Volume One: The Ugly Duckling Cries Out

Chapter 001: The Ugly Duckling Eric Bennett

“What kind of player can truly be called unstoppable?”

“In this era that values outside shooting, you definitely need an elite perimeter attack.”

“In this era that values speed, your movement and lateral quickness have to be fast enough.”

“In this era of mismatches—bigs bullying smalls, smalls bullying bigs—height is a must.”

“In this era where tactics break down and you have to rely on isolation, iso play is an art in itself.”

“And in this era that values physicality, even if you don’t have a physique like LeBron James, your athleticism and ability to withstand contact still have to be top-notch.”

A player like that probably doesn’t exist...

The campus path at Davidson College in the U.S. was lush and bustling with people. A young man with yellow skin, wearing a white Nike T-shirt, was strolling along, humming a tune. He was humming a very popular song called “Decent,” a song that shouldn’t even exist in this era.

How much sorrow can one have? As the head coach of the Davidson College basketball team, Brian Whitman was getting more and more gray hairs lately.

Just this March, Davidson College had shocked the nation during March Madness, but recently, they could only be described as losing again and again, yet still fighting on.

It had been tough enough to convince their star player Stephen Curry to stay another year in college for the new season, but with “Curry’s screeners” and “Curry’s rebounders” all graduating, and opponents locking down on Curry’s three-point shooting, Davidson had lost its dark horse status and become the team everyone in the Southern Conference wanted to bully.

Still, even if Davidson missed out on next year’s March Madness, Stephen Curry making the lottery was almost a sure thing. The thought of personally developing the school’s first-ever NBA lottery pick was the only thing that eased Brian Whitman’s mood a little.

“Lin, what song is that? Why is it that no matter how many times I search online, I can never find the music you’re humming?” As one of the top universities in the U.S., Davidson might be average in sports, but its academics and dorms were top-notch—a three-bedroom suite, tiled floors, four desks and chairs in the living room, safes in the desks, an open-view balcony, two private bathrooms with water heaters and showers, and air conditioning in every bedroom.

Lin’s full name was Eric Bennett, a Chinese international student, and he was the young man who had just been humming “Decent.” As soon as he returned to the dorm, a baby-faced, woeful, and helpless face appeared before him.

“Stephen, I’ve told you many times—I’m a natural-born musician.” Eric Bennett waved his hand. “Lost again?”

The baby-faced guy was none other than Davidson’s basketball star Stephen Curry. Curry’s face was full of frustration. “76 to 77.”

“Oh, a close loss.” Eric Bennett nodded.

“But we got outrebounded 14 to 32! We lost 18 rebounds. Oh my God, I can already see the end of the season—March Madness is slipping further and further away from me.” Stephen Curry collapsed onto the sofa.

“I’m guessing you’re not here for my comfort—after all, I think Ayesha is better suited for that job than I am,” said Eric Bennett.

Curry shook his head. Was shaking his head a habit he’d picked up from losing so much in his junior year?

“Then I guess you don’t want me to go play one-on-one with you either. It’s not exactly glorious to keep bullying a level-two cripple. And if it’s just a three-point contest, you might not even beat this level-two cripple. That’s nothing to brag about.” Eric Bennett wasn’t even 175 cm tall, and compared to the nearly 190 cm Curry, he really was handicapped. Plus, Eric Bennett was so skinny he didn’t even have the edge to bully Curry’s thin frame.

Curry kept shaking his head. “Oh God, Lin, if only you could grow another 30 centimeters—no, even 20 centimeters—then I could convince Coach Brian Whitman to let you join the team.”

Now it was Eric Bennett’s turn to shake his head. Height wasn’t something he could control, but in the half year he’d been roommates with Curry, Curry’s complaints had only gotten more frequent.

As for Eric Bennett’s shooting and ball-handling, Curry thought he was second only to himself at Davidson. Even in their three-point shootouts for sodas, Eric Bennett always won...

But with Eric Bennett’s height full of resentment and a body even skinnier than Curry’s, there was no need to give Brian Whitman even more gray hairs.