During the press conference, Ian Eagle had asked Yang Shuai about that very question. At the time, to avoid drawing too much attention to himself, Yang Shuai hadn't given a direct answer. On the show, however, Barkley was doing all the bragging that Yang Shuai had refrained from doing himself.
Yet unlike Jay Williams's reckless talking, Barkley followed his sensational claim with a meticulous breakdown of the game.
He analyzed how Yang Shuai had immediately deployed a small-ball lineup after taking over in a crisis, how that small lineup succeeded because McRoberts lacked both low-post ability and decisiveness, and how Yang Shuai subsequently used a zone defense to protect Stephen Curry.
As a former professional player, Barkley truly understood basketball. After walking through that detailed analysis, viewers were essentially left with no doubt that his take was correct.
Halfway through the broadcast, Russell Westbrook walked into the locker room, fresh from his usual extra shooting drills.
Seeing that the show was talking about Yang Shuai, he didn't head straight to the showers. Instead, he sat down beside Yang Shuai and watched along.
"I know people are going to say, 'It's just one game,' 'Duke was already down this season,' 'McRoberts is soft.' I agree with all that. But this guy is a born coach! If he wanted to, he could report to an NBA coaching staff right now. Take it from me—take it from Charles Barkley!"
By the end of the segment, Barkley's words had made even Yang Shuai's cheeks flush warm.
People didn't say Barkley's accomplishments at the broadcast desk surpassed his achievements on the court for nothing; the man understood entertainment value completely.
Still, it was undeniably a good thing. It gave Yang Shuai a massive surge in popularity, far bigger than when he had appeared on The Associated Press wire. Besides, everyone knew Barkley was a loose cannon, so nobody would hold Barkley's bold claims against Yang Shuai.
"If you become the head coach next season, I'll stay," Westbrook spoke up suddenly as Yang Shuai was lost in thought.
Yang Shuai turned to look at Westbrook and shook his head.
Had anyone else said something like that, Yang Shuai would have been surprised, but coming from Westbrook, it didn't surprise him at all. Even so, he wasn't about to let Westbrook do that.
"The only factor deciding whether you leave college should be your draft stock. Remember what happened to Josh McRoberts."
Yang Shuai was thoroughly rational, offering a fitting example just as he had when convincing Westbrook to come to Wake Forest in the first place.
Even though McRoberts hadn't played well the previous season, as a former consensus number one high school player in the nation combined with Duke's strong record, he had still projected as a first-round pick. But after this season, he had fallen completely out of the first round.
Westbrook gazed at Yang Shuai for a long moment before finally nodding. He could feel that Yang Shuai, just like back then, genuinely had his best interests at heart.
Barkley's segment ultimately drew impressive ratings. As Hollywood's endless stream of movies centered on heroism proved, that kind of heroic narrative was what resonated most in America.
Yang Shuai's fame had truly exploded.
Eagle even traveled back to Winston-Salem to do another exclusive interview with him, digging deep into Yang Shuai's backstory and how he had risen as a scout.
Yang Shuai held nothing back. The NAA season had already reached the conference tournament stage, which meant his first year as a scout was nearing its end. If he could strike while the iron was hot and ride the momentum all the way into the NBA, that would naturally be his best outcome.
Curiously enough, right around the time Yang Shuai was doing the interview, the NAA urgently enacted a supplemental rule: if a similar situation ever arose in future games, a head coach could not appoint any team personnel outside the coaching staff to serve as interim head coach.
A rule that otherwise had no reason to exist came into being solely because of Yang Shuai. At the same time, it cemented his status as the "youngest head coach in NAA history"—because there truly would never be another.
While basketball professionals wouldn't take the title too seriously given that Yang Shuai had only stepped in for a single game, it undoubtedly pushed his profile to new heights.
In fact, as soon as the news broke, fans playfully dubbed it the "Yang Shuai Rule."
This string of developments proved immensely rewarding for Yang Shuai, yet his gains were not limited to off-court fame.
Following the game against Duke, Prosser's suspension came to an end. Having already intended to make Yang Shuai his assistant coach, Prosser once again included him in coaches' meetings.
This time, not a single person on the coaching staff showed the slightest resentment. It was no exaggeration to say that after that last game, Yang Shuai could become an assistant coach on the spot if he wished.
Wake Forest's opponent in the second round of the conference tournament was Boston College—the very team they had faced in their second in-conference regular season game. In that contest, they had rallied back from a double-digit halftime deficit to tie the score, only to fall short at the very end.
Facing each other again, both teams brought maximum intensity right from the opening tip.
Fresh off eliminating Duke, Wake Forest rode a wave of unstoppable momentum, while Boston College was united by the sheer determination of playing on home turf in the final season for several key players.
As the game progressed, however, Wake Forest quickly seized control through their transition offense.
Boston College had a formidable perimeter, but their interior presence was even weaker than Duke's. Incapable of slowing the pace into a half-court grind through the low post, they found themselves at a tactical disadvantage trying to trade fast breaks with Wake Forest.
Wake Forest ultimately avenged their earlier defeat, beating Boston College 68–61.
Westbrook shone brightly throughout the game, shooting 14-of-18 from the field to pour in a career-high 33 points.
Combined with his 20 points against Duke, his performances across these two conference tournament games were practically flawless.
Thanks to that showing, he vaulted from the middle of the first round into the lottery in the latest mock draft projections.
Barring any unforeseen developments, he would almost certainly declare for the draft once the season concluded.
That was a matter for June, however. Having knocked off Boston College, the most pressing matter at hand was the A League Tournament final against the University of North Carolina.
In stark contrast to Wake Forest's thrilling battles, UNC's journey through the first two rounds had been a walk in the park. They had dispatched the University of Miami 73–58 in the first round, followed by a comfortable 71–56 victory over Virginia Tech in the second.
Sweeping both the regular season and conference tournament titles seemed well within their grasp.
Unlike the earlier rounds, this championship matchup was scheduled at a neutral venue—the St. Pete Times Forum, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Both teams and their fan bases arrived early in Tampa, Florida.
After getting settled, the Demon Deacons wasted no time conducting a shootaround to adapt to the venue.
The players trained with boundless enthusiasm.
Even Yang Shuai wouldn't have dared claim before the season began that this team could reach the A League Tournament final. Yet here they were, just one step away from the championship.
On the sideline, however, both Prosser and Vincent wore grim expressions.
They still hadn't found a way to crack UNC's scheme. Just as Yang Shuai had noted while studying game film earlier, now that UNC had ramped up their pace this season, they had no fear of Wake Forest's style of play.
"Do you have any ideas?" Prosser turned toward Yang Shuai, a faint glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Yang Shuai shook his head. This was already the third time Prosser had asked him today: first when he boarded the team bus, then when they stepped off it. It was obvious just how badly Prosser wanted to win.
Yang Shuai was no skeleton key, though. Even if he had an idea, there was no time left for the Demon Deacons to drill it in practice.
Besides, by reaching this point, Wake Forest had already locked up a spot in the NAA Tournament, which was the far bigger stage.
Once practice wrapped up, the players headed back to the locker room one by one while Prosser remained courtside to answer questions from the media.
As Yang Shuai walked toward the tunnel, Vincent called out to stop him.
"When you get back to the locker room in a bit, say a few words of encouragement to the boys." When a team was outmatched in both talent and tactics, the only hope left was player morale and individual execution.
"Me?" Yang Shuai remarked, finding that Vincent seemed to love putting people in unexpected roles.
"Is there anyone on this team they trust more than you?" Spoken with the effortless freedom of a man already set to leave after the season.
Before Yang Shuai could explain that he wasn't good at motivational speeches, Vincent patted him on the shoulder and stepped into the player tunnel ahead of him.
Muttering a silent greeting to Vincent's ancestors, Yang Shuai followed him down the tunnel.
He pushed open the locker room door. Every set of eyes swung toward him, including Vincent's, who didn't even forget to shoot him an encouraging, meaningful wink.
Clearly, Vincent had already set the stage.
*That guy!*
Yang Shuai cleared his throat. Though he wasn't particularly practiced at this sort of thing, his memories as a transmigrator offered a few lines he could borrow.
"Coach Vincent asked me to say a couple of words, so I'll keep it to just a couple. Don't worry, it won't be more than three sentences." Yang Shuai's relaxed opening drew a round of laughter across the room.
Once the laughter faded, his expression turned serious. His eyes swept across every face in the room.
"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why. I believe we were born to be champions.
"Tomorrow night's game will be tough, but I believe we can do it—just like we've been doing all along."
Chapter 27