The Best Point Guard-Chapter 42 - 40: Little Sheep Su Xi Whirlwind

After the game, Su Xi and Carmeron Anthony stood together, swarmed by the New York Media. A battery of cameras and microphones were aimed at them, flashbulbs strobing nonstop.

Without a doubt, the two of them were the most dazzling stars in the New York sports world this year.

As Coach Jim passed by, he even called out, "Take good care of Syracuse University’s Gemini Stars."

This was the first time Coach Jim had publicly addressed the ’Gemini Stars’ topic.

Before this, he had never even mentioned McNamara’s name in the same breath as Carmeron Anthony’s, a promise he had made during recruitment. He had assured Carmeron Anthony that Syracuse University would be his team and his alone, that he was the absolute core. There would be absolutely no "inside-outside dual core," "golden duo," or any similar labels.

Without these strict conditions, Cameron might not have joined the team.

But now, Antonio didn’t mind Jim Boham saying something like that at all.

His potential management team might feel that this kind of publicity would steal some of Antonio’s spotlight, but... this was Little Sheep Su Xi!

’Jack has done so much for me. Shouldn’t I hype him up a little?’

Carmeron Anthony naturally picked up on the topic. "Yes, that’s right. Jack is my most important partner. Together, we’re like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, just like Batman always has Robin."

Antonio had just elevated Su Xi to the level of Pippen.

A reporter then turned to the ’Syracuse Pippen.’ "Jack, we noticed that Syracuse University’s downward slide stopped the moment you got on the court. You made some brilliant defensive plays and performed a ’surgical operation’ on Auburn University using offensive techniques you’ve never shown before. You also got your season-high in points. Were you deliberately hiding your offensive skills? Were you planning to catch them with a surprise attack?"

Su Xi raised an eyebrow. He answered calmly, "I don’t need to deliberately hide anything. The team didn’t need me to score before, so I didn’t. Tonight, Gerry had an unexpected injury, and Antonio needed a wingman, so I just stepped up to do the work."

His answer took the media by surprise.

This statement showed Su Xi to be a perfect team player, one who didn’t care about his own stats.

This was a huge plus, both in the eyes of the media and for the potential NBA scouts watching.

The NBA doesn’t just need dazzling superstars; it also needs team players who will uncomplainingly do the dirty work.

Su Xi was demonstrating that exact potential.

This was a major boost to his potential draft stock.

Many astonishingly talented NCAA prodigies get to the NBA and find no room to shine, ultimately leaving in disgrace precisely because they can’t handle the dirty work.

The media then asked Carmeron Anthony a few questions, mostly about the NBA. The New York Media asked if he would be willing to keep his talents in New York.

With a wide smile, Antonio artfully dodged the questions.

Antonio’s smile was infectious, and he was extremely popular.

However, when he stood next to Su Xi, the women in the crowd were still more inclined to sneak a few extra glances at Su Xi. After all, in the face of true, striking handsomeness, "cute" doesn’t stand a chance.

After about ten minutes, CBS directed a question to Su Xi.

He asked a follow-up question: "Jack, now that the game’s over, do you think Auburn University had any true phenoms? Did they excite you at all? Also, your next opponent is the University of Oklahoma, the top team from the BIG-12. What are your expectations for that game? Do you think they can stop you from reaching the Final Four?"

"Auburn University certainly has many talented players, but if you’re asking about a phenom on Cameron’s level, then my answer is no."

Su Xi stated bluntly, propping up Antonio in the process.

This brought a knowing smile to Antonio’s face.

"The University of Oklahoma is said to be even stronger than Oklahoma. I’m looking forward to facing them."

Su Xi’s answers were measured and safe.

Compared to his previous interviews, there were no new bombshells.

Just then, an Asian reporter stepped forward and asked one last question. "Jack, I’m a reporter for Sports Illustrated. I’d like to ask, with your performance getting better and better, will you choose to take your talents to the NBA?"

Su Xi replied, "I won’t be taking my talents to the NBA. I’ll be going to the NBA to *activate* my talents. The stronger the opponent, the stronger I get. And to be honest, there are no phenoms left in the NCAA who can activate my talent."

Su Xi said this with utter sincerity.

But for the media, this statement was the explosive soundbite that put the finishing touch on the story.

They had waited all this time, and they finally got the quote they were looking for from Su Xi.

When Su Xi got back to the hotel, he saw a local New York TV station airing a segment on the post-game interviews. He watched as they played an edited version of his conversation.

"...if you’re asking about a phenom on Cameron’s level, my answer is no..."

"To be honest, there are no phenoms left in the NCAA who can activate my talent."

"I won’t be taking my talents to the NBA. I’ll be going to the NBA to *activate* my talents."

"The stronger the opponent, the stronger I get."

Watching his interview get chopped up and edited like that, even Su Xi himself thought he came off as arrogant and defiant.

"Jack, with the media spinning it like this, you’re going to become a public target," Carmeron Anthony said with concern.

"It doesn’t matter," Su Xi replied calmly. "This is also what I was hoping for."

Carmeron Anthony felt a sense of respect for Su Xi’s mental fortitude. He asked himself, ’If the media were twisting my words like that, I would’ve completely lost it.’

...

Two days later, the Elite Eight game between Syracuse University and the University of Oklahoma for a spot in the Final Four was held at Madison Square Garden Arena.

Three NBA superstars were in attendance for the game: Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan.

Shark and Duncan were the top two superstars in the league. Since Jordan’s retirement, the two of them had held a monopoly on the championship title.

Kobe Bryant was the league’s heavily promoted "Little Flying Hero." Although in the popularity rankings of the era’s four great shooting guards, he sometimes fell behind Iverson, Carter, or Tracy McGrady, he was consistently number two. Everyone believed he would eventually become the top dog of the four, as he was just as young as Tracy McGrady, worked harder, and was more durable.

The arrival of these three at Madison Square Garden Arena sent the crowd’s excitement through the roof.

The three men came from completely different perspectives, but after the game, they all praised the same person: Little Sheep Su Xi.

Duncan said, "I thank him for defeating Auburn University and helping my alma mater get its revenge."

Kobe said, "Only one person here left a deep impression on me, and that’s Little Sheep Su Xi."

O’Neal said, "He’s kind of like me at the point guard position. He uses his strength to muscle past opponents and his flexible body to finish the play. I like him."

All three superstars praising the same person became the biggest highlight of the game.

Because the game itself... was boring, even though it decided a spot in the Final Four.

The University of Oklahoma posed no threat whatsoever to Syracuse University. From the very beginning, the combination of Su Xi and Antonio established overwhelming firepower. Their offensive output was more complementary; McNamara’s injury gave Carmeron Anthony more freedom on the wing because Su Xi was there to patrol the paint.

Although the University of Oklahoma’s three-guard lineup of Price, Airey, and Quast White had been lethal in previous games, Su Xi and Antonio gave them no room to retaliate. They were simply getting pummeled.

Just as Su Xi had said on TV, these unremarkable elite NCAA guards could no longer accelerate his "talent fusion," and so, naturally, they posed no real threat to him.

In this game, Su Xi frequently drove to the basket, using his strength to barrel through the defense before using his outstanding flexibility to contort his body and finish the play.

The University of Oklahoma had no answer for this.

They were just as helpless on the wing, where Carmeron Anthony’s athleticism and technical skill rendered their defense completely useless.

And on top of that, they had Hakeem, a player of near-NBA caliber.

In just one half, they had completely extinguished the University of Oklahoma’s Final Four ambitions.

Carmeron Anthony finished the game with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.

Su Xi had 21 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Su Xi reached a new milestone with 21 points, but what was even more stunning were his 10 assists.

Although six of them were assists to Carmeron Anthony.

But assists are harder to rack up in the NCAA than in the NBA.

A 19-year-old point guard putting up a 20-10 stat line in an Elite Eight game, who had only burst onto the scene less than three months ago.

This was the kind of story the media lived for, especially since Su Xi had already made so many bold proclamations.

With the intense national tournament down to the Final Four, media attention began to converge. Thanks to Su Xi’s natural media appeal, he quickly became the most watched player leading up to the championship weekend.

The fuse that ignited the massive media frenzy was an article in Sports Illustrated. The magazine, which holds a revered status in the basketball world—especially college basketball—ran a special feature. Although they couldn’t get an interview with Su Xi, they recounted his incredible exploits over the past few months in meticulous detail.

Their detailed and vivid writing turned his journey into a thrilling, epic comeback story.

was not yet the internet age.

The power of print media was immense, and its reach within its target audience was incredibly deep.

This in-depth report whipped up a "Little Sheep Su Xi" frenzy throughout American college basketball.

At the same time, the NBA also inevitably took notice of Su Xi.

Su Xi had become an overnight sensation in the truest sense of the word.

He had a meteoric rise, becoming one of the most famous stars of the 2003 draft class.

This caught many people completely by surprise.

Including Su Xi himself.

...