Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 12 Small Ball Era
"Ding." The empty court was filled with the sound of shooting. When Yue Gang shot a three-pointer, the basketball hit the basket and bounced very high. After landing, it rolled towards this side of the court.

Chen Fang stared at the basketball rolling over, then watched Yue Gang walk over without changing his expression.

He first stepped on the rolling basketball, and then kicked it when he saw him approaching.

Yue Gang ignored him and stared at Chen Fang with a stern face.

"Good shot!" he said.

"First of all, I want to clarify one thing." Chen Fang answered irrelevantly, "What I said at the beginning was just a strategy. My purpose was definitely not to humiliate the team. I also wanted to see how magnanimous the captain was."

"Oh, do you have a conclusion now?" Yue Gang sat aside naturally.

"It's OK. We can blend in."

"So, you're coming?"

"Of course I'll come. I want to play."

Yue Gang did not respond, but leaned on the second step of the stands and looked up at the blue sky. It was less than five o'clock at this moment, and the east stand was painted golden by the afterglow, and Chen Fang was mesmerized.

"Autumn is almost over." Yue Gang remained lying on his back, muttering to himself towards the blue sky.

"I started playing basketball in middle school. When I grew taller, I thought I was pretty good. I joined the school team in my freshman year. The old captain really appreciated me and praised my potential, saying that I would be the backbone of Dongsheng in the future. I was very confident at the time, but when I was in my sophomore year, the old captain and his team left, and I realized that there were so many people who were better than me."

Chen Fang listened quietly.

"I started training very seriously because I wanted to win, but after losing again and again, I suddenly realized that I just wanted to avoid losing too much."

"After we lost to No. 1 Middle School last year, I went home and locked myself in my room. I felt like I started to hate basketball."

"But I can't quit. There are still so many people in the team. If I leave, the Dongsheng school team will be disbanded."

"So, what you said at the beginning really made me want to jump off the stands and give you a good kick."

"Do you know why you didn't kick me?" Yue Gang sat up and turned to look at Chen Ming.

Chen Fang threw the mineral water in his hand and caught it again.

"I hope I'm a life saver."

Yue Gang grinned, patted the cement block under his butt, pointed at Chen Fang and said, "I think you look like someone."

"Old Captain?"

Yue Gang's smile froze. He looked at Chen Fang for a long time and shook his head: "You are more mature than the old captain."

"Actually, you don't need to tell me your true feelings. You're on the school team. I'm not going to leave now that I'm here!" Chen Fang waved his hands. He had seen too many players who won together. After getting drunk, their true feelings flowed like a river.

There are all kinds of basketball stories. It’s not that he is numb, but Chen Fang knows very well that everyone who likes basketball has a reason to love it.

But there is no need to say it. With action and persistence, everyone will know how much you love it.

"You really don't give me face." Yue Gang sighed and asked back: "Shouldn't I be the one asking you what your plans are?"

"That's right." Chen Fang nodded.

"I want to touch the floor, the floor of the finals."

"So, we have to win the Nanyang High School Championship that is about to begin. Because Nanyang is a county-level city, there is only one spot for Nanyang in the national grassroots competition."

Looking at the stunned Yue Gang, Chen Fang looked at him calmly.

"Chen Fang, have you fought with them? Have you seen any competitions? Do you know how many masters there are in Nanyang?" Yue Gang was not excited, but asked repeatedly.

"To be honest, I haven't watched their current games, so I don't know what level they are at." Chen Fang was very sincere and spoke the truth. Five years later, he will be Nanyang's number one star, and ten years from now, he will still be the number one star.

"So, I understand your ambition. I have had it too. I also know from the game just now that you are very good, the kind of person who is good at playing all over the field. But I want to say that Nanyang is very big and Dongsheng is very small." Yue Gang tried to keep his tone calm. He didn't want to argue with Chen Fang.

"It just so happens that in the next two days, Nanyang's veteran strong teams will organize several friendly matches. Let's go and take a look first, and then plan how to play this year's league. What do you think?"

"Of course we have to watch it, but it doesn't conflict with what we are talking about now."

“No matter how strong I am, I can’t do it by myself, so in the remaining time, I hope there will be some changes in the school team.”

Yue Gang narrowed his eyes slightly, he knew that the main topic had come.

"Captain Yue, don't think too much. Regardless of whether I can achieve what I said, from the current point of view, if Dongsheng wants to achieve a breakthrough, its playing style needs to be modified."

"The team has been without a coach, which shows that the school will not provide any support. Captain Yue, you are the coach, isn't that right?"

Yue Gang's eyes dimmed and he nodded: "After all, we didn't achieve any results. Besides, Dongsheng is a very traditional school. Sports are not taken seriously. It's good enough to give us a court."

"That's okay. The equipment can be shared with the physical education class. This court is enough to support training."

"Back to the point, Dongsheng's style of play is too old-fashioned and lacks vitality. If we want to win, we have to change it."

Yue Gang listened carefully, and Chen Fang continued, "In fact, our level is not bad. Xue Chong can rush, Yang Shan can shoot three-pointers, your support is very good, and there is a big Liu Feng who is more than 1.9 meters tall in the interior. The others all have their own specialties. If we combine them well, we can win many games."

"Just say it directly, don't be euphemistic."

"Okay, I admire Captain Yue's ability." After praising him, Chen Fang finally told his plan: "Play small ball, increase the number of rounds, don't send too many people to attack, and use shooting to kill the opponent."

14 was the year when the big ball era came to an end. In 15, when Kerr began coaching the Warriors, the small ball tactics that were reborn from the run-and-gun tactics stood out in the league. They used a group of players of the same height, confused the sense of position, and used an overall high-attack and strong-defense style to destroy the old system. "We have a group of people between and meters tall. On offense, we insist on seconds or even less to complete the offense. On defense, we use unlimited switching and double-teaming to put pressure on the opponent."

"We can practice the technique slowly, but the most important thing is the thinking."

"If you change your mindset and get out of the old framework, you can win."

"So simple?" Yue Gang felt that he knew the meaning of every word Chen Fang said just now, but when they were put together, he was confused.

"It's not easy. Changing mindsets requires powerful examples and someone to lead by example. Captain Yue, you are the key."

"Okay, as long as we can win, we can change it in any way. I have a few questions I want to know first. What is a small ball?"

In fact, Chen Fang didn't understand the essence of it. Small balls have been popular for ten years, but the domestic game has been complacent. Not to mention the baseball circle, even the national team is still playing the old tricks of horn diamonds.

As a result, the domestic understanding of small balls is still in its early stages.

On the one hand, the European system has a large market in national teams. On the other hand, there are almost no small ball theories and coaches in China.

But after all, Chen Fang is an experienced person, and his understanding of small ball is currently considered to be a tall one among short ones.

After hearing Yue Gang's question, Chen Fang organized his words and said, "You can think of the current NBA run-and-gun as half small ball. Why only half? Because it still emphasizes high center forwards, positional warfare, and possession control."

"The real small ball is that all players are elite players. Everyone must be able to shoot, penetrate and defend. Among the five players, everyone must be able to shoot three-pointers and run into open positions, including the center."

"Among the five players, each of them must be able to control the ball and penetrate. The center also needs to be fast, move faster than the power forward, and be able to shoot from the free throw line."

"The rhythm of the entire game can be summed up in three words - don't stop."

"Isn't that just random beating?" Yue Gang frowned.

"It's not chaos, but it has three heads and six arms, and it has a main body."

"Then who will be the main attacker and who will be the main controller?" Yue Gang thought of a new problem.

"The ultimate in small ball is whoever grabs the rebound gets to advance, and whoever has an open man in front of him gets to shoot. Everyone grabs the rebound, and everyone defends."

"Of course, we can't do it now, but we need to think in a small-ball way. I can say responsibly that as long as we can play like this, the finals are just the beginning."

Yue Gang was stunned. He saw the light in Chen Fang's eyes. At this moment, he didn't know why, but he believed it all of a sudden.

"Okay, there's still a week left, are we in time?"

"That's enough. The Nanyang High School League will last for half a month, and we can train while playing." Chen Fang was very confident.

"Then you tell me what to do and I'll do it." We were already at the bottom, there was no need to hesitate.

"I'll give you the plan tomorrow and you can start training in the afternoon." Yue Gang was straightforward and Chen Fang was naturally efficient as well.

"Let's have dinner together. As the captain, I welcome newcomers." Yue Gang made an invitation.

"I have classmates waiting for me here." Chen Fang didn't want to refuse, but he had become accustomed to Wang Zhen's presence during meals these days.

Liu Jun and Zhen Xin both live near the school. Except for breakfast, they go home at noon and in the afternoon, so Wang Zhen always eats with them.

"Together, Yang Shan will also come later. I can't afford to hire more people." Yue Gang said with a smile. He was in a good mood to meet a strong supporter.

The two packed up their things, and Chen Fang followed Yue Gang. The two came to the exit with the sundries in their arms. Chen Fang then discovered that there was a door in the corridor. After opening it, he found that it was a storage room with a secret layout.

"All the stuff we use for training is placed here. The design of the raised stands required a utility room, but if you're not from the school team, you definitely wouldn't know about this." Yue Gang locked the door and led Chen Fang out.

When I got to the door, I saw it was locked. No wonder no one came in after school.

As soon as the door opened, Wang Zhen appeared. He leaned against the wall next to the door in a daze. When he saw Chen Fang, he shouted, "Chen Fang, how is it? Did you get in?"

"Wang Zhen, my brother." After Chen Fang introduced him, he said to Wang Zhen, "This is Captain Yue."

"Hello!" Before Wang Zhen could even extend his hand, Yue Gang enthusiastically put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Let's go eat together, Luhuapu."

Wang Zhen first glanced at Chen Fang, and when he saw the latter nod, he said, "I am just taking advantage of my brother. Thank you very much."

The three of them were walking on the campus, and Yue Gang chatted, "You don't have to worry about Xue Chong. Although he looks lazy, he actually loves basketball the most."

"Love will disappear if it is not reciprocated." Chen Fang said this for some unknown reason, leaving the two of them speechless.

"I just said it casually. I read that from some crappy book." Chen Fang laughed it off.

"Sometimes you really speak like an adult!" Yue Gang felt that he was very calm, but that was just an act. The more he looked at Chen Fang, the more he felt that although this man looked arrogant on the surface, he was very stable inside and was not surprised by anything.

"I plan to give you a deputy position so that you can come for training." Captain Yue said.

Chen Fang was not surprised, this was what he needed, but he still had to remind Yue Gang: "I am not worried about the issue of convincing the crowd, but the training will be very hard, and I need your help."

"No matter how hard it is, it won't be as painful as losing a game." Yue Gang nodded and agreed.

"Not necessarily!" But Chen Fang only said this in his heart. He didn't want to be a prophet. He also knew very well that in order to realize his plan, he had to drag the Dongsheng school team forward.

He didn't care who would fall behind or what.

The first characteristic of competition is elimination.

(End of this chapter)