At the same time, as a reward, the principal agreed to grant the basketball team full and open access to the basketball gym! This way, He Ximeng could practice as late as he wanted, and even if he came to practice at 4:30 AM, the security guard wouldn't be able to stop him... Of course, the biggest benefit was the weekends, when He Ximeng could gather his teammates for joint practice sessions.
After all, breaking out of the Eastern Division and reaching the finals of the National Tournament was an opportunity for Zhuji High School to shine in front of the entire nation!
For Zhuji High School itself, and even for Zhejiang basketball and Zhejiang education, it was an excellent opportunity for publicity.
According to Third Master, the principal had already received phone calls of commendation from the Provincial Sports Bureau and the Provincial Education Department, and might even be elected as the Provincial Outstanding Principal of the year.
According to Zhang Tian'ai, Third Master had also received phone calls of commendation from the Municipal Sports Bureau and the Municipal Education Department! Originally, Third Master's name was not on the list for the selection of this year's Best Teacher. Because he led the Zhuji High School basketball team to achieve outstanding results in the Eastern District Finals, bringing honor to Zhejiang Province and Shaoxing City, the Municipal Education Department made an exception and added Third Master's name to the list for the Best Teacher selection...
Unsurprisingly, after the selection of outstanding teachers this year, Third Master would be able to resolve the intermediate teacher职称 (title/rank) review that he had been working on for many years... Of course, there was also a bonus of 200 yuan in prize money...
With the prospect of promotion and a salary increase, Third Master's back straightened. After work, the tasks of picking up children, cooking, and doing laundry seemed to have been shifted to his wife, and he could basically participate in the team's full training sessions... Of course, this was as long as it didn't conflict with his extracurricular tutoring class schedule...
Third Master, who participated in the team's training, maintained his usual style of talking less and observing more, and did not interfere with He Ximeng's training plan. He only occasionally offered a few of his "professional suggestions," urging He Ximeng to "study hard"...
He Ximeng basically accepted Third Master's opinions with humility but resolutely did not change anything.
During this month before the National Tournament, He Ximeng did not add any new tactical training for his teammates! In He Ximeng's opinion, mastering fast breaks, regular half-court offense, zone defense, and appropriately strengthening full-court press training... these tactical fundamentals were already sufficient for Zhuji High School to compete in the National Tournament!
The key during this month was to improve the chemistry between teammates and further enhance the effectiveness of these tactics!
Tactics are not about quantity, but about quality!
During this period, He Ximeng also received calls from Chen Qiudao, Yu Chu, Yuan Zhangyang, Yu Zhibo, Xiao Yu, Fu Zaifeng, Hu Yunlong... and even Liu Yudong! On one hand, his friends congratulated Zhuji High School for representing the Zhejiang region in the National Tournament, and on the other hand, they did not forget to remind He Ximeng not to "embarrass" them in front of the entire nation...
Because the National Tournament would be broadcast live on the Basketball Family channel...
On December 22, 2015, led by Teacher Zhang Yide, the Zhuji High School basketball team boarded the train to Beijing!
This time, the Zhang Group could not provide full escort, as Beijing was too far to drive.
However, to ensure that his twin children received close care in Beijing, Mother Zhang had arranged for the Beijing branch of the Zhang Group to prepare another large Golden Dragon bus. It would be waiting outside Beijing Railway Station and would take the team directly to the venue of this year's National Tournament: the Capital Gymnasium, after their arrival in Beijing...
And so, 12 players, along with head coach and team leader Zhang Yide, team manager Zhang Tian'ai, and assistant coach Cui Tianci, a total of fifteen people, ate instant noodles and sang songs as they embarked on their journey to Beijing by train.
Before leaving, Ms. He Fengting, as usual, pulled He Ximeng aside for a lengthy lecture. Then, before He Ximeng left, she measured his height again: 1.89 meters...
"Oh my! It seems I've grown another centimeter? What are we going to do if I keep growing like this and exceed 1.9 meters? How will I find a wife in the future..."
This year's National Tournament, after the grassroots and divisional competitions, ultimately saw the eight strongest teams in the country emerge from four divisions and gather in Beijing to compete for the final national championship!
Among them, the champions and runners-up of the Eastern Division were Zhuji High School from the Zhejiang region and Nanmo High School from the Shanghai region.
The champions and runners-up of the Southern Division were Panyu High School from the Guangdong region and Dizhi High School from the Hunan region.
The champions and runners-up of the Western Division were Zhengzhou No. 11 High School from the Henan region and Shude High School from the Sichuan region.
The champions and runners-up of the Northern Division were Tsinghua High School from the Beijing region and Shenyang No. 2 High School from the Liaoning region.
The format of the finals was slightly different from the previous two rounds. There was no group stage; it was a more brutal single-elimination format!
The eight teams would be drawn into the upper and lower halves of the bracket.
The winners of the first round would advance to the second round.
The losers of the first round would also continue to compete for positions five to eight.
The quarterfinals would follow the same format: the winners would enter the final to compete for the championship.
The losers would also have one more match to determine third and fourth place.
Wang Zhizhi, the captain of last year's National Tournament champions, Tsinghua High School, and last year's National Tournament MVP, participated in the draw and grouping along with the referee representatives.
Zhuji High School was drawn into the lower half.
Also in the lower half with Zhuji High School were the champions of the Southern Division, Guangdong Panyu High School, the champion of the Western Division, Zhengzhou No. 11 High School, and the runner-up of the Northern Division, Changchun No. 11 High School.
In the upper half with Tsinghua High School were the runner-up of the Eastern Division, Nanmo High School, the runner-up of the Southern Division, Dizhi High School, and the runner-up of the Western Division, Shude High School.
In the upper half, Tsinghua High School stood out alone.
In the lower half, three division champions were placed together, making the competition fierce.
The specific groupings for the first round were:
Tsinghua High School vs. Dizhi High School, Nanmo High School vs. Shude High School.
Zhuji High School vs. Panyu High School, Zhengzhou No. 11 High School vs. Shenyang No. 2 High School.
Tsinghua High School, as the defending champions, played first.
Center Wang Zhizhi, power forward Jiao Jian, small forward Li Nan, shooting guard Chen Lei, point guard Zhang Yun Song.
The Hunan Dizhi High School team was not weak, but facing the formidable Tsinghua, whether in the paint or on the perimeter, Dizhi High School was no match.
On Tsinghua High School's inside, the center position was occupied by Da Zhi, known as the strongest high school player in the country!
Da Zhi was hailed as the strongest high school center in his first year, became the undisputed strongest high school player in his second year, and this year, his senior year, Da Zhi's strength could only have grown stronger...
On Tsinghua High School's perimeter, Chen Lei was a strong defender, and Zhang Yun Song was an excellent organizer...
With both their inside and outside defenses collapsing, Dizhi High School was quickly defeated, failing to advance to the second round.