Family Call

Lian Dao emerged from the bathroom, only to be greeted by flying champagne.

"Damn, that bath was for nothing," he muttered to himself.

Such celebrations were typical after semifinal victories. Both teams' locker rooms were stocked with champagne, but only the winners would truly indulge in it.

Advancing to the NCAA Finals was the next step—a stage where no team could lose. Standing there meant maximum exposure and benefits for the school, significant financial gains, and pride for the players.

Tonight's win was largely attributed to Lian Dao, despite the distraction of the lipstick incident and the locker room gossip.

As the champagne showers targeted Lian Dao, he initially tried to dodge, but soon realized that avoiding it was futile. His freshly changed clothes were quickly soaked.

Accepting the inevitable, he joined in, grabbing a bottle and joining the celebratory spray with his teammates. The locker room soon resembled a champagne rainstorm.

Eventually, everyone settled on the floor amidst the mess, laughing uncontrollably. They hadn't expected to come this far in the season, even though Lian Dao had boldly predicted their semifinal victory.

Tim cautiously pushed open the door of the dressing room, peeking inside before fully entering. He had opted to remain in his neat suit after the game, avoiding the champagne frenzy.

Grateful for his decision as he surveyed the scene, Tim motioned for Lian Dao. Someone was looking for him.

Lian Dao stood up, drying himself with a towel, and followed Tim out of the locker room.

Waiting for him were NBA scouts, including the Grizzlies scout he had seen before, along with representatives from the New York Knicks, Oklahoma Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Timberwolves, and Warriors.

Given his current form, Lian Dao was a top prospect likely to remain within the lottery picks, even without playing a minute in the finals. The teams were here to discuss Lian Dao's aspirations and arrange trial training sessions.

After chatting with the scouts and returning to the locker room, Lian Dao found DeMar and Gibson engrossed in draft discussions.

Both were poised to enter this year's draft with promising prospects. The ripple effects of Lian Dao's resurgence were becoming evident.

Gibson's draft projections had already climbed into the lottery zone, a significant improvement from his previous life where he was a late first-round pick.

Similarly, DeMar's draft outlook had also seen positive shifts.

As for Vucevic, despite his current draft predictions being modest, he expressed his intention to enter the draft next season, aligning with historical timelines where he was drafted in 2011.

This year, Dwight Lewis also aimed to test the waters and enter the draft. Historically undrafted, USC's strong season made it plausible for Dwight to potentially be selected in the second round.

The draft aspirations of these players reflected USC's impressive performance, setting the stage for their next steps in basketball careers.

In the midst of their discussion, Tim pushed open the locker room door once more, announcing they were heading to a press conference.

Following Tim's lead, Lian Dao suddenly realized that if Dwight also entered the draft this year, only Vucevic and Daniel would remain for the following season. Considering Daniel might also test the waters, next year might see only Vucevic left.

Reflecting on this, Lian Dao couldn't help but wonder how the coach would react to this situation.

...

After the press conference concluded, they returned to the hotel, but DeMar and Gibson headed off to a party.

Lian Dao opted not to join them, as he received a call from China. It was his mom calling.

"Hey, naughty boy, have you forgotten your mother? You've been so busy in college, not even a call home..." Her familiar tone brought warmth to Lian Dao's heart.

"Hey, Mom, sorry about that. It's just been hectic. I miss hearing your voice," Lian Dao replied, trying to appease her.

"Oh, you're just saying that now. Why didn't you call earlier?" Zhao Ruoyun teased lightly.

Lian Dao quickly changed the subject. "Mom, did you watch my game? How was it?"

"Son, your dad and I watched every moment! You were amazing. We never knew you had such talent in basketball! Your grandpa even said you're bringing glory to the country!" Zhao Ruoyun sounded proud.

"How's Grandpa?" Lian Dao's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his grandfather.

One of his regrets from his previous life was not being able to see his grandfather one last time before he passed away.

"He's doing well. He spends his days playing chess with his old friends at the nursing home," his mother reassured him.

As they continued chatting about family matters, Zhao Ruoyun tried to get Lian Guochang, Lian Dao's father, to talk to his son. However, the stern old man pretended to be absorbed in his newspaper, though his ears perked up from time to time, showing he missed his son too.

Their conversation ended with Zhao Ruoyun mentioning a headline on Lian Guochang's newspaper: "Lian Dao NBA Draft Predicted Top 3!"

This news filled Lian Dao with a mix of excitement and anticipation for what lay ahead.