"Ah? I"m with Allen? Sure!" Carlo"s serious expression instantly changed into a happy-go-lucky husky as he put his arm around Nie Chuan"s shoulder，"Allen, I promise to be better to you than Reece!"
Nie Chuan looked in Reece"s direction. Reece"s expression was still indifferent. It seemed that he had no objections at all to the fact that Coach Gordon might decide to arrange Nie Chuan to train with other people.
"Then let"s start now. Allen, the holding time is 30 seconds. Within these thirty seconds, you must be able to break through Carlo and score. I will only give you one chance, I hope you will be able to break through Carlo"s defence."
"What? Only one chance?"
"Allen, with every opponent we meet on the court, we only get one chance; there is no second chance. You should get used to this so that missed opportunities will not be repeated."
Nie Chuan nodded but inwardly he was very nervous.
Carlo"s basic skills and explosiveness are completely beyond Peter"s and his keenness surpa.s.ses Montenegro"s. Can he really break through such an opponent?
From the moment Nie Chuan started dribbling, Coach Gordon"s timer began.
Nie Chuan dribbled rapidly and confronted Carlo head on, his instant acceleration surprising Carlo. This was immediately followed by two feints to the right with his shoulder. But Carlo"s reaction speed was within Nie Chuan"s expectations. Before Carlo could intercept the ball, Nie Chuan dribbled the ball behind him. With his side facing Carlo, he accelerated again and swung from Carlo"s right with the determination to pa.s.s him.
This all happened within a few seconds. Nie Chuan"s nerves were stretched taut. He knew that it wasn"t just Coach Gordon who was watching him; Reece was also watching. During this period of training, Reece expended a lot of energy on him. Perhaps Reece didn"t care if the coach arranged him with others but Nie Chuan hoped to at least get Reece"s approval!
He must seize this opportunity…… no, he has to create an opportunity and throw off Carlo!
Carlo moved quickly but Nie Chuan unexpectedly took a step back. Carlo"s pupils dilated, he never thought Nie Chuan"s body could still retreat at such an angle. This kind of control isn"t something ordinary people are capable of.
Carlo quickly adjusted his center of gravity and positioned his body sideways to intercept but Nie Chuan changed directions twice, just like an Argentinian dance that made people unable to keep up. He threw Carlo off from the other side and quickly dribbled the ball for a lay up.
Carlo didn"t hesitate to chase after him and jumped up.
The corner of Coach Gordon"s lips rose as he looked at this scene. He knew that the true key moment was here.
The height of Nie Chuan"s jump exceeded Carlo"s imagination but Carlo"s height advantage still allowed him to give Nie Chuan a big hot pot (block).
Even Coach Gordon thought that there was no chance for the ball to be shot. He never thought that Nie Chuan would quickly change the ball from his right hand to his left while in midair before throwing it out with one hand.
When Carlo landed, he couldn"t help looking up, ready to grab the rebound. But the ball fell steadily into the basket.
Nie Chuan watched the ball foolishly. He really wasn"t thinking anything in that moment when he faced Carlo"s block, he knew that he could only gamble on that one throw. That ball that was thrown with one hand was based completely on a feeling but…… it actually went in?
"My G.o.d……" Carlo was still replaying that moment when Nie Chuan switched hands in midair in his mind. "Reece, did you give Allen something special to eat?"
Reece, who was still leaning against the lamppost beside the basketball court with his arms crossed, gently raised an eyebrow. "Chocolate."
Nie Chuan finally realized that the ball really went in. He rushed towards Reece ecstatically with open arms and jumped. "Did you see that? Did you see it? I got a point from Carlo!"
He almost ran into Reece"s chest but instead of avoiding him, Reece firmly caught him.
"En, I saw."
Nie Chuan saw a small smile in Reece"s eyes.
Then…… he found that he was practically being held by Reece……
He quickly stepped back with a silly smile as he rubbed the back of his head.
Coach Gordon clapped his hands as he stood up. His eyes were drooping slightly and there was a meaningful smile on his lips. "I didn"t think he would improve so much in such a short amount of time. Reece, it looks like you"ve put a lot of thought into Allen. But Allen, do you think it was due to your own ability or due to coincidence that that ball went in? If the same situation happens again, will you still be able to do it?"
Coach Gordon"s words made the originally happy Nie Chuan instantly cool down. Being watched by Coach Gordon"s pair of blue-grey eyes, Nie Chuan suddenly felt ashamed.
"I…… I"m not sure if I"ll be able to do it."
Coach Gordon patted Nie Chuan on the shoulder. "But your jumping ability and reaction speed is much better compared to the previous practice match. Your immediate explosiveness has also improved somewhat which is what I"ve always wanted to see. I kept worrying that you wouldn"t be able to become an excellent point guard if your stamina and your ability to accelerate your dribble couldn"t last the entire game but seeing your progress today, I can rest a.s.sured."
"Thank you."
Nie Chuan knew that even if this time he got away with a point off Carlo by a fluke, the disparity in strength between him and Carlo was still great.
"I will adjust the next phase of your training plan. Oh right Carlo, I heard that you contacted CBU for another practice match?"
"Ah, my high school cla.s.smate just happens to be on the CBU basketball team. And it"s after midterms so you don"t have to worry about it affecting our studies, Coach."
"That"s good," Coach Gordon straightened the cuffs of his suit. "Then today"s coaching will end here. Allen, you can continue practicing with Carlo. Reece, I want to speak with you."
"Yes, Coach."
Nie Chuan looked at the backs of Reece and Coach Gordon as they departed and felt a little uneasy.
Carlo waved his hand in front of Nie Chuan and smiled, "Don"t worry, you did well just now. I can already deeply feel your determination to not become training partners with me."
"No!"
"No?" Carlo blinked. "Then watch me pa.s.s you!"
Coach Gordon stood by the basketball court"s wire gate and lit a cigarette.
Meanwhile, Reece had both hands in his pockets. The two stood in silence for several seconds until Reece finally spoke, "Why did you tell him that the point he scored was just coincidence?"
"You mean when he switched hands in midair for a one handed throw?"
"That was no coincidence."
"I know, because Nie Chuan"s jump has a characteristic where his aerial retention time is longer than the average person"s. His sense of balance is also very strong which facilitated the hand switch he made just now. But there is an even more important reason. He is like a baby who just started learning how to speak and is absorbing the skills and abilities of the people around him at a very fast speed and the person who was closest to him during this period of time was you. If he doesn"t have enough strength in his waist and muscles the next time he imitates any of your movements in midair, it"s very likely that he will hurt his body."
"I understand, I can only ask the coach to come up with an appropriate training plan."
"Still, he has a good feel for the ball. To be able to get the ball into the basket with just one hand in such a tense situation, it wasn"t entirely luck just like you said. So we must make sure he retains that ability."
Reece lightly knitted his brow, "You don"t seem willing to let Nie Chuan only be a point guard."
"With the talent he is showing right now, why should he only be a point guard? Ewing"s ability outside the three-point line is outstanding, there"s no doubt about that, but it"ll still be very difficult for Nie Chuan to reach that level of scoring in two years. But the point guards who can truly make it into the quarterfinals can all swing into the shooting guard position or even small forward, adapting to new responsibilities at any time according to what the situation demands."
"Do you want Nie Chuan to become a swingman?"
"You don"t think it"s possible?" Coach Gordon asked with a smile.
"We need to further improve his speed and explosiveness, not to mention he"s not tall enough."
"I agree with the former…… as for the latter, we can only hope that he can still grow taller."
"But first start as a good point guard."
"Of course." Coach Gordon patted Reece on the shoulder, "Imagine if you and Nie Chuan joined hands and went on the offensive together, like two bladesthrusting into the opponent"s basket. Isn"t that something to look forward to?"
"Wait until after he becomes a good point guard."
After talking with Reece, Coach Gordon left leisurely.
In the following practice matches, Carlo very swiftly gave Nie Chuan three hot pots. The last one even smacked into Nie Chuan"s face. Nie Chuan covered his nose as blood seeped out from between his fingers.
"Ah! Allen, are you okay?" Carlo hurriedly found a napkin to help Nie Chuan blot it.
Nie Chuan tilted his head back, it was so painful that his eyes teared up.
"It"s not like I owe you a million dollars, what are you doing using so much strength!"
"Because you"re getting better so I"m practicing with you more seriously!" Carlo just had to add，"If you grow taller then the ball won"t fall on your face!"
"I have grown taller, okay?"
At this time, Reece came up to them with his hands in his pockets and asked coolly, "Nie Chuan, where"s your tampon?"
"…… I didn"t bring it."
What do you mean "where"s your tampon"?
I don"t need tampons! It"s not like I have a particular day every month! (Re: I think you mean "week" NC xD. Gosh I wish it was only a day)
The tampons that Reece made Nie Chuan buy before had already been hidden in a shoe box under his bed just in case it was found by Zhou Bin and he laughed himself to death!
"Carlo, we"re going to McDonald"s to get him some ice to help press on it."
"Oh, right!"
With his head tilted, Nie Chuan was supported by Carlo as they went to the nearby McDonalds. Reece went to ask for a cup of ice and wrapped the ice in a plastic bag to press on Nie Chuan"s nose.
"Allen, your nose is all red, it"s pretty cute. Like a reindeer," Carlo said laughingly.
Nie Chuan ruthlessly kicked him under the table. Not even thinking about who was responsible yet still making fun of him by saying he looked like a reindeer.
"Don"t be mad, I"ll treat you to some chicken nuggets!"
"I also want ice cream!"
"Want to add a kid"s meal?"
"What do I do with a kid"s meal? I won"t even be able to get full off that!"
"I thought you"d like the toy inside it!"
"Eat it yourself! Stuff yourself to death!"
Nie Chuan was about to kick Carlo again but Carlo hurriedly got up to order.
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Re: I think a commenter a while back said this already but Nie Chuan is really talented o.o my baby is growing :") baby steps but steps nonetheless
MadMadamMims: where is ur tampon ? also omg that sweet hug moment ?