Jason Sierra kept trying to rile up Yuuto, but Yuuto never took the bait. Instead, Yuuto's relentless defense wore down Sierra's patience.
He completely forgot his coach's warnings and went straight to attacking.
But he lacked absolute speed and the explosive power to force his way through. He was best in pick-and-roll situations, but USC's screener couldn't shoot.
This meant Yuuto didn't need to worry about Sierra's kick-outs.
Yuuto kept his center of gravity low, giving Sierra a step of space—leaving himself enough reaction time and room to recover.
Sierra started feeling the pressure.
Even in NCAA, not every player was gifted at every position.
All shapes and sizes, fast and slow—there was always a spot for everyone.
And those prospects with NBA-level talent? They either didn't play defense or didn't know how.
So even if they had higher ceilings than Sierra, they couldn't stop him in the moment.
But Yuuto was different.
He was complete—no weaknesses. The Bruins' coach had known this from the start.
Soon, Sierra was forced into another contested mid-range shot under Yuuto's smothering defense—his weakest area.
Clang~
Another brick. Yuuto had defended Sierra successfully again.
The Bruins pushed in transition. Yuuto sprinted to the frontcourt.
Captain Morris wanted to score himself but saw Yuuto pointing skyward, calling for the ball.
It made him uncomfortable.
He had a one-on-one situation with a good chance to score.
But not passing on a two-on-one opportunity would make him look selfish and uncoachable.
Worried about public perception, he reluctantly threw the ball toward the rim.
Except he didn't fully commit—the pass was terrible.
But that couldn't stop Yuuto. He'd already read his petty captain's intentions.
As he leaped, Morris's pass veered away from his body.
Just when fans thought this possession was wasted—the airborne Yuuto, seemingly off-balance, extended his arm at full stretch to snag the ball.
In that moment, the balance and flexibility he displayed mid-air shocked the entire arena.
"Bruins on the break!"
"Three-on-one at the other end!"
"Morris passes—alley-oop..."
"Overthrown!"
"Wait—Yu! He actually caught it! And finished through contact while completely off-balance!"
"My God, this young man has the kind of core strength every man dreams of. I bet his girlfriend never thinks about other men!"
The commentator was cheeky as hell.
But the Bruins fans didn't mind.
Yuuto's play was just too incredible.
No technique—just pure talent. His body was like putty, moldable into any shape mid-flight.
Morris was stunned too.
He never expected Yuuto could catch that pass, let alone finish it.
After landing, Yuuto shouted, "Great pass, Captain!"
This guy was devious.
Anyone with eyes could see how bad that pass was. Yet Yuuto praised it publicly, making Morris look even worse by comparison.
Of course, Yuuto wasn't genuinely praising that scrub.
He wanted everyone—especially UCLA fans and the head coach—to see exactly how big the gap was between himself and Morris.
Never underestimate the power of fans.
Throughout history, many coaches had been fired and players traded because of fan pressure.
Fans were the lifeblood of the program.
NCAA's revenue was insane. Not counting broadcast deals, ticket sales alone generated around $20 million annually.
That money went to the schools—players didn't see a penny. They didn't have to pay player salaries.
So naturally, keeping fans happy was priority number one.
Besides, Yuuto was clearly UCLA's most talented player. If other players deliberately froze him out, they could expect to be glued to the bench.
Yuuto shouted that loud on purpose—to amplify the issue.
The reason he used praise? To maintain appearances while making his point.
To this day, some clueless Americans still thought every Chinese person was humble and modest.
Of course, to truly establish himself as the team's alpha, he needed even better performances.
Yuuto's defense intensified.
His Weakness Correction activated again, making him increasingly effective against Sierra.
Sierra's position kept getting pushed further from the basket.
Finally, he was forced into another jumper—the shot he was worst at.
This caught the commentators' attention.
"Unbelievable—Yu has Sierra completely neutralized!"
"Sierra is frozen! Totally locked down!"
Clang~
Another miss. Bruins ball.
Yuuto's excellence earned his teammates' trust. His talent was undeniable.
As teammates spaced the floor, he found an opening with a sharp cut and drilled a catch-and-shoot three from beyond the arc.
His third consecutive three-pointer.
USC's coach immediately called timeout.
"Trap him! Don't give him any space to shoot!"
He was practically screaming.
This Asian kid was causing his team serious problems.
Meanwhile, Steve Alford easily predicted the opponent's adjustment.
"Get Yu the ball. Let him make plays. Trust your teammates."
This wasn't hard to figure out—Yuuto had hit three straight threes. Only an idiot would keep leaving him open.
Yuuto nodded. After the timeout, he delivered a pass that sliced through the defense for an easy basket.
USC's coach scratched his head.
NCAA had plenty of talented players, but someone this young with this level of maturity—who could score, shoot, defend, and pass—was rare.
He reminded him of Jahlil Okafor, the "Perfect Prospect."
Okafor possessed basketball IQ and skills beyond his years.
But Yuuto was even more of a headache than Okafor.
On the final possession of the first half, Yuuto had the ball facing a trap.
He pump-faked a pass, froze the defenders, then glided into the lane.
He finished with a fadeaway jumper.
This shot left the Los Angeles crowd mesmerized. Someone in the stands started a chant that spread through the arena:
"Asian Kobe! Asian Kobe!"
...
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