Su Pan himself hadn't expected it.
One dunk. That's all it took — and Buckeyes's starting center, Charles, completely surrendered.
He folded faster than Russell when his girl checks his DMs.
And now the guy wanted to be his apprentice?
"What the hell is going on?"
Moments later, the facility staff rushed in.
They stared at the collapsed rim and the snapped stanchion with deep frowns, then got to work on repairs.
Su Pan scratched the back of his head sheepishly and glanced at Holtmann.
"Uh… Coach? Sorry about the backboard. I didn't think it was so weak—I just yanked it a bit…"
"Do I need to pay for it? I'm kinda broke, but maybe you could put it on D'Angelo's tab?"
Russel's head snapped around, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Excuse me? What?!"
"You broke the damn basket…"
"And I gotta pay?! Bro, are you serious right now?!"
But coach Holtmann raised a hand with a laugh.
"No worries!"
"It's just a backboard. We'll take it out of the program budget."
Instead of being angry, Holtmann looked genuinely thrilled.
After all, backboard-shattering dunks weren't something you saw every day—even in highlight reels.
It was raw power, the kind that completely broke an opponent's will.
Imagine this happening during a real game.
The psychological damage alone would be devastating.
Holtmann couldn't stop staring at Su Pan now.
The more he looked, the more he liked what he saw.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Buckeyes were buzzing with excitement.
Most of them had only seen this kind of thing in old YouTube clips — Shaq breaking rims, Darryl Dawkins smashing backboards.
Now they'd witnessed it live.
Su Pan had become a living legend in under 10 minutes.
While the staff worked on repairs, players swarmed Su Pan with awe, showering him with questions and touching his muscles like he was some mythical creature.
Su Pan had to step back, a little weirded out.
"Y'all seriously trying to cop a feel right now?"
Even Russell walked over, gulping with a stunned look on his face.
"Su… how the hell did you do that?!"
"Bro, you just ripped down two backboards tonight!"
Su Pan shrugged casually.
"I dunno… I just dunked. Pulled down a bit and… yeah. It broke."
Russell froze.
Was this dude even human?
He really had turned this tryout into his own personal flex session.
Over on the bench, Charles sat in a daze.
He still couldn't believe what had happened.
He was 7'1", 220 pounds — and yet Su Pan had launched him across the court like a traffic cone.
Holtmann noticed his expression.
He blew the whistle, calling everyone into a huddle with a serious face.
"That's it for the tryout. I've made my decision."
Su Pan looked up with anticipation.
Holtmann turned to his assistant—his own son, Chris Holtmann Jr.
"Remind me, we still have one full scholarship spot left, right?"
That one sentence made the entire team go still.
Every NCAA player knew what a full-ride scholarship meant.
Not every scholarship athlete plays in March Madness…
But every March Madness player is a scholarship athlete.
Holtmann Jr. nodded.
"Yeah, there's still one spot open."
Coach Holtmann didn't hesitate:
"Get the paperwork ready tonight."
"That final scholarship goes to Su Pan."
"Once the basket's fixed, he's suiting up with the team."
"Dismissed!"
The team was stunned.
Holtmann had just made it official — Su Pan would be part of the March Madness rotation.
After the announcement, a few of the team's veterans approached Holtmann.
Not out of spite toward Su Pan — but out of genuine concern.
March Madness is sudden death — single-elimination. One mistake and your season's over.
Bringing in a completely new player this late in the season?
It could throw off months of chemistry and game planning.
Coach Holtmann narrowed his eyes at them.
"I know what you're thinking."
"That's why we need to get Su Pan up to speed—fast."
"But answer me this…"
"Name one big man in the NCAA who could stop him one-on-one in the post?"
Everyone fell silent.
They mentally reviewed this year's top centers:
Karl-Anthony Towns? Too skinny—he'd get bulldozed.
Jahlil Okafor? Bad vertical, terrible foot speed.
Frank Kaminsky? You've got to be kidding.
No one had an answer.
Holtmann's smile returned.
"Exactly."
"Su Pan is going to blindside every team in March Madness."
At that moment…
Holtmann was more excited than any of his players.
March was coming.
And Su Pan was about to burn it all to the ground.