“Finally, as I’ve already said before, my goal this season is the championship. If any of you do anything to jeopardize my goal, don’t blame me for doing something drastic. As for what drastic thing I might do, you’re welcome to try and find out,” Eric Turner said with a smile as he finished his last point. The players in front of him all felt a chill run down their spines and didn’t even dare to breathe.

“Is this coach crazy?” Wally Szczerbiak thought to himself, once again feeling a pang of regret.

“All right, there’s no need for everyone to take my words too seriously. As long as you do as I instruct, nothing will go wrong. Go back to your training, dismissed.”

……

……

“Zhuang, are you really going to run the triangle offense this new season?” Bill Lambeau looked at Eric Turner in shock by the side of the court.

“That’s right, Bill, which is why I need your help,” Eric Turner looked at Bill Lambeau sincerely and said.

“Help? My help? I’m not that good at tactical training. If you need help, you should ask Mark, he’s the real tactics master,” Bill Lambeau replied grumpily after a brief moment of shock. He really didn’t think much of this new head coach, since the coach didn’t trust him at all and had rejected all the players he had strongly recommended.

“I know, Mark is highly accomplished in tactical training. But the triangle offense isn’t just about making the players understand the tactics—they also need a technical foundation. To be honest, Carter, Posey, Raja Bell, and Wally Szczerbiak all have terrible passing skills. I need you to make major changes with them. Right now, you’re the only one on the team who can help me.”

After hearing Eric Turner’s words, Bill Lambeau closed his eyes, deep in thought. Meanwhile, Eric Turner was feeling anxious inside. Bill Lambeau’s 90-point offensive training ability was Eric Turner’s biggest guarantee that Carter and the others could quickly master passing and offense. But Eric Turner knew that Bill Lambeau had issues with him, and if Bill Lambeau decided to be stubborn at this moment, there was nothing he could do.

“All right, Zhuang, what do you need me to do?” Bill Lambeau finally agreed.

As soon as Bill Lambeau agreed, Eric Turner immediately laid out his entire training plan, leaving Mark Allen, who was standing next to him, utterly dumbfounded.

“Zhuang, isn’t this training schedule a bit too much?” Bill Lambeau was starting to regret agreeing to Eric Turner’s request.

“No, Bill, we don’t have much time. The new season starts in early November, and it’s already September. We only have two months, so we have to put them through hellish training. I already told them my training would be harsh, and if they can’t handle it, I’ll deal with them. But I need a guarantee from both of you—can you train them into shape for me in two months?”

Mark Allen and Bill Lambeau were silent for a moment, then both nodded firmly.

“Excellent, Bill, Mark, thank you for your hard work. I believe our team’s future performance won’t let your efforts—or the players’—go to waste.”

Hellish training isn’t as easy as Eric Turner makes it sound. The training must be scientifically arranged and guided. It’s easy for Eric Turner to say, but for Mark Allen and Bill Lambeau to actually do it is much harder. First, time is tight—these players are all students, and their time is limited. Second, the training methods must be scientific, so Mark Allen and Bill Lambeau have to completely redesign the training regimen.

But these things are completely out of Eric Turner’s control. Even if he wanted to manage them, he wouldn’t know where to start. His training ability really can’t compare to Mark Allen and Bill Lambeau.

Chapter 8 Carter

On the east side of Wake Forest University’s residential area, a Chinese-style restaurant stood out on the street. Wake Forest University has about 10,000 students enrolled. While that’s not a huge number by American standards, it’s still a complete little world. The campus has a modestly sized residential area with supermarkets, restaurants, coffee shops, and more—just like an ordinary pedestrian street. At night, the place is always brightly lit.

The owner of this Chinese restaurant was an American, but the head chef was Chinese. To Eric Turner, most of the dishes here, though labeled as Chinese cuisine, were actually full of American flavor at heart and not authentic at all. Just looking at the shredded potatoes cut like potato chunks made Eric Turner want to laugh.

“Vince, over here!” Eric Turner called out to Carter as he came in, quickly waving him over. Today, he had arranged to treat Carter to a meal.

“A shower really does make you feel refreshed,” Eric Turner praised, though the fatigue on Carter’s face was still obvious. He looked absolutely exhausted.