“Brian Whitman coach hopes the opponents don’t know I can shoot three-pointers. Don’t worry, I already practiced an extra hundred shots before coming.” Eric Bennett said to Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry had a look of anticipation on his face. After all, as the team leader, this season has been really frustrating for Curry.

Dell Curry also came to the game today. Old Curry knows very well that this is a game that could very likely affect his son’s future draft position. Right now, Seth Curry’s draft ranking isn’t even guaranteed to make the lottery. NBA experts think he doesn’t have the physical attributes to play in the NBA, but this weakness has improved a lot since he switched to point guard.

Unlike Curry, who is still worried about making it to the NBA, Blake Griffin on the other side is confidently showing off his explosive athleticism to scouts, commentators, and fans.

“Blake, the Wildcats have added a seven-footer,” the Oklahoma assistant coach reminded.

Blake Griffin glanced at Eric Bennett and smiled, “Don’t worry, with that frame of his, I could take on ten of him at once.”

Not every big guy with yellow skin is Yao!

Chapter 006: He’s My Screener

This highly anticipated battle between the Davidson Wildcats and the Oklahoma Sooners has drawn a lot of attention. Before the game, the media were eager to interview Griffin and Curry, knowing full well that these two were the focal points of the matchup.

Curry’s performance this March left a deep impression, while Griffin is undoubtedly the most physically gifted rookie of this class.

Curry graciously accepted the interview, speaking at length about the team’s goals for the year and his own plans for the future. Curious reporter Javier Stanford asked at the end of the interview, “It looks like your team has a new seven-footer. Is he Chinese?”

Curry nodded. God knows, Stephen Curry originally wanted to give his teammate some good publicity, but remembering coach Brian Whitman’s request to keep Eric Bennett as a secret weapon, Stephen Curry could only say with some reluctance, “He’s my screener.”

Javier Stanford smiled. China does produce a lot of big men, but not everyone can be Yao. And judging by his frame and stiff pre-game warmup, can he really be a competent screener? But Javier quickly realized that the Wildcats didn’t have any other screeners. Their big men are all around two meters tall and pretty average. Forget the NBA, even the NBDL probably wouldn’t want them.

“Today, our main focus is still Stephen.” As a coach who has spent years with underdog teams but still boasts a career win rate over 60%, Brian Whitman’s coaching ability is beyond question.

The Wildcats players all nodded in agreement.

“Bennett, you’ll come off the bench today. Anthony, you and Bennett need to set good screens for Stephen. Also, McMillan and Donald, be ready to shoot.” The Wildcats are a team that loves to run motion offense. They’re the most pass-happy team in the entire South region, which might explain why Stephen Curry later thrived in the Warriors’ motion system—he’s been playing his favorite style since college.

Eric Bennett nodded, and Stephen Curry shot him a look.

Last night, Curry had already shared his debut experience with Eric Bennett, though Curry’s own NCAA debut was a disaster...

Brian Whitman was very satisfied with Eric Bennett’s composure—it exceeded his expectations.

“There are a lot of scouts here today, all here for Blake and Stephen, right?” assistant coach Jennings said.

“No, most of them are probably here for Blake.” Scouts... The thought of scouts suddenly made Brian Whitman a bit selfish. He called Eric Bennett over and said, “If the opponents realize you can shoot and start guarding you closely, I’ll allow you to use guard skills.”

Eric Bennett’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t I supposed to be the secret weapon?

Brian Whitman’s selfishness was simple: no matter how well Eric Bennett played, the Wildcats couldn’t win the NCAA championship with just him and Stephen. But with so many scouts here today, if Eric Bennett played well, maybe it could help his chances of making the NBA in the future.

Eric Bennett didn’t know that, in order to boost Stephen Curry’s NBA prospects, many of Brian Whitman’s tactics were designed for Stephen Curry, just to make his stats look better.

What a good guy!

Brian Whitman didn’t know how well Eric Bennett could play, but he did know that the Sooners, who knew nothing about Eric Bennett’s style, were bound to suffer—especially the proud Blake Griffin.

This much-anticipated game started quickly. Amid the Thunder’s “Big Three” banter, Blake Griffin’s opening tip-off was a full arm’s length higher than the Wildcats’ center Anthony Beasley.

Terrifying vertical leap, terrifying explosive power and strength.

After grabbing the tip, Griffin charged down the court like a tank. The Wildcats played aggressive defense, but it was no use—Griffin still caught his teammate’s pass and forcefully scored the first basket for the Oklahoma Sooners.

“Blake! Blake! Blake!”