Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 13: Taking Charge of Dongsheng
At the end of the second quarter in the afternoon.

Zhang Deming put down his textbook and knocked on the table to draw his classmates' attention to him: "I said two sentences."

"Today is Friday. Don't relax this weekend. The monthly exam will be held next Monday. The two rows near the door will be moved to the corridor. In the morning, we will have Chinese and maths, and in the afternoon, English and comprehensive."

"Based on the monthly exam results, we will divide the classes." Zhang Deming paused and slowly said the important words.

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole class was in an uproar.

"Dou dou!" Zhang Deming knocked on the podium: "Shut up, everyone."

"I haven't finished talking yet, why are you panicking?" After looking around and waiting for the classroom to be completely quiet, Zhang Deming spoke: "A new 985211 class will be set up in the second year of high school, and the top 12 students in the grade will be selected. The students in our class with good grades should seize this opportunity. Do you understand?"

The expressions of the whole class relaxed at once. The students who had poor grades just now had pale faces, but now their faces had color.

"As a class teacher, I don't want our Class 12 to not have a single vacancy."

"Ring...!" The bell for the end of get out of class rang.

"get out of class dismissed." Zhang Deming stepped down from the podium, walked to the back, came to Chen Fang's desk, and knocked on it: "Come out."

Chen Fang followed him out obediently. When they reached the corridor, Zhang Deming said, "I received a notice from the Sports Department today that you have been selected for the school team. You will not have to attend morning self-study and the third class in the afternoon."

Chen Fang scratched his head: "Teacher, it won't affect my studies."

"I hope not. Besides, what was the agreement you made before, about how many places you wanted to get in this monthly exam?"

"Top 20!" Chen Fang knew that the teacher was not forgetful, but had confirmed the agreement.

"You have a good memory. I'll wait and see." Zhang Deming said and left. Wang Zhen appeared from behind.

"Chen Fang, what did the teacher want to talk to you about?"

"He didn't say anything, just told me that I don't have to attend the morning self-study class or this class later."

Wang Zhen showed an envious expression on his face: "It's comfortable, the school team has good treatment."

"Don't be funny, you should study hard, I have to go to the stadium!" Chen Fang went back to the classroom, picked up his schoolbag and was about to go downstairs, but was stopped by Wang Zhen: "Hey, what are your plans for this weekend?"

"I have something to do. You should study hard and we'll talk after the exam." After Chen Fang gave his instructions, he hurried downstairs.

Wang Zhen watched Chen Fang's back disappear into the stairwell and said to himself, "I want to bang my head, too. Hey, that's great."

After walking a few steps downstairs, the bell for class rang. Walking alone in the quiet campus, Chen Fang felt a sense of detachment as if he was revisiting an old place. Fortunately, this feeling did not last long, as Wen Hui ran over from behind.

"I didn't see you in class. Ha, yesterday's game was awesome. I beat all those seniors!"

"Not really. After all, it's only one quarter, and the outcome is unknown."

Seeing that Chen Fang was very calm, Wen Hui didn't know what to say anymore, so she changed the subject: "Remember to call me when you go to training next time!"

"Ah."

The two walked to the Dongsheng Stadium. When they walked through the aisle and into the stadium, Chen Fang found that everyone was standing at the entrance.

"Welcome Captain Chen!" Yang Shan took the lead in shouting.

"Welcome Captain Chen." The voices of the others were not in unison and not loud. Even Chen Fang saw that Xue Chong didn't even open his mouth.

"Captain, this scene is exaggerated." Chen Fang did not dare to be rude. Instead, he covered his forehead with his hands in fear and trepidation.

"Of course you are. Welcome to join the Dongsheng school team." Yue Gang hugged Chen Fang and pulled him towards the south stands.

Chen Fang was pulled by Yue Gang to sit on the bottom floor, while the other team members formed a semi-circle and stood there. Judging from the situation, Yue Gang should have agreed on the team reform and now they were just waiting for him to explain in detail.

This is indeed a decisive captain. Chen Fang did not hesitate to take out the training plan he had written last night from his schoolbag.

"First of all, I want to repeat what I said to Captain Yue yesterday. What I said to everyone yesterday was just said in anger. This year is my fifth year studying at Dongsheng, and my feelings for the school are as deep as everyone else's." Chen Fang spoke slowly and looked at everyone while speaking to add sincerity.

"I have an immature idea about the team. After discussing it with Captain Yue yesterday, we both felt that it is feasible to a certain extent. The game is just a dozen days away. Let me be frank with you." Chen Fang changed the subject.

"The annual Nanyang High School Championship lasts for ten days at most, but for many school teams, it may only be one day."

Nanyang is a county-level city, but it governs four large towns, public and private high schools, and nearly 30 teams participate in the championship every year. Considering many aspects, the tournament system adopts a one-elimination system.

The competition system consists of three stages: preliminary round, semi-final and final, all of which are brutal elimination systems that determine the winner.

The last year's quarterfinalists did not participate in the preliminary round.

In the semi-finals, except for the champion and runner-up, the other teams are divided into two zones, upper and lower, and the teams in the zone draw lots.

The winning team, together with the previous champion and runner-up, will compete in the main competition, which is also a one-match system, and the champion and runner-up will be decided in the end.

The champion can participate in the grassroots competition in Shandong region at the end of October.

"In fact, everyone knows what I just said and has experienced it."

"A school team only plays one game throughout the year. I want to ask, who would be willing to accept this?" After looking around, no one refused to bow their heads.

"This is ridiculous. Maybe for other schools, it's just a formality, but is Dongsheng going to continue like this?"

"I want to play in the main competition and have another match with No. 1 Middle School. I hope someone has the same idea as me." After saying that, Chen Fang kept silent and waited. He didn't expect that he would be the first one to raise his hand.

Xue Chong raised his hand high: "I want to fight Yizhong again." After saying that, he found that everyone was looking at him in surprise, so he thickened his neck and said: "I want revenge, I must beat Bai Ye!"

"Losing is not a big deal. What's a big deal is not daring to play another game with the opponent." Yue Gang stood up and looked at his teammates: "Dongsheng must take revenge. We must send back to No. 1 Middle School what Bai Ye sent to us!"

"Send him back!" Everyone present, except Chen Fang, had experienced that tragic incident. A year had passed and no one mentioned it. But now, anger was burning in every young man's eyes.

"We can beat No. 1 Middle School. I'm not bragging. As long as everyone can follow this training plan in the next ten days, we can win!" Chen Fang took out the training schedule and raised it.

Now that they have unified their thoughts, the next step will be easy. Chen Fang breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he has been mentally exhausted these days. He found that when one wants to do something for a group, there are too many things to take into account.

"I will now explain our Dongsheng offensive and defensive tactics."

"We don't have an advantage in height. Only Liu Feng and Captain Yue are over 1.9 meters tall, and everyone is an average of 1.85 meters tall. So our advantage is that we are small, fast and agile as a whole."

"We have to play a constant speed offense and defense. What does constant speed mean? On offense, we can't slow down our advancement speed. We have to serve the ball quickly. Whether it's a baseline ball or a rebound, once we have the ball, we have to push forward quickly. If we can make a layup, we layup. If we can't, we shoot."

"If you can't make a shot, just counterattack on the spot. Don't worry about being attacked quickly. We have to make sure there are two people in the middle circle to delay the retreat."

"Just like this." Chen Fang called everyone to the court, and then asked Yue Gang to throw a ball. Coincidentally, the ball went in.

Chen Fang immediately threw the ball to Yang Shan behind the baseline. "No matter who goes to the baseline, the first reaction is to pass the ball. Don't wait, don't look, just pass it to whoever is open."

"For example, you give it to me now." Chen Fang received the ball, then dribbled forward, ran a few steps and stopped, and said to everyone: "At this time, forwards and defenders, because your positions are already at the front, you should move forward immediately and force the opponent to follow you."

"Now I have the ball, I make the judgment. If no one is guarding me, I will rush in. If someone is guarding me, I will break through if I can. If I can't, I will not stop and will continue to drive in." "If I don't have a chance, then logically, you will have a chance, right?"

Yue Gang and others nodded. They had already seen Chen Fang's dribbling and speed. If he had no chance, he must have been double-teamed.

"Then pass the ball to one of you who runs into an open space. At this time, whether you shoot or drive, you will be open."

"This is our basic fighting style." After Chen Fang demonstrated it once, he asked, "Who has any questions?"

Xue Chong was the first to raise his hand: "Who will lead the attack?"

"There is no main attacker, we are all main attackers. Whoever has the ball can shoot as long as you judge there is an opportunity. The other four players, two will rush to grab rebounds, and two will immediately intercept opponents who want to break quickly in the midfield."

"What if we don't get in?" Xue Chong asked again.

"It doesn't matter if you don't get in!" Chen Fang said to Xia Wen, "Run back and forth now."

Xia Wen didn't hesitate, he immediately ran forward, and then ran back desperately.

"Run again."

This time, Xia Wen's speed of returning was slower than what could be seen by the naked eye.

"Can you run again?" Chen Fang asked.

"Yes!" Xia Wen gritted his teeth and ran another round.

"See? Xia Wen, the fastest runner, has already started to lose speed after three rounds."

"So, in the fourth round, if we continue to play like this, will it be easier to score?"

"I have a question." It was Yang Shan's turn to raise his hand. Seeing Chen Fang agreed, he said, "We can keep this pace, but what if the opponent slows down the pace?"

“In that scene, didn’t it feel like we were fighting randomly while the opponent was very stable?” Yue Gang also had a question.

"Good question, but it's a taken-for-granted question that's hard to sustain."

"We are fast, and our opponents are slow. We play a 24-second offensive round, and our opponents must play the full seconds. That's what everyone thinks, right?" Seeing everyone nodding, Chen Fang smiled and said, "Come on, let's demonstrate it and it will be clear."

He waved and called Yue Gang, Yang Shan, and Wen Hui.

"Wenhui and I are on the same team, you are on defense." Chen Fang slammed the ball into the backboard, then jumped up and hugged it, dribbling forward, and stopped after a few steps.

"Do you want to chase after me?"

"I will definitely chase her."

"Okay then!" Chen Fang threw the ball to Yang Shan. "Now if your defense gets the rebound, I will force the ball on the spot. What will you do?"

Yang Shan said without hesitation: "Protect the ball, and look for opportunities to pass the ball or break through."

"Then there are two situations that can happen. Either you are delayed by me and commit an 2-second half-court violation, or you shake me off and enter the front court, creating a large gap."

"If there is no defender between you and the basket, what would you do?"

"Go in."

"Very good!" Chen Fang looked at the whole team: "Whether he scores or not, is the ball back in our hands?"

"Yes."

"Then we continue to attack in our way, what about the opponent?"

Yue Gang understood, and he nodded continuously: "Continue to chase us."

"Yes, that's our rhythm. We serve quickly, play fast, shoot quickly, block on the spot, and then continue to serve quickly from the baseline. If the opponent doesn't score, we grab the rebound and continue to play quickly. We maintain our rhythm until the fourth quarter, and then we change our strategy based on the score."

“For most of the game, we had two of them up front, two in the middle and one trailing behind.”

"The opponent's formation was also very scattered. There were only ten people on the entire field, and there were always people in the front and back fields from beginning to end."

"What if the opponent places two people in our backcourt and doesn't leave?" a teammate raised his hand and asked.

"No problem, then the five of us will fight against the three of them. Don't we have the confidence to score with five against three?"

"If the shot doesn't go in, the opponent will just score!"

Chen Fang waved his hands and smiled: "If that's the case, it's also because we are bad at it. Isn't it right to let others score?"

"We don't need to worry about how many points the opponent can score, we just need to think about how many points we can score!"

"Who has any questions?" Chen Fang spread his hands and asked everyone again.

"One last question." Yue Gang asked: "Do we have the physical ability to do this?"

Chen Fang looked at everyone and didn't answer meaningfully until someone took the initiative to speak up: "I don't have it, but I can practice."

It’s still Xue Chong!

Xue Chong pounded his chest and said, "I can practice. The sports students run 3000 meters every day. I can do that, too."

After one person spoke, everyone expressed their opinions. Chen Fang realized that his goal had been achieved, so he walked up to Xue Chong and said, "Brother Xue, what you said yesterday was my fault. I apologize to you in front of the whole team."

Xue Chong was stunned by Chen Fang's action, and he quickly shook his head: "I know I have a bad temper, but it's my problem. Chen Fang, if you can lead us to win, I, Xue Chong, will have no problem at all!"

This action stunned Yue Gang. He suddenly realized that this man, who was two years younger than him, was really able to take on responsibilities and let go of things, and had the spirit to do great things.

"Okay, I've got it!" At least for now, the unstable factors can be eliminated. After laying the groundwork for so long, Chen Fang got down to business.

"Starting today, we will start to improve our physical fitness. At the same time, everyone must start practicing techniques such as fast break layups and open shots. I have written down exactly what each person should do, and Captain Yue will be in charge of the assignments."

"I'll show you how to do it specifically later, and then everyone has to train according to this demonstration." After saying that, Chen Fang winked at Yue Gang.

"Go get the ball and start training!" Yue Gang shouted.

When everyone started to prepare, Yue Gang walked over to Chen Fang and whispered, "Why don't you be the head coach? You really had the style just now."

"Hey, Captain, that doesn't exist. Let's work together. I need you!"

"I need you more! Captain Chen!"

The two pairs of hands were tightly clasped together, and a new force that was shaking the entire Nanyang High School basketball circle was quietly rising.

(End of this chapter)