Chapter 1: Waking Up Is a Dream

　　A basketball gym in Dongguan, Guangdong, September 2012. Scattered across the stands were a dozen or so fans.

　　Eric Turner sat anxiously on the bench, watching the court. At this moment, the Zhejiang youth team was being dominated by the Guangdong team. In the CBA, Guangdong was a national powerhouse, and their youth team was also number one in the country. Although Zhejiang was strong, they were still far behind Guangdong.

　　Although Eric Turner was sitting on the bench, he wasn't a player for Zhejiang—he was the assistant coach. Today's game was a crucial match in the youth league, determining whether Zhejiang could make the playoffs. They could afford to lose, but not by more than 30 points. However, it was already the fourth quarter, and the score was 90 to 51. Zhejiang was trailing by 39 points. If teams had the same win-loss record, Zhejiang would be eliminated due to point differential. Eric Turner glanced at the head coach Brian Cooper, who looked even more anxious than he did, and felt a surge of anger. If it weren't for him, how could Zhejiang have ended up like this? Zhejiang might not be as strong as Guangdong, but they weren't weak either. They shouldn't have to calculate point differentials just to make the playoffs. "Damn it, just a useless guy who got the job through connections," Eric Turner cursed inwardly.

　　Brian Cooper and Eric Turner used to be teammates. Neither made it as players for Zhejiang, and both eventually became coaches. Just two months ago, the previous youth team head coach Abraham Lincoln was promoted to assistant coach of the first team, leaving a vacancy. Naturally, the spot came down to Brian Cooper and Eric Turner. Originally, Abraham Lincoln had recommended Eric Turner to upper management. Eric Turner had always been Abraham Lincoln's first assistant and was most familiar with the youth team, with strong tactical knowledge. Brian Cooper, on the other hand, rarely showed up at the club, relying on his father, a high-ranking official in the sports bureau, to hold his position and collect a paycheck. But in the end, the club's appointment shocked everyone: Eric Turner remained assistant coach, while Brian Cooper became head coach and even received a government position, becoming an official coach under the Zhejiang Sports Bureau. If Brian Cooper had real ability, Eric Turner wouldn't have minded, but Brian Cooper was nothing but an empty suit.

　　"You bunch of losers, look at what you're doing out there! You're actually trailing by more than 40 points! Damn it, if we don't make the playoffs this year, all of you can get lost next year!"

　　Although his coaching ability was lacking, Brian Cooper was quite skilled at intimidation. The sixteen- and seventeen-year-old players on the sidelines were so scared they didn't dare make a sound. But trying to change the situation through threats was unlikely to work; it would probably just make the players even more nervous and play worse.

　　Was Zhejiang really that weak? Of course not. Before Brian Cooper took over, Zhejiang was ranked third. Eric Turner had watched as the young players lost confidence after one defeat after another, and then continued to lose. Originally, Brian Cooper was just here to pad his resume, but if Zhejiang didn't make the playoffs this year, he'd be under a lot of pressure too.

　　"Henry Clark, can you defend a little tougher? Use your legs, do you understand? Your name sounds like a girl, and you play like one too. If I see you being timid again, you don't need to come tomorrow."

　　Henry Clark looked at Brian Cooper in fear, biting his lip helplessly, his hands trembling nonstop. His teammates pretended not to see. Henry Clark was the team's star small forward, considered the most talented new player on the Zhejiang youth team, but in the past few months, he'd lost all his spark. He'd been completely ruined by Brian Cooper.

　　"If I were you, I'd just go find a wall and bash my head against it right now," Eric Turner couldn't take it anymore and mocked, to the shock of the players and Brian Cooper.

　　"What? What did you say?" Brian Cooper glared at Eric Turner with wide, angry eyes.

　　"If you still want to win, you should be encouraging these kids, not attacking them personally or teaching them to do harmful things. Are you really a coach? Do you have any professionalism? Look at what you've done to this team, and you still shamelessly blame the players? If I were you, I wouldn't need anyone to tell me—I'd just go find a wall and bash my head against it right now."

　　"Eric Turner, do you still want this job? If not, go sell stuff on the street," Brian Cooper finally understood.

　　"Damn it, I haven't wanted this job for a long time. Selling stuff on the street is better than being your assistant coach," Eric Turner said, then turned and left the gym, leaving Brian Cooper and the players stunned.

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