The Best Point Guard-Chapter 57 - 54: First-Ever TV Interview

The University of Kansas eliminated Marquette University, 95-61.

The 34-point deficit made the University of Texas’s loss yesterday seem less embarrassing.

After the game, Wade announced bluntly in an interview, "I will be entering this year’s NBA draft."

It was an open secret.

Wade had been on a tear this year. If not for Su Xi, he would have been the NCAA’s biggest dark horse this season, single-handedly carrying his team to the Final Four. In the Elite Eight, where they eliminated the number one seed, the University of Kentucky, he even recorded a massive triple-double—only the fourth in NCAA Tournament history.

Besides, this was Wade’s third college season. There was no reason for him not to declare for the draft.

Speaking of which, Wade had his share of bad luck. He was an eye-catching player in high school, but his grades were so poor that only two universities offered him a scholarship, Marquette being one of them. When he got to Marquette University, he was ineligible to play his first season due to the NCAA’s Proposition 48. To put it simply, his academic performance was too poor to be allowed on the court.

He spent his entire first year studying. He barely managed to pass his classes in his second year, but the team didn’t make the national tournament, so his draft stock was low. This year, however, he was unstoppable, leading Marquette on a historic run to the Final Four.

He was now considered the third-best perimeter prospect in the draft, right behind LeBron James and Cameron Anthony.

Although Hinrich was more famous than him in the NCAA, Wade’s draft stock was slightly higher than Hinrich’s based on an overall assessment of their skills and potential, even though Hinrich had won their matchup.

With his season over, Wade could declare for the NBA draft.

Hinrich, however, could not yet.

He and Collison were interviewed together. They were Kansas’s superstar inside-outside duo and were called "the last great white hope." They were extremely popular in the NCAA and received a lot of attention.

The reporters deliberately brought up Su Xi’s halftime interview, embellishing the details, and also mentioned Su Xi’s comments after his last game.

The reporters were trying to stir up some drama.

However, Hinrich and Collison were both calm. They were seniors. They knew how to handle the media.

"I’ve heard of Little Sheep Su Xi; he’s very good. Strong, fluid, explosive... I like his game. He’s definitely a player who can swing between multiple positions." Hinrich didn’t take the bait. He even praised Su Xi.

Collison added, "He thinks they’ll win, and I think we’ll win. That’s perfectly normal. We’re both making a final push for victory, fueled by our own pride and determination. I believe the final will be a game for the history books."

"And Kansas will be the ultimate winner!"

Both of them had high emotional intelligence.

The interview scored them points. NBA general managers love emotionally stable players, especially high-quality white players like them. A team needs superstars with big personalities, but it also needs level-headed players who can act as locker-room glue.

...

After Su Xi returned to the hotel from the arena, he saw Huang Xiaoman. She had rushed all the way here, looking travel-worn.

She briefed Su Xi on his upcoming interview. "This is a special crew sent from China by CCTV. They’re going to do a special feature on you for their sports channel during prime time. I contacted them three days ago. They’re very interested in you."

Su Xi was sincerely impressed by Huang Xiaoman’s professional abilities. He said, "Xiaoman, you’re my better half! How did you do it? I heard it’s hard to book interviews with the media back in China."

PFFT!

Huang Xiaoman burst out laughing, a wide, happy smile on her face. She said, "It looks like your Chinese still needs some work. ’Better half’ isn’t quite the right term to use here."

"It isn’t?" Su Xi asked. "Then what should I say? Super helper? Invincible manager?"

"Hahaha." Huang Xiaoman laughed heartily. Su Xi’s Mandarin had a rather thick American accent. He had come to the United States when he was nine, and his grandfather had died in an accident when he was twelve. After that, he rarely spoke Chinese with anyone, and his pronunciation had taken on an American-style cadence.

"It’s not entirely wrong to use it here. But you can’t say that in front of other people. We don’t want them thinking this is some kind of ’couple’s enterprise’ and calling us unprofessional," Huang Xiaoman said.

"A ’couple’s enterprise’? You mean like that dish, ’Couple’s Delight’? Why is that unprofessional?" Su Xi asked with genuine curiosity.

"Okay, Jack, you have way too many questions. Until I can fully get your language sense back into ’Chinese mode,’ try to speak less Mandarin," Huang Xiaoman said, cutting him off with a laugh. "But for the interview tomorrow, you have to speak Mandarin. You need to let the audience in China know that you’re one of them."

Su Xi said, "I am Chinese. I registered at the embassy when I turned eighteen. I don’t have American citizenship."

"That’s fantastic," Huang Xiaoman said.

Then, they went into the hotel together.

At first, Su Xi was a bit hesitant, saying he was worried about tomorrow’s game. But then he reluctantly gave in, saying, ’Just this once, just this once.’

He didn’t leave Huang Xiaoman’s room until four in the morning.

It was Huang Xiaoman who, weak and breathless, finally kicked him out. "In your version of Chinese, does ’once’ mean ’forever’?"

Sigh.

Su Xi, however, was full of energy. He even felt like hitting the weights for a bit. His ability to recover and regenerate wasn’t just for the basketball court.

’I don’t know where my own limits are, but that was definitely Xiaoman’s limit.’

He whispered to himself, "I never knew it could be this much fun. No wonder Anthony and McNamara love to ’impart’ so much."

A smile spread across Su Xi’s face. It was the look of someone who had tasted a forbidden fruit and wanted more, just as you’d expect from a boy of eighteen years and 311 days.

Moreover, his Super Flexibility talent had also improved this time, unlocking quite a few new positions.

His Super Flexibility talent had now fused to 94%, just a step away from 95%. According to the Little Elf’s talent rankings, reaching 95% meant entering the realm of true super-talents. The 90%-94% range was still categorized as top-tier talent.

Su Xi hadn’t expected that of the four super-talents he’d acquired, it would be Super Flexibility that would come from behind to take the lead.

’Women really are the best for fusion,’ he thought.

...

The next morning at 8:30, Su Xi and Huang Xiaoman met with the CCTV film crew in a conference room they had rented at the hotel.

Su Xi greeted them enthusiastically. "Thank you all for coming all this way. I appreciate you interviewing me. Your presence makes this place shine like... Avalon..."

Huang Xiaoman lightly pinched his waist and reminded him through clenched teeth, "’You grace my humble abode.’"

The interview crew was stunned. They paid no mind to Su Xi’s elementary-level slip-up; they were more surprised that he could speak Mandarin at all. The information they had received beforehand was that Su Xi was of Chinese descent but had grown up in the United States.

Before the cameras started rolling, Su Xi chatted with the reporter in Mandarin for a bit. Overall, his expression was clear. Although he occasionally used the wrong word or phrase, it didn’t detract from the overall quality.

Once all the camera equipment was set up, the on-air reporter spoke to the camera, "Following Yao Ming’s entry into the NBA as the first-overall pick last year, audiences in China have become increasingly familiar with the league. However, what many people don’t know is that in the United States, there is another basketball league even more popular than the NBA: the NCAA college league. The vast majority of NBA players come from this league. Today, our protagonist is a superstar from that very league, from Syracuse University—Su Xi! Next, please watch this short introductory video."

The host paused here.

The post-production director would edit in the video package here.

Then, the host continued with his transition.

"In the introductory video we just saw, we learned that Su Xi is the first Asian player in NCAA history to make it to the championship game. He is the core of Syracuse University’s backcourt and has played exceptionally well on their path here, knocking out one opponent after another. So, Su Xi, what was the opportunity that led you to join the Syracuse University basketball team? We couldn’t find any information on that."

As soon as the reporter asked the question, Su Xi answered with complete sincerity. "First, let me correct something you said. I’m not just the first Asian; I’m the first Chinese person. As for why I joined Syracuse University, it’s because I got in through the back door. My high school classmate, Reggie Williams, was Mr. Basketball for the state of New Jersey, a super Five-Star Player. His condition for accepting Syracuse University’s recruitment offer was that they had to give me a scholarship too. The school had no choice, so they had to give me a spot."

Su Xi said to the camera with a perfectly earnest expression.

His way of thinking was truly a bit Westernized. In the United States, pulling strings is something that can be discussed openly; there are even people who do it for a living.

Off-camera, Huang Xiaoman waved her hands frantically, signaling for him to stop talking like that.

But Su Xi thought she was cheering him on. He even gave her a wink.

The on-air reporter’s expression turned awkward. In China, pulling strings... that wasn’t something you talked about publicly.

He didn’t even know how to respond.

’I’ll just let the bosses decide how to edit this when I get back,’ he thought.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "Su Xi, in the American media, we often see you described as the ’Genius Killer.’ You’ve defeated one American prodigy after another recently. How do you feel about that? Do you feel a sense of excitement, knowing you’re representing Asians? After all, in American basketball, Asians have always been at a disadvantage."

This question was practically an open-book test.

At the turn of the century, China was just emerging from a long period of poverty and weakness and was in great need of encouragement and a boost in morale in all aspects of society.

"I don’t," Su Xi said, as honest as ever. "I haven’t thought about it that way. I just enjoy competing against talented players. They push me to become stronger. Although I sometimes hear discriminatory remarks about my race on the court, as long as I focus on my own business and keep getting stronger, they’ll vanish without a trace, like lame ducks."

It wasn’t a formulaic, politically correct answer, but it felt refreshingly new.

"Now, you’ve led your team to the finals. Many American media outlets are predicting that if you enter the draft this year, you’ll be selected as a lottery pick, making you the first Asian guard to enter the NBA as a lottery pick. What are your thoughts on these predictions? How are you feeling right now? Have you ever imagined what it would be like after you join the NBA?" the reporter asked.

"I am currently preparing to enter the draft, but the most important thing is preparing for the championship game. I don’t want to finish second. To me, second place is the biggest loser."

"What status I have when I enter the NBA isn’t important to me. What’s important is whether going to the NBA can accelerate my growth."

"I have imagined what it would be like in the NBA, and they’re all wonderful fantasies. I won’t talk about them here, though. It wouldn’t seem very humble."

Su Xi expressed himself sincerely in Chinese. His peculiar way with words and his use of the language gave the reporter a very different impression. He was also full of memorable quotes, and the film crew was confident this interview would cause a sensation back in China.

The reporter then asked a few more questions about the games.

Su Xi answered them one by one.

Finally, the reporter asked, "Have you thought about when you might go to China? Also, have you considered joining the Chinese Team to become teammates with Yao Ming?"

"It would be *returning* to China, not *going* to China," Su Xi corrected him. "I’ve been waiting for a chance to bring my grandfather’s ashes back to my hometown for burial. If all goes well, it will be this summer—the first summer after I’ve come of age, and I’ll finally have the time."

"As for becoming teammates with Yao Ming, I hadn’t thought about it before you asked. But from this moment on, it will become part of my future plans," Su Xi said.

The reporter was very pleased with Su Xi’s answer.

He stood up, a broad smile on his face, and said, "Thank you so much for this interview. Congratulations in advance on raising the banner of victory in the finals and taking first place!"

Su Xi said, "Thank you."

Then he asked, "Where’s the banner, though? And how do I raise it?"

HAHAHAHAHA!

The room erupted in hearty laughter.

It was truly an interesting interview.

Even Huang Xiaoman laughed. She was now certain that Su Xi needed to seriously brush up on his Chinese vocabulary.

Just because he could skillfully order Kung Pao Chicken at a restaurant didn’t mean his language skills were fine.

And so, Su Xi’s first-ever one-on-one television interview came to a close.

It was foreseeable that when this program aired, it would set off a frenzy in China.

Su Xi was indeed an interesting person, and a very strong player at that.

Chinese basketball fans had been dreaming of the day a Chinese guard would step onto the NBA stage.

Now, Su Xi had arrived.

...