"Hey, Dean, Will, are you guys actually being serious right now?"

"Dean, Will, calm down. Edward and Cooper could never be teammates with Bennett, and besides, Bennett doesn't need that kind of hypothetical. I've never heard him complain that you guys are holding him back, and neither Will nor I would ever think that way. When we win, we're the The Garfield Five; when we lose, we're still the same. We're a team that trusts each other."

"Hmph!"

Will Conroy let out a disgruntled snort and fell silent.

"Brandon, since you've confirmed that Bennett hasn't given up yet, make sure you protect your knees this season. No more playing through injuries. Even if you want to end up crippled, at least wait until you've finished our last year with Bennett before you do it. Otherwise, if you really do end up crippled, don't expect me to push your wheelchair!"

Roy was momentarily stunned, but in the end, he nodded.

Dean's words were as harsh as ever.

After Roy and the others left, Yes didn't go take a shower right away as he had said he would. Instead, he checked his attribute panel.

There were no changes to his other attributes; his technical and defensive attributes were still rated E, top amateur level.

His shooting attribute was D, top amateur.

Only his physical attribute had changed slightly, thanks to obtaining the John Wall (High School) star card. The overall rating hadn't changed—it was still D, top amateur.

But in the details, Yes's speed attribute had become 79.2/66 (80).

That is, his base speed was now 66, and with a 20% bonus, his actual speed was 79.2.

Judging by the opponents he'd faced in Washington State, his current actual speed was about the same as Stuckey's when Stuckey wasn't going all out.

But that still wasn't enough.

His future competition at the University of Washington would be Nate Robinson, one of the fastest players in the NCAA.

At the University of Washington, Conroy was the point guard, Roy leaned toward small forward, and Nate Robinson was the shooting guard.

Nate Robinson was not only one of the fastest players in the NCAA, but also one of the best leapers and shooters.

Even defensively, as a short guard, Nate Robinson's steals were quite impressive.

Maybe his only two weaknesses were his 1.75-meter height and not-so-outstanding basketball skills.

Nate Robinson was an all-around athlete; he entered the University of Washington on a football scholarship.

It's hard for this kind of all-around player to hone any one sport's skills to the absolute peak.

Not to mention ball-handling and passing—Nate Robinson's shooting was something he developed just this season.

That alone showed how talented Nate Robinson was.

Who knows, maybe next year he'll have developed his ball-handling and passing too.

Right now, the gap between him and Nate Robinson was pretty big, and next year it might be even bigger!

This was, so far, the strongest competitor he'd faced at the guard position!

But next year would be their last year...

Truly the last year...

Since he chose to play one last year with those four guys, there was no way he'd be afraid to compete with Nate Robinson!

Anyway, now that he'd joined the University of Washington, there was no turning back!

"First, get my base speed up to 80, then think about everything else!"

Yes made up his mind.

If he couldn't directly outcompete Nate Robinson, he and those guys would only end up as supporting characters to Nate Robinson and Martell Webster.

He didn't know what the other four were thinking, but he definitely wasn't willing to be a supporting character in their final year!

The The Garfield Five playing second fiddle to others in Seattle?

What a joke!

They were the pride of Seattle!

He didn't really care much about being the pride of Seattle—he wasn't even from Seattle, so he didn't have that kind of sense of mission!

But since they had that title, how could he let someone else take it away?

"Where's my newspaper? Where's my Stranger?"

"Those two bastards!"

Chapter 0010: From Lying Down for the Championship to Lying Down for the Loss

"In the end, we still lost."

March 14th, Saturday, US time. Yes watched from his dorm as the University of Washington was eliminated by the University of Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen.

Facing the University of Louisville led by Brandon Bass and Glen Davis, the University of Washington, led by Nate Robinson and Roy, lost without putting up any real fight.

79-93, a 14-point difference. A group of juniors got schooled by a bunch of freshmen and sophomores.

In this game, the University of Washington's frontcourt, led by Bobby Jones, was completely dominated by Louisville's two young big men, Brandon Bass and Glen Davis.

In this game, the University of Washington exposed all their weaknesses.

The NCAA doesn't have a defensive three-second rule, which means it's not so easy to attack the basket during games.

And the core of the University of Washington is their three perimeter gunners who need to attack the basket: Roy, Nate Robinson, and Conroy.

This is a team built around the perimeter.

Coincidentally, the perimeter-focused University of Washington happened to run into Louisville, a team built around the interior.