"Box out first! Then grab the board!"
He Ximeng immediately reminded the two big men under the basket, telling them not to just stare at the ball. The most important thing about grabbing rebounds is to secure your position against the opponent, especially for defensive rebounds.
Hearing He Ximeng's reminder, Yan Hui immediately withdrew his gaze and sealed Yu Chu's position. Feng Chen then successfully secured the rebound!
"That's more like it! Teammates need to cooperate, don't just grab blindly!"
He Ximeng said as he took the ball from Feng Chen.
This time, Tang Chenfeng didn't need He Ximeng to remind him. He immediately sprinted down the sideline, attempting another fast break against Caota Middle School.
However, Caota Middle School was also a strong team. After just being scored on, their defense was very quick this time.
He Ximeng faked a pass and, seeing no opportunity on Tang Chenfeng's side, decided to play it safe. He advanced the ball himself, setting up for a half-court offense.
Half-court offense is the true test of tactics and the chemistry between players.
He Ximeng called for Yan Hui to come to the high post for a pick-and-roll. However, Yan Hui's first screen was of low quality and was easily broken by Chen Qiudao.
He Ximeng retreated with the ball and called for a second screen!
This time, Yan Hui left no space for Chen Qiudao, blocking the opponent tightly and allowing He Ximeng to easily penetrate inside the three-point line.
Yu Chu immediately shifted to provide help defense. Along with Yu Chu, the defensive player responsible for guarding the right corner, Wang Yonggang, also collapsed. It was Wang Yonggang's quick defensive recovery that had disrupted Tang Chenfeng's fast break earlier. Now, seeing He Ximeng breaking in, Wang Yonggang, according to the head coach's defensive instructions, immediately rotated to trap the penetrating point guard.
"Yan Hui, catch!" He Ximeng feigned a pass, drawing the defensive attention of Caota Middle School, and then executed a no-look pass to Tang Chenfeng in the right corner!
Although Tang Chenfeng was wide open, he was still somewhat surprised. He had missed both of his three-point attempts in the first quarter, his shot feeling ice cold, and he lacked confidence. Therefore, even though he had spaced himself according to the play, he didn't expect He Ximeng to pass him the ball...
So, after receiving the ball, Tang Chenfeng hesitated for a moment!
"Shoot it! Don't hesitate when you have an open look!"
Under He Ximeng's shout, Tang Chenfeng adjusted his motion and jumped to shoot. However, due to his earlier hesitation, the rhythm of his shot was a bit off. Tang Chenfeng tried to adjust but couldn't get back on track! The ball bounced off the rim.
"Yan Hui, box out!"
"Got it!"
Yan Hui reacted quickly, immediately boxing out Yu Chu, resulting in a "mutual destruction"!
"Rebound!" Yu Chu, while battling with Yan Hui, reminded his teammates to pay attention to the rebound.
Wang Yonggang of Caota Middle School and Chen Qiudao, who had rushed in from the perimeter, immediately responded.
"Don't worry!"
"I've got it!"
...
Just as they thought this defensive rebound was theirs for the taking, He Ximeng darted in from the side, leaped high, and snatched the rebound over both of them!
"Wow, he jumped so high!" On the sidelines, everyone exclaimed in amazement at He Ximeng's vertical leap!
"Is this... still Ximeng?" Cui Tianci, standing by the court, widened his eyes in disbelief. "Isn't he a floor-level player?"
"Could it be that the captain was hiding his true strength?" Chen Feng also looked incredulous.
After grabbing the offensive rebound, He Ximeng passed the ball to Tang Chenfeng, who was beyond the three-point line, saying, "Shoot again!"
This time, Tang Chenfeng did not hesitate. He caught the ball and shot.
Tang Chenfeng's fourth three-point attempt of the game finally went in!
19:20!
"Beep~" The head coach of Caota Middle School called for a timeout.
Since the start of the second quarter, Caota Middle School had not scored a single point, being outscored 7-0 by Zhuji Middle School.
The head coach had no choice but to call a timeout to break Zhuji Middle School's momentum and to devise a reliable strategy for his team to quickly stop the bleeding. Otherwise, in the next possession, Caota Middle School might be overtaken by Zhuji Middle School.
"Shooters must always have confidence in themselves! If you don't have confidence in yourself, how can you expect your teammates to have confidence in you?"
On his way to the bench, He Ximeng didn't forget to high-five Tang Chenfeng in celebration and encourage him to maintain his confidence.
"Understood!" Tang Chenfeng replied crisply, completely convinced. In just a few minutes, He Ximeng had delivered three assists, two of which went to Tang Chenfeng, leading to five easy points for him.
As a shooting guard, who wouldn't want a point guard like this as a partner?
Even if this partner was a bit chatty, spoke in a condescending tone, and liked to lecture... Playing well is the most important thing!
As the key player in this comeback, He Ximeng received a warm welcome from his teammates as he headed to the bench!
After all, Zhuji Middle School's three offensive possessions all came from He Ximeng's assists!
However, as the person involved, He Ximeng showed no smugness, feeling that everything was as it should be.
This was just the beginning!
In his previous life, He Ximeng had been a legendary coach who designed tactics for the league's top superstars, from Iverson to Jordan, from Kobe to Curry, from James to Durant... This level of high school league competition, this level of defensive intensity... In He Ximeng's eyes, there were loopholes everywhere...
The biggest problem now wasn't He Ximeng's inability to pass, but his teammates' inability to keep up with his thinking...
Therefore, He Ximeng had to consciously simplify his game, "teaching" and guiding the tactics at the same time.