Winter turned to spring.
The annual March Madness was about to arrive!
Li Feng and Curry's Wildcats were also in intense preparation.
Coach McKillop was not happy despite the Wildcats' effortless victories.
On the contrary, he was pulling his hair out, worried about the NCAA March Madness schedule.
Because the March Madness schedule was random, the selection committee would not place much importance on the Wildcats' dominant record against weaker opponents.
Under such circumstances, McKillop sensed that the Wildcats might be given a lower seed.
After a training session, McKillop, Li Feng, and Curry were chatting.
When he voiced his concerns, Curry also frowned, understanding what a lower seed meant.
It meant facing a strong team in the first round, and a team that could contend for the championship at that.
While the coach and his protégé were lost in their worries, Li Feng remained unfazed.
Of course, he was still respectful of his coach.
Li Feng's demeanor was calm, completely different from Curry's.
McKillop couldn't help but ask, "Li Feng, aren't you worried about the schedule?"
Li Feng held the basketball, spinning it in his hands, and replied casually, "Coach, we have an old saying in China: 'When soldiers come, they will be met; when water comes, it will be dammed. A road will be found when the carriage reaches the mountain.' As long as we try our best."
McKillop and Curry were taken aback, then smiled bitterly and shook their heads.
They assumed Li Feng was simply unconcerned about the outcome because Li Feng's draft prospects were very promising, and he should therefore be uninterested in the NCAA.
"Perhaps Li Feng is already dreaming of entering the NBA..." they mused to themselves.
The next day, the March Madness schedule was released!
As expected, the Wildcats were seeded 16th.
It was disastrous...
Being seeded 16th meant that the Davidson College Wildcats would face the No. 1 seed from another region in the first round!
In the history of the NCAA, while there had been many upsets and Cinderellas, a 16th seed's comeback story had never truly happened.
When McKillop and Curry heard the seeding, their spirits were very low.
Li Feng, however, remained as calm and collected as ever, showing no emotional change.
Since the Wildcats' interior pillars had all graduated, McKillop pondered for a long time and made a decision.
He specifically consulted Li Feng, asking him to help with rim protection.
Logically, Li Feng, a guard standing just over 1.9 meters, shouldn't be responsible for rim protection.
However, Li Feng's astonishing leaping ability, excellent rebounding instincts, and shot-blocking talent, displayed in previous games, gave McKillop this bold idea.
"Li Feng, how about it? Can you handle this?"
Seeing the coach's helpless and earnest gaze, Li Feng found it difficult to refuse.
Rim protection was considered dirty, hard work, and not very noticeable in statistics, so few players were willing to do it.
Unless they were big men with no other skills, they would settle for this kind of blue-collar work.
"Don't worry, Coach, I'll do my best. But I'll give you a heads-up: our Wildcats are actually not bad, and there's no need to be so pessimistic!"
McKillop blinked, then smiled and shook his head: "I'm not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, but our chances of advancing are indeed slim. Good luck!"
Li Feng didn't say anything more and continued with his training.
Since the coach had assigned him a task, Li Feng intended to take it seriously.
He specifically sought advice from Coach Mike on how to effectively protect the rim.
Coach Mike was also surprised and asked, "Why would you, a guard, be responsible for rim protection?"
Li Feng briefly explained the Wildcats' current situation. Mike nodded, and together with the coaching staff, devised a new training regimen for Li Feng.
The content mainly included: boxing out in the paint, anticipating the trajectory of rebounds, preventing opponent's cuts to the basket, initiating fast breaks, and so on.
Seeing this training content, Li Feng felt admiration for how professional Coach Mike and his staff were.
As Li Feng was training diligently, the system's voice sounded in his mind again—
"Ding, detected that the host is training rim protection, unlocked 'S-grade Wade Block Skill,' blocking attribute increased to 85 points."
At the same time, the system also activated a badge: "Consecutive Jumping Ability."
This was a double bonus, and Li Feng was both surprised and delighted!
Although Wade was just a guard, his shot-blocking ability was among the best in the league.
And his blocks were particularly cool, even eliciting thunderous cheers from the crowd!
One famous instance was when Wade casually blocked an opponent's fast break from his own backcourt!
That kind of swagger was inimitable.
So fans jokingly said: The world's swagger is divided into ten parts, and Wade alone possesses eight!
Speaking of swagger, the only person comparable to Wade was Larry Bird during his "black and white" era.
"I will hit the game-winning shot right here!"
"Are you all competing for second place?"
"Who is guarding me? Hurry up and find someone to guard me, or I'll score 60 points!"
News of Li Feng's upcoming participation in the NCAA quickly spread across China.
Because the internet was not as developed in 2008, Chinese fans had little concept of March Madness.
However, because of Li Feng, China instantly ignited a nationwide craze for watching the NCAA.
It could be said that Yao Ming introduced more Chinese fans to the NBA, and Li Feng introduced more Chinese fans to the NCAA.
China Central Television's sports channel specifically purchased the broadcast rights for all Wildcats games to allow Chinese fans to witness Li Feng's brilliance.
This Chinese hero of the Olympics would continue to bring more surprises to the fans!
CCTV not only broadcast the NCAA games but also sent its ace host, Yu Jia, to the United States for an exclusive interview with Li Feng.
At the same time, they brought a film crew to produce a documentary.
The documentary meticulously recorded Li Feng's growth and path to fame, dedicating it to his fans.
Many fans became even more passionate and infatuated with Li Feng after watching the documentary.
Because Li Feng's journey was like an inspirational educational film, filled with passion, excitement, and the legendary colors of an underdog's rise!
Upon its broadcast, CCTV's documentary immediately captured the attention of Chinese fans, and a nationwide discussion began.
The momentum was comparable to Yao Ming's entry into the NBA as the top draft pick!
Various opinions emerged on forums.
Most fans supported Li Feng, believing that it would be even more significant for China to have another smaller guard after the big men Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian entered the NBA.
It was undeniable that Europeans and Americans had an advantage in basketball, especially in basketball-related physical data, where Asians were relatively weaker.
Li Feng's success in breaking through and achieving an upset against this backdrop made people feel incredibly enthusiastic.