Chapter 1 The American Scholarship

There are several types of scholarships in the United States. Both undergraduate and graduate students can receive academic scholarships. The one this body applied for unsuccessfully before was a full undergraduate scholarship.

However, in addition to academic scholarships, each school also has a certain number of athletic scholarships each year, although the number is relatively small.

According to official statistics, less than 2% of high school students in the United States receive athletic scholarships each year. Even among NCAA Division I athletes, this percentage is only 56.

Moreover, NCAA Division I scholarships are only available in six sports: men's football, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, women's tennis, and women's gymnastics.

In men's basketball, each school only has 13 full scholarship slots each year, and that includes potential redshirt players.

NCAA is different from professional leagues. There is no upper limit to the roster size, but a team usually has between 10 and 15 players.

It seems like everyone gets a share, but the prerequisite is that you have to get into the team. The difficulty of entering NCAA Division I is not much different from that of the NBA. It's like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

Kahoun's question was the opportunity Tang Tian had been waiting for.

Kahoun didn't expect Tang Tian to answer so quickly, and he was stunned for a moment.

"I've been with the team for more than half a year, and I've memorized most of the tactics, so it shouldn't be a problem." Seeing the old man's reaction, Tang Tian explained.

Kahoun nodded after listening and gestured for training to continue.

Ollie shook his head helplessly.

UConn, in this period of turmoil, is even resorting to using ball boys!

Walker and Tang Tian smiled and slapped hands, showing that they had a good relationship.

The full-court scrimmage was between the starters and the substitutes. Tang Tian was filling in for Vorhees at the center position on the substitute team.

He observed the lineups of both sides when he came on the court.

Walker was a junior, Alex Oriakhi was a sophomore, and the remaining seven were all freshmen.

However, some of these freshmen would make it to the NBA in the future, like Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb, but that was in the future. Now their faces were full of youthfulness.

The scrimmage continued, with Walker breaking through Napier in the frontcourt and scoring with a pull-up jumper.

As the team's leader, he was giving Napier a lesson.

"Stick closer, don't give your opponent so much space to shoot!" Ollie shouted loudly at Napier from the sidelines.

Kahoun was getting old and stood on the sidelines, keeping a low profile. He had mostly handed over the task of lecturing to his successor.

Napier got a little anxious after being yelled at, and went straight to the basket against Walker in the frontcourt.

His speed and physicality were good, and he squeezed past Walker, but his shot was forced and was blocked by Oriakhi.

Ollie spread his hands helplessly on the sidelines, this was UConn's current strength.

The substitute team's inbound play still didn't score, and Walker advanced to the frontcourt again, not targeting Napier, giving the little brother some face.

The ball transitioned to Lamb's hands.

Lamb was a standard slender swingman. He was the most talented player among UConn's high school recruits this year, with sharp breakthroughs, stable shooting, excellent rebounding, and defense among the best in the NCAA.

If Walker left UConn, he would be the undisputed successor.

He called for Oriakhi to set a screen, and then accelerated towards the inside.

His starting speed and timing were excellent, much to Ollie's delight on the sidelines.

It seemed like there was a glimmer of hope.

But soon, his expression changed.

Because Lamb was stopped by Tang Tian after his first step.

Tang Tian appeared perfectly in Lamb's path to the basket, completely sealing off his breakthrough route.

Ollie frowned, Lamb was stopped by a ball boy.

The team's newcomers were completely out of sorts today!

But Kahoun's eyes lit up at this moment.

Tang Tian's prediction was accurate, and his defensive movement was also in place. It seemed that he wasn't just talking about knowing the team's tactics.

Lamb was ready to shoot a layup, but he was surprised to see Tang Tian appear. However, he didn't panic. He dribbled the ball behind his back to create distance between himself and Tang Tian, then accelerated past with a crossover.

But to his surprise, Tang Tian appeared in his breakthrough path again!

"Oh?" This time Ollie also paid attention to Tang Tian.

It could be a coincidence that he didn't get past him once, but not twice.

Lamb wasn't new to the team, and Ollie knew his ability very well.

This Tang Tian, he seemed to have something!

Lamb frowned.

The coach and assistant coach were watching from the sidelines, and he hadn't been able to get past a ball boy twice in a row.

Unlike Walker, he hadn't been on the team for long, and he wasn't on good terms with Tang Tian.

He crossed over again, this time with more amplitude.

"Pa!"

But at that moment, Tang Tian suddenly reached out and snatched the ball from his hand!

Ollie's eyes widened.

Lamb was stolen!

Stolen by Tang Tian, a ball boy!

The other players on the court didn't react at first.

Tang Tian passed the ball to Napier, who went coast-to-coast and scored with a layup.

"How did you do that?" It was only then that Tang Tian's teammates on the substitute team shouted at him.

"Luck," Tang Tian said modestly.

He had to join the team if he wanted to get a scholarship, and he didn't want to get on bad terms with Lamb.

That's what he thought, but Lamb didn't think so.

Before coming to UConn, he was one of the top high school players in the country. Even at UConn, he went straight to the starting lineup. He couldn't save face after being stolen by a ball boy.

Walker dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Lamb took the initiative to ask for the ball.

He was careless before, but he would play seriously this time and pick up the face he had dropped on the ground.

Crossover, double crossover, accelerate, decelerate, then crossover again.

Lamb used a series of technical moves quite skillfully, but Tang Tian just wouldn't let him pass.

"Interesting," Kahoun said with a rare smile.

It wasn't the first day he had met Tang Tian. He had known Tang Tian for about the same time as Walker, but he didn't expect Tang Tian to have such strong one-on-one defensive ability. It really surprised and delighted him.

Lamb couldn't break through head-on, so he turned around and chose to play with his back to the basket, leaning against him and then suddenly turning around.

"Pa!"

Lamb turned around, but Tang Tian snatched the ball away again.

Again!

Lamb was stolen by Tang Tian again!

And it was a steal the moment Lamb turned around.

Clean, beautiful, impeccable.

Ollie's eyes went wide.

This... is he really just a ball boy?