Chapter 159: Lack of Confidence

Everyone at the University of Southern California, from players to students, from coaches to teachers, is looking forward to another clash with the University of California, Los Angeles. It is for revenge and to climb to the top of the championship throne by stepping on the corpse of the mortal enemy.

Deep down, they knew clearly that if they were not facing the Bruins in the final, their city rivals would probably whine and say, "Not being able to beat us is not enough for this championship. It's far from enough." Their stubborn and stubborn attitude was disgusting.

The only way to shut them up is to defeat them in a head-on confrontation and completely cut off the noisy voices of those stupid bears.

I guess Hanfman is the only exception.

Every day, Hanfman prays silently that someone can stop the Bruins in time so that they don't have to fight anymore.

Because Hanfman knows Coach Smith's habits, he often arranges matchups with opposing styles of play to gain an advantage at the tactical level.

In the regular season against the Sooners, he faced off against Alcorta; against the Hawks, he faced off against Polanin; and in the just-concluded U.S. Championship semifinal against the Cavaliers, he faced off against Mitchell Frank - but the Cavaliers also changed their lineup, and as a result, he and Domyan, two power players, faced off against each other.

According to this pattern, when facing the Bruins, it is highly likely that Hanfman will face Gawain.

Hanfman really, really didn't want the nightmare to happen again.

However, the Eagles lost - Kerbert also lost two donuts; the Sooners also lost - Alcorta had no chance throughout the game.

Hanfman, shuddering.

The situation he least wanted to see finally happened. It was really... he wanted to cry but had no tears.

But looking at his teammates who were full of high morale and passion, he couldn't express the fear and entanglement in his heart. He just roared and shouted along with his teammates, continuously clenching his fists and roaring, while deep in his soul he was biting his handkerchief and crying silently.

God, why did he do this to him? "Fight-On!"

This is the battle cry of the Trojans athletic team, short, powerful and passionate. The semi-finals have just ended and they are already eager to step onto the final stage.

Hanfman also cheered along with his teammates.

“Keep fighting!”

“Keep fighting!”

Ambition surged in my chest.

However, after shouting the slogan, Hanfman still left the locker room silently. He wanted to be quiet.

In fact, to some extent, Hanfman was mentally prepared.

After arriving in Athens, Hanfman has played as the first singles player for three consecutive games. He and Saramento are both ranked in the top ten in the United States, seventh and eighth respectively, and their recent status is similar, but Coach Smith still hopes that Hanfman will be more impactful and show momentum in the first singles position.

Therefore, Hanfman also knew the responsibility he shouldered and won all three games.

In the last game against Domyan, he saved three match points, won the second set tie-break with a score of "12:10", and then completed the comeback in the third set.

But when he thought about facing Gawain, Hanfman still felt a little insecure.

Because Hanfman knew that force suppression was his only weapon, but now Gawain was difficult to suppress, and it seemed that he had been reborn in just two months.

To be honest, he wasn't sure.

Looking at the sky of Athens, Hanfman's eyes were a little melancholy.

"Yannick."

Someone tapped Hanfman's shoulder gently from behind, which startled him. He turned his head sharply like a frightened bird and saw the familiar face of Saramento.

Hanfman then realized his gaffe and tried to cover it up, but it was too late.

Sacramento smiled. "Are you worried about tomorrow's game?"

Hanfman didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't deny it.

With a hint of understanding in his eyes, Sacramento joked, "Remember the first time we played an away game in Westwood this season?"

Remember, how could I not remember? At that time, reporters surrounded them and tried their best to promote the upcoming Los Angeles derby. Hanfman and Sacramento were full of confidence.

Among them, Sacramento was so arrogant that he wanted to challenge Thompson. He looked down on everyone except Thompson and was even humiliated by the confrontation between Gawain and himself.

But now?

"Can you believe it? That was just three months ago."

Saramento's words left Hanfman completely stunned, with a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Sacramento did not tease Hanfman, but continued.

"He is a strong opponent, this is a fact, we don't have to deny it, but, Yannick, we are also ready to win the championship."

In fact, Sacramento could see Hanfman's inner struggle. He was not surprised and would not laugh at his teammates, because he himself had stood on the other side of the net against Gawain twice, and he knew what a good opponent Gawain was.

There is nothing shameful about being afraid. Sometimes, fear is the best motivation for growth.

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Instead of exposing Hanfman's embarrassment, Sacramento said, "Yannick, I will volunteer to play first singles against Gao Wen."

"If I'm not mistaken, they should arrange Gao Wen to play first singles."

Hanfman looked at Saramento with bright eyes, and his troubled mood involuntarily calmed down.

"thunder……"

Hanfman called out, but didn't know what to say. Sacramento didn't try to have a heart-to-heart talk with Hanfman, but instead bumped into Hanfman's shoulder.

"This is my last team competition in college, Yannick. I plan to commemorate my perfect college career with a victory and a championship. I will do my best, and you have to keep fighting too!"

It was just a simple sentence, but it was filled with so much emotion that Hanfman's heart was churning:

Even when Sacramento lost to Gawain twice in a row, he did not lose confidence. How could he show weakness? Being timid before the battle was never his style.

Secretly, Hanfman also clenched his fist to cheer himself up, "I will also ask the coach to fight!"

But the slightly trembling voice still revealed his true emotions.

Sacramento raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

Hanfman: ...

Just as he raised his breath, it was shattered.

Saramento laughed happily, which was very different from his usual silent and solitary image. This made Hanfman scratch his head in annoyance, and then he laughed too.

No matter what, they were ready to fight. The Trojans would never give up a fight, let alone facing the stupid bear, their mortal enemy in the same city?

The sky was filled with sunset glow. Sacramento left the training ground and walked towards the hotel where he was staying. However, he inadvertently heard a noise coming from another training ground and looked over with inspiration.

Then, he could see Gawain, who was jogging to recover from training. His sweaty figure was covered with a layer of red glow, and his eyes were full of vitality.

Fourth update.

(End of this chapter)