Chapter 11: The Voice of the Dark Horse

##

In the stands, the red and white crowd began to disperse. Some fans, in their excitement, tried to climb over the barriers to rush toward the Oklahoma Sooners' player area. Fortunately, the security acted swiftly, preventing any incidents that might have made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

---

"John, stay in Oklahoma City and keep an eye on the North Carolina Wolfpack's upcoming games."

As the crowd thinned, Randy Finley pondered over the technical statistics displayed on the big screen.

"I need to head to Indiana. This year's draft prospects are intriguing."

Beside him, John nodded with a sly grin. "Sure thing, Mr. Finley!"

---

As night fell, four hours after the game, Wang Song returned to his dorm, taking a hot shower to ease his exhaustion. Sprawling on his bed, he felt the lactic acid surging through his limbs, a testament to the intense game against the number one seed.

"The intensity was indeed higher than the overtime games, but manageable," Wang thought, using a massage gun on his sore muscles, the tingling sensation helping to relax him.

He glanced at his system panel, ignoring the experience points notification, and focused on his overall steady experience points.

**Current Experience Points: 4088**

Despite being mentally prepared, the actual number still made his eyes widen.

"Over 3000 experience points from one game! Not bad."

He then looked at his attribute panel, ready to allocate four new points. Besides athleticism, rebounding, and interior defense, his other attributes still needed improvement.

Reflecting on his recent games, Wang contemplated his allocation strategy.

"Focusing on one area... Got it!"

He decisively added all four points to his post play.

**Player Attributes:**

- **Host:** Wang Song

- **Height:** 213 cm

- **Weight:** 105 kg

- **Athleticism:** 99

- **Rebounding:** 99

- **Interior Defense:** 99

- **Post Play:** 74

- **Post Moves:** 70

- **Mid-Range Shooting:** 70

- **Three-Point Shooting:** 60

- **Playmaking:** 70

- **Perimeter Defense:** 70

- **Steals:** 70

---

Meanwhile, sports media across the nation were in a frenzy. With all games concluded for the day, editors rushed to meet their deadlines, eager to cover the major upset in Oklahoma City.

"Doron, what kind of blurry photo is this? Images are crucial!" barked one editor. "That handsome Asian guy deserves better coverage. Use someone else's picture for tomorrow's front page if you have to!"

"Boss, here's a decent shot of the top scorer," another staffer offered.

---

The following morning, Herb Sendek was up early, eagerly awaiting the latest newspapers at his hotel. He eagerly scanned the headlines:

**"Top Seed in the East Stopped at the Elite Eight, The Rise of the Ultimate Dark Horse!"**

**"Oklahoma Sooners Crushed, Hollis Price's Scoring Not Enough!"**

**"Price: The NBA Is My Stage!"**

"Ugh, ball hog!" Herb muttered, disappointed at not finding the coverage he wanted. Finally, he found a small article about Wang Song in a corner.

**"Following in Yao's Footsteps: The Asian Center Dominating College Basketball!"**

"Just this small piece?" Herb fumed. "These media outlets barely watch the games. They just snap a few photos and check stats before writing."

Frustrated, he tossed the paper aside and sipped his coffee, squinting thoughtfully. "To increase Wang's exposure, we need more victories and a couple of media friends."

Not only did Oklahoma City's sports sections feature the upset, but other local sports papers nationwide were also abuzz with the news. The number one seed's shocking elimination in the Elite Eight was a major topic.

As more places learned about the Oklahoma City March Madness frenzy through newspapers, the buzz grew.

In Miami, Randy Finley skimmed through his morning paper. "North Carolina Wolfpack pulls off an upset, but not much on Wang. These media folks are missing the big picture!"

The Heat's scouting director's eyes sparkled. "Looks like Miami has time."

In Dallas, Don Nelson began his day with the paper, a long-standing habit. As the NBA season neared its end, his Mavericks were playoff-bound, and the remaining regular-season games were more about positioning than qualification.

For the "Mad Scientist" Nelson, confidence was high regardless of the opponent, with stars like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki leading the team.

In this waiting period before the playoffs, Nelson focused on the 2003 draft class. A headline caught his eye:

**"Top Seed in the East Stopped at the Elite Eight, The Rise of the Ultimate Dark Horse!"**

"Hmm? An Asian center? This could be interesting," he thought, dialing a number.

"Donnie! Have the scouts check out the East's March Madness. There's an Asian player who might be as good as Yao!"

His son, Donnie Nelson, was initially puzzled by the unexpected call but quickly prioritized it, instructing the scouts to follow up.

Similarly, in cities across the central United States, many scouting directors were tasked with focusing on the emerging talents in Oklahoma City.

---

In Oklahoma City, the North Carolina Wolfpack celebrated their Cinderella run to the Final Four. They were set to face Butler University Bulldogs, another dark horse who had upset the fourth seed as a twelve seed.

Both teams shared the underdog story, making their upcoming match highly anticipated. Fans were eager to see which team could continue their surprising journey and emerge victorious.

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5 extra chapters on every 100 power stones