Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 151 New Badge [Tag]

As Tang Sen entered the somewhat dilapidated stadium, he heard the sharp sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor in the corridor.

And there was a loud bang!
That should be a dunk.

Inside the stadium, a group of players were having a practice match. A middle-aged white man with messy hair was standing on the sidelines, yelling at the players on the court, completely unaware of Tang Sen and his companion's arrival.

Connors didn't rush over to greet them; instead, he pulled Tang Sen to sit in a corner of the stands.

"Let's go with number 32."

Tang Sen spotted a player immediately.

Tall, with a buzz cut, and slightly thin, but Tang Sen noticed him at a glance because of his aggressive playing style.

I'd guess he's 6 feet 9 inches, which is already the height of a power forward.

However, he is as fast as the wind, and when he rushes forward, he is unstoppable. He can get past people in one step and then ignore the defender to dunk with a powerful reverse layup.

Compared to the players around him, he was not even in the same league.

Connors nodded repeatedly and asked Tang Sen how it was going.

Tang Sen leaned against the stands, observing silently.

When discussing talent, physical abilities go without saying; both dynamic and static talents are fundamental.

Then there's technology, which can also be included in the discussion.

Normally this is the case.

But a few days ago, Tangsen had some ideas because of Brown's whimsical ideas.

I believe that with a system in place, talent can certainly be developed through training.

Therefore, Tang Sen felt that as long as the talent wasn't too bad, with his help in practicing hard, he would definitely be able to make a name for himself.

But Tang Sen only had this wonderful idea.

Or rather, we hope the system has this capability.

Whether it will work or not remains to be seen.

Therefore, in assessing Stoudemire's talent, Townsend decided to stick to the old method.

The static image looks good.

His upper and lower body proportions are good, and his arm span is amazing.

It also has a pair of large hands.

Needless to say, his dynamic ability is amazing, especially his jumping speed.

Tang Sen noticed his second attack.

He dunked on the rim, landed, immediately jumped up, caught the ball, and slammed it down again with incredible speed.

However, he looks a bit thin, so his speed should be an advantage.

Tang Sen recalled Darius Miles, the third overall pick from two years ago, who also had the height of a power forward and the agility of a small forward.

However, Miles is a bit thinner, while Stoudemire has a stronger impact and should be better in terms of power.

But I have what you don't, and based on that alone, Tangsen thinks Stoudemire has at least the talent of a lottery player.

Players who make it into the lottery are generally quite physically gifted, and may even have some outstanding qualities.

"Their technical skills aren't very good."

Tang Sen first pointed out the shortcomings.

Besides dunking, he really can't do anything else.

Connors immediately replied, "You can practice if your skills are lacking. You're here for us."

Why not just replicate Brown's success?

As for high school students, how many of them have skills? Brown was about the same in high school, just dunking wildly. The only thing he was slightly better than Stoudemire was that he also had a good shot.

Tang Sen remained silent, knowing that would be his response.

After watching for a while, Tang Sen said, "He definitely has talent, the key is whether you can sign him."

Others will soar to great heights, and then they won't even look at you.

"How could that be? I'm a partner at BDA now, after all," Connors said with a touch of arrogance.

He has now joined Duffy's BDA company as a partner.

"Most importantly, I have you."

After saying that, Connors leaned closer and said with a smile, "Don, I think any high school player who wants to run for the draft would want to replicate Kwame's success, so as long as you step in, no high school student can say no to you."

Tang Sen laughed, he had no idea he was so influential.

Coming to his senses, Tang Sen said, "I can help you, but I'm very expensive."

Friends should definitely help each other.

However, the necessary training expenses still need to be paid.

Tangsen is even preparing to raise prices.

Let's see how the Magic do it. If they win the championship this year, I'll start with $100,000.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive, it’s what you deserve, as long as you’re willing to help.” Connors excitedly hugged Tang Sen.

It's not expensive, and it doesn't really showcase Tang Sen's level of expertise.

At worst, he can only cover the initial costs; later on, he'll likely end up like Brown, making Stoudemire foot the bill himself.

The key is connections.

In the world of real estate agents, connections are the most important thing.

The fact that others couldn't invite Tang Sen, but they had the connections to invite him, is Connors' greatest source of confidence.

While chatting, the training session ended.

Stoudemire seemed a bit of a loner; after the intra-squad game, he didn't talk much with his teammates and silently walked to the sidelines to rest.

Meanwhile, the team's coach, Earl Barnett, had already noticed Tangsen on the sidelines.

He beckoned to Stoudemire and led him to the two of them.

“Earl, look, I’ve brought Tang over.” Connors said proudly.

Barnett was clearly excited as well, and shook hands with Tangsen warmly.

Tang Sen also noticed that Stoudemire had been looking at him the whole time, his face expressionless, but his eyes were clearly excited.

"Hello."

Tang Sen reached out his hand to him.

"Hello."

Stoudemire instinctively extended his left hand, then quickly withdrew it and extended his right hand instead.

Tang Sen smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, I watched it, you did well."

Stoudemire nodded blankly. Judging from his expression, he had a strong urge to speak, but perhaps due to his personality, he was too shy to say it.

Tang Sen didn't care; after all, he was there to set an example for Connors today.

Whether he can sign Stoudemire depends on his own abilities.

Connors pulled Barnett aside and they started chatting.

That means Barnett is probably as important to Stoudemire as Dan Moore is, and could influence his decisions.

Seeing Stoudemire standing there awkwardly, Tang Sen thought for a moment and told him to go get a ball.

He quickly ran to get the basketball.

"How's your shooting?" Tang Sen asked.

A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Stoudemire's face, and he shook his head to indicate that it was inappropriate.

"Let me see your vote."

Tang Sen had just noticed that during the ten-minute intra-squad practice match, this kid hadn't taken a single shot.

They either use their height and speed to charge into the basket for a powerful dunk, or they take advantage of a second chance to rise up and dunk again.

Dunking is certainly exhilarating and boosts morale, but basketball is ultimately a shooting sport.

This is the most basic of the basic skills.

Stoudemire responded, dribbled the basketball, and shot.

Tang Sen was taken aback.

No, who taught you to shoot like that?
Tang Sen immediately noticed several problems: the ball was raised too quickly, the release point was too low, the ball didn't seem to be on the body's central axis, the upper body wasn't straight enough when generating power, the body was slightly hunched, and the release was too fast. It had a bit of a jerky shot feel to it.

When he got closer, Tang Sen thought he might not be 6 feet 9 inches tall.

And they were wearing shoes.

Barefoot, his height is estimated to be only about 2.05 meters.

This size is good enough to play small forward without much problem.

So even if his shooting form isn't like those tall guys over 2.1 meters who choose a straight-arm shot, his release point shouldn't be this low.

The crucial point hasn't even been reached yet!
Tang Sen felt a wave of embarrassment; his basic skills weren't just a little lacking, they were extremely poor.

"Stop throwing." Tang Sen waved his hand, stopping him.

Stoudemire looked embarrassed and opened his mouth to say that although his shooting was not good, his dunking was okay.

But the words didn't come out of my mouth.

He noticed the change in Tang Sen's expression and became even more uneasy.

This is Tang Sen. The Sentinel has mentioned Tang Sen's name countless times, praising him to the skies.

After all, any discussion of Kwame Brown's success inevitably involves the name of Tang Sen.

As a result, Tang Sen stopped him after he only made one shot, probably because he was completely disappointed in him.

After Barnett finished talking to Connors, he pulled Stoudemire aside for a few words, then patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to talk to Connors again.

Then he approached Tang Sen, adopting a humble posture, and asked, "Tang, do you think it's appropriate for Amare to go to the NBA right now?"

Seeing Tang Sen looking at him, Barnett said, "He only started playing basketball in eighth grade. Before that, he always wanted to be a football player. In addition, he changed six high schools in his four years of high school. Under such circumstances, he has hardly had any serious training."

"It was only this season that I started to slowly teach him, but as you can see, his skills are too poor, he doesn't even have any, and his shooting form is terrible. I've told him many times, but he just can't change it."

"He doesn't even shoot much anymore; he just drives to the basket with the ball."

This is acceptable in high school.

At 2.08 meters tall, Stoudemire stands on the court, towering over everyone else by more than a head. It's like he's playing against a bunch of kids. Who can stop him?
But once he gets into the NBA, who will indulge him?
Tang Sen nodded, realizing that with that skill level, it was clear that the player hadn't practiced properly as a child, just like McGrady, relying purely on talent to overwhelm his opponent.

"Then go to university," Tang Sen said.

Going to university to reflect and mature isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Barnett said, "That's what I think too, and a school has already taken notice of him. It's the University of Memphis, and their head coach, John Calipari, is very optimistic about Amare and is willing to offer him a scholarship."

Tang Sen nodded, thinking to himself that this was a good thing.

And speaking of which, it's similar to Brown's situation; he was also spotted by Billy Donovan and was hesitant about whether to go to the draft or go to college.

The only difference might be that Brown's family was less well-off, so he had no choice but to focus on making money first.

As soon as the idea came to mind, Barnett said, "But he wants to go to the draft himself. You don't know, his family is very poor."

Tang Sen was taken aback.

Barnett briefly explained Stoudemire's family situation.

He was born in Lake Wales, south of Orlando. His parents divorced when he was young, and he lived with his grandmother. Later, his mother took him to live in New York for a while, but his mother was imprisoned for theft.

He was taken back to Orlando by his father, who died of a heart attack shortly after he turned 12.

The three brothers were completely left unattended.

His brother was also incredibly talented, with the same height and the same size as Shaquille O'Neal, making him virtually invincible on the football field.

Unfortunately, his father's death caused his brother to have a mental breakdown, leading him to give up on himself and become a street thug.

His mother's repeated releases from and subsequent imprisonment left him and his brother almost completely neglected, ending up homeless.

His mother is still going in and out of prison, while his brother has successfully gotten himself imprisoned and is serving a nine-year sentence.

Tang Sen fell silent.

Well, it seems Stoudemire is in a worse situation.

Brown at least had a hardworking and kind mother, and several brothers who took care of him.

"It was Bernie who told him that only by entering the NBA and making money could he truly control his own life, especially after seeing Kwame Brown's success, this idea became even stronger for him," Barnett concluded.

"Who?"

Tang Sen pressed for an answer.

I guess Brown thought the same thing at the time.

Barnett explained that it was a community police officer who had kindly taken in the brothers.

"Tang, if he really decides to go to the draft, please help him," Barnett said earnestly at the end, showing that he also cared about his protégé.

Tang Sen would certainly not agree to such a request casually.

"That depends on him."

Whether or not to help is up to you.

Brown said he met himself, but his own ambition and hard work were also key reasons for his success.

Just then, Connors returned with Stoudemire.

Judging from Connors' expression, Tang Sen guessed that he must have succeeded.

Sure enough, after leaving the arena, Connors excitedly hugged himself and wanted to kiss him.

Tang Sen felt a chill run down his spine and dodged away.

"Tang, really, it's all thanks to you. When I offered to sponsor his training with you, his eyes were shining, shining, you know?" Connors described excitedly.

After saying that, Connors grabbed Tang Sen's hand again and said solemnly, "Tang, it's up to you."

"Don't."

Tang Sen pulled his hand away, saying, "Get the checks ready first."

Get on the bus and go home.

Tang Sen thought for a moment and said, "Then let's do it in April."

Tomorrow is March, and the high school league will soon be over. Stoudemire is exceptionally talented, reportedly averaging 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks per game—his stats are phenomenal. However, Sepraskrek High School's overall strength is limited, and they're unlikely to go very far in the tournament.

With his performance, he's likely to be invited to the McDonald's All-Star Game at the end of March.

So it won't be until at least April before I can train with myself.

"Perfect timing, Yao should be coming too, they can train together."

As for the Chinese Super League (CSL), it ends in mid-April. If the Eastern team successfully releases Yao Ming, he should arrive in the United States in late April.

That was right after the regular season ended.

I might have more free time, but with the intensity of the playoffs, training will definitely be reduced, and the focus will be on refining tactics.

Connors' eyes darted around and he said, "Don, let's forget about April. You've seen how bad this kid's skills are. The earlier he starts training, the better for him. That way, he can get a higher draft pick."

The higher your ranking, the bigger the contract and the higher your income.

"Don't."

Tang Sen shook his head decisively and said, "I'm busy right now."

These days, training a bunch of players is enough to keep me busy; I don't have time to manage a high school student.

During a casual chat with Barnett, I learned that he was also intentionally practicing Stoudemire's fundamentals, and that was enough.

Send Connors away.

The next day, it was March.

It's time for the much-anticipated lucky draw!

Tang Sen couldn't figure out the rules of the lottery, so he simply prayed silently and then chose to draw a prize.

Light and shadow flicker.

It has no air force, but it is a bronze-level weapon.

Bad luck!

Congratulations on obtaining the Bronze-level badge - tag!

Labels can be a form of prejudice, or they can be a form of recognition.

When training trainees, you can select appropriate tags for them, and they will receive a 10% training bonus during the corresponding training sessions.

Along with the badge, Tang Sen also received a tag library exclusive to that badge.

(End of this chapter)