"Coach, what is this?"
Selvan didn't have any intention to hide the matter and replied with a faint smile, "As you see, it's my resignation letter."
Yu Fei was not surprised; in fact, he would understand if anyone wanted to leave K-M.
Even though they had just won the state championship, as long as there was an opportunity to move to a higher platform, Selvan wouldn't hesitate.
Because K-M was always K-M, it would not change just because of a state championship.
"When did this happen?" Yu Fei asked.
"A few days ago, St. John's College approached me. They hope that I could become an assistant coach there," Selvan said with some excitement, "I've always been waiting for such an opportunity!"
Yu Fei sincerely smiled and said, "Congratulations on escaping the prison, Coach."
"Do you also think of this place as a prison?" Selvan looked at Yu Fei curiously. He thought that a student like Yu Fei would have some sense of pride for his alma mater.
Kent Meridian High School was situated up on the eastern hill, and Yu Fei's home was down the hill, so it made perfect sense for him to attend school there.
It was unexpected that Yu Fei had the same view of K-M.
"For everyone up on the hill, K-M is a prison," said Yu Fei.
Selvan looked at the young man before him and couldn't help but think that in just one year, K-M had transformed from a prison on the hill of Kent City to a school of city honor.
And Yu Fei was the main driver of this transformation.
Without him, this would not have been possible.
Even the assistant coaching job at St. John's College for Selvan was a result of Yu Fei's joining the Royal Team and their entry into the state championships, which brought Selvan into the view of college basketball.
But the beneficiaries weren't just Selvan alone.
Four players from the Royal Team received full scholarships to First Division League, and even assistant coach Quentin DiMio got noticed by college basketball.
Thinking of this, Selvan couldn't help but say to Yu Fei, "Fulai, I must thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have this opportunity."
Yu Fei didn't hypocritically respond with praise for Selvan's outstanding talent; instead, he joked, "I accept thanks, a pork chop rice meal will do."
"Before I leave, I'll treat you to a super-sized pork chop rice meal," Selvan chuckled.
After walking out of Selvan's office, Yu Fei went to find DiMio to tell him about attending the ABCD Camp.
DiMio was thrilled, "This is a great opportunity. If you're planning to enter this year's draft, this will be the final test before you make that decision."
"You know, no one understands these so-called training camps better than I do," Yu Fei bragged a little, "I didn't want to go really... but the staff insisted on inviting me and even arranged my accommodations and meals. I simply couldn't decline such generous hospitality."
Roy's eyes widened, "They invited you?"
"Yeah, didn't they invite you?"
Roy was embarrassed.
Last year he had received an invitation, back then he was the most watched junior in Washington State.
But this year, Yu Fei had made a big splash, practically drawing away all the external attention from the top high school players in Washington State. Some scouts were even saying Roy's progress was slow, his high school ranking had not gone up but down. He used to be in the top 70 high school players nationwide, but now his name was not even on the big board, and on the small board, he had been relegated to the top 80 or top 90.
"So, you're saying you can bring home $1000 worth of Nike gear after that?" Roy successfully changed the subject.
"You know, no one understands the ins and outs of these so-called brand-name basketball gears better than I do, I never care for such external belongings."
"I care, if you don't want it you can give it to me."
Right then, Roy couldn't imagine that in the future he could have any brand's athletic gear he wanted, as long as he desired.
"Sure, you can pick them yourself when the time comes."
"Is that a promise?"
"Promise."
"I love you to death, Big Fei!" Roy said mushily, "Really, I would even offer you my Mr. Basketball of Washington State title from 2000."
Yu Fei switched back to his irritating tone, "You know, no one understands better than I do..."
At that moment, Roy really wanted to curse him for being an idiot and hang up the phone, but for the sake of Nike gear worth $1000, he not only endured it but also put on a smile.
This is the necessary path for an early matured boy to transform into a man.
You must be able to be both soft and hard, flexible and resilient.
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"One of the reasons the Memphis Grizzlies are interested in trading Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Mike Bibby is that they need another first-round draft pick. This is the inlay of a time bomb from their trade with the Detroit Pistons in 1997 to get Otis Thorpe. Because of that trade, the Grizzlies can choose to give up a draft pick among the top 18 selections this year. Vancouver would rather obtain another team's draft pick by making trades and keeping their own, which will undoubtedly be a lottery pick. If the Grizzlies do not complete a trade in 2001, they face the risk of losing a higher pick in the following two years: in 2002, the Vancouver draft pick is only protected if it's among the top five, and in 2003, it's only protected if it is the first overall." — Sports Illustrated
"Kings guard Jason Williams is suspected of using racist language towards a fan during a game." — Los Angeles Times
"Ideally, we would like Dikembe to finish his career with us," said Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock. — Atlanta Constitution
Kobe Bryant has grown into a perfect team player and is seen as an important reason for the Lakers' back-to-back NBA championships (if it happens). — Associated Press
"Good morning, Seattle. The most outstanding high school basketball player from the State of Washington will be heading to New Jersey next month for the ABCD Camp." — The Seattle Times