never Expected

Yang Shuai's first order of business as national scouting director was to move his office into Cole's former office. It was larger, and more importantly, it had a window. Compared to the office converted from a storage room, the environment here was obviously far more comfortable. The second thing he did was summon Davis Jones to his office. Jones deliberately slowed his pace as he entered the room, and when he sat down, he unconsciously clenched his fists. His mood was clearly complicated. The rookie scout he had recruited had become his direct boss in the blink of an eye, and he had once opposed him... Unlike Cole, Jones didn't have nearly as many credentials. If he lost his job, even within the NAA, finding another scouting position wouldn't be easy. When you feel under pressure, consider his current situation. "Hanson, did you want to see me?" Yang Shuai was busy. Jones spoke in a nervous tone. "Just a moment." Yang Shuai glanced at Jones and continued with what he was doing. Jones waited for a while, already unconsciously wiping sweat from his palms onto his trouser legs. Yang Shuai left Jones waiting for twenty minutes. Seeing that he still hadn't left, he finally stood up. Jones instinctively stood up as well. "Come with me." Amid Jones's puzzled gaze, Yang Shuai walked out of the office. Jones followed, but his unease only grew stronger. Yang Shuai brought Jones to his former office, then pointed inside and said, "This will be your office from now on." Jones was stunned. He had imagined many ways Yang Shuai might make things difficult for him—even humiliate him before firing him. The result? Yang Shuai was giving him an office instead? Moreover, he knew this office had been given to Yang Shuai by Cole—it was a symbol of trust. "Is this really for me?" Jones still found it hard to believe. "If you need anything, tell me and I can help apply for it." Yang Shuai nodded, with an expression that said, "Do I look like I have nothing better to do?" Jones's face suddenly turned red. He felt he had measured a gentleman's heart with his own petty mind. "Nothing is needed." Jones now felt he could go through hell and high water for Yang Shuai. He let out a long breath and, looking at Yang Shuai, spoke from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you." Yang Shuai nodded, said nothing more, then turned and returned to his own office. Having spent many years in the workplace, Yang Shuai well knew the dangers of office politics. This wasn't because he was especially magnanimous or believed in repaying evil with virtue; it was simply that, given a choice, he didn't want to cause trouble for himself, nor did he want any problems for the team at this time. Besides, Jones was capable—whether in recruiting players or in scheming against him back then. Most importantly, Yang Shuai's goal had always been the NBA; Wake Forest was merely a stepping stone. Two days later, the NAA league's internal tournament got underway. The Veterans Memorial Coliseum was packed to capacity, with excitement written all over the fans' faces. The team's regular-season performance this year had been beyond expectations, especially having completed a season sweep of Duke University, which undoubtedly made them eager for tonight's game. Once the tournament stage began, whether it was the league's internal tournament or the NAA Tournament, each was a single-elimination game deciding victory or defeat—a format designed to pump up the adrenaline. However, the expressions of the Demon Deacons players were somewhat grave; Prosser was still suspended and unable to play tonight. At the other end of the court, Mike Krzyzewski's expression was equally serious. Duke University's record last season was 14 wins and 2 losses, first in the A League. This season, however, they had only managed 8 wins and 8 losses. This was mainly due to the departure of the two absolute cores, Redick and Eric Williams, but such a record was obviously unacceptable to him. Putting it extremely: given Duke's performance this year, if they were eliminated in the first round of the league tournament, it was quite possible they wouldn't be invited by the NAA committee and would miss the NAA Tournament. Not to mention the media constantly hyping up the grudge between Stephen Curry and him, as well as the existing grudge history between Wake Forest and Duke. This was a game Duke could not lose and could not afford to lose. Yang Shuai sat in the front row of the bench, right next to the coaching staff. He watched the court and unconsciously rubbed his hands together. Theoretically, Wake Forest was ranked third in the A League in the regular season, and being invited to the NAA Tournament was all but certain. The problem was that the team had played poorly down the stretch, and its final ranking had dropped back to 23rd. If they were eliminated in the first round, they might not be invited at all. So this game was one Wake Forest could not afford to lose either. The game soon began. Amid the cheers of the home fans, the Demon Deacons came out with great energy and applied intense defensive pressure. That pressure, however, did not have the same effect as in the regular season. The Blue Devils deliberately slowed the pace from the start, using frequent ball movement to find good shot opportunities. The NAA had a 35-second shot clock, and combined with the Blue Devils' execution, the Demon Deacons' opening was like punching cotton. At halftime, the score was 34-25, with Duke leading. They couldn't get the pace going. Against the Blue Devils, it was still difficult for the Demon Deacons to gain an advantage in the half-court game. Moreover, since it was a single-elimination game, the Blue Devils had also turned their defensive intensity up to the max, making it even harder for the Demon Deacons to score. In the locker room at halftime, Vincent was giving the players a rousing pep talk. Prosser's coaching style was calm and tactically versatile, but Vincent was the opposite—a Doc Rivers–type coach who relied on pep talks. Because of this coaching style, he had already picked up a technical foul in the first half. The players were listening intently, but from their slightly bewildered expressions, it was clear that what they needed now was not just a pep talk, but tactical adjustments. After halftime, the game's situation was not much different from the first half. The Demon Deacons still couldn't get the pace going. Around the four-minute mark of the quarter, McRoberts backed down Kyle Visser in the low post and scored a 2+1, extending the Blue Devils' lead to double digits. Vincent was highly animated on the sidelines, believing McRoberts had committed an offensive foul on that play. After a warning produced no results, the referee assessed a technical foul. Since Vincent had already received a technical foul in the first half, this time he was ejected directly. The crowd immediately erupted in boos. To be honest, the play was genuinely controversial—the kind where either an offensive or defensive foul could have been called. That was also why Vincent was so worked up. This was the Demon Deacons' home court; theoretically, a call like that should go to the home team. Otherwise, where did the idea of home-court officiating come from? But perhaps Vincent's emotional control was poor tonight, or perhaps it was Duke's influence in the NAA, or maybe the referee was simply biased—the call stood. The referee didn't change the call, and the boos gradually turned into a loud clamor. After the head coach was suspended, the interim head coach was also ejected. The Demon Deacons were now in a desperate situation, and a sense of despair began to hang over the arena. Yang Shuai's expression was also helpless. Since Prosser's suspension, the situation had begun to slip out of his control. "Hanson." Just then, Yang Shuai heard someone call him. He looked up and saw Vincent, who was heading back to the locker room after being ejected. "You take over for me." Then, amid Yang Shuai's puzzled gaze, Vincent handed him the tactical board. ??? Yang Shuai was stunned. This was even more unbelievable than when he had heard from the athletic director that he would be named national scouting director. At least that had made some sense, but now Vincent was actually designating him, a scout, to serve as interim head coach? Was this a joke? And was this even allowed by the league? But before he could ask a question, seeing his lack of reaction, Vincent had already placed the tactical board on his lap and turned into the player tunnel. Obviously, the league had no rule allowing this, but no rule prohibited it either. After all, no one would normally do this. And so, Yang Shuai miraculously became the acting head coach. And there was no time for him to think too much, because the game was about to resume. He could only stand up holding the tactical board. The cameras had been focused on the Demon Deacons. When Yang Shuai appeared on screen holding the tactical board, not only the fans in attendance but even commentator Ian Eagle in the broadcast booth were stunned. Even though he had interviewed Yang Shuai before and thought him a genius, this scene came far earlier than he had expected. Although he was only an acting head coach, a 21-year-old NAA head coach? And in Division 1, no less?