Chapter 109 Prove Himself On the Court

More than ten minutes later, Tang Tian came out of the bathroom.

The white girl was beside him with a smirk on her face.

The bathroom environment was stimulating, plus his body was still a virgin, and the scene was a bit awkward.

He returned to his seat, only to find Walker already sitting there, and the black girl was gone.

He sent the white girl away, walked to Walker and sat down, and couldn't help but ask, "You're done already?"

He didn't expect Walker to be faster than him. Were they having a speed contest?

"No, I didn't go in."

"..."

"Haha." Tang Tian couldn't help but laugh. Walker had chickened out after all.

But he could completely understand. If it were his previous life, he wouldn't have been so open on his first visit to a nightclub.

"Do you want me to find another white girl for you to try?" Tang Tian said.

"Forget it, let's go back. It'll be too late, the old man will probably know." Walker wanted to leave.

"Alright, then you can save it for later, until after you win the championship." Tang Tian said with a smile.

Not long after the two returned from the nightclub, Calhoun came to their room to find them. He really timed it perfectly.

"Kemba, do you want to start this game on the bench?"

After Walker returned to the starting lineup, his performance fluctuated as he adjusted his form. It wasn't until recently that he had stabilized a bit. But because he had performed exceptionally poorly in the previous home game against St. John's University, Calhoun was worried that his mentality would be affected, especially with the league championship game coming up.

"No need, Coach. I'm fine." Walker knew Calhoun was doing it for his own good, but after more than half a month, he had almost adjusted to his force-generating habits.

"Yes, Coach, Kemba is completely fine. He's been holding back his energy, ready to prove himself on the court." Tang Tian said with a smile.

Walker glared at Tang Tian. Tang Tian was teasing him about his performance at the nightclub.

Calhoun, of course, didn't know what they meant. Seeing Tang Tian say that, he nodded along.

"Actually, there's no need to care too much. The outcome of a game, or even your performance, doesn't mean anything..." Calhoun liked the old-school coaching style of preaching, and he was trying to guide Walker and ease his mind.

Tang Tian felt a little sleepy listening to him. He finally held on until Calhoun left, said hello to Walker, and went straight to sleep.

The next afternoon, the game between UConn and St. John's University was held at Madison Square Garden.

Madison Square Garden is the "Mecca of Basketball" and the home of the New York Knicks, one of the most well-known arenas in the NBA.

St. John's University, located in Queens, has always played its home games here, and the popularity on site was also very high.

New Yorkers are rich, and whether it's the NBA or NCAA, regardless of the team's record, the arena's attendance rate is always full.

Tang Tian and Walker entered the arena with the team, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional looking at the two NBA championship banners and the many retired jerseys hanging overhead.

Walker's eyes showed longing for the NBA and victory, while Tang Tian's were filled with more memories.

But for both of them, there was also a common feeling: this would be the venue for the 2011 NBA Draft, and they would be sitting together under the stage, waiting for the call from the NBA.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome our Red Storm team with the warmest voices." The on-site DJ stretched his voice and shouted.

The DJ's shout temporarily pulled their thoughts back to the court.

Tang Tian and Walker looked at each other, and then nodded in unison.

They would definitely win this game.

With an NBA-level arena, naturally there would be an NBA-level opening ceremony.

The visiting team UConn was introduced first, followed by the home team St. John's University.

Each player was introduced, and a thunderous cheer rang out from the crowd.

This St. John's University team didn't have any players with outstanding talent who were guaranteed for the NBA, but they still had some players with top-notch strength.

Henry Johnson, a 2.06-meter black center, 120 kilograms, averaged 14.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He was also an interior beast, physically strong, able to attack and defend. He scored 20+10 in the previous game against UConn. He was just a weakened version of Greg Monroe who couldn't pass the ball.

Ron Conley, a 1.90-meter black point guard, was half a head taller than Walker. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He had outstanding assist ability, and his defense was above the league average. Walker had a terrible performance against him in the previous game.

John Diesel, a 2.06-meter white power forward, had a steady mid-range shot, averaging 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with a shooting percentage of over 51%. Like Tang Tian, he was also a player who relied on basketball IQ.

These three were basically the core of St. John's University.

"We once lost our home game to them, now it's time to get it back!" Ollie raised his voice before the game and shouted to the assembled players.

"Connecticut Huskies!"

The players stacked their hands one after another and shouted out loud.

This game wasn't just about Walker. All the UConn players were determined to win it back.

The pre-game warm-up ended, and the starting players from both teams took the court.

Johnson won the jump ball against Oriakhi, knocking the ball back to the home team's half.

The cheers from the crowd were thunderous.

The size and capacity of the arena couldn't compare to those stadiums, but the sound reception was much better, and the cheers felt like a tidal wave.

Conley dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and St. John's University ran their offensive plays.

After a series of tactical screens, the ball was passed to Diesel.

Diesel knew he couldn't beat Tang Tian, so he passed it inside to Johnson under the basket.

Johnson reacted quickly after getting the ball, turning around and hook-shooting over Oriakhi.

Oriakhi stretched out his hand to interfere.

"Bang!"

The shot was off-target due to the interference, but Johnson was athletic enough to grab the offensive rebound over Oriakhi.

This time he chose a bank shot after backing down, and the ball rolled around the rim twice before falling into the net.

This was the standard traditional center's style of play, relying on physical confrontation and touch.

As soon as Johnson scored, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers, with an overwhelming momentum.

The Mecca of Basketball was indeed well-deserved. Even superstars like Kobe were proud to score high in this historic arena.

In UConn's offense, St. John's University was clearly focusing on Walker and Tang Tian. Walker passed the ball to Lamb, who used a beautiful change of direction to get rid of his defender, and then took a jump step to avoid Diesel's help defense before throwing up a shot.

However, he underestimated Johnson's jumping ability, and the latter jumped up and slapped his shot back with one hand.

The crowd exploded instantly.

One strong attack under the basket, one block, Johnson was in incredibly hot form at the start.

The "Mecca of Basketball" seemed to have a magical power.