The Wildcats' win streak is still alive and kicking. After locking in their 13th straight victory, Lin Yi finally unlocked his dream combo—two shiny new bronze badges: one for Dream Shake at center, and another for Rebounding Maniac at power forward.
Lin Yi just leveled up again in his basketball IQ. It's like someone downloaded the basketball instincts of an NBA role-playing big man right into his brain. He developed an instinctual improvement to his pump fakes and bait-and-switch moves to draw defenders off their feet. The badge even gave him a slight chance to pull off those fakes convincingly. Keyword: slight—but still, progress.
Now the Rebounding Maniac badge was paying dividends. Lin Yi is reading where the ball's gonna bounce improved. He knows how to box out, time his jumps, and sniff out rebounds like a bloodhound. With that badge, he's learned how to out-rebound NBA fringe players. That's saying something.
Out of the five pro badges available, the only one he hasn't cracked yet is the Limitless Range—but he's getting close.
After today's game, he's played 14 games. Once he hits 16, he can level up all his base attributes from "Black Iron" to "Bronze." It's like his entire build is about to get a massive upgrade.
With the Wildcats' remaining schedule, plus the Southern League playoffs, he's on track to hit that just in time for March Madness.
That's the scary thing about Lin Yi—when his skill set starts catching up with his size and athleticism? Yeah. That's when you start worrying. The badges are the add-ons, but the fundamentals? That's the real foundation. And Lin Yi's foundation is starting to look rock solid.
Sure, the Southern League isn't exactly top-tier in the NCAA, and the 2009 draft class overall hasn't impressed scouts much so far—but don't let that fool you. Lin Yi's numbers are the real deal.
He and Steph already have their sights set on March Madness, but there's a giant in their path: North Carolina. That's their Everest.
So yeah, leveling up his build? Super important right now.
....
Flash over to tonight's game—Davidson vs. Wyoming—and Wyoming's players look like they just got hit by a freight train.
Steph Curry just drilled his seventh three-pointer. He's got 38 points already. The dude's on fire and not worried about anyone's feelings.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi? Quietly broke the school record for rebounds in a game—21 boards. 13 points for him tonight, but that's because Steph was locked in. Lin Yi didn't need to shoot much. He was more interested in testing out his new rebound badge. And let's just say… he's addicted now.
The Rebounding Maniac badge was tough and combined with those long arms? Wyoming's frontcourt looked like kids standing under a tree trying to swat down coconuts.
One. Two. Three. Four...
Six rebounds in a single possession.
"Looks like he's finally figuring it out on defense," Wyoming's assistant coach muttered. Sure, Lin Yi's stat line might look padded against a weak team, but padding or not—you still gotta have the skills to put up those numbers.
And to think—when Lin Yi first joined the team, people were just hoping he could set screens and grab rebounds. Now he's hitting threes and driving past defenders like a guard.
It's wild.
He's getting stronger, his footwork's tighter, and he's starting to dominate the paint on both ends. Blocking shots, grabbing boards, and setting hard screens—you name it.
Scouts are taking notice. The Thunder are already tracking him, but now that some of the Wildcats' games are being nationally televised, even more teams are starting to ask: "Who the hell is this kid?"
Oh, and let's not forget—Davidson's also got Steph Curry, who's top five on some draft boards.
This game? Curry's explosion might have something to do with a few Knicks scouts sitting courtside. That baby-faced assassin wants to play in the Big Apple and tonight? He played like it. What's surprising scouts now isn't just the shooting—it's his ball-handling and passing.
Steph's leading the Southern League in assists, too—averaging 10.4 per game. Thanks in part to Lin Yi catching everything and finishing plays.
29.3 points and 10.4 assists. In any league, that's ridiculous.
Blake Griffin's out here averaging 24.5 points and 14.8 rebounds and getting compared to Dwight Howard, so the bar is high—but Steph and Lin? They're smashing expectations.
"How many more games before they face the Sooners again?", one scout asked.
"Three. That's the big one.", replied his partner.
Can't wait. Lin and Steph vs. Taylor and Blake—this one's gonna be fireworks.
...
Meanwhile, on the sidelines…
"Qi Jun, keep recording everything," said Wu Xiaolei.
"Sis Xiaolei, relax. I might not know all the basketball stuff but behind the lens? I'm a pro." Qi Jun now had a second SLR camera strapped up and ready.
They were already thinking—why not make a Lin Yi highlight reel? With all the footage they'd gathered, it could be a great promo.
After Sports Weekly ran their story, Lin Yi's name started buzzing back in China. With Yao Ming sidelined for the season and Yi Jianlian fading after his rookie year, Chinese fans were hungry for a new NBA hopeful.
"If you do a good job," Wu Xiaolei told him, "I'll pitch this to CCTV. They'll want it."
Qi Jun shrugged. He wasn't worried about TV. He believed the future was online. After coming to the U.S., he saw just how massive the internet scene was.
Little did he know—both in China and the U.S.—that social media was about to explode.
....
Back on the court, the Wildcats had just wrapped up another blowout win.
"Three more games," one of the players said, counting down the days.
In the Southern League, only the conference champ is guaranteed a spot in March Madness. No wild cards here. It's win or go home.
So if they want to dance in March? They've got to take down the Sooners..
No other way in.
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