Champion Creed

Ivica Dukan had been serving as an international scout for the Chicago Bulls since 1990; with a professional player background and having been selected for the former Yugoslav national team in the 80s, his rich resume granted him an exceptional eye for talent.

The draft of Toni Kukoc was shaped under his advocacy.

As a Croatian, Dukan primarily took on the responsibility of scouting European players for the Bulls, usually residing in Europe.

This time, he came to the United States because the new draft was starting in three months, and all scouts were required to report back to Chicago, thus prompting Dukan's visit.

However, having arrived a few days early and with nothing to do, the bored Dukan decided to come to Baton Rouge to watch a game.

Watching young players play was both his job and his interest.

He greatly enjoyed the sensation of discovering new talent and savoring their potential.

In the basketball world of 1993, high school prodigies were not given much attention. A player's potential was judged by their college performance.

Therefore, at first, Dukan did not have high expectations for this high-profile high school game.

That was until he saw the Chinese player who could still score continuously despite being double-teamed.

In Dukan's view, that player who O'Neal called "The Truth" would be a formidable scoring machine even in Europe's professional leagues.

His skills were too comprehensive, too solid.

His exceptional touch meant he could throw the ball into the basket in a variety of ways.

The only thing the kid urgently needed to improve was probably his physical confrontation.

Initially there just to enjoy the spectacle, Dukan had unwittingly written several pages of scouting reports for Roger.

And at that moment, there were quite a few people frantically writing scouting reports for Roger.

They never expected a high school scorer to demonstrate such explosive ability.

On the bench, Roger was still breathing steadily.

The past few months of training had significantly enhanced Roger's already excellent physical fitness.

Handling a high school game was too easy for him; even if he kept firing all game long, he would not tire.

Nevertheless, Roger had not let his guard down because of his outstanding performance in the first half.

After all, Block High School was only leading by 6 points at that time.

It had to be admitted that Isidore Newman School was indeed a strong team.

They were the only team this season that could keep the score close with Block High School at half-time.

Luckily, after the first half of the matchup, everyone at Block High School had found their confidence.

The results of the first half had proven that those arrogant jerks weren't that remarkable after all.

The half-time break was very brief, and both teams quickly returned to the court.

Andrae was ready for battle, just half a match away from leaving the sewer-like neighborhood he had emerged from.

Not just him, but all of Block High School's players were pulsing with adrenaline at this point.

For Roger, perhaps this state championship was just a minor comma in his basketball career.

But for most of the Block High School players, if they won tonight, it would be their most glorious moment!

They were going to unleash even stricter defense in the second half!

O'Neal was also ready to continue enjoying Roger's crazed scoring spree, preparing to give that honest kid a hug the moment Block High School won.

But Isidore Newman School didn't see it that way.

They had prepared ferocious fouls and intense confrontations for Roger!

As the second half began, everyone quickly realized that Isidore Newman School's defense against Roger had escalated to the brink of madness.

In the first offense of the second half, as Roger leapt beyond the three-point line, preparing to pierce Isidore Newman School's defense with his precise shooting again.

Simmons, who had only been reaching out in the first half, brutally knocked down Roger, who was still in mid-air, and after committing the foul, he arrogantly bellowed, "Cool off on the floor, asshole."

The game had escalated; if the first half was Isidore Newman School merely sparring with Block High School, now they were fighting for their lives!

They could not accept being defeated by a team of country bumpkins, when they were the state champions.

Simmons also could not accept a skinny Asian dominating over him.

Andrae pushed away Simmons, who was standing by Roger and yelling, further intensifying the already tense atmosphere on the court.

Players from both teams converged, shouting things like "Back off, don't touch him" and "You better behave, motherf****r."

The surging hormones of adolescence filled the court; Jon Barry would never have guessed he'd witness New York Knicks-style defense in a high school game.

"Simmons has given Roger a harsh reminder that he hasn't won yet! Let's see how Roger will respond!"

Roger responded faster than people expected; after receiving the sideline ball, he broke to a mid-range position, feigning a shot to provoke Simmons, who was already seeing red.

Then Roger, instead of evading, jumped towards Simmons, the two players colliding like two cars in a head-on crash.

In the intense skirmish, with someone hanging on him, Roger's textbook shooting form remained undistorted, securing the ball's trajectory.

As the referee's whistle blew, the basketball swished through the net.

Roger punished Isidore Newman School's defense with a tough 2+1, his relentless attack not deterred by their rough foul, earning him an extra point!

ESPN's live camera panned to the stands, where numerous Isidore Newman School fans were in disbelief, hands covering their heads.

Even with such tight defense, they still couldn't stop that guy?

Chicago Bulls scout Ivica Dukan immediately wrote in the scouting report, "Roger's touch is so soft, and his shooting stance so stable, he doesn't need to go through college. Even amidst interference and physical contest, his shooting form doesn't distort, and his accuracy is assured."

Simmons stared at the ball swishing through the net, eyes widened in disbelief.

Roger stepped up to the free-throw line with a grin, not forgetting to assess Simmons's defense, "Pretty energetic, if a league like the WNBA ever starts in the United States, you should be picked in the first round."

Simmons almost exploded with rage, as the 48th ranked player nationwide, he had always been the one bullying others. This was the first time he had been humiliated like this.

His best efforts were worthless in front of Roger!

Upon stepping to the free-throw line, alumni from Isidore Newman School unleashed a wave of booing that made the entire arena tremble.

But Roger wasn't affected at all, and he calmly sunk the free throw!

The lead extended to nine points, and Roger's personal tally reached 28 points.

Dell Brown turned to his protégé Shaq and remarked, "You guys can score with a defender hanging on you, but his free throws are much better than yours."

Shaq didn't mind the jest, "That's because God is fair. If I could make free throws, not even Jordan could stop me. No, I don't even need to make free throws. As long as Roger can become my sidekick, we can beat Jordan! The Bulls can't defend me, and Scottie Pippen can't guard him, hahaha!"

Dell Brown just smiled and didn't take the comment seriously.

Afterward, Randy Livingston found Simmons cutting along the baseline during a drive.

Although Randy's scoring wasn't as explosive as Roger's today, his overall performance was still decent—he was the one playing more rationally.

Isidore Newman School had maintained a respectable offensive efficiency under his guidance.

The reason the team was trailing was because Roger's personal firepower was unreasonably strong.

But Livingston wasn't worried; he still believed that playing sensible basketball would let him have the last laugh.

As Andrae was drawn in by Livingston, he couldn't get over to cover Simmons in time.

Simmons leaped for a layup, but what met him wasn't a successful score, but a vicious block to the face.

Roger was more agile than Andrae, allowing him to switch targets quickly and rush into the paint to complete the block.

The basketball was slapped away fiercely, hitting the backboard and rebounding off.

Roger roared at Simmons, closing in for a face-to-face confrontation.

Competitive sports are an amplifier of emotions; with Simmons repeatedly provoking him, Roger's block unleashed all his pent-up frustration.

Simmons was on the verge of a breakdown, getting bullied by Roger in both offense and defense as if he were a mere elementary school student.

After roaring, Roger immediately turned and ran forward, cutting straight towards the basket. At the low post, Andrae bounced the ball to Roger.

Roger caught the ball without dribbling and used the momentum to take two big strides forward before explosively leaping up.

The center from Isidore Newman School, 2.14 meters tall Ed Miller, immediately raised his arms to defend under the basket upon seeing this.

Based on Roger's current takeoff height, Miller felt there was a high likelihood he would be dunked on directly.

So he didn't just stand there honestly, but instead pushed Roger, who was coming at him. After all, the coach had said it was a war, right?

With a push, Roger's momentum to move forward instantly vanished. If Roger had been a bit heavier, he might have been able to dunk successfully. But for now, he didn't have such explosive offensive power.

However, in the confrontation, Roger managed to hang in the air for a moment, giving him time to turn a dunk into a throw, releasing the ball.

Despite the intense contact sending his body backward and the throw being quite hasty, his slender fingers still allowed the ball to slip into the net!

The referee blew the whistle again, and Roger had earned another 2+1 opportunity!

The only use of such high school-level confrontations and fouls was to give Roger more chances at free throws!

Commentator Bilas couldn't imagine how desperate Isidore Newman School's Coach Tony must have felt: "This is a guy who can't even be stopped by fouls!"

Ivica Dukan hurriedly took up his pen, "What I recorded earlier was biased, saying that Roger's shooting no longer needed experience was not rigorous enough. In fact, Roger's finish at the rim, mid-range, and three-point shooting don't need any more tuning; he already possesses perfect offensive ability, able to score from any angle, at any position. Even high-intensity defense can't disrupt his rhythm. I believe, with just a bit more strength, he will be an outstanding scorer in the NBA as well."

At this moment, Roger, who was lying on the ground, was pulled up by his teammates.

Seeing Roger stand at the free-throw line again, the Isidore Newman fans were in despair.

The truth is incontrovertible!

"And the bonus shot is good! Roger has extended the lead to 12 points, and his personal score has also broken past the 30-point mark! Admit it, no one in American high school basketball can stop Roger! Scoring 30 points in a high school game is as effortless for Roger as breathing!"

In Jon Barry's passionate shout, Roger glanced at Randy Livingston, who had been avoiding guarding him all day, "The media says you're the best at defense, why don't you guard me yourself? And that clown, he's just a lump."

This jab hit Simmons' already shaky nerves even harder, "Asshole, don't provoke me! Do you know how I got the scar on my face?"

"Was it because the doctor who delivered your mom via cesarean cut too deep? Lucky for you your skin is thick."

That comment completely broke down Simmons' psychological defenses, and he walked towards Roger furiously, shouting with a fierce expression, "The truth, the truth, I'm going to diss you!"

Andrae immediately stepped in front of Roger; he wouldn't allow anyone to harm Roger.

This former pushover finally toughened up tonight.

The enraged Simmons violently pushed Andrae, and the other members of Block High School immediately confronted him, causing chaos at the scene.

In the end, Simmons, who had pushed someone, was ejected by the referee. Isidore Newman School, already trailing by 12 points and having lost a starting player, saw their morale plummet.

At this time, the usually composed Randy Livingston asked Coach Tony Rile, "What do we do now?"

Although he didn't want to admit it, Tony saw a hint of panic on the face of his ace player.

At that moment, Tony knew.

His ending would be no different from that of the Kentucky Wildcats in '66.