As Edward wrote down Snoop's last name, all eyes around him were locked on O.J. Mayo, who was now bringing the ball upcourt.
Westbrook stepped up to guard Mayo.
The moment he engaged, he unleashed aggressive, body-driven defensive pressure.
His fighting spirit blazed, he wanted Barrs watching from above to see him battling Ohio's prodigy, O.J. Mayo, man-to-man.
Mayo was clearly caught off guard. He hadn't expected an unknown UCLA rookie to have such explosive athleticism. Westbrook's aggressive defense was unsettling him, causing his movements to distort slightly.
Still, relying on skill and experience, Mayo found a sliver of space and quickly released a shot, Bang!
The shot missed.
The ball rebounded high in the paint, and Lenny Kuhn immediately tried to push past Snoopy to gain position.
But Snoopy simply lowered his center of gravity, braced, and shifted his hips, blocking Kuhn behind him. He was immovable in the paint.
Small forward Wright easily stepped in, grabbed the rebound, and passed to Westbrook.
"The kid's defensive instincts are solid, but Westbrook is still inexperienced. He rushed too much, if he had been slightly more restrained, Mayo might not have had that shot opportunity."
"Mayo's offensive control is already NBA-level. He can respond effortlessly to defense. Even though that shot missed, he dominated Westbrook's defense. No wonder he's a top draft prospect."
The scouts focused mostly on Westbrook's rash defense and Mayo's offensive prowess.
Edward, however, was impressed by something else.
"Was Snoopy's defensive positioning just a fluke? If not, his defensive intuition is insane," he muttered.
While everyone watched Westbrook vs. Mayo, Edward's eyes tracked Snoopy deep in the paint. Just before Mayo shot, Snoopy turned his back to the basket, rotated his body 45 degrees to the left, and boxed out Kuhn. Simultaneously, Mayo's shot and Taj Gibson drifting on the wing were now behind Snoopy's defensive arc.
In other words, one move had effectively cut off USC's three players from any second-chance rebound attempts.
Talent? Or coincidence?
Edward pondered silently.
Snoopy then set a solid screen for Westbrook inside the three-point line.
USC's white point guard couldn't match Westbrook's lightning speed. When he tried to chase, he slammed into an invisible wall and got completely lost outside the arc.
Meanwhile, Westbrook drove into the paint. His powerful physique launched him like a rocket. He pushed off his legs and flew upward, slamming the ball down with two hands.
Westbrook's physical abilities were now S-tier, top of the top, even surpassing Derrick Rose, another draft favorite.
But his defensive reading remained a concern.
Snoopy expected Westbrook to attract Gibson and Kuhn's double-team and then pass out to Kevin Love.
Instead, Westbrook went straight to the rim. Taj Gibson leapt bravely, missed the block but hit Westbrook's shoulder. The force, combined with Kuhn's body holding, forced Westbrook to land quickly.
Beep!
The ref blew the whistle, calling a USC foul.
Westbrook stepped to the line for 1+1 free throws, making the first earns a second shot. NCAA rules encourage free-throw practice this way.
Bang!
Westbrook missed. Scouts sighed; a strong penetrator without reliable free-throw ability loses much of his impact.
Meanwhile, Snoopy used his core strength to shove Kuhn aside, jumped, and beat Gibson to the ball by half a hand's length, sending it powerfully toward the three-point line!
Edward's jaw dropped. He had been watching Snoopy intently, saw him force Kuhn aside and leap like lightning, and thought, "His wingspan is ridiculous!"
UCLA's Wright caught the ball beyond the arc with no one near him and shot… swish!
A perfect three-pointer.
The UCLA bench erupted. Defensive assistant Nolan pumped his fists and yelled, "Snoop!!!"
Snoopy smiled slightly in the paint, ignoring Kuhn arguing with the baseline ref, and strode back toward half court.
Kuhn thought Snoopy had fouled him, but the ref had a perfect view, Snoopy hadn't pushed; he had used pure core strength, like a surgical blade, to shift Kuhn aside without using his hands.
The scouts debated, without replay, they relied on assumptions: How could a 1.95m kid move a 2.07m big man? He must have cheated!
Edward, meanwhile, scribbled furiously: core strength S-tier, positioning A-tier, screens A-, jumping S-tier, terrifying wingspan, incredible reaction speed. All positives.
If Snoopy were two meters tall, or even 6'6"—Edward would confidently hand this scouting report to any GM.
But he was only 6'4".
This almost ruled out NBA potential. NBA might accept a sub-1.8m point guard, but not a 1.95m center or power forward.
Edward muttered wryly: "What's the point of writing this?"
His gaze shifted to half-court: Mayo still struggled against Westbrook.
Then Taj Gibson set a screen.
Mayo used it to drive into the paint.
Meanwhile, Gibson followed on the other side.
Mayo judged distance, made a split-second decision, and lobbed the ball into the paint. At UCLA's rim stood only the small kid, with Kuhn held back, leaving nearly no rim protection.
He assumed Gibson's dunk was inevitable. No one could stop it.