Smith seemed to have expected Anthony to come. He didn't mean any surprise after opening the door. The video of the game was being played in the room.

"Sit!" Smith said, "Coffee?"

"Come on tea." Anthony said. His eyes swept through the video, and in the game, one of the players was actually Chen Junhao wearing Chinese team uniforms.

Smith brought a cup of tea and placed it gently in front of Anthony.

"Is this a video of the World Youth Championship two years ago?" Anthony asked.

Smith nodded and said, "The Chinese team vs. Argentina, this is one of the most classic games in that World Youth Championship. Although it is not the best game for Chen Junhao, it is the most exciting game for the entire Chinese team."

"Are you looking for through this game?"

"It's really about looking for something." Smith said, "Speak, what's wrong with me."

Anthony hesitated for a moment, organized the language before saying: "It's about the recent situation of the team. After the media reports on our team's so-called 'Ace Battle', the team's hearts have been floating recently."

"Ace battle?" Smith smiled, "Do you have no ideas?"

"Me?" Anthony said, "The coach thought I should have any ideas? Jack and I communicated, and there is no so-called ace battle between us."

“To be specific?”

"I play the ball the way I do, Jack play the way he does. We don't have any conflicts with each other. The so-called ace battle is pure nonsense."

"Well!" Smith nodded, "It makes sense. But can you tell me in detail about your playing style and Jack's playing style?"

"I am the forward, and it is my duty to score offensively. Jack is the defender, and he controls the game with his teammates' score."

"Control the game? Is he talking about controlling the game?"

Anthony reminded him and corrected: "He is talking about controlling, controlling the game."

"Very good." Smith nodded, and suddenly said after a while, "Drink tea!"

Anthony picked up the tea cup and gently blew away the tea leaves floating on it. The tea fragrance was everywhere. After taking a sip, he moved and said, "It smells very fragrant, this tea leaves are very good." Being able to speak fluent Chinese dialect shows that Anthony is very interested in Chinese culture. He is naturally not a complete layman in tasting tea.

Smith smiled and said, "This is the best Longjing given to me by my old Chinese friend when I went to Beijing last time." As he said that, he grabbed the remote control in his hand, freezing the video. He pointed to the straight figure above and said, "It's him."

Anthony said in surprise: "The head coach of the Chinese national team is upright?"

Smith nodded and said, "Jack was able to come to Missouri thanks to his help. Gentleman has been my old friend for many years. Whether it is coaching or theoretical level, he is China's leading basketball coach. Have you personally watched the game between the Chinese Youth Team and Argentina in the World Youth Championship that year?"

"Yeah!" Anthony put down the teacup and nodded.

"Do you still have an impression of the game at that time?"

Anthony recalled and said, "I remember it was an offensive battle, and both sides' offenses were at the extreme. The final score was almost the highest score in the World Youth Championship."

"128:124! The two teams worked together to score 252 points, which was indeed the game with the most points in the World Youth Championship. Do you have any impression of it besides these other things?"

Anthony said after a while: "What impressed me the most about the rest is that after which game, Jack was praised by the Chinese as the young basketball emperor in China."

Smith said: "That's right! Jack's performance was indeed quite beautiful in this game, with 41 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds not as big as the data in the finals, but it was definitely shocking. At the age of sixteen, I can't believe that the boy who shocked the world basketball world at that time was only sixteen years old."

Anthony praised: "Jack was indeed unparalleled at that time. China's number one basketball genius deserves its reputation."

Smith said: "Actually, I looked back at the video of this game again, hoping to refer to the tactics of the Chinese team at that time to find a path that suits us Missouri. My friend is honest and a genius guy, who actually created such a powerful tactic. Who can believe that the second and third-rate Chinese basketball in the world actually fought against Argentina and the United States, and it was even more than a match."

Anthony felt a little impatient with Smith's rambling and said, "Coach, I want to know what you think about the current situation of the team? If you let the rumors continue, it will have a very bad impact on the morale of the united team within the team."

Smith smiled and said, "Do you think this is nonsense to you now? Be patient. Come and watch the video of this game with me."

Anthony was speechless. Although he didn't agree, he still had to be patient. After all, the coach was a coach. Although they were close to each other, the necessary respect was still necessary.

The video of the game was obviously edited, and some timeouts, tactical adjustments, and even the scene was too stable were directly omitted. It took only an hour before and after a game of more than three hours.

After that, there was a long silence. Smith took the lead in breaking the silence and asked, "What do you think after reading it?"

Anthony said in a serious voice: "A very wonderful game. A very smooth offensive battle. Jack is really amazing."

Smith shook his head and said, "I'm talking about the advantages and disadvantages of both sides' tactics."

"It doesn't matter the advantages and disadvantages. Both coaches have exerted their players' attack power to the extreme. No, it should be said that the coach of the Chinese team is a little smarter. In terms of the strength of the players, the starting lineups of both sides are comparable, but the strength of the Chinese team bench players is obviously much different from each other. Being able to win this game has a lot to do with the on-site command of the Chinese team coach. Coach, is this Chinese team coach really your friend? He is completely at the master level."

Smith said: "Of course, when he came to the United States to study in his youth, we have been friends since then." He suddenly woke up and said angrily, "Boy, are you saying that my level is not worthy of being friends with him?"

"Where, where!" Anthony smiled, "Coach, you are only higher than Coach Geng's level."

"Go!" Smith waved his hand and scolded, "Don't talk about such flattery in front of outsiders, and it will make me lose face with you."

Anthony chuckled.

Smith said: "As you said, the Chinese team is indeed inferior to the Argentina team in terms of strength. This is the reason why this game is classic. If the Argentina team is able to win when it is extremely powerful, it is not luck but strength. Why is a single player not as strong as the opponent, and the Chinese team can still win? This is why we need to watch the video of this game."

Anthony thought for a while and said, "That can only be explained as the Chinese team's tactics are better. And Jack's performance in this game was really outstanding. Half of the Chinese team's victory was because of Jack's existence."

"That's right!" Smith praised, "You look very accurately. Jack is the kind of player who can change the outcome of the game. The same is true for you. The so-called ace players are players who can change the outcome of the game with your own strength."

Anthony said: "Coach, do you want me to know how great Jack is? I have already learned this deeply before. Whether two years ago or now, Jack is not inferior to me at all. To be honest, if Jack is the ace of Missouri, I don't think anything is wrong."

Smith shook his head and said, "I have never doubted your aura. Even if you want to give up the captain position now, you will not have any questions. But what I am not considering is who is the ace. What I am considering is how to maximize the power of the three of you. You, Jack and Mike, are of the level of top players in the United States. The three of you should be the strongest combination together. But the premise is that you can become a real combination. Do you think you are a complete combination now?"

Anthony was silent for a while and said, "But we played very well in our respective positions." This is like admitting that it is not a combination at the moment.

"A good job may not necessarily be excellent. Do you think our team's starting lineup has already played all its strength? Or do you think if we were facing North Carolina last year, Duke, and Missouri now have a chance to win? I'm talking about North Carolina in the final stage."

Anthony was silent. Missouri lost to North Carolina last year and ended in the quarterfinals. That game is still a pain that he cannot erase, and the strength of that North Carolina was also deeply imprinted in his mind. After a long time, Anthony replied in a stern voice: "Maybe we are 40% sure."

"Is it only 40%?"

"If it is next March, I will be 50% sure."

"Is it only 50%? We have three top players who are enough to squeeze into the TOP25 list. It can be said that we have the most perfect lineup in the United States, and are we only 50% sure?" Smith asked seriously, "Is it the coach's factor? Could it be that our Missouri's tactics are not as good as theirs?"

"No." Anthony hurriedly said, "This coach's tactics has nothing to do with it. But that North Carolina is too strong and their cooperation is impeccable. Our team will be running-in until March next year. I will be confident that I will not be inferior to that team, but if I say I can definitely win, that's crazy. I dare not say anything."

Smith said: "Do you remember what we are aiming for this year?"

"champion!"

"Yes, our goal is to win the championship. If we don't have confidence in winning last year's championship, why should we believe that you can win the championship? Who can guarantee that this year's NCAA is not as strong as the North Carolina team last year? What if we encounter it? 50% of the confidence? Are you betting on luck? What if luck is not on our side? Wait for death? Then what is our hard work for a year?"

Anthony was speechless, and after a moment of silence, he asked back, "What about your thoughts, coach?"

"Which team in NCAA has had three players who can be on the TOP25 list? Only we are Missouri. We have the best players in the United States, and we have the strongest lineup in the United States. It is natural to win."

"The coach thought we could beat North Carolina last year?"

"Yes! We can win. But there is a prerequisite?"

"Preparation? Or that, must it be a real combination?"

"Yes!" Smith nodded, "In basketball games, it may not be difficult to win a game by relying on a star's performance, but if you want to win all the games, you must have strong and reliable teammates to form a strong lineup. Until last year, the main reason why we were able to achieve good results in Missouri was that we have your presence. After reaching the semi-finals of 64, with your personal super attack power, we can win one, two, or even three games, but if we want to continue to move forward, we always have the energy to do it. This year, Jack is here, and Mike has grown to the level of being able to stand alone. It can be said that he has already met the conditions for the progress."

“Isn’t this enough?”
Chapter completed!