Qin Zayne did not show his confidence to Bill Guthridge, just as he had said before: the conflict between Bill Guthridge and Jimmy Black had nothing to do with him.
Although Bill Guthridge could be considered the mentor who brought him to UNC, he should theoretically side with Guthridge.
But after all, he was a newcomer. In this kind of factional struggle, with the situation still unclear, it was better not to get involved recklessly.
"However, in two days, Eric Snow will undoubtedly crush all his competitors for the point guard position. By then, even if I don't want to stand with Old Guthridge, others will think I'm on his side."
After finishing their meal, at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant, Qin Zayne said goodbye to Old Guthridge.
As he turned around, a solution came to mind.
Over the next two days, the Tar Heels players arrived one by one, and Qin Zayne also met up with Eric Snow, whom he hadn't seen for a few days.
He did not mention the coaching staff dispute to Snow, only saying:
"The team held a coaching staff meeting two days ago. It was roughly decided that the starting point guard for the new season should be Derrick Phelps, and the backup point guard will be Donald Williams."
Eric Snow grinned: "So I have to take out Donald Williams first?"
Qin Zayne shook his head: "We'll see. Taking out Derrick Phelps directly is also an option."
Because Qin Zayne was not directly involved, he was very confident, whereas Eric Snow looked a little nervous:
"I haven't met my new teammates yet. Let's talk after I've seen them, okay?"
Qin Zayne looked at him with mild disdain: "Fine, then we'll wait until you meet your new teammates the day after tomorrow."
He could understand Eric Snow; after all, Donald Williams was a McDonald's All-American Top 100 high schooler, and Derrick Phelps had even been on last year's McDonald's High School All-American team.
To Eric Snow, who had been a nobody in high school, these two were like massive mountains blocking his path.
Perhaps they could be surpassed, but before truly facing them, who could say for sure?
Two days later, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill basketball arena, the Tar Heels began their first training session of the new season.
That day, Qin Zayne wore a UNC blue training uniform and stood among the assistant coaches.
In front of them was Dean Smith, also in training attire.
Facing Dean Smith were the players of the Tar Heels.
Hubert Davis, George Lynch, and Eric Montross had been starters last season but were not the core players.
The core had been Rick Fox, who entered the NBA draft this summer and was selected by the Boston Celtics. At this moment, he should be at the Celtics' training facility, learning from Larry Bird, who played the same position.
For UNC, the core for the new season would have to be chosen from the three mentioned above.
Hubert Davis was a shooting guard, George Lynch a forward, and Eric Montross could be considered a center.
So for the new season, the only undecided starting positions for the Tar Heels were the point guard and one forward position.
For the point guard position, Derrick Phelps was the tentative starter, with Donald Williams and Eric Snow as backups.
Qin Zayne's gaze swept over the three of them; they were quite conspicuous, mainly because they were the shortest.
Derrick Phelps looked high-spirited, unaware that the seemingly harmless Asian coach had already set his sights on the starting point guard throne that was supposed to be his.
"Welcome back, boys. The new season is finally about to begin. No matter how wild you went during vacation, I hope that from this moment on, each of you will regain focus..."
Qin Zayne listened to half of Dean Smith's preseason talk, while for the other half, he was thinking about what method Eric Snow would use later to seize the starting point guard throne.
"Of course, there are some newcomers among you, so before training begins, let's get to know each other first."
When Eric Snow stepped forward to introduce himself as being from Canton, Ohio, and playing the point guard position, no one paid him any attention.
Except for Qin Zayne on the coaching staff, and Jimmy Black, who viewed Eric Snow as a rival.
"Do you really think this Eric Snow can be better than Donald Williams?" Jimmy Black leaned in close to Qin Zayne and asked.
Qin Zayne, having already figured out the situation, nodded matter-of-factly and then turned his head:
"But don't worry. If Eric Snow wins, I'll ask Dean to return the recruiting rights to you."
Jimmy Black was stunned for a moment: "Why?"
Before Qin Zayne could answer, he laughed out loud:
"Look at me, I don't even know what I'm asking. How could Eric Snow possibly beat the nationally ranked Top 100 Donald Williams?"
Qin Zayne shook his head, not wanting to waste time arguing with Jimmy Black.
Because he knew soon, Jimmy Black wouldn't be laughing.
Jimmy Black didn't have to wait long; Dean Smith organized a round of preseason physical testing first.
Without any suspense, Eric Snow, who had endured an entire summer of grueling training, stunned everyone.
"Eric Snow, height 191 cm, weight 83 kg, 3/4 court sprint 3.25 seconds, 84 kg bench press 12 reps..."
Never mind Jimmy Black, even Dean Smith raised an eyebrow at Snow's physical test results.
"Is this guy's physical condition really this outstanding?"
Snow's physical test results were already at NBA standards.
Let alone Donald Williams, that freshman as thin as a bamboo pole, even Derrick Phelps, who had been tempered in the NCAA for a season, was no match for Snow.
"Swann, this guy really did recruit an unexpectedly outstanding player."
Although Eric Snow hadn't touched a basketball yet, based on his physical fitness alone, Dean Smith knew this guy would be impressive.
And Jimmy Black, who had been full of confidence, now felt anxious.
Having excellent physical fitness didn't necessarily mean his basketball performance would be equally excellent.
Especially since Eric Snow was a point guard, whose performance with the ball was even more crucial.
But the problem was, Snow's physical fitness was explosive. An NBA-level physique appearing on an NCAA court was simply a game-changer.
After reviewing all players' physical test data, Dean Smith reached a general conclusion:
"Most players' physical conditions are fine, so let's move on to the next stage: the internal scrimmage!"
The internal scrimmage's purpose was to determine the starting lineup and rotation order for the new season—a critical stage for any team.
This was the part Qin Zayne had been waiting for.
"Starters sit out first; the reserves will split into two teams and play a game."
Dean Smith made the arrangements, which meant, in other words, Eric Snow still had to face Donald Williams first.
Qin Zayne shook his head: "Too slow, too slow..."
However, if he could settle the score between him and Jimmy Black first, that wouldn't be bad either.
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