In 1995, China did not have the National Day holiday. The National Day holiday officially began in 2000, on October 1st.
Therefore, He Ximeng and the basketball team maintained their training rhythm until October 7th!
On the morning of October 8th, He Fengting made He Ximeng a lavish breakfast, a send-off meal, hoping his last national competition of his high school career would go smoothly and without regret.
He Fengting had always supported her son playing basketball. She believed that boys should at least have one sport they are passionate about. Sports can make boys more sunny, more resilient, and possess a greater spirit of striving!
This is the best shaping of personality and character for boys during their growth.
Of course, He Fengting, like most mothers, couldn't help but think that playing basketball had to be balanced with academics. The He Ximeng of the past achieved this, but the current He Ximeng would likely disappoint his mother.
He Fengting rambled on, giving many instructions, always revolving around "When you're away from home, be sure to take care of yourself, pay attention to safety, hygiene, and avoid conflicts with others..."
"Okay, Mom, I understand. The team bus will be here soon, I have to go!"
"Alright, alright! Don't be late, here's your luggage!"
He Ximeng took the travel bag from his mother's hand, gave her a hug, and turned to leave. However, his mother pulled him back.
"Wait, wait, looking at your back, I feel like you've grown taller again these past few days?"
Saying that, He Fengting, without further ado, directly pulled He Ximeng to the height chart and measured him.
"Indeed, you've grown three more centimeters, you're 1.88 meters now..."
"Really? That's great!" He Ximeng knew very well that the taller he was, the greater his chances of becoming a professional player in the future.
"When you were little, I always wished you'd grow a bit taller, a bit taller. Now, look, you just keep growing..."
"Keep growing, the taller the better!"
"Oh dear, that's enough! You're already 1.88 meters, you can't grow any more, or it'll be hard to find a wife..."
"Uh... Mom, don't worry, no matter how tall I grow, I'll bring you back a wife! Maybe even a blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreign wife..."
"Stop joking! The college entrance exam is approaching, focus your mind on your studies..."
"Uh... Didn't you bring up the topic..." He Ximeng saw that his mother was about to get carried away again, so he quickly grabbed his bag and ran.
After waiting downstairs for about five or six minutes, a brand new bus slowly drove up.
In the past, when they went on trips, the team would buy tickets themselves and share a bus with other passengers, then claim reimbursement with receipts after the game.
This year, thanks to "Third Master" successfully securing sponsorship from the Zhang Group, the Zhang Group directly provided a large Jinlong bus for pick-up and drop-off.
He Ximeng squinted and saw: "Damn, it's a 45-seater..."
This is awesome! The seat tickets directly turned into reclining berths. Enough for everyone to occupy three seats and lie down for the journey.
Cui Pangzi called He Ximeng to get on the bus quickly. This time, the Zhuzhong basketball team, under the leadership of "Third Master," sent 15 people to compete in the Zhejiang regionals of the national competition.
In addition to the 12 official players, there were also two auxiliary personnel, Cui Tianci and Zhang Tianai.
To support the Zhuzhong basketball team, the Zhang Group not only provided the Jinlong bus but also filled the luggage compartment underneath with all sorts of high-energy snacks and energy drinks. Most of them were relatively rare Dove chocolates and Red Bull drinks at the time, packed by the box, drink as much as you want!
He Ximeng was a little worried that some of the kids might get diarrhea from eating too many snacks, or be unable to sleep at night from drinking too much Red Bull. So, he reminded "Third Master" to strictly control everyone's food intake. It would be too funny if they had to withdraw due to non-combat reasons from overeating.
This year's Zhejiang regional preliminary round of the National Competition was held at the Hangzhou Sports Center!
Although it's called a preliminary round, all the teams that qualified for the Zhejiang regional preliminary round were the champions and runners-up from various cities and prefectures!
Zhejiang Province has eleven cities and prefectures: Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Lishui, Taizhou, Jinhua, Quzhou, and Zhoushan.
In the provincial selection competition held earlier, 22 champion and runner-up teams from various cities and prefectures first competed, and the top 12 qualified for the preliminary round of the National Competition.
Among them, Taizhou, Lishui, and Shaoxing, with relatively strong basketball foundations, each had two teams selected into the top 12 of the provincial selection competition.
They were:
Hui Pu Middle School, champion of the Taizhou High School League, and Tian Tai Middle School, runner-up of the Taizhou High School League.
Jinyun Middle School, champion of the Lishui High School League, and Yunhe Middle School, runner-up of the Lishui High School League.
Zhuji Middle School, champion of the Shaoxing High School League, and Caota Middle School, runner-up of the Shaoxing High School League.
In addition, there were six other teams:
Hangzhou No. 4 High School, champion of the Hangzhou High School League.
Ningbo No. 4 High School, champion of the Ningbo High School League.
Ouhai Middle School, champion of the Wenzhou High School League.
Changxing Middle School, champion of the Huzhou High School League.
Qingxi Middle School, champion of the Jinhua High School League.
Tian Jia Bing Middle School, champion of the Zhoushan High School League.