"Alright guys, gather up." Coach Wyatt called out, putting an end to the practice.
Since it was the weekend, training was quite a bit harder than their daily routine. It was only now that Ken understood the coach's words back then. Since they were away on tournaments and trained hard on the weekends, the coach limited weekday training to around an hour and a half.
The whole team turned their attention to the coach and headed in. Since it was nearing the end of spring, the sun was hot and everybody was feeling the effects.
Ken made his way in alongside Steve, his curiosity piqued. Usually the coach would just say a few cursory words before sending them on the way, but now he looked like he had something important to say.
Once everyone had gathered, Coach Wyatt nodded and addressed them. "Alright, I'm sure you know that the WWBA National Championship is coming up next month." He said, twirling his mustache.
At these words Ken's ears perked up. He had no idea what the WWBA meant, but the words National Championship were enough for him to know that it was a big deal.
"Our team is pretty much set, so we'll be increasing our training from this point forward. Both us and the 16U teams will be competing over the 5 days, so Coach Henderson and I will be doing joint training sessions from now on."
There was a wave of excitement throughout the team once they heard the news. Generally, the Gladiators only sent 1 of the teams to the National Championship each time, but now it was two.
To be given the opportunity to play on such a big stage, it was the exposure that they needed this close to College.
Coach Wyatt continued, "We'll be flying out in approximately 4 weeks, please make sure that your payments are in at least 10 days prior to us leaving. Failure to do so means you'll miss out on the tournament."
"That is all. Make sure you get plenty of rest, starting tomorrow training will only get tougher." He stated, adjourning the meeting.
The moment he stopped talking, the team broke out into excited chatter. Even Steve who could be a bit sarcastic at times, was wide-eyed and happy.
"Dude, I told you!" He said, slapping Ken on the shoulder.
"Ken, you got a moment?" Coach Wyatt's voice called out, causing both him and Steve to turn.
"Sure." Ken was a little perplexed, but he still went over.
Once they were far enough away, the coach turned to him, his expression unreadable. He let out a pained sigh, as if something was bothering him.
"Man, you've really caused quite a stir." The coach said, causing Ken to raise an eyebrow in question.
"Sorry?"
However, Coach Wyatt let out a small chuckle, patting him on the shoulder. "We weren't originally going to send the 18U team to the WWBA tournament this year… But all that has changed because of you."
"What do you mean?" Ken asked, not knowing what he could have done to cause this.
"Heh. Well, ever since last weekend's regional tournament, my phone has been blowing up from both scouts and coaches. They know they can't talk to you directly, so they're harassing me." Though he said it like that, his face was still wearing a smile.
Ken's mind almost exploded.
'Scouts are interested in me? Already?' He thought, slightly confused. He'd only played a few games at a regional tournament a week ago and he already had so much interest?
Ken usually tried to keep his ego in check, however this news almost caused it to balloon out of control. A big reason why he moved to America was to secure a college scholarship, yet only just over a month had passed and he was already drumming up interest.
"Coach, what do you mean they can't talk to me directly?" He asked curiously.
Ken couldn't be blamed for not knowing the rules surrounding amateur athletes since he was not from the United States. Coach Wyatt then patiently explained to him a few things.
"First off, the NCAA, which oversees most college sports, has strict guidelines on when coaches can contact high school athletes. Since you're a Junior and 18, college coaches can't directly reach out to you until September 1st of your Junior year for Division I schools." He explained, ensuring that Ken was listening properly.
After adjusting his mustache, Coach Wyatt continued, "Secondly, many college coaches rely on showcases, tournaments, and camps to get a feel for a player's skills. While they were impressed by your performance last weekend, the guys I talked to wanted to see more."
He grinned in the next moment, "Which is why we were forced to send the 18U team to the WWBA this year. If we didn't… I don't even want to think about the consequences."
Ken blinked a few times, processing the information. The coach had done well to explain it so that it was easy enough to understand.
"So they can't contact me until September… Are there any rules about me contacting them?" Ken asked, feeling a little hopeful.
Coach Wyatt nodded, "They've already conveniently left their email addresses for you to reach out. Some have even tried booking in some official visits for when September comes around."
"Official visits?" This unfamiliar term sounded rather foreign to him. Why did they need to specify if the visit was official or not?
Seeing Ken looked confused, the coach let out a small sigh. Most kids his age would be well aware of the situation leading up to college, since that was the best way to get to the pro leagues. But since Ken was from Japan, it made sense why he didn't know.
"Well, unofficial visits are basically paid for by yourself and you won't be able to speak to any of the coaching staff. Official visits are paid for by the college and allow you to see and speak to anyone you like. Of course that only comes available after September 1st."