Chapter 127: The Strongest Lineup in High School

"A single team from Jingtian University has two players selected for the national team's reserve list, and the other three starters have each received invitations from well-known domestic clubs... Are we really facing a lineup like that in the final match?"

Currently, not a single player on the Tiancheng University of Technology basketball team had received a club invitation, let alone a spot on a national reserve list. Yu Manman held her forehead, beginning to contemplate a strategy to face them.

"Hey! Girls, we cannot let them outdo us!" Seeing the cheers and shouts erupting from the Jingtian University side, Lin Ling could no longer sit still.

"One, two, three!" Lin Ling gave the cue to the 520 female fans behind her, known as the "Pink Confidante Group."

"Prince! Prince! Unstoppable force!" "Prince! Prince! Unstoppable force!"

The sudden, tsunami-like roar startled quite a few spectators on the sidelines.

"Whoa—you scared me!" Zhu Di looked at the cheering "Pink Confidante Group" and asked Zhou Xiaoshan, who was standing nearby, "Xiaoshan, your Lin Ling is even more fierce than usual today! ...By the way, is 'Prince' referring to Xiao Er?"

Zhou Xiaoshan shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.

"Prince" was the nickname the "Pink Confidante Group" had given to Geng Haoshi. The naming of his nickname had once sparked a heated public debate among the fans on the campus forum. After several days of intense discussion, two finalists were chosen: "Master Shi" and "Prince."

Supporters of "Master Shi" argued that it shared a clever similarity with "Master Si," a popular character from a hit time-travel drama, which not only capitalized on a trend but also sounded domineering.

Supporters of "Prince" countered that "Master Shi" sounded slightly tacky and carried a sense of "male chauvinism" that didn't fit Geng Haoshi's image as a "peerless good man." They argued that the character "Zi" had been used in ancient times as an honorific for famous figures and sages—like Confucius (Kongzi), Mencius (Mengzi), and Zhuangzi. Thus, "Prince" was not only pleasant to the ear but also carried a certain cultural depth.

In the end, the "Cultural Depth Faction" defeated the "Domineering Faction," and "Prince" became the official nickname. Consequently, Geng Haoshi’s female fans began calling themselves "Persimmon Cakes."

"Prince! Prince! Unstoppable force!" Lin Ling led the 520 "Persimmon Cakes," waving her cheerleading pom-poms while shouting at the top of her lungs. The 520 young women, dressed in pink cheerleading vests and short skirts, waved their arms in perfect unison. Beneath the pink vests, their chests bounced rhythmically, resembling a sea of pink blossoms waiting to bloom.

"Mom and Dad were right!" In the stands, a young man stared intently at the "pink sea," his mouth practically watering.

"Yeah, it’s rare for them to actually be right about something, it’s really..." Another young man, also staring at the sea of pink, was so excited he could barely form a coherent sentence.

These two brothers had been sent here by their parents, who were constantly pressuring them to get married. Hearing that their neighbor's son had met a cheerleader after attending a basketball game, their parents had insisted they visit the East District National Gymnasium to hunt for romance. Much like the grandparents who frequented the stadium to find marriage candidates for their granddaughters, the nation's sports scene had become an indirect solution for some people's dating woes.

"Sports really are a source of infinite merit!" the brothers sighed.

On the court, Jingtian University's number 4 player said dismissively, "Prince? I’m the Emperor’s son!"

"Ignore them. Just focus on warming up; we only need to win this game," said Han Feng, the team captain and number 1, signaling his teammates to concentrate.

"Captain, I heard they’ve been at the bottom of the rankings for years. They’re nothing to worry about." The number 4 player glanced at the Tiancheng University of Technology players warming up on the other side of the court, his disdain clear.

Han Feng looked at him seriously. "That was the past. The fact that they’ve made it to the finals means they’re different now. We cannot afford to underestimate them."

Since the captain had spoken, the number 4 player said nothing more and returned to his warm-ups.

Though Geng Haoshi heard the cheers from the sidelines, his eyes remained fixed on the hoop, his hands repeatedly launching the basketball into the air.

...

"Tweet!"

With the referee's whistle, the final match of the 2017 National University Basketball League officially began.

Jingtian University's starting five were: center Peng Shuai (188cm), small forward Han Feng (186cm), power forward Lu Yiming (189cm), shooting guard Zhang Li (185cm), and point guard Yu Xiaotian (183cm). Han Feng and Lu Yiming were already on the national reserve list and had received offers from top clubs. While the other three hadn't made the national list, they too held offers from major clubs. This lineup was hailed as the strongest in collegiate basketball, and Jingtian University had relied on it throughout the finals to secure the championship. They were determined to take the trophy home in this final battle.

Tiancheng University of Technology's starting five were: center Meng Lang (191cm), small forward Zhu Di (186cm), power forward Sun Peng (183cm), shooting guard Geng Haoshi (170cm), and point guard Zhou Xiaoshan (176cm). Although their average height was lower than Jingtian University's, the tallest player on the court was Tiancheng’s captain, Meng Lang.

As the referee tossed the ball, Meng Lang and Han Feng jumped simultaneously.

"Slap!"