One Year Left to Play-Chapter 53: Geniuses

Fighting didn’t work, but playing basketball, he wasn’t afraid of Zhang Hao, but next to Zhang Hao was Pierce. He once fell into depression...

The key issue was that the guy in front of him was so aloof, always acting like he looked down on everyone except Pierce, being dismissive of everyone, which made him even more annoyed.

However, Corey Benjamin now had confidence!

At just 17, he graduated and was admitted to Oregon State University majoring in Public Health, with a full basketball scholarship! This guy, on the other hand, faced hurdles everywhere when applying for universities, finally allowing him to start his taunting mode!

Corey Benjamin held back the urge to fight; this guy got really rough during their fight and was bulkier than him... nearly 10 cm taller, so it was safer to just be a taunter. He continued, "Aix, did you get into any university? I got into Oregon State University, and I’ve already secured a full scholarship..." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Looking at the incessantly chattering Corey Benjamin by his side, Zhang Hao felt helpless. He remembered this guy primarily because after they once fought, he would constantly taunt him during games, never giving up no matter how many times he won, and this guy looked old, at 17, looking...

Weathered! It seemed like he was overly developed, with nasolabial folds, forehead lines, crow’s feet... all of them present, looking like a man in his forties.

Annoying, looking old, that’s Zhang Hao’s impression of this endlessly chattering genius high schooler before him.

Thinking about that other overly developed guy a few years later, so adept with people, this guy in front just purely looks old.

Seeing the staff preparing for testing and other athletes beginning to warm up, Zhang Hao couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out, "Is there really someone who would attend the 131st ranked university in the United States?"

He hadn’t spoken for a while, but when he did, it was a direct hit! Corey Benjamin’s young heart was deeply pierced!

He then remembered, even though this guy in front struggled to win a basketball scholarship, his academic performance was incredible! While he, though he could have gone to UCLA, was rejected due to poor grades and an unsuccessful interview, this guy could easily get into UCLA without even needing a basketball scholarship.

Ultimately, Corey Benjamin went to Oregon State University, which was part of the Pac-12 Conference and an NCAA Division I school, but still far from UCLA’s world top 20 ranking, with Oregon State University ranking outside the top hundred in the United States.

At that moment, Corey Benjamin felt that trying to provoke Zhang Hao with the college issue was utterly foolish.

But he wouldn’t admit to being foolish and quickly thought of another way to provoke Zhang Hao.

In terms of ability, Corey Benjamin wasn’t intimidated by Zhang Hao. They were on even terms in matches; Zhang Hao had better athleticism, he was more versatile, played as a guard, and his stats looked better.

He decided, in the upcoming tests and training camps, to really outshine this guy! That was the true victory!

...

After spitting some venom at Corey Benjamin, Zhang Hao was left undisturbed. It’s not like everyone was hostile—technically, it wasn’t hostility—just that some people were displeased about him winning the slam dunk king title, but now that it was time for the tests that concerned them personally, everyone was acting pretty normal.

First, the height, weight, and other data were recorded, and then everyone lined up for the physical ability and technical tests. This big room was originally a warehouse, now fitted with 6 courts, as well as a 40-yard and 100-yard speed test outside.

After recording static physical attributes, the players took their data sheets to the different test areas, choosing the order themselves.

Groups were formed mainly for technical testing, otherwise, it would be quite difficult to complete the tests for over a hundred people in one morning.

Zhang Hao looked at his data sheet; during the recent height and weight test, he found he’d grown slightly. Recent strength training wasn’t particularly intense, but with both height and strength gains, his weight had also increased. The weight gain was more noticeable than the height, which he hadn’t paid attention to before. He opened the subtitles in his mind, entering the basic data interface, where he then saw his latest basic data.

"Special Contract Player: Zhang Hao, Height: 202 cm, Wingspan: 211 cm, Weight: 92 kg..."

Looking at pounds and inches, he still needed to convert them for a real sense of how much it was; Zhang Hao wasn’t quite used to it, but looking at it this way was familiar.

However, Zhang Hao was a bit puzzled.

Looking at his physical fitness column—"Physical Attributes: Speed 90, Strength 76, Jump 93, Agility 95, Stamina 90..."

Speed and agility didn’t seem to be affected at all.

"Maybe it just hasn’t reached that critical point yet!"

Zhang Hao was already a competent athlete, understanding the impacts of enhanced strength training and weight gain.

Youths always rushed things, eager to show their best physical state, and everyone swarmed to take the physical fitness tests—at that moment, with no other distractions, the youths’ fervor was vibrant at the dynamic physical fitness test points in the San Francisco City Hall Ballroom.

Theoretically, every player attending the training camp was diligently preparing, but states were unpredictable. Each test allowed for two attempts, with the average score taken. Some players performed well, but others didn’t do as well as usual—maybe they were too excited about the start of training camp last night to sleep, or maybe they just weren’t in good form.