That year, in the national competition, Zhuji Middle School failed to even break through the Zhejiang league due to He Ximeng's unexpected injury withdrawal. He Ximeng eventually abandoned the unrealistic professional player path and turned to a more practical coaching career… If not for his mother's passing, He Ximeng would have entered the sports university's basketball training program. After graduation, he would have either chosen to join the ranks of sports teachers or persisted in the professional league.
The professional league in China is not easy to navigate. Even professionals graduating from sports universities, once joining a team's coaching staff, have to start as low-level errand boys. From an errand boy, they gradually transition to assistant coach. As for when they can move from assistant coach to head coach of a team, it depends on encountering a benefactor… If he doesn't meet a boss who appreciates him, He Ximeng might never reach the position of head coach in his lifetime…
Currently, He Ximeng is not considering future matters. Because his physical fitness has undergone earth-shattering changes, it means he can still choose to pursue a professional player's career…
“Ximeng, it’s your turn to play!”
Just as He Ximeng was lost in his fantasies, Cui Tianci ran over to remind him.
He Ximeng collected his thoughts, took off his pullover, revealing his number 4 jersey! Yes, in his high school days, He Ximeng’s favorite player was actually Fujima Kenji from Slam Dunk!
Both the core point guard and team captain of Shoyo High School, and in fact, the team's de facto head coach…
“Brother, look quickly! The coach of Zhuji Middle School is on the court!” On the stands, Zhang Tian'ai exclaimed, shaking Zhang Zhenpeng’s arm in surprise.
“I see it! I’m not blind!” Zhang Zhenpeng rubbed his chin. “This game is finally getting a bit more interesting! Zhuji Middle School actually has a coach-type point guard hidden among them?”
“Isn't this a real-life Fujima? So cool!” Zhang Tian'ai was already showing signs of switching her allegiance.
It is said that in Slam Dunk, the characters most popular with girls were not Sakuragi or Rukawa, but Shoyo High School's Fujima Kenji! With a beautiful and gentle appearance, and a stubborn and fierce spirit within, he possessed a fatal attraction for girls!
As a die-hard Fujima fan, Zhang Tian'ai’s eyes lit up, feeling the excitement of a manga protagonist stepping into reality…
“Brother, I don’t want to go back to Huipu anymore, I want to stay at Zhuji Middle School…”
“Uh… Sis, you should at least finish watching the game first… This number 4 is quite passionate on the sidelines, jumping up and down… What if he’s all talk and plays like crap?”
“You play like crap! Look at how cool his jersey-removal action is! He looks like an expert no matter how you look at it…”
“You can tell someone’s playing level from their jersey-removal action?” Zhang Zhenpeng shook his head and covered his face. His sister was usually quite sharp, but when it came to good-looking boys who played basketball, her IQ instantly dropped to zero.
“Fine, you win…” Zhang Zhenpeng decided not to waste any more words. He would first see if this number 4 player from Zhuji Middle School was all hype and no substance, or a rare court commander who combined leadership with playmaking in the basketball world…
High school leagues differ from professional leagues and adopt a format of 4x10-minute quarters. There is a 2-minute break between the first and second quarters, and between the third and fourth quarters. The break between the second and third quarters, which is halftime, lasts for 10 minutes.
Due to the short duration of each quarter and the continuous clock in between, the scores are generally not very high. At the end of the first quarter, Zhuji Middle School only scored 12 points, while Caota Middle School scored 20 points.
In other words, when He Ximeng came on the court in the second quarter, Zhuji Middle School was trailing their opponent by 8 points.
After He Ximeng took the court, he directly brought the ball past half-court and called for Yan Hui, the big man, to come out for a pick-and-roll.
The most favored defensive tactic in Chinese high school basketball is the zone defense! Zone defense is simple and effective, requiring less individual defensive skill. It mainly achieves multi-player trapping effects through the contraction of area defense lines.
The greatest effect of zone defense is to prevent drives! And the most common way to score in high school basketball is through drives to the basket. Therefore, zone defense has become widespread, with basically all high school coaches adopting it.
However, zone defense is not foolproof. The biggest weakness of the zone in leagues is insufficient pressure on perimeter shooters.
Once a team has an accurate three-point shooter, a simple pick-and-roll from the perimeter can create an open shot opportunity!
Another weakness of zone defense is that it is particularly vulnerable to elite point guards!
Because when the defensive traps contract, as long as the ball-handling point guard is capable enough… teammates in the other four positions will have opportunities everywhere…
For example, in the high pick-and-roll that He Ximeng and Yan Hui are executing now, after the pick, He Ximeng can completely step back to the three-point line and shoot directly!
However, He Ximeng is not in a hurry to score himself. His main purpose on the court is to drive his teammates to score, and to show Chen Feng on the sidelines what correct tactical guidance looks like…