Eric Turner leaned back in his chair, somewhat disappointed. Bill Lambeau's scouting report left him dissatisfied—not because he was unhappy with Bill Lambeau, but because he hadn't managed to find enough future NBA players. Out of nearly sixty scouting reports, only three future NBA players were identified, which was indeed a bit too few.

“It seems I really need to use the Dynasty System to search for players,” Eric Turner sighed.

“Host, do you wish to proceed with player search?”

“Yes,” Eric Turner tapped lightly on the electronic interface in front of him.

“Each player search consumes 10 Dynasty Points. Player search can only be conducted by name. Please enter the name of the player you wish to search for.”

……

……

“Jason, are you really not going to reconsider? Wake Forest University is no worse than Arizona. Our team’s goal is also the championship.”

In a café in Seattle, Eric Turner was extending an invitation to a high school student.

“Mr. Turner, I never said Wake Forest is worse than Arizona, I just have my own concerns,” Jason Terry said hesitantly.

“What concerns? If you’re worried about your position on the team, you don’t need to. Next season, you’ll be the team’s starting point guard and the core of our backcourt.”

“No, you misunderstand. I’m not worried about being a starter.”

“Then what’s the reason?”

“Mr. Turner, I don’t believe you have the ability to help me win an NCAA championship. I want to be a first-round pick in the NBA, and I crave an NCAA championship. If I were to join your team, I might as well go to the University of Washington. Sorry, Mr. Turner, I’ve already decided to join the University of Arizona.” With that, Jason Terry left the café.

For the first time, Eric Turner realized that recruiting top high school players for a college team wasn’t easy. This was the fourth player Eric Turner had approached, and all four had rejected him without exception. This time, Eric Turner had used the national high school rankings and scouting to find some players not even listed in the rankings—a total of six. Now, four had already turned him down. If being rejected by the top three, like Matthew Bailey, Jameson Clark, and Samuel Reed, who were all ranked in the top five, was understandable, being so directly rejected by Jason Terry this time left Eric Turner a bit deflated.

No wonder Bill Lambeau's scouting report didn’t include Matthew Bailey, Jameson Clark, or Samuel Reed, because these players would never join Wake Forest. Wake Forest is a strong team, but not yet a traditional powerhouse.

“It seems I really need to reconsider my approach to recruiting players,” Eric Turner shook his head helplessly. For a rookie head coach, earning the trust of star players was truly difficult.

After leaving Seattle, Eric Turner immediately flew to Florida, where there was another player he needed to persuade.

Chapter 4: The Young Half-Man, Half-God

Daytona Beach is a very small town in central Florida. After leaving Seattle, Eric Turner headed straight there. A few years ago, this town had nothing to do with basketball, but this year it became one of the focal points of Florida’s basketball scene. Daytona Beach High School won this year’s Florida state high school championship. Daytona Beach High wasn’t hard to find; Eric Turner asked around a bit and quickly located it.

“He’s probably received a lot of college invitations by now, just like Terry,” Eric Turner sighed to himself. The setbacks of the past few days had shaken his confidence in persuading these future NBA stars.

When Eric Turner arrived in Daytona Beach, it was already four in the afternoon, so he went straight to the high school’s gym. At this time, the high school players should all be practicing.

Upon entering the Daytona Beach High gym, Eric Turner immediately locked his gaze on that familiar young man.

Vince Carter, 18 years old, height: 1.95 meters, position: SF/SG, shooting: 63, offense: 85, defense: 56, physical talent: 80, overall rating: 75, potential grade: A+.

“It really is him—the future NBA half-man, half-god, currently one of the top three dunkers in American high school basketball, and the main contributor to Daytona Beach High’s Florida championship.”

This player, known for his dunks and also underestimated because of them—whenever people think of Carter, they think of dunks. Few realize he has many other weapons besides dunking; he’s a very versatile player. Yet, it seems in everyone’s eyes, Carter has nothing but dunks. Even now, Carter is already being underestimated, having been labeled a “dunker.”

From the not-so-detailed scouting report on the Dynasty System, Eric Turner could already see that Carter was quite unbalanced at this stage—his offensive rating far exceeded his other attributes. But his talent was enough for him to develop into a well-rounded player. Eric Turner hoped that this future half-man, half-god could shed the “dunker” label under his guidance.

The hierarchy in American basketball is very strict—step by step, from lower leagues, to high school, to college, and then to the NBA. There are many so-called geniuses now—thousands of high schools across the country, each with one or two “genius” players. But not all of these talents will get the chance to play in NCAA Division I. Even if they do, whether they can ultimately make it to the NBA is still a question.