Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 112 I Want to Be Him—The Roof of the World

Shanghai Sports Vocational College.

The Eastern team's headquarters and training base are located here.

The players all live and eat at the school with the team.

The team does not have its own dormitory building; they share a six-story dormitory building with other athletes from the academy.

The room wasn't big; it was a double room.

"My God, is Xiao Wang crazy today? He's training so hard, I feel like my legs are going to break!" Guard Liu Peng entered the dormitory, lay down on the bed, groaned comfortably, and then started complaining.

As he spoke, he propped himself up and looked at Yao Ming sitting opposite him, marveling at him.

"You're young, so you can handle it. Unlike me, I'm almost 30, and I can't deny that I'm getting old."

Liu Peng sighed.

Across from him, Yao Ming smiled. In December, the weather in Shanghai had already turned cool, but after a training session, he was still drenched in sweat, his hair practically steaming.

Liu Peng then asked, "Xiao Yao, the coach went out at noon, probably because of what they said, about your American agent finding you a top-notch trainer from the US?"

This matter has already spread through Liu Wei, Yao Ming's close friend.

Yao Ming nodded.

Zhang Mingji called him and said that the person would arrive today.

Liu Peng lay back down, resting his head on his hands, and said, "I wonder what the trainers in America are like. By the way, when you guys played in the Asian Championships this summer, didn't you get an assistant coach from the NBA's Dallas Mavericks? What was his name again?"

"Jerion Arcana!"

Mentioning this name makes Yao Ming's legs inexplicably start to ache.

In the summer, this person is in charge of daily training, focusing on improving defense.

His training clearly comes from the NBA.

Unlike training in China, which is often fragmented and doesn't feel very intense at first glance, you only truly understand the meaning of intensity once you actually start training.

They practiced so silently that everyone felt like they wanted to die.

"Yes, that's him, Yao Ming. How's he doing? And Coach Wang, didn't he also go to the US to study? He should know about the training level in the US, right?" Liu Peng asked.

In 99, Wang Fei resigned as head coach of the national team due to illness. During that time, he didn't rest but went to the United States to study for a few months before returning last year.

Mentioning Wang Fei made Yao Ming lie down, and he couldn't help but recall a conversation Wang Fei had during summer preparations. Wang Fei had mentioned that he went to the United States and realized that the gap between Chinese and American basketball was enormous.

It's not just about strength, but many other things.

These words actually strengthened my resolve to play in the NBA.

The pool of the Chinese Super League (CSL) is too shallow; Yao Ming wants to go to a bigger place.

"It must be pretty impressive," Yao Ming muttered.

Duffy specifically told Tang Sen to take his visit seriously, saying that Tang Sen was very capable and that if he studied hard, becoming the top student would be a piece of cake.

I turned my head and found that the person opposite me was already snoring.

Yao Ming sighed and was about to close his eyes to rest when suddenly the dormitory door was opened.

The "Little Wang" that Liu Peng mentioned, who is actually the team's assistant coach Wang Qun, barged in.

"Xiao Yao, get ready. The American trainer will be here soon. Hurry up and wash your hair, look at it, it's like a bird's nest. Then change into some clean clothes and go to the gym to wait. Hurry up."

Wang Qun gave a few words of advice and then left in a hurry.

Liu Peng was also woken up. Seeing that Yao Ming was still in a daze, he hurriedly urged him to hurry up and said that he had spent money to invite him and could not be neglected.

Yao Ming then got up and took the basin to the bathroom.

"By the way, how much did you pay for your American agent?" Liu Peng asked curiously.

Yao Ming, head down, rinsed the water and said, "It seems to be 20,000."

"It's not cheap."

Liu Peng pursed his lips.

Yao Ming, the absolute core of the team, has an annual salary that is among the highest in the CBA, at 40 yuan a year.

As for an old player like myself, I only make a little over 100,000 a year.

But that's quite something, I heard they're only coming for a few days.

Earning 2 yuan in three days is quite a lot.

"wrong!"

As he spoke, Liu Peng suddenly realized that the person was from the United States and earned US dollars. Twenty thousand yuan probably wouldn't even cover the airfare.

"Holy crap, twenty thousand US dollars, sixteen thousand dollars, fifty thousand a day, are you crazy?!"

Liu Peng let out a strange cry.

At 50,000 a day, and 365 days a year, that would be 16 million!

"What a swindler!"

Liu Peng cursed, saying that he worked himself to the bone every day and only made a little over 100,000 yuan a year, which was only what others earned in two days.

"Xiao Yao, this trainer is so expensive, you should prepare a camera and record everything, otherwise it's a huge waste," Liu Peng suggested.

His idea was actually thought of by Wang Qun and Wang Chongguang, the team's leader.

"never mind!"

Li Qiuping, who had already returned, shook his head and said, "It's already good enough that they let us watch. Think about those years when our factory imported foreign equipment. When it broke down, we asked their engineers to fix it, but they would hide it and not let us see how they fixed it. It was even reported in the newspapers."

"The most crucial thing is that it's not our money that's being used."

If the Eastern team had paid for it, there would be room for discussion and negotiation, but Duffy paid for it himself, which is Yao Ming's own business.

Wang Zhongguang sighed, feeling frustrated, but quickly adjusted his mindset and said, "It's okay, it's just training. We went through the same thing back then."

He was the coach of Li Qiuping and Wang Qun, so he had a better understanding of the basketball environment in China in the early years.

Li Qiuping said with a wry smile, "That's true, but we also have to admit that there is indeed a gap between us and others, and the gap is not small."

The topic was rather heavy, and the three of them didn't delve any deeper into it.

At 3:30, Tang Sen arrived at the Sports Academy.

Li Yaoming was present, and even a leader from the college came out to receive them.

"Where's Yao Ming?" Tang Sen was more concerned about his work.

At the basketball court, Tang Sen met Yao Ming.

I had seen the video before, but seeing a 2.26-meter giant in person was still awe-inspiring.

Tang Sen's first impression confirmed his suspicions: his wingspan really wasn't long.

With his arms hanging down, they only reached his hips, far from the exaggeratedly long arms of those NBA players who can almost reach their knees when they stand there.

And the hands, too, look small at first glance.

He seems to be quite similar to Brown.

The problem is, Brown is only 2.11 meters tall, and his hands are already small.

His build and the size of his hands are really just average.

Having small hands can easily lead to a problem: ball control is harder to practice, especially for taller players with a high center of gravity. It's really difficult to develop the ball-handling skills of a guard like Nowitzki.

Apart from that, the issue of the proportions between the upper and lower body is no longer a big deal.

"Hello there!"

Tang Sen stepped forward, looked up, and greeted Yao Ming.

"Hello."

Yao Ming looked a bit shy, just like Brown back then. He hesitated for a moment before quickly shaking Tang Sen's hand.

"If it's convenient, shall we chat for a bit first?"

Tang Sen's Chinese is sufficient, and he can communicate without any problems.

At first, Tang Sen wasn't in a hurry to do anything.

Because of the time difference, today is still the 10th in China.

Tang Sen had planned out three days in total, and today was dedicated to gaining a comprehensive understanding of Yao Ming's basic information.

The next day, Tang Sen planned to train with the team to observe Yao Ming's training progress from all angles.

On the third day, the 12th, we watched another of his games. Then, just like with McGrady's training, before practice began, Tang Sen still needed to find out Yao Ming's own thoughts.

Yao Ming subconsciously looked up and glanced at Li Yaoming, Duffy, and the others.

"Please go out first."

Without wasting any words, Tang Sen gestured for everyone to leave.

Duffy didn't have much to say; he knew training was a very private matter, and he readily agreed and left the gym.

Li Qiuping shrugged at Wang Qun, thinking to himself, "You see?"

Li Yaoming was unwilling to leave. He stepped forward to argue, but met Tang Sen's unquestionable expression, cursed under his breath, and could only turn and leave.

As soon as they stepped outside, Li Yaoming started complaining, saying that Tang Sen was arrogant and secretive.

With Duffy and the other two still present, and fearing it might have a negative impact, Li Qiuping whispered, "It's alright, we can ask Yao Ming later, it'll be the same."

Li Yaoming then stopped, turned his head to look at the stadium, and asked curiously, "What does he want to talk about? Why is he avoiding people?"

"Who knows? As long as it benefits Yao Ming, that's all that matters."

Li Qiuping took it in stride, since the ultimate goal was to improve Yao Ming's level.

Inside the stadium, Tang Sen didn't just chat idly; he picked up a basketball from the side and dribbled it.

The feel is so-so.

He tossed it to Yao Ming and said with a smile, "Shall we have a shooting contest?"

Tang Sen noticed while watching the video that this big guy had a good shot.

Yao Ming said "Oh," not knowing what Tang Sen was going to do, and dribbled the ball to ask how the game was going to be played.

"How about we see who misses first?" Tang Sen chuckled and casually tossed the ball.

Hollow into the net.

Yao Ming nodded, raised his hand, took a quick aim, and threw the basketball.

Tang Sen observed silently.

The shooting form is the straight-arm shot commonly used by big men, with a high release point and a fairly standard form.

The ball went into the net with a thud, and the ball was deliberately placed at a position about the same distance from Tang Sen.

"not bad."

Tang Sen nodded slightly, strolled over to the basketball, jumped slightly, and scored with a straight-arm hook shot.

Yao Ming dribbled forward, jumped lightly, and scored with a hook shot.

The wrist is very flexible, and the force it exerts feels very comfortable, much gentler than Brown's.

Brown's hook shot is so accurate; it seems like he's just practiced like crazy, with system-generated bonuses forcibly applied to his skills.

His hands aren't exactly the most delicate.

"How old were you when you started playing basketball?" Tang Sen took the opportunity to start a conversation, then spread out a bit and took a shot off the backboard from the waist of the penalty area.

"9 is old."

Yao Ming followed Tang Sen's example, took a peek, and scored with a layup.

Tang Sen asked this question intentionally, wanting to know if Yao Ming had any childhood training.

Aside from a very few prodigies like Tracy McGrady, it's definitely better to get professional basketball training as early as possible.

Some things, such as physical flexibility and coordination, are said to be innate, but they are also related to a lack of relevant training in childhood.

Next, while shooting, Tang Sen asked Yao Ming about his perception of his technical deficiencies.

I could tell that he had some self-awareness, but it wasn't clear enough.

For example, he felt that he was not strong enough. Sometimes when he encountered strong opponents, even if he could stand firm, he still could not stop them.

Then there's the issue of insufficient defense, inadequate passing, limited offensive options, and poor footwork in the low post.

"You're quite modest."

Tang Sen smiled and hit the target from a distance of about 16 feet.

This is what Tang Sen meant when he said that he had some understanding, but it wasn't clear enough.

For example, if the coach says that his defense is not good, his passing is not good, and he needs to enrich his offensive skills, he will simply accept that.

Humility is one aspect, but the most fundamental problem is that he doesn't know how good is considered good.

It may also be related to the fact that the league he plays in is too low-level.

If your opponent is weak, you won't be able to unleash your full potential!
How do you know if your skills are sufficient?

However, Tang Sen did not delve into this point.

Even if we talk, we can't really understand it. We still need to observe daily training and matches, and find the problems using our own standards.

Yao Ming's standards are no longer sufficient.

Tang Sen took a step back, moved to the three-point line, and pulled up for a three-pointer, which went in.

The video shows that he can shoot three-pointers.

"By the way, do you have an idol, or rather, who do you want to become?"

Yao Ming glanced at the three-point line, stepped back outside, dribbled, aimed, and then shot.

The basketball bounced off the rim and went into the net with perfect accuracy.

Tang Sen nodded secretly, having already noticed that he had a good feel for shooting and was talented.

Yao Ming hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, it's Lithuanian star Arvydas Sabonis."

"He."

Tang Sen certainly knew him.

This guy, who once led his team to defeat the US team and even got the Trail Blazers' team doctor to say he should be eligible for a disabled parking spot, is a tough guy. He's tall, strong, and technically versatile. He can attack in the low post and stretch the floor to the three-point line.

He can pass the ball, block shots, jump and leap – he's capable of anything on the court.

Nickname—Roof of the World!
"Do you want to be like him?" Tang Sen continued shooting, hitting another three-pointer, and landed with a smile: "Becoming like him is not an easy thing."

Yao Ming pursed his lips, dribbled the ball a couple of times, but didn't shoot.

He gripped the ball, suddenly looked up, and asked as if he had mustered his courage, "Mr. Tang, Bill told me that you are the best trainer in the NBA. If I want to become like Sabonis, can you help me achieve that?"

His eyes were firm.

Tang Sen also stopped, looking surprised.

At first, judging from Yao Ming's reaction and his manner of speaking, Tang Sen felt that he was a shy and introverted person.

But at that moment, Tang Sen suddenly felt that he might have misread the situation.

This kid may be introverted, but he seems to be very thoughtful, or rather, very smart, and knows what he wants and has a strong desire to get it.

Tang Sen felt this trait was very important.

It feels like Brown is missing something.

Brown certainly has ambitions, such as wanting to provide a better life for his family, but he seems to be more easily satisfied.

Yao Ming's personality is more resilient, like those successful entrepreneurs who have clear goals and are willing to work hard for them at any cost.

This kind of personality actually makes it easy to succeed.

Tang Sen felt a little relieved.

Before coming, Tang Sen's biggest fear was that Yao Ming would be lazy and lack self-discipline.

If the painting is like this, then no matter how good the training plan I make for him is, it will be useless.

Coming to his senses, Tang Sen smiled and said confidently, "Of course I can, but what about you?"

A glint flashed quickly in Yao Ming's eyes.

He turned around and shot the basketball without hesitation.

The basketball pierced through the heart of the ball, bouncing away on the floor with a series of thuds.

"I can do that too."

Yao Ming turned his head, his gaze unusually firm.

(End of this chapter)