Chapter 135: Anchoring Pin

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Art students all cherished their hands, so they tended to avoid participating in sports like basketball which allowed for them to be easily injured. The animation department’s team wasn’t the only one that had been forcibly made.

The four departments under the animation and media faculty all had relatively small numbers of players on their basketball teams. Only the photography department had a select few strong pillars and did not care as much for their hands, so they were much laxer on the recruitment process.

The animation department had the least, maxing out at six players.

The first match was against the web development and gaming department, which had eight people.

Based on body height and size, the web dev department possessed an advantage. There were two people above 180 cm, both of them seemingly very built.

The two teams warmed up on opposite sides of the court before the kick-off. The web dev department’s team had one person throwing the ball towards the backboard while another member would jump up and dunk it against the backboard. The people behind formed a line that followed, jumping when it reached their turn. It was proper and induced the cheers and screams from the web dev spectators to the side of the court.

One of the 182 cm tall boys wearing the No.3 jersey cooly made a beheading action with his hand at the animation department as he received the ball during a 180 turn in mid-air. It attracted another wave of screaming. Youthful air was everywhere.

“Come, time to learn some names.”

After an average warm-up session, senior Ah Ning took out his clipboard and called the six players. Calling mainly to the five players excluding Meng Fan. “I’ve told you guys about their team’s situation beforehand, so let’s recall some names. The guy who just made that neck cut action at us, Number 3, is the new freshman. He is a bit arrogant and likes to make breakthroughs. He’s not bad at making fouls either, so when you defend, pay attention to him. Everything else should go according to our existing plan.”

“The other freshman to watch out for is number 9. He has an average build, so there’s no need to target him with a special guard. It’s not like we would get results anyways. In addition, there are two seniors that you should also watch out for, number 11 and number 23…”

The words Meng Fan kept hearing from the side was “handle according to our existing plans”. He had no idea what this “plan” was.

It’s not that senior Ah Ning didn’t want to tell Meng Fan, but because it was useless to tell him anyway. Meng Fan only had one task; to score while the opposition was unprepared.

“OK! Our goal for the first half is to even the score within ten points. When we get to the second half, you’ll know what to do.”

Senior Ah Ning clapped his hands and then smacked the ass of all 5 starting players before they went on court.

The morale of the team was alright. After all, they had Meng Fan as their trump card.

As for the ass tapping… It is what it is. At least senior Ah Ning wasn’t dressed as a girl.

The game was divided into the first half and second half, each taking 20 minutes.

Maybe it was because of their calm mentality that 10 minutes after kick-off, the animation department managed to maintain an even score of 12 points against the much stronger web dev team.

The web dev. Development’s number 3 had great burst indeed. However, his hit rate after his pop off was not high.

On the contrary, the performance of a junior in the web dev department was more eye-catching. Although he didn’t get much ball possession, he also scored 6 points, like number 3.

Ten minutes later, the number 3 jersey became worked up. Maybe because someone else stole his limelight, as each time he got the ball, it was always a solo point. He scored several points, but his turnover rate was also higher.

When the first half ended, the score was 24:22. The animation department was actually 2 points ahead.

When they walked off the court, there was a smile on all the players from the animation department’s team. Senior Ah Ning also gave words of encouragement to each player. The web dev. Side was a different story. Some looked dejected, while others were seething with anger.

“Pick and roll? Do you guys know what that is? One by one all standing like statues, are you columns?!” Number 3 was fuming.

“You’re one to talk, you knew you were about to breakthrough, but you still pushed it! Do you not know how to pass?”

“Yeah, we gave you so many balls, but how many did you score?!”

The other teammates also began to fume upon hearing him.

“Enough!”

The temporary coach from the web dev. Department hollered. He did not dare to talk more smack at this time, squeezing out a smile and said to no.3, “You should pass the ball to Ah Xin more. He has a good feel. As long as he is open, the attention will redirect towards him. Then when he returns it to you, it will be easier to breakthrough.”

No.3 nodded carelessly.

On the animation department’s side, senior Ah Ning rounded up all the players and smiled. “It seems like my guess was correct. That no.3 loves the spotlight, and at this level competition, he doesn’t take it seriously. He is arrogant. When he noticed that no.11 scored more points than him, he began to tilt. If they can’t adjust during this admission, they won’t be able to cooperate in the second half. If we play well, there won’t be a need for Meng Fan to come in. Let’s follow our existing plan. If no.3 still behaves the same in the second half, then 11 will have the opportunity to take the ball.”

This time around, Meng Fan was able to understand some of the plans. In a simple basketball game, senior Ah Ning was able to analyze their human nature and use it to his advantage. This was admirable. He could target one person and bring success to the full team!

It’s pretty terrifying when this top student uses his wit.

After ten minutes of intermission, the second half began. After no.3 received the ball again, he pushed forward on his own, completely turning a blind eye to no.11, who had no defense on him at all.

Score!

No.3 gave a smirk to no.11 and ran back to defend.

No.11 did not look pleased, but seeing no.3 score, there was nothing he could say.

Next, no.3 proceeded to solo three more shots, but none of them scored.

“Give me the ball!”

No.11 angrily snapped at his other teammates.

“Give it to me!”

No. 3 was also screaming.

On the other hand, the animation department remained steady. Unconsciously, they gradually distanced their score.

Time out!

The web dev department asked for a time out.

The break seemed to be effective when the game resumed. But it didn’t take two minutes for them to return to their bickering.

Swap players!

The web dev department’s coach responded quickly this time, straight up replacing no.3, their team’s most optimistic scoring ace.

“You’re too restless. You can go back when you’ve calmed down.” The web dev coach forced another tight smile.

“If they gave me those balls, we would be caught up already!”

No.3 took off his jersey and left.

They swapped him with a person who’s skills were not as good as no.3, but his presence allowed the rest of the team to be more harmonious. Only, for this kind of competition, 50 points were already a great score. Even in a good game, it was not easy to catch up when you’re a dozen points behind.

And they had nobody who could close the gap.

Plus, the animation department had high morale as they began to familiarize themselves as they cooperated with each other. Under the unique command of senior Ah Ning, the teams were now even in skill. Although they had closed in on the points, they still managed to win the game with a 5 points advantage.

At the end of the game, senior Ah Ning was quite nervous. After all, this was an elimination-style game. They’d be out if they lost. He kept staring back at the score. If it had gone within 4 points, he would have sent Meng Fan to play.

But the end did not require it.

“Iron bro, thank you, we won!” The red-haired youth and the other team members all cheered as they looked towards Meng Fan.

Meng Fan was speechless. “I didn’t even play.”

“As long as you’re here, our hearts can rest!”

“You’re our anchoring pin, our secret nuclear weapon!”

“Mr. Iron, you alright?”

“This sentence is pretty hardcore!”

In comparison, the animation department was much more peaceful.