Almighty Coach

Chapter 623: A Disabled Person Has to be Strong

Marcus stood on the court. He was determined to do charity work.

He looked at the big guy wearing sports goggles standing beside him and guessed that he was the disabled person, Austin.

One of Austin’s eyes was fake so, when he participated in sports activities, he would wear sports goggles as protection.

For Austin, playing on the court, even if it were just in the development league, was an extremely precious opportunity.

Austin really appreciated this moment. He seemed solemn. In truth, as someone with Marfan syndrome, he had to treat every game as the last of his professional career.

A shot was missed. Austin put his life on the line to get the offensive rebound. It was the first time he received the ball.

The one defending him, Marcus, hesitated for a moment and raised both his hands. He did not try to block him and allowed Austin to complete his layup and score.

The audience in the stadium immediately erupted into a roaring cheer for Austin. A disabled person had scored a basket! It was inspirational and deserved to be cheered on by the people.

Yup, I’m here to do charity, Marcus thought. He did not mind this basket. On the contrary, he felt good, as if he had just given some money to a beggar.

In the next attack, Austin received the ball in a high post position. Marcus did not immediately follow up on defense, so Austin shot directly and scored another two points.

A disabled person’s life must not be easy. I’ll let you score another two points, Marcus thought.

…

After a minute, Austin received an alley-oop assist from his teammate and scored with a slam dunk. He had already scored six points.

I’ve already given him six points. That’s enough charity work for now. I better start defending seriously on the next attack, Marcus told himself.

In truth, these three baskets had been the result of Marcus’ negligence on defense. The once number one center in the NBA did not take Austin seriously at all. Marcus thought that there was no way a disabled person like him could actually beat him!

What Marcus did not know was that these three baskets had given Austin confidence!

I’m actually that great! I can score against the number one center in the NBA! I’ve scored six points, it’s like I’m dreaming!

That’s not right. In my dream, I really did play against Marcus. It feels like dream Marcus and the real Marcus are the same.

Austin was more confident now. He felt that he had the ability to compete against Marcus.

Austin received the next ball low post and played one-on-one against Marcus.

After a feint, a turnaround, another feint, and then a turn, Austin used dreamlike footwork to lose Marcus. He then made a slam dunk with one hand.

The stands suddenly erupted. A seven-foot one-inch tall man had taken such deft and nimble footsteps. He had shaken off the number one center in the NBA!

This was incredible because he was a disabled person!

Austin stared blankly after scoring the basket. He suddenly felt that the number one center in the NBA was not that hard to deal with.

In truth, Austin had trained in that set of footwork for 500 hours in his dream. After that, through over a thousand hours of game time, it had synergized. Austin had already mastered the set of footwork.

Marcus’ face turned grim. He had been beaten by a disabled person in a one-on-one faceoff. He felt like he was being ridiculed.

Scoring three baskets should be good enough. I never would have thought that you would become bolder as a result. A chilling light flashed in Marcus’ eyes. He decided to put Austin back into his place

The ball fell into Marcus’ hands. He chose to play against him with his back to the basket, he wanted to force a dunk over the head of Austin.

In terms of physique, Marcus was definitely much stronger than Austin. He would not have become the number one center of the NBA if he wasn’t. Austin also had Marfan syndrome, so he could not pursue a higher bodyweight.

Marcus held the ball in place and forced his way inside the paint with Austin having absolutely no way to defend against Marcus’ strength. He could only continuously retreat.

Then, Marcus leaned into Austin before turning around.

It was at that moment that Austin suddenly loosened up, making Marcus suddenly lose balance.

Marcus was, of course, not an amateur. He instantly balanced his body and adjusted to a suitable offensive rhythm. Then, he directly went towards the basket.

Austin’s hands, however, had also extended towards him at that moment. The hands scooped upwards and sliced the ball directly into the air. The timing of the steal was perfect and the movements were extremely precise.

Austin had pulled off a successful defense. From the point of view of an expert, it was a textbook low-post defense method for the weak against the strong.

Marcus became angry.

To be beaten by a disabled person on both offense and defense was totally humiliating!

Marcus, angry after being humiliated, decided to give his all. He no longer cared if his opponent was a disabled person or not. He didn’t even care if his opponent had functioning limbs, he would no longer take it easy on him!

After a few to-and-fros on offense and defense, however, Marcus discovered that he simply could not gain any advantage.

Although Austin was inferior to him in terms of physique, his skills and techniques were solid. More importantly, his performance was definitely not that of a newbie. His play felt more like that of a veteran with decades of experience in the NBA.

Marcus even vaguely felt that the disabled guy had more game experience than he did.

Over the past few months, the length of time Austin played games in his dream was the equivalent to 30 seasons for a normal NBA player. He had gained 30 seasons of experience.

Was there anyone in the NBA who had played 30 seasons?

Certainly not.

The newbie Austin, however, actually had 30 seasons of match experience. Any rookie who was suddenly given 30 seasons of experience in the span of a few months would have been able to perform similarly to how Austin was performing.

In this match, Austin played for 20 minutes. He scored 15 points and got eight rebounds. He was headed towards a double-double. More importantly, was playing against the once best center in the NBA, Marcus.

In comparison, Marcus managed 28 points and 15 rebounds, a wonderful double-double performance. This was much more outstanding than Austin’s performance; however, Marcus had played the whole 39 minutes of the game.

Marcus definitely could not be happy about that.

…

During the press conference after the game, Marcus faced the reporters and journalists with a sad face.

A 28-15 performance was considered very good, but Marcus thought it was not enough. Before his injury, he had been the best center of the NBA, so Marcus thought that, upon moving down to the development league, he should at least achieve a 30-20.

More importantly, the disabled person who played against him managed a 15-8. Although it was only half his own statistic, the guy had played a lot less! If they had both played 40 minutes, Austin’s stats would not be worse than Marcus’.

It wouldn’t be as bad if he didn’t have to compare himself to Austin!

As such, Marcus felt that he had just received 10,000 points of damage.

I am the number one center in the NBA! I got the same stats as a disabled person. This is too humiliating! If news about this game gets out, everyone will think that I can’t even handle a disabled person!

For Marcus, even to have been slightly better than Austin would have been a loss. If Marcus had utterly destroyed Austin the entire match, it wouldn’t even be worth being happy about. The number one center in the NBA beating a disabled person would have been nothing to be proud of!

…

A 15-8. This statistic was not considered special in the development league. Many players who were not good enough to play in the NBA could easily get a double-double in the development league.

To obtain this statistic while faced against Marcus, however, was definitely worth noting. Even in the NBA, the number of centers who could manage this statistic while faced against Marcus was small.

Due to his excellent performance in this game, Austin obtained more game time. As a result, Austin’s stats also greatly improved.

In the next five development league games, Austin managed to get double-doubles of 25-15.

Austin’s skills were more than enough to handle games in the development league. The experience he had accumulated in the 30 seasons in his dream was something that the other players did not possess.

The NBA development league players had very low salaries. A player who was determined to remain in the development league had to work part-time elsewhere to get by.

Upon finding out that they did not have the chance to play in the NBA after playing in the development league for one or two years, young athletes would choose to play overseas, in the basketball leagues of countries like China, Turkey, or Israel. The salaries of foreign players were decent. Worse comes to worst, they could go to the Philippines, the pay would still be higher than in the development league.

The development league was mostly filled with newbies who lacked experience, any player with experience would have long been gone.

In an environment like this, Austin, who had over 30 seasons of match experience, stood out instantly.

After two months, Austin finally got the chance to play in the NBA.

Austin signed a two-way contract, which meant that he could play for 45 days with the Los Angeles Clippers every season.

…

The training ground of the Clippers.

Austin had already started to train with the other players on the Clippers.

On the side of the court, the Clippers general manager, Johnson, stood beside Dai Li while talking about Austin.

“Coach Li, your foresight into players is really great. After looking at him train, I can confirm that this kid can play in the NBA. He is really hard-working!” Johnson’s eyes followed Austin tightly, as if he was looking at a money tree.

“He lost an eye when he was young and he also has Marfan syndrome. He was already behind before he even began the race of life. He had to put in more effort than normal people just to keep playing. The NBA, however, is never in short supply for players who work hard.”

“He is also greatly talented. It’s so unfortunate. If he were not inflicted with Marfan syndrome, perhaps he could grow to become a great player,” Johnson lamented.

“As long as he stands on an NBA court, he is a great player.” Dai Li changed his tone and asked, “Do you really plan to play him in the great Christmas battle?”

“Yes! That’s live across America!” Johnson implied with a look that he had just found a cave of treasure. He then said, “A disabled youth who makes it to the NBA stage after years of hard work, reaching his dream. It’s an inspirational story, could be made into a movie. I’ve already ordered 100,000 jerseys of his, as well as various souvenirs…”

Johnson kept talking about his multitude of strategies for making money. Dai Li just shook his head in resignation.

For Johnson, the inspirational Austin was definitely a money tree.

…

It was Christmas. The Lakers were playing the Clippers. It was a derby and, what’s more, it was a national broadcast throughout the U.S.!

Austin sat on the bench with a confused expression, looking as if he had not yet understood his situation.

It was not his first time in the Staples Center and it was not his first time live at an NBA game. This time, however, it was different. He walked in through the players’ tunnel! This time, he sat on the bench and he wore a jersey with his name printed on it!

“NBA. I’m finally here!”

Austin could hardly contain the glint of tears that appeared in his eyes.

He had lost his right eye and gotten Marfan syndrome. Austin, the man who was forsaken by God, kept getting up again and continuing to challenge his fate.

Today, he finally got his wish and was there. For the Christmas season, he received the best Christmas present.

Austin still remembered when he was just 12. He had lost his right eye and his coach had advised him to give up basketball.

Austin, however, did not give in to his fate. He loved basketball and he challenged fate.

To remain on the basketball court, he worked harder than any normal person.

He did not have his right eye so, when he shot, as long as his opponents blocked his left vision, he would not be able to see the basket.

He did not have his right eye so, when defending in the paint, his opponents only needed to defend against his attacks from the left.

Therefore, on the court, Austin was always targeted.

To continue playing, Austin worked hard to train his right-sided attacks. He could not see with his right eye, so he could only attack based on his instincts and feeling. It was the same as making a layup with his eyes closed.

He sacrificed a lot, more than people could imagine and he finally achieved success. He became one of the top three high school players in the U.S. and attracted the attention of various NBA scouts. Draft prediction websites predicted that he would be in the top three of the draft.

Fate, however, played another joke on him. He was found to be inflicted with Marfan syndrome!

It was like a death sentence on an athletic career.

Once again, he chose to challenge fate!

Now, he had succeeded again.

…

Finally, in the second half of the second quarter, Austin was sent on to the court.

At that moment, the entire stadium stood up and began applauding and cheering for him. It was just as Dai Li had said, as long as Austin could stand on the court, he was a great player.

On the court, his teammates gave Austin encouraging gazes. As for Austin’s opponents, their eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

A player who had been forsaken by fate stood before their eyes. An opponent like that had to rock one’s heart!

He received the ball, turned around, shot a hook shot, and scored. Austin succeeded in scoring his first NBA basket.

It was also at that moment that the camera captured the tears in Austin’s eyes, albeit only his left eye!

His right eye was blind, so the tear glands of his right eye had lost their function. As a result, he could not produce tears in his right eye.

This scene was a reminder to everyone that he was a disabled person, a man forsaken by God!

Clap, clap, clap… Roaring and unending applause rang.

“Wooooooh…” Screams and cheers rang throughout the entire stadium.

Even the referee did not pass the ball to the players to start the game, he wanted Austin to enjoy the applause and cheers a while more.

It was Austin’s moment, even if he had only made one basket.

…

A disabled person who had the will to be strong! Dai Li let out a long sigh.

Dai Li had given Austin 30 seasons worth of cumulative game experience. From this alone, he could stand on his own in the NBA. At the very least, he would have no problem playing as a rotational player.

Austin’s professional career was destined to be a short one. If he were to be diagnosed with heart complications one day or have an aortic aneurysm, that would spell the end of his professional career. For a man with Marfan syndrome, it was an inevitable situation.

…

The American Track and Field Association.

“Mr. President, Dai Li rejected our invitation. He stated that he no longer wished to be the head coach of the National U.S. Track and Field Team.”

“Why? We’ve given him authority!” The association president looked puzzled. “Is it because the Track and Field Association of other countries are a step ahead of us? Or is he going back to China to become their head coach?”

“No, he did not take on any head coach post. He decided to start an Olympic training camp.”

The president’s expression tightened, “What great ambition!”

…

Franz Muller was on vacation.

In the IAAF year-end Grand Prix, Muller won the men’s pole vault gold medal. He had completed all his competition responsibilities this year so he could enjoy his two months vacation.

A new email appeared on the screen of his phone. Muller opened his inbox and saw that it was an invitation letter.

Coach Li wants to start an Olympic training camp! Muller shot up and sat up straight quickly in his lounge chair.

After a while, Muller got connected with his agent over the phone. “I’m afraid my vacation has been cut short, I want to go to Los Angeles. Coach Li started an Olympic training camp! Of course, I’m taking part! I want to defend my title in the upcoming Olympics next year!”

…

It was summer in South Africa.

Early one morning, when Nick Zouma woke up, he found an unfamiliar beauty with lying on his bed.

To say that she was unfamiliar was not exactly true. Just the night before, Zouma had been in an intense struggle with her that lasted for quite a while. In terms of their flesh, they were very well-acquainted.

What’s her name again? Zouma shook his head. He had a hangover, making his mind foggy, so he only remembered that the beauty was a young model.

For a young model like her, it was natural for her to want to get close to a world champion like Zouma. She might go viral and become famous from just stirring up some gossip.

Four years ago, during the Olympics, Zouma lost against Irwin and only managed to get the silver medal in the 400m sprint. When Irwin chose to retire, the 400m sprint event became Zouma’s domain. Over the past two years, Zouma had swept and won all the 400m sprint events in all major track and field competitions.

The new king of the 400m sprint was born!

A tinge of regret remained in Zouma’s heart. It was that he once lost to Irwin.

Zouma felt that before he broke Irwin’s world record, he could not be considered the true king of the 400m event.

Zouma gulped down a large cup of water and felt his head clear up. Then, he went in front of his computer.

“An Olympic training camp invitation letter? What is this? Coach Li? It’s that Chinese coach of the U.S. track and field team? He is inviting me to participate in his Olympic training camp!”

Zouma’s heart trembled. The desire for the Olympic gold medal once again boiled in his heart.

Four years ago, Irwin trained under this Coach Li and returned to peak condition. Perhaps he has a way to help me surpass Irwin!

…

Justin Alexander stopped the car and looked towards the large signboard of Coach Li’s Physical Fitness Training Center not far away.

He took a deep breath and got out of the car.

After a few minutes, Alexander saw Dai Li.

“Coach Li, I want to take part in the upcoming Olympics!” Alexander said.

“Have you thought about it thoroughly? After all, you’re already 35 years old. You will be competing with a bunch of 20-year olds who are at their peak,” Dai Li said with a smile.

“Yes, I still don’t want to retire. I want to work hard one more time!” Alexander paused. He then said, “I saw the advertisement and know that you started an Olympic training camp, which brings me here. I remember four years ago when you helped Irwin return to his peak. Back then, we trained together. I know that you will definitely be able to help me!”

…

Dai Li sent out over 50 invitation letters. They were to American athletes as well as athletes from other countries. They were athletes that Dai Li fancied, and most of them had at least A grade or S grade talent potential.

At the same time, Dai Li created a wave of advertisements and accepted special interviews from the media and magazines to tell the world that he started an Olympic training camp and that he welcomed athletes of every country.

Four years ago, during the Olympics, the miracle of the U.S. track and field team filled with the weak and old was still fresh in the minds of the people. Dai Li’s reputation was also there, so it quickly got the attention of multiple athletes.

…

China. Track and Field Management Center.

It was twelve in the afternoon. Director Liu walked out of the meeting room.

Director Liu had just attended a meeting that lasted the entire morning and he still had more meetings in the afternoon.

The start of every year was always one of the busiest times of the year. They needed to conclude and summarize their performance of the past year, deliberate over the new year’s plan, and set all kinds of budgets. There were way too many minute and detailed tasks.

Director Liu stretched his back and looked at his watch. He was ready to head towards the canteen. At that moment, the deputy director in charge of training rushed towards him in excitement.

Director Liu thought there must be unfinished business related to the previous meeting, so he said, “Old Sun, let’s head to the canteen, we can talk while we walk.”

“Director, this is pretty urgent,” Deputy Director Sun said. “I only found out after the meeting. I just received several invitation letters on my side. They came from the U.S. The one sending these invitations is the training center of Dai Li. He invited our athletes to take part in an Olympic training camp. I’ve checked it, and it’s genuine. We have a total of ten athletes in the invitation list.

Deputy Director Sun passed the list to Director Liu.

Director Liu quickly glanced over it and said, “All of our athletes on the track and field team with a chance of gaining a medal are on that list, right?”

“Yes, all ten of these athletes made it past the Olympic A standard, so they don’t have to take part in the Olympic qualifiers,” Sun said.

“What about the cost? What did Dai Li say?” Director Liu asked.

“Waived. Training fee is waived. As for food and lodgings, if needed, he can also settle it. Director, do we let our athletes go?” Sun asked.

“What is your opinion?” Director Liu asked.

“I think this is a great opportunity. The track and field training in the U.S. is better. In the last Olympics, Dai Li’s result as the head coach of the U.S. team was remarkable,” Sun answered.

Director Liu became silent for a few seconds and said, “He’s already waived the training fees, we’ll take care of food and lodging ourselves. we can still afford that much at least. Also, try and contact Dai Li and see if he can give us a few more spots. This is a rare chance if we can get one more to go, we should.”

…

Luggage sat on the bed of Yingjie Zhao.

He looked at his family photo stored on his phone and sighed. He then dialed his mother’s phone number.

“Mom, how are you doing…I’m doing good…I know, wear more clothes…Mom, I have something to tell you. I won’t be going back this year during the new year…

“I want to go to the U.S. to train…I don’t know exactly how long, maybe a few months…”

As Yingjie Zhao hung up his phone, tears rolled down his cheeks.

As an athlete, it was not the first time he had to continue to persevere and train during the lunar year.

Yingjie Zhao did not go home during the lunar new year last year. Instead, he trained on base and his parents flew directly to where he was. They even brought along with them warm dumplings placed within a thermos container.

This time, he was going to train in the U.S. It was impossible for his parents to follow along.

Mom, I really miss the dumplings you make!