Keep gambling?
Of course not!
McMillan backed off. After all, the Bobcats were almost certainly getting a top-two pick.
Either way, they'd land Yuuto or Anthony Davis.
Besides, many teams had similarly awful records this season—it was impossible to know which three would finish at the absolute bottom.
So they could only wait for the lottery results before looking for opportunities.
Meanwhile, back to the Bruins.
Having beaten the Wildcats, they'd advanced to the second round.
Head coach Steve praised Yuuto's performance effusively.
"Yu is on another level. His game reminds me of Jordan—he's even better than Michael was at North Carolina. That's how special he is!"
Yuuto hadn't officially announced it yet, but he'd already decided to enter this year's draft.
Since that was the case, Steve figured he might as well do him a favor and hype him up.
College Jordan.
That was headline material, right?
As the game's best player, Yuuto found cameras and microphones everywhere he went.
Notably, Chinese media had shown up in force.
At this point, even Chinese basketball couldn't ignore his presence.
Because Yuuto was very likely to become China's second number-one pick—and a rare guard at that.
The only question was that Yuuto had grown up in Japan. People didn't know where his allegiances lay.
This was 2012, after all—the Olympics would be held in London this October.
Chinese media had been interviewing Yuuto frequently lately, testing his willingness. They'd deliberately started conversations in Mandarin.
To their delight, Yuuto's Mandarin was excellent—and he spoke in a Sichuan dialect no less.
When asked if he'd be willing to represent the national team, Yuuto didn't hesitate: "Of course. That's my dream."
With Yao Ming's retirement, the national team's leader had become Yi Jianlian.
The Chinese team was at the tail end of its golden generation.
Yi actually performed well at this Olympics, contributing a highlight reel moment against Spain—without Yao, he'd single-handedly battled the Gasol brothers.
He'd put up 30 points and 12 rebounds.
Unfortunately, the national team's overall results were dismal—five losses in five group stage games, averaging a 21.2-point deficit.
...
That same day.
North Carolina cruised past their opponent to meet UCLA in the second round.
This triggered media frenzy.
As Jordan's alma mater, this year's Tar Heels boasted a roster full of NBA-caliber talent.
Harrison Barnes—nicknamed "Black Falcon"—was averaging 17 points per game, earning First Team All-ACC and Second Team All-American honors.
According to history, he'd be selected seventh overall by the Warriors.
Tyler Zeller—AP Fan Vote Second Team All-American—would be picked 17th by the Timberwolves.
John Henson—first round, 14th pick by the Bucks.
Kendall Marshall—first round, 13th pick by the Suns.
This year's North Carolina team was stacked.
Like Kentucky, they were among the favorites to win the national championship.
Media promoted this matchup as "the better team versus the better player."
The better player obviously meant Yuuto.
His first-round performance had erased any doubts.
He absolutely wouldn't fall past number two in this draft.
As for whether he or Davis would go first—that might depend on how far their teams went in March Madness.
...
Game night.
Even more fans packed the arena than on day one.
NBA executives were everywhere—Bobcats, Kings, Wizards, Cavaliers, Nets, and more.
Their common denominator? They'd all be at the lottery in a few months.
Not just Yuuto—North Carolina's players also had these front office types' attention.
Jordan himself attended.
Whenever possible, he never missed his alma mater's games.
But today he came both to support UNC and to scout Yuuto.
For a while, Jordan had been set on his pick—Anthony Davis, to pair with last year's pick Kemba Walker as an inside-outside duo.
Kemba Walker was one of Jordan's few hits as an owner.
His rookie season: 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.9 steals—showing strong potential.
This season with the Bobcats developing him, Walker's numbers jumped to 17.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2 steals per game.
On just 15.2 field goal attempts with only 2.4 turnovers, his shooting percentage had improved 6.5% from last year—All-Star potential was visible.
Adding an athletically explosive AD to form an inside-outside core? Build around those two and the Bobcats could be back in the playoffs within two or three years—maybe even push further.
The temptation was strong—until he discovered Yuuto.
He couldn't help but be drawn to this kid. His basketball god radar kept blaring warnings, but it was useless—he loved Yuuto too much.
Under these circumstances—
Slap!
The game began. UCLA predictably lost the tip.
North Carolina's frontcourt advantage was massive. Center Tyler Zeller stood 7'0", power forward John Henson over 6'11".
Their height completely overwhelmed the Bruins.
Point guard Kendall caught the ball to bring it up—
Then Yuuto's shadow suddenly materialized.
By the time Kendall reacted, the ball had already been slapped away.
Yuuto accelerated forward, gathered the loose ball, and raced to the other end. One fake, one crossover, past the defender—
A vicious one-handed slam.
BOOM!
The bucket dropped. UCLA drew first blood with that trademark explosive sequence.
Roy Williams was displeased with his players' lack of focus.
"Concentrate, future stars. This is March Madness, not a scrimmage."
He was UNC's head coach, having led the program since 2003 and continuing through 2021.
His credentials were impeccable—national championships in '05 and '09, multiple Coach of the Year honors.
This North Carolina squad was strong across the board.
Had they not faced Kentucky so early, they might have been the favorites.
North Carolina had talent—that was Williams's confidence.
As long as they handled that Chinese kid, everything would become simple.
People called UNC the "Carolina Blue Devils." Since Jordan, they'd inherited a certain spirit—hungry determination that needed no further explanation.
They'd successfully produced 62 NBA players over the years.
...
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