I'm not really a role player

Chapter 53 Spokane (please recommend tickets!)
Spokane, Washington.

"Yesterday, the 64-strong battle in March Madness just came to an end at the Veterans Memorial Gymnasium..."

"The University of Texas at Austin Headquarters easily defeated the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 87-56..."

"In the opening game of March Madness, Kevin Durant scored 27 points, plus 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, and his teammate Sheldon Lee also scored 22 points..."

Early in the morning, Xiao Du turned on the TV in the room.

Under the bombardment of the news, Li Ke woke up before his biological clock told the time. He struggled to get up from the other bed in the room, and stared blankly at Xiao Du.

"I slept with Westbrook, now I'm fine, I also slept with Du Shao, Deng Shao, I'll send you off..."

It's a pity that Deng Shao went to Arizona State University, and in the short term, he will no longer have an intersection with Li Ke.

Turning his head to glance at the time, Li Ke got up and got dressed.

"Where are you going, Sheldon?"

"Go to the training hall..."

"Let's go together."

Since coming to Spokane, Li Ke stopped training for morning jogging.

It's not because the mission is completed and the stamina has been upgraded, but because the law and order in Spokane is not very good.

Especially the block where the hotel is located is adjacent to a black community. Through the windows, you can see groups of black people loafing around.

So, when he arrived in Spokane, apart from the adaptation and rest on the first day, Li Ke changed his morning jogging training into exercises in the training hall from the second day on.

It's just that along the way, he still had to endure the unkind eyes of some black people on the side of the road.

Spokane is very cold, even though it is already spring, the temperature is still hovering around zero degrees.

Li Ke and Xiao Du, who were back in their long johns, walked on the streets of Spokane, bought a breakfast at the restaurant, ate all the way, and walked towards the training hall.

Perhaps because of Xiao Du's presence, not only did the black people on the side of the road no longer look badly, but when they saw Xiao Du, they shook their heads and stepped forward, extending their arms and giving them a very friendly greeting.

"Come on, KD!"

"You will be a great black star in the NBA, and you will prove that basketball is a sport exclusively for blacks!"

A black man whose upper body was completely naked shouted from a distance, but his eyes wandered away from Li Ke. Li Ke narrowed his eyes, but did not respond.

The training hall is rented by the school, and it is about 1000 meters away from the hotel, which is not far.

Two or three minutes later, they arrived at the place, opened the door and entered.

The facilities in the hall are very simple, there is only one changing room, and the air conditioner is fully turned on. Compared with the outside, the inside of the hall is almost steaming.

After changing their jerseys, Li Ke and Xiao Du entered the arena and found Dexter Pittman running in circles.

"So early, Dexter?"

In the past, when he was in Austin, Li Ke would get up at six or seven o'clock every day for morning jogging, and he always felt that he was the hardest worker.

When he arrived in Spokane, Li Ke still thought so, and he was always very confident.

But since he saw Pittman sweating profusely in the arena yesterday, Li Ke felt that he was no longer confident.

"I'm always this early, Sheldon."

Sure enough, Li Ke knew that if one day might be an accident, two days in a row must not be.

"So, I've never been the hardest working Longhorn player..."

Li Ke decided to give the word "hardest effort" to Pittman, but Pittman shook his head:

"You should know that I have been losing weight. This is the request of Coach Todd Wright. Of course, I also have to lose weight. If I don't lose weight, it will be difficult for me to play..."

Pittman spread his hands: "As you can see, I am just following Coach Todd Wright's request to get up at five every morning and eat a reasonable diet..."

So, Pittman was forced, and he wasn't trying the hardest.

"It's too difficult, don't you ever think about giving up?"

"Of course, at one point, I cried and told Coach Wright that I wanted to give up."

"But you still haven't given up."

"Yeah, I decided to stick with it, it's a cause, not just for basketball..."

Well, perhaps, Pittman is not the hardest working, but he is definitely the most persistent.

Starting at [-] o'clock every morning, weight loss training day after day, and diet must be strictly controlled. This kind of life is indeed too difficult, but Pittman persisted.

"Come on, Dexter, you're going to make it."

Pittman smiled, and then seemed to think of something suddenly: "By the way, Sheldon, I heard from PJ that you always have some unique insights on training..."

PJ is PJ Tucker, and it seems that Pittman and Tucker have some connection.

Li Ke nodded, Pittman continued:

"Do you have any unique suggestions or ideas for my weight loss?"

Unique suggestion or idea?

Li Ke thought about it, and then suddenly his eyes lit up: "Stomach cut or liposuction..."

Pittman began to frown, and clenched his sandbag-sized fist.

"These are definitely not enough. After all, you are an athlete, aren't you? Actually, I can recommend you a few special weight loss methods. The effect may not be so obvious, but it may be more interesting."

"More fun?" Pittman still frowned.

"Yes, you can try yoga, or boxing, they are very interesting sports, if you fall in love with them, your weight loss career will not be so boring."

Pittman smiled: "I see, Sheldon, what you mean is, find some sports that I think are interesting, and distract yourself..."

……

In the round of 64, the Longhorns won easily. They didn't even need Xiao Du to score 30+, and the opponent surrendered.

Because the Longhorn game is played first, after they defeat their opponents, they still need to wait for the other side of the game to determine the top 32 opponents.

The opponent's game is also held in Spokane, and the two sides are the Arkansas University Wild Boars and the New Mexico State Agronomy Team.

"Arkansas has Patrick Beverly and Sony Weems, but New Mexico State hasn't seen any acquaintances..."

Li Ke and his teammates appeared in the stands of the Veterans Memorial Stadium. Seeing the lineups of both sides, he made a judgment that Arkansas would win.

The results were indeed the same. Although the scores were very close in the fierce battle in the first and second half, the Wild Boars defeated the Agronomy Team and successfully advanced to the top 32 thanks to Sony Weems' consecutive scoring at the last moment.

And their opponents are naturally the Longhorns who are also in Spokane.

"Huh, the opponent is the Wild Boars. Patrick Beverly and Sony Weems are not weak, but they are not top-notch. They are not our opponents."

In the stands, Xiao Du was very confident.

But Li Ke poked him: "Don't let Coach Barnes hear your words..."

Indeed, since the beginning of the league championship, Rick Barnes has been talking about a word: don't underestimate any opponent.

In the top 64, he even used last year's George Mason University as an example.

Arkansas is indeed not strong, but it is better than last year's George Mason University and Eastern Kentucky, which the Longhorns beat in the round of 64.

Li Ke felt that they should despise such opponents verbally and pay attention to them in their hearts.

　Ask for a recommendation ticket!
　　


(End of this chapter)