Chapter 18 They don’t seem that strong?
This society is very realistic. Graduating from high school means you have one foot in society.
During the break after lunch, Zhang Hao and Bibby came to the training ground on the other side of the stadium together, where they would gather later.
Kobe and Hamilton went to training right after lunch, not afraid of getting stomach problems. Both were stimulated by Zhang Hao this morning, with Kobe being stimulated twice. Now he has only one thought - training! Crazy training!
As for Bibby, he had already despaired of surpassing Zhang Hao in mid-range shooting - a basketball genius who had trained for two and a half years had only reached this level in mid-range shooting. He felt that he was no match for Zhang Hao in shooting.
This actually made Bibby feel normal.
When we arrived at the stadium, we saw the test scores of the 108 high school students participating in the training camp posted by the staff.
Each 10-point test score is marked with a different color.
Zhang Hao found his name, No. 99, the fourth from the last, which was also easy to find.
"5 points for passing and controlling the ball... I got 5 points for passing and controlling the ball? Oh, yes, this is the evaluation by high school students. Shooting is 10 points, athletic ability is 10 points, static physical fitness is 9 points, and technique is 4 points..."
It basically meets Zhang Hao's own expectations. His only top-notch abilities are shooting, running and jumping. His physique is also good. He was good enough at the forward position in high school.
However, Zhang Hao realized that his results were not outstanding. Almost every player had 1-2 aspects that were top-level among high school basketball players. After all, these were 108 of the most talented 100 high school basketball players in the United States.
Among all the names, one stands out the most - Kevin Garnett!
"Pentagon player?"
Zhang Hao looked at Garnett's exaggerated test results, and this adjective suddenly popped up in his mind. He also knew that Garnett had super strong defense, which meant that this test could not test defense, otherwise Garnett must be a hexagonal player.
It’s just…”Garnett’s shot is 10 points?”
Zhang Hao saw Garnett testing his mid-range shot when he was hanging around before. He felt that Garnett's mid-range shot was about the same as his mid-range shot before he used the growth card! Garnett was not good at three-point shooting.
Seeing that his shooting score was also a perfect 10... Zhang Hao knew that three-pointers were not taken seriously these days, but he still felt a little strange.
In addition to Garnett, there are several other players who scored very well in the test. Kobe scored 9 points in skills and 10 points in 4 other subjects. Jamison scored 9 points in athletic ability and 7 points in static physical condition, and the other three were all 10 points. Odom scored 6 points in shooting, and the other four were all 10 points...
Most high school geniuses have outstanding athletic abilities, such as Garnett, Kobe, Odom, Rahim... etc. All of them have 10 points in athletic ability, and Jamison also has 9 points. But there is also an exception. Bibby's athletic ability is 5 points, and his static physical fitness is 7 points, but his technique, shooting, and passing and control are all 10 points.
Through the publicly released test results, Zhang Hao gained a certain understanding of the talented high school students participating in this training camp. There were many with good athletic ability, but except for the few he noticed, most of the players were good at shooting and it would be good if they could reach Odom's level.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, a trainer came to announce the latest grouping situation.
This time, the training groups were divided not according to rankings but according to the players' test results.
Zhang Hao was assigned to the shooting group. There were not many people in this group. Just as Zhang Hao saw from the publicly released test results, there were many people in the group that strengthened technical training and improved utilization of physical conditions, especially the group that strengthened the utilization of physical conditions.
There are only 9 people in Zhang Hao's group. Bibby, Kobe, Garnett and others are not in this group. In this group, Zhang Hao is only familiar with Hamilton and Corey Benjamin. He knows some of the others and has talked to some of them, but he is not familiar with them.
Kobe was assigned to the technical group, and he did not get full marks in this item. He is similar to Jamison in that he also practiced everything in high school, but his proficiency is not as good as Jamison, and his basic skills in this area still need to be strengthened.
Garnett was placed in the inside group, while Bibby was practicing pick-and-roll passing.
The first training session started at 4 pm. Everyone was treated equally and no one was given preferential treatment. The training intensity was much greater than what these high school students experienced in school.
That afternoon, three players were persuaded to withdraw.
Even among the top 100 black high school students in the United States with excellent athletic talent, there are still some who keep the habits they have had since childhood - why should I be so tired? Why should I sit when I can lie down? Why should I work when I can get free food?
Zhang Hao had previously learned about last year's training camp from Pierce, but Pierce made the final list, and all he talked about was how professional the training camp was, how complete the facilities were, how strong the opponents were... He never mentioned the cruelest side of the training camp at all - everything depends on ability, the test scores are announced right away, and those who fail to complete the designated training will be advised to drop out.
Because this is not a training camp that you pay to attend, but a training camp similar to a "draft" where 90 people are eliminated to select the final 18-man roster for the elite competition!
Suddenly, the elimination system began. Although no one in Zhang Hao's group was eliminated, he was caught off guard and felt very uneasy...
But the next day, he noticed he was being treated differently.
Starting today, other players will adjust their shooting movements under the guidance of the trainer. In a training session yesterday afternoon, each person's training goal was 500 shots. It doesn't matter whether the shooting is accurate or not, as everyone is not bad. Those who are specially selected for intensive shooting training must have a shooting score of at least 8 points. The purpose of yesterday's training session was to let the trainer and shooting coach observe the shooting movements and basic skills of the 9 players in the shooting group.
As of today, the other eight players, including Hamilton and Corey Benjamin, are adjusting their shooting basics under the guidance of the trainer, while the trainer called Zhang Hao away alone and taught him quick shooting techniques by watching the video.
Zhang Hao was a little flattered, but he studied very hard, memorized the techniques the trainer taught him, and then trained hard under the trainer's guidance.
Feeling the difference in treatment between himself and others, Zhang Hao calmed down. After calming down, he probably guessed that this was the "preferential treatment" brought to him by his mid-range shooting test performance. He did not receive any preferential treatment in terms of training intensity, but relying on his mid-range shooting level, he could carry out more in-depth training in advance!
During the breaks in training, Zhang Hao would also go around and have a look like everyone else.
For example, watching Kobe's training, where he got mad because he only scored 9 points in a test, watching Odom being scolded for being distracted during training, watching Bibby and Marbury compete to see who has the better pick-and-roll breakthrough...
However, when the simple classification test turned into formal training, Zhang Hao, who ran out to watch from time to time, discovered a problem. At first, he thought he was a little too proud, but later he really had that thought - "They don't seem to be that strong, right?"
…
…
After the training camp officially started, Adidas also began to promote the elite competition to be held on May 19th.
Garnett is popular again!
The high school student who got full marks on all tests! The last one was Grant Hill! The superstar who won the All-Star vote in his rookie season that just ended.
The opening test results of the Adidas training camp were well received by basketball fans. The NBA draft template given to Garnett by Adidas made the fans crazy - Kevin McHale with the athletic talent of Moses Malone!
Kobe Bryant was already very popular because his father Joe Bryant appeared on TV every few days to show off his son. Of course, the reviews were mixed. This time, the Adidas training camp also gave him high praise - an omnipotent player on the court with extraordinary learning ability.
This evaluation actually only looks high, but which tall ball-handling guard is not omnipotent in high school?
The key is that Kobe’s college template is very cool - Anfernee Hardaway.
So, Kobe's father came out again to promote his son... Kobe was so angry that he directly took out the battery of his mobile phone and refused to answer the phone at home.
Why was Kobe able to talk to only a few people at the training camp? It was because he brought a cell phone with him to the training camp, as if he was afraid that others would not know that his father was rich.
Marbury, Odom, Bibby, Rahim, Jamison... and others are also being promoted by Adidas.
However, among the high school students who were highlighted this time, there was one person who surprised many people—Zhang Hao!
10 points for athletic ability. Some basketball fans learned about this Chinese high school student with super athletic ability after the McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest, but they didn't expect that his shooting was also 10 points.
But this is nothing. There are seven players who have shot 10 points this year, and this alone does not stand out.
The key lies in Adidas’ evaluation of Zhang Hao - can you imagine a dunker with the dunking ability of Julius Irving and the same accurate mid-range shooting as Andrew Toney?
Zhang Hao has become a little famous through the McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest, but not many people care about him. After all, it's just a slam dunk. There are so many amateur slam dunk contests every year, especially street competitions, some of which will be broadcast on TV, but will be forgotten by people after a while.
But Zhang Hao just stood out in the McDonald's Slam Dunk Contest half a month ago, and now he is in the Adidas training camp, a place where only strength on the court is considered, and he stands out again!
There are always people who are bored in every era, and quite a few people went to look up Zhang Hao's information, and then they found out that Zhang Hao was selected to the third team of the All-American High School Players Team but no university wanted him.
People like to see a comeback. Adidas, which has been operating this business for many years, has treated this as a gimmick and it has really become a hit!
…
Zhang Hao, the mid-range shooting king of this training camp, was having a great time practicing quick shots when he was suddenly given this title, which was given by Adidas.
Zhang Hao became more certain why he was given "preferential treatment".
During these few days, Zhang Hao saw that fewer and fewer players participated in the training camp, and people were constantly being eliminated, but no one asked him to conduct assessments or make other requests. When he was chatting with Hamilton, Hamilton once said that there would be assessments after each stage of his guidance.
Taking their shooting group as an example, not every instruction content needs to be practiced by the players. For example, after Zhang Hao learned the quick shooting training method, the shooting coach began to teach him very detailed things such as running, catching the ball, and turning and shooting skills. After learning how to practice these, it is time to move on to the next item. The training camp lasts only one week, and they are only responsible for teaching you how to practice. If you can't even learn how to practice or can't remember, you will be eliminated. If you don't have enough physical strength to complete the training content, you will be eliminated. Those who are lazy by nature were all eliminated in the first two days.
However, these have nothing to do with Zhang Hao, just like there is no way Adidas would eliminate Garnett, Kobe and Bibby because of their training performance. Zhang Hao's mid-range shooting ability far exceeded the highest standards set by the training camp from the beginning, so there are not so many so-called rules.
This caused Zhang Hao's understanding of basketball, his own strength, and his opponents to begin to change... This situation was a good thing for him. He didn't have to worry so much and could devote himself to learning.
This is really more professional than the guidance of coaches in high school. It's not that coach Scott Collins of Inglewood High School is unprofessional. Zhang Hao heard that NBA and NCAA teams invited Scott Collins to be an assistant coach, but Scott Collins wanted to be the head coach with the highest say in the coaching staff, so he didn't go.
But Scott Collins is only human after all, and he has areas where he is good and areas where he is not good.
Here, Zhang Hao has won attention with his mid-range shooting ability, and those trainers and shooting coaches, who are like they have discovered a treasure, are all surrounding him and trying to figure out how to help him improve. This treatment is simply too good to be true!
Chris Irving, the chief shooting coach of the Adidas training camp, was really amazed by Zhang Hao's mid-range shot. He is a famous shooting coach in the basketball world and works for several NBA players almost every summer. From the perspective of training alone, there are not many NBA players who can shoot better than Zhang Hao!
The basketball world for students is a world of dreams. Chris Irving enjoys every time he serves as a shooting coach at the Adidas training camp. When he discovers a talent, he will do his best to help him become better.
Zhang Hao's mid-range shot won the attention of shooting coaches and trainers. His fame increased again through Adidas' promotion, but it also caused him some more trouble.
People began to watch his training, and some even challenged him directly to a mid-range shooting competition. This did not include Kobe, Hamilton, Bibby, and Corey Benjamin, who had always wanted to be compared with Zhang Hao.
The trainers and coaches did not stop the challenge, but allowed the cameramen to film it. It makes no difference who challenges whom. Who knows, one of these players may emerge in the professional arena in the future, and they can then promote it again.
Adidas spends money to host training camps, providing food, lodging, venues and guidance, but it also wants something in return, which is the players' right to use their image, portrait rights, etc. during the training camp.
Then, all the challengers were defeated.
Before, when Zhang Hao took the initiative to approach people, he didn’t get to know many people... He almost never got to know people simply by approaching them. But after accepting many challenges in just three days, more and more people took the initiative to talk to him.
He discovered a misunderstanding - the basketball world, the high school basketball world, is very different from the workplace. In this basketball world, some things are simpler.
In addition to becoming friends because of similar interests, it is more likely that they become friends after working together for a long time, or they are attracted to each other by their strengths.
Zhang Hao felt that it was almost impossible for him to become friends with these black high school students who were very different in skin color, personality, and habits.
Long-term cooperation...it seems that only Pierce?
Then it all depends on your strength on the court!
Of course, socializing is not useless, it just requires solid foundation.
