Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 128: The World Youth Championship
His all-around performance of 46 points, 16 assists, 9 rebounds and a near triple-double naturally sparked a Chen Fang craze on the Internet again. Now no one questions Chen Fang's strength.

The three wins in the group stage also brought more attention to the national youth team's trip to Greece, and the topic of whether to broadcast it live began to be discussed.

CCTV-5 has also studied this seriously.

Due to the tight schedule of the competition, the geographical span, and the coordination of personnel, after studying for a long time, we came to the conclusion that we might just be ready when the game over there is already the last one.

Whether it is worthwhile to spend so much energy on a live broadcast becomes the focus of discussion.

On the Internet, the discussion about Chen Fang has gradually deepened into his growth process. Many previous game videos have been dug out. Even though the clarity is not high, it does bring a lot of traffic. Many fans will actively click to browse and watch.

Within the system, the wise decision made by the Shandong Sports Bureau was widely praised, especially in Shandong, where people felt proud that Chen Fang was able to stay and not be abducted away by another province.

Zhang Shaohong has received frequent calls from various parties in recent days. The director of the Basketball Management Center has praised him highly, believing that this kind of investment is truly meaningful and efficient.

The popularity continued to rise, and Chen Fang's goal against Turkey was officially listed as the best goal of this round and was widely circulated on the Internet.

Tang Jun has watched it many times, but he still hasn't gotten tired of it. He has seen Kobe Bryant make a fake move to knock the defender away at the last minute and then jump up to make the winning shot.

In the game against the Hornets in February 2002, Kobe used this posture to break the defense and then made a jump shot to win the game.

The same thing happened in the buzzer-beater against the Bobcats in March 05.

The postures of the three goals were almost identical, which surprised Tang Jun greatly.

He immediately edited these three goals together and posted them directly on his short video account and Hupu China area.

As expected, it immediately received rave reviews.

As a Kobe fan, Tang Jun immediately poured all his feelings into Chen Fang.

He hopes to use this video to help Chen Fang gain the favor and attention of Kobe fans.

Tang Jun sat in front of the computer desk, feeling very proud.

There are already some powerful people who are calculating the future schedule and have directly predicted that defeating Iran will be a piece of cake and the chances are high that they will play against Sevilla.

There is a 50-50 chance of advancing to the next round. The most difficult situation may be facing the winner of Croatia and Canada in the semi-finals.

If you lose, you will compete for third place.

The final conclusion is that the ranking of this national youth team is definitely a breakthrough, either third or fourth.

Almost no one doubts that after defeating Spain, Argentina and Turkey in a row, Chinese fans are full of confidence. Some even started to say that Croatia is essentially no different from Turkey and has a great chance of making it to the final and facing the United States.

Tang Jun did not participate in this matter and there is no on-site video of the game, so it is difficult to refer to and judge.

But soon, a video of a warm-up match with the French team appeared on the Internet. Although they lost to France, Chen Fang's 36 points were fully displayed to the fans for the first time.

Although it can be seen from the shooting angle that it is a grandstand, neither high nor flat, it is clear and can be considered a good video.

The entire process of this competition immediately revealed Chen Fang's abilities.

His powerful three-point shooting, his dribbling skills that integrate man and ball, his passing throughout the court, and his amazing jumping ability were all very intuitively displayed.

The comments on the video were all praise, and many people commented that this was simply NBA level.

I have never seen anyone in China play like this. Scoring 36 points against a strong team like France is unheard of.

But at the same time, some people pointed out that apart from Chen Fang, the level of this national youth team is actually average. This person is considered a senior fan with an officially certified coaching certificate and youth training resume.

He pointed out that the national youth team's defense is a huge problem. None of the players in the interior can truly protect the rim. If it were not for Chen Fang, the national youth team might only be able to beat Argentina.

His comments immediately attracted a lot of criticism, and then this person closed his account and disappeared.

Tang Jun also thinks so, but he will not say it out loud because he knows the nature of domestic fans too well. When they are sad, they are extremely sad and you can insult them at will.

When I'm excited, if you give me a look, I'll dig up the graves of your ancestors for eighteen generations.

At the same time, someone specifically interviewed Shandong Hi-Speed. Unfortunately, at this moment, Coach Gong was experiencing a palace coup and a fire broke out in his backyard. No one from the Hi-Speed team came out to speak about whether Chen Fang would be introduced.

This also indirectly leads to the emergence of a new topic.

Which club will this country's most talented defender, who is about to turn 17, end up with?

What's more, people started talking about whether Chen Fang could join the national team and play in the Asian Championships to be held in Changsha in late September.

Rumors are flying everywhere, and Chen Fang has become a topic that domestic football fans encounter every day.

But as for the Greek Chen Fang, he remained calm.

In the first qualifying round, as the first in Group B, they will face Iran.

There is no preparation for war. After defeating Türkiye yesterday, we will defeat Iran at the same time today.

This time, Chen Fang was again arranged to sit on the bench, watching the whole team's morale was high and defeat Iran.

Zhao Rui played better and better, scoring 21 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds in this game, just like a darker version of Chen Fang.

Winning this match also means that the National Youth Team has entered the quarterfinals and can take a day off to face the opponents in Group C.

Sure enough, the opponent was confirmed the next morning.

Australia.

This was a team that lost 2 and won in the group stage, but eliminated Sevilla in the quarterfinals, which was an upset.

Compared to Sevilla, Fan Bin prefers to face Australia. Why? Because they have already felt the strength of Türkiye.

Australia is weak, not strong.

Compared to the coach who is starting to prepare for the game, the national youth players are relaxing.

The knockout rounds were moved to the Lyon Centre Arena in Heraklion, Crete.

Taking into account the record and the performance of the entire team, the coaching staff announced a one-day holiday, but only in the afternoon and the players must be back before 7pm. It will be a group tour with several scenic spots set.

For example, the most famous Knossos Palace, the birthplace of ancient Greek civilization, and the most famous beach in the area, Stalis Beach.

After coming here, Chen Fang really fell in love with it. The sea water was spotless, crystal clear, and there were no rocks at all. He walked for several miles on the beach and could not find a single stone, only powdery fine sand.

The feet stepping on the tide brings a strong sense of soothing.

I had originally planned to visit the legendary Arkadi Monastery, an independent holy place for the Cretans.

But after arriving here, no one wanted to move, and more than a dozen big boys were all playing and frolicking on the beach.

The prices here are very cheap, a drink is only 5 euros, and a sun lounger and a parasol are given for free. It is really a great value, and the national youth team immediately arranged for it.

With the gentle breeze and the sound of the waves, Chen Fang almost fell asleep in this environment.

At sunset, the whole team left here reluctantly. Chen Fang smiled and promised Zhao Rui that they would come here again after making money.

Zhao Rui laughed out loud. After working together to defeat Türkiye, there was no longer any grudge between them, so he agreed without hesitation.

Zeng Fanri asked whether he came alone or with his girlfriend.

Zhao Rui looked at Chen Fang with a smile, and Chen Fang said without hesitation: "Bring my wife."

"You can't come without a wife! Even a girlfriend is not allowed!" Lin Mo added.

The three of them were very confident. The colorful clouds in the sky changed into the appearance of a woman, as if it was their future wives waving and smiling at them.

Seventeen or eighteen years old is the age when people are thinking about love.

"I will be back within ten years!" Zeng Fanri vowed as he looked back at the sealine disappearing into the mountains while sitting on the bus on the way back.

Zhao Rui muttered, "I don't want to get married so early."

Chen Fang still had a smile on his face. He was fantasizing about the day when he and Wu Zi would return here.

※※※

As the saying goes, good luck doesn't last forever, and bad luck always accompanies me.

They faced the Australian national youth team as expected, but suffered a heavy blow in the match.

Zhao Rui was strained, Zhao Yanhao's eyebrow was disfigured, and Hu Jinqiu was suspected of having a fractured rib.

Chen Fang was lucky, but his arms were covered in blood.

In order to win this victory, both sides paid a bloody price. In the end, with Chen Fang's strong performance of 32 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds, the Chinese Youth Team eliminated Australia and advanced to the quarterfinals.

One more step forward and you will reach the final round.

But everyone knows that the national youth team will stop here.

The team is full of injured players and exhausted, and the situation is extremely critical.

In fact, even if the Chinese national youth team defeated Australia without any bloodshed, it would not be able to defeat the powerful Croatia.

In the previous life, after Türkiye eliminated Australia, it faced Croatia and was defeated by 91 points with a score of 56:35.

It can be said that in this U19 World Cup, Croatia and the United States are at the T0 level, more than one level higher than all other teams.

But even so, in the match between the Chinese National Youth Team and Croatia on July 7, the Chinese National Youth Team still performed beyond their strength. In the first half, relying on Chen Fang's all-round performance, the score was 4:38, keeping close to the score.

In the first half, Chen Fang played for 17 minutes with almost no rest.

Just four minutes into the second half, Chen Fang was forced to come on the court again. Under his strong leadership, the team started a high-scoring battle with Croatia.

In this battle, all the scoring pressure of the team was shouldered by Chen Fang.

Hu Jinqiu cannot play, Zhao Rui cannot play, and Zhao Yanhao cannot play.

Chen Fang, Sun Minghui, and a group of substitutes held on until the last 3 minutes before surrendering.

本场陈放上场时间33分钟，拿下42分21助攻12篮板4抢断4盖帽的超级三双数据。

His performance even shocked the American team watching on the sidelines.

Tatum and Brunson looked at each other, amazed at the performance of No. 21.

"Is he really only 16 years old?" Tatum, the core of the team, asked the head coach.

"Yes, at least that's what it says in the documentation."

"So strong!" Tatum made no secret of his recognition of Chen Fang, especially the fighting spirit he showed in the game.

"His three-point shooting is so accurate. His vision has no blind spots. His assists are just as good as the ball..." Brunson was envious.

"I really want to play against him, what a pity!" Tatum, who was hailed as a five-star high school student and was certain to participate in the draft after his freshman year, said regretfully.

"Not necessarily. If there is a chance in the future, people like No. 21 will definitely come to the United States to look for opportunities," said the head coach.

On the court, Zubac took the initiative to find Chen Fang and the two exchanged jerseys.

"We will meet again." Chen Fang said unwillingly in English.

"Okay!" Zubac was very happy, and the two held hands tightly again.

Holding Zubac's jersey, Chen Fang began to comfort the frustrated teammates one by one, and finally he came to Fan Bin.

"Sorry, I didn't get it." Chen Fang said.

Looking at Chen Fang, whose cheeks were flushed and whose body was obviously exhausted, Fan Bin comforted him, "It's more than enough."

The whole team was exhausted from the fight, and the national youth team saw what level a truly strong team is at.

In order to defeat Croatia's national youth team, they faced Türkiye again the next day. This time, the national youth team had no room to fight back and was suppressed all the way, eventually suffering a crushing defeat.

In the previous life, Turkey defeated Greece and came in third place, but unexpectedly, it would still be the same in this life.

Because of Chen Fang's presence, the Chinese national youth team took the first place in Türkiye, making Turkey the second place, but he defeated Tunisia and Greece along the way, and after losing to the United States, the two teams met again.

As the old saying goes, what's yours is yours.

Türkiye, just like in the previous life, won the third place in this session, which made Chen Fang feel uneasy that something could not be broken.

Chen Fang's triple-double performance of 35 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds did not help.

The whole team was almost exhausted physically. After seven games in nine days, except for the one against Argentina which was an easy one, the remaining six games were all challenges against higher levels.

If they continue to fight like this, even if they are fighting South Korea, they will collapse.

For this reason, Fan Bin had to postpone his flight back home. The whole team stayed in the hotel for two days before returning to China with a record-breaking fourth place.

Chen Fang was selected into the best team and won three honors, including scoring champion and assists champion, but just missed the most important MVP.

The champion of this year's competition was the American team, and the MVP was awarded to Brunson.

The best lineup is Brunson, Tatum, Zubac, Chen Fang, and Korkmaz.

The official also specially invited five people to take a group photo, and Chen Fang also got to know Tatum and Brunson.

Facing Tatum's invitation, Chen Fang was very calm: "I do plan to come, maybe in October in the second half of the year." "Wow, this is my number, call me when you come, I really want to play a one-on-one game with you."

"Me too!" Chen Fang suppressed his inner excitement. This Rex Rabbit was no ordinary person. He was a future NBA star and an MVP-level small forward.

Although Chen Fang was not impressed by his skills, especially shooting, it did not prevent him from communicating with him. It was necessary to find some strong people when he went to the United States.

"Sorry, I'm still upset that you took away my scoring title!" Brunson said half-jokingly.

"I also care about your MVP." Chen Fang replied immediately.

This counterattack made Tatum laugh.

Brunson had no choice but to hug Chen Fang and said, "Come to America soon. I want to challenge you one-on-one, too."

Chen Fang didn't mind deepening their friendship. He chatted with Brunson for a few minutes and they exchanged numbers.

Zubac, who was watching from the side, was very unhappy: "Hey, hey, I'm not air."

"Let's talk about it when you come to the United States." Chen Fang said with a smile.

"It's a deal!" Zubac was eager to try.

Korkmaz, his old rival next to him, also muttered, "I'll come too."

"Then, see you in America!" So the five of them said goodbye to each other like this when they dispersed.

Five talented and gifted teenagers all met in the United States. In fact, in their hearts, they regarded the United States as the NBA.

But who will tell it?
The significance of the U19 World Cup is to select the most outstanding young talents, and then they will get to know each other and become opponents.

We arrived in BJ at 10am, and even though we were notified, the National Youth Team was shocked by the airport pick-up scene. Thousands of fans gathered at the exit, wanting to catch a glimpse of Chen Fang.

The plan was temporarily adjusted and the team did not use the VIP channel. Amid cheers, they boarded the bus of the Basketball Management Center and left the airport.

Chen Fang was very calm, which made Zeng Fanri, who was standing next to him, curious: "Are you trying to be cool?"

Chen Fang denied in surprise: "Of course not."

"Then why do you have no expression when you see so many fans?"

"It's not like you won the championship, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Chen Fang's answer choked Zeng Fanri.

The next two days were spent receiving commendations and attending banquets. On July 7, Chen Fang was finally able to go home.

When we arrived in Shandong, we were picked up directly from the platform by Zhang Shaohong's special car.

Zhang Shaohong was also in the car. He said to Chen Fang with a smile on his face, "This is not my car. I don't have the authority to do so. It was the director's idea."

"Thank you, Director, thank you, Boss." Chen Fang said quickly, and then greeted Chen Baowei who was driving: "Brother Baowei, long time no see!"

Driver Chen Baowei was filled with emotion when he saw Chen Fang again.

"Yes, yes." he said repeatedly.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Fang has become a household name and no longer an ordinary person.

At the base, Chen Fang met the director. After the polite words, he gave him words of encouragement similar to what he had given him at the Beijing Sports General Administration.

After finishing the job, Zhang Shaohong took Chen Fang to meet Zhang Ruihua.

Zhang Ruihua was training in the gym and was surprised to see Chen Fang coming.

The youth team that was playing a competition on the field stopped immediately when they saw Chen Fang.

"Did I say stop? Keep going!" Zhang Ruihua said angrily, scaring the entire team into resuming the game immediately.

"Returning home in glory!" Zhang Ruihua's expression changed when he turned around.

Chen Fang pretended to be embarrassed and touched his forehead, pretending to wipe the sweat off his face: "Coach, please stop making fun of me."

"Let's have dinner together later, have a good chat, and learn from each other."

"Forget about learning from others, but it's okay to brag to the coach."

"Haha!" Zhang Ruihua laughed out loud at Chen Fang's humorous words.

The entire team playing on the field felt strange.

It’s the first time I saw the coach smile in more than half a year. It turns out that the coach can smile!

Soon, Zhang Ruihua and Chen Fang left the gym. Looking at their backs, people who had had contact with Chen Fang showed complicated looks.

They are no longer people on the same level.

In the small private room of the cafeteria, Zhang Shaohong brought a bottle of Yipin Jingzhi wine. The two big guys opened the bottle and drank it directly. For them, today was a good day.

"After facing so many strong teams this time, what is your biggest feeling?" Zhang Ruihua asked this as the first question, just like a reporter doing an interview.

"Tactical qualities, physical strength, technical details, and game rhythm." Chen Fang had thought about all these things a lot in his mind, and he answered without hesitation.

"We are far behind in these areas," Chen Fang said frankly.

They both nodded and continued to be listeners.

Chen Fang also opened up: "European countries are basically systematic, starting from a young age, they are teaching tactical literacy, cultivating the cooperation ability of six or seven-year-old children, passing the ball to score."

“When they grow up, they will start to develop their personal skills, and through competitions, amateur clubs will discover good talents.”

"It wasn't until I was 15 or 16 that I started to join the professional club team and received more rigorous training, including physical fitness, strength and other aspects."

"When you are 22 or years old and your body is fully developed, you can increase the intensity and play more games. You can say that there will be a qualitative leap between the ages of or and ."

"What about the domestic situation?" Zhang Rui asked.

Chen Fang frowned, then suddenly smiled: "You guys must be the boss and coach in China, you know better."

The two laughed loudly, and Zhang Shaohong asked, "If I ask you to predict, will China be able to rise in the next ten years?"

Chen Fang shook his head: "It might get worse."

Zhang Shaohong was not surprised by Chen Fang's shocking words. He took a sip of wine and said, "Don't tell this kind of thing to anyone in the future, especially reporters."

"Okay." Chen Fang nodded.

"Coach, don't you ask me why I think so?" Chen Fang wondered.

Zhang Ruihua waved his hand and said, "Boy, I understand it better than you."

"Then..." Chen Fang was a little slow to react.

"The core of sports is uniformity. If we each go our own way and don't have a direction to stick to, things will certainly get worse and worse."

"Besides, basketball in many countries is moving forward. If we don't move forward, we will fall behind, let alone regress."

"Boss, coach, I have always wanted to ask a question." Chen Fang asked suddenly. In his previous life, when Yao was the chairman, he vigorously rectified domestic basketball, promoted the integration of sports and education, and focused on cultivating schools, but for some reason, it was getting worse and worse.

"You said."

"Combining the sports and education departments, would it be a good idea to develop campus basketball?" Chen Fang expressed his doubts.

The two looked at each other and remained silent, which was rare.

But he couldn't help but say it, so Zhang Shaohong asked: "You came from a school, so it's normal to have such thoughts. But this road is very difficult."

"why?"

Seeing Chen Fang's persistence, Zhang Shaohong sighed and said seriously, "Then I'll tell you something, but you can't spread it to anyone else."

Captain Chen immediately assured: "Don't worry, Boss."

"Now it's called the Education and Sports Bureau. In China, whichever word comes first is more important. Do you understand?"

"can."

“Is the Ministry of Education bigger than the General Administration of Sports?”

"Correct."

"Integrating physical education and education, which word comes first?"

"body."

"Then do you understand?"

Chen Fang was confused for a moment, then suddenly understood.

To promote sports on campus, support from the Ministry of Education is definitely needed, but there is no such thing as superiors cooperating with subordinates in this world.

The Ministry of Education is targeting more than just sports. If you lean towards sports in education policy, what about other things? Is it in line with national conditions? The country is still catching up with the four modernizations and has not yet reached the point of opening a green channel specifically for sports.

To be more specific, if the campus opens the door to sports students, giving extra points for sports and having a certificate will give them an advantage in the college entrance examination, how should the school adjust? Good high schools and large high schools have more resources and can allocate them, but can ordinary high schools and small high schools do the same? The college entrance examination is a fair reform policy, how can it be tilted for this?

In addition, if we want to promote physical education, how many universities will need to offer physical education majors to meet the number of applicants?
Therefore, sports education is a wonderful thing, but its actual implementation is extremely difficult and involves so many aspects that it cannot be accomplished by just a basketball association.

"Going for club youth training or sports schools is actually in line with national conditions. There will be no shortage of good talent, and funds can be used in a centralized manner." Zhang Shaohong said finally.

Seeing that Chen Fang understood, the two looked at each other again. Zhang Shaohong winked at him, and the latter coughed and said, "Chen Fang, what do you think of the national team?"

"National team?" Chen Fang asked in confusion.

"If the national team recruits you, will you go? I mean this year."

Chen Fang reacted very quickly and smiled immediately: "Whether to go or not is just a matter of the leader's decision, isn't it?"

Zhang Shaohong was amused and said to Zhang Ruihua, "This little rascal."

Then, his face became serious: "You can't say a word from now on, even to your parents."

Chen Fang straightened his back and said, "I know, boss." At the same time, he took out his cell phone and turned it off in front of him.

Zhang Shaohong showed a relieved look: "I've thought about it, and I suggest you don't go."

"You became famous at a young age, so you shouldn't be in the limelight anymore. If you join the national team at the age of 17, you will be the second Chen Jianghua."

"But can Chen Jianghua still play basketball now? He is not far from retirement."

"In China, don't be too conspicuous before you are fully grown. You will definitely arouse jealousy. You are a player, and there will be a risk of injury during the game. I have discussed this with Ruihua. During this period, you should keep a low profile."

Chen Fang seemed very calm. He understood a lot from the boss's words.

"In order to prevent you from joining the national team this year, I plan to announce that you are injured. Don't you want to go to the United States? You can take this opportunity to go to the United States for treatment and stay away from trouble."

"Come back in October to play in the Youth Games."

Chen Fang thought about Zhang Shaohong's arrangement and nodded: "I'll listen to the boss."

It was Zhang Ruihua's turn to speak: "You haven't been home for a long time. Take a good rest at home. I heard from Shan Shaoxiong that he has arranged everything for you. Your academic visa is fine. You can go to the United States at any time."

"Thank you, boss and coach." Chen Fang stood up and bowed to them.

The two were very satisfied with Chen Fang's attitude. It was precisely because of Chen Fang's emotional intelligence and basketball IQ that they were particularly fond of him and were willing to do what they could for this child.

"By the way, the task you asked me to do is now done. The documents are here, and you can start at any time. But I want to ask, why do you still have the energy to do this?"

Facing this question, Chen Fang said frankly: "I want to do something for campus basketball, not only because of the money, but also because I came from campus. My friends and teammates are all there."

"It's right not to forget your roots." Zhang Shaohong didn't ask any more questions. For him, this was just a piece of cake, just a matter of an official seal.

"What are your plans next?" Zhang Ruihua asked.

"After the Youth Games, I'll go play in the American high school." Chen Fang trusted the two men and was willing to reveal his true feelings.

"Okay, get out early and don't waste your talent." Zhang Ruihua sighed deeply and drank another glass.

"From now on, stay out of public view. Pretend to be injured when in crowded places. I will tell others that you have a problem with your groin."

"Groin?" Chen Fang was puzzled.

"This injury is so severe that even the best doctors cannot diagnose it. It's the best excuse." Zhang Ruihua chuckled.

　Next is American high school. I know that some of the book subscribers feel regretful because they have not read the American high school I wrote.

　　And Meigao is also the driving force behind why I wrote this book.

　　I will do my best to describe the American high school and NCAA, and I hope you like it.

　　The previous 60 words are all preparations for this, thank you all.

　　Finally, I would like to mention that most of Chen’s injuries were caused by his personal style and unformed muscles, as well as the accumulation of old injuries from his youth.

　　Of course, what is mentioned in the article is not sensational, but real. Let's not talk about the distant past, let's talk about the recent past. Many things done by Xiao Cui have attracted hatred. If he had not succeeded and returned to China, he would probably have been hurt badly. This is the national situation, and human nature cannot be looked at directly.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)