Chapter 25 Everything has just begun!
"I told you, I want to be on the same team with you. Only by being on the same team with you can we win. Aix, you are so awesome..." Marbury started talking again and inadvertently offended a petty 16-year-old high school student next to him.
"Although I am not your opponent now, you have to be careful. I am one year younger than you and I will catch up with you soon!" This is Hamilton.
"I also want to try what it feels like to play with you..." This is Jamison.
"Too bad you dunked on me when I wasn't paying attention..."
Zhang Hao was fine when he heard what others said, but when he heard what Odom said, Zhang Hao was speechless.
During that dunk, he even exchanged glances with Odom before he rushed in and jumped. Who knew that this guy would be distracted the next second? He was originally prepared to miss the dunk.
In this game, Zhang Hao conquered not only his teammates, but his opponents also recognized his strength. Moreover, this time, they recognized Zhang Hao's strength in the game!
In their opinion, Zhang Hao's strength is at the level of a professional player!
It is true that Zhang Hao has many flaws and has nothing to do with omnipotence, but with such height, athletic ability and shooting, the combination of these three makes him the strongest player in the eyes of other players!
Of course, there are people who don’t think so. Some people firmly believe that they are the strongest.
The Adidas training camp brings together a group of young people who can represent the 96 generation.
After the frustration of losing, the 18 players from both teams gathered together, hugged, and took photos...
Perhaps, after today, many of them will never be seen again.
The older they get, the more they realize how difficult it is to become a professional player. Except for a few, most people don’t have a clear plan for their future or what they want to do.
After a while, after the players finished their post-match communication, the head of Adidas Pacific region came to the court and it was time to present the awards.
There is no bonus, but each member of the winning team will receive a trophy, and everyone will receive a certificate from the Adidas training camp. Although it is of little use, before Adidas expanded the elite competition, only 18 people could get the certificate every year. It is still worth collecting for these high school students. If they don’t play well in the NCAA and ultimately fail to enter the professional league, this certificate will be one of the most precious memories of their basketball career.
In addition to these two, there is another most important award tonight!
Kobe, who scored 30 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, had no chance to win this award. Neither did Odom, who scored 11 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists, nor did Hamilton, who scored 18 points...
This is a separate trophy that only the best performing player of the winning team has the opportunity to win - the Most Valuable Player of the game!
After an opening speech, which was actually just a soft advertisement, the person in charge of Adidas prepared to present the awards: "...Thank you for bringing us such a wonderful game. I hope this training camp will help your basketball career.
OKOK, I know you can't wait, I declare that the most valuable player of this adidas camp elite game is... Axl Zhang from Inglewood High School in Los Angeles! "
Zhang Hao, who scored 31 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals, beat Garnett, who scored 14 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, to become the MVP of this Adidas Training Camp Elite Tournament!
There is not much suspense about this. Garnett performed very well, but anyone can see who their team relies on to win the game.
There is no so-called commercial reason for this game itself. It was just given to the one with the best performance. And considering commercial reasons, the training camp held in San Francisco, California, should be given to Zhang Hao. At least half of the fans at the scene bought shoes, equipment and free tickets because of Zhang Hao!
Garnett had no choice but to do it. He wanted to, but in this situation, he was powerless...
This time he was really convinced!
The 1995 Adidas Training Camp Elite Competition, which lasted 1 hour and 12 minutes and 40 minutes of competition, came to an end with Zhang Hao enjoying the cheers of the fans on the scene...
…
…
"Congratulations, Axel, you won the MVP. You also won the event held by McDonald's. Which high school student event do you think is better, Adidas or McDonald's?"
"I have only participated in the McDonald's dunk contest, and I don't know much about other competitions. They must be very good. I went through the entire Adidas training camp. It was very professional and I learned a lot. I think it will be of great help to my training in the summer."
"You have proved with your actions that you are the best high school student, but I heard that no university is willing to offer you a basketball scholarship. Is this true?"
"I think maybe Los Angeles is too remote and they haven't heard of me. This time I think they will notice me."
"There's news that those universities are unwilling to offer you scholarships because of your skin color?"
"That's too bad if it's like what you said, but they did offer me a scholarship, but it's a study scholarship."
"Study scholarship?"
"Yes, at the end of last season, I had nothing to do, so I took the SAT early. I remember I scored almost 1400 points. At that time, my class teacher wanted to recommend me to graduate early and go to college."
“…”
“…”
…
After the game, Zhang Hao was taken away for an interview alone. This time, Zhang Hao was much more relaxed. Unlike the dunk contest , his answers this time were quite organized.
But when it is time to show confidence, he still has to show his confidence.
When it comes to sensitive topics, he avoided them in a timely manner and changed the subject very well. After all, his goal is to get into an NCAA Division I university, so he can't offend the school.
It was just a high school competition, so Zhang Hao felt lucky that he hadn't encountered any extremely aggressive questions. However, he was a little confused. Why did the media seem to deliberately target those universities? They almost dragged him into the water. Fortunately, he had learned from his experience this time and thought of avoiding answering questions about those universities, otherwise he would really offend all of them.
After finishing the interview and returning to the hotel, Zhang Hao looked at the Adidas 1995 training camp MVP trophy thrown on the bed...it was a bit surreal!
The final result of this training camp was completely different from what was expected at the beginning!
For a moment, Zhang Hao was a little confused...
It's not that things are too bad, but that good things come too quickly.
This feeling is similar to not knowing how to deal with the current situation after becoming rich overnight, but fortunately, it does not involve money, it is not really a windfall, and you will not lose your normal thinking.
Seeing that he had 405 days left to live, Zhang Hao quickly came to his senses. He knew that everything had just begun!
Bibi, who was sitting on the other bed reading a book, had been paying attention to this amazing roommate and noticed Zhang Hao's confusion. He was very curious as to why Zhang Hao was looking at a trophy in confusion...
Bibby, who has been known as a basketball genius since childhood and had a smooth student life, could not empathize with his roommate Zhang Hao, who was from China and encountered so many setbacks on his basketball journey.
After resting for a while, at around 6 o'clock, there was a knock on the door.
Zhang Hao went to open the door, and it was Marbury.
"Axel, hey, Mike, let's go get together, Sherif's treating!"
Marbury said as he walked straight into the room.
"I do not want……"
"No, you do!"
Marbury directly pulled up Bibby. Marbury, who came from the slums and hung out on the streets, was very good at dealing with people like Bibby who were awkward.
Zhang Hao will definitely not refuse...
Following Marbury to the hotel entrance, the other 15 talented high school students were all there, even that other weird guy Kobe was there.
The training camp is over! Tomorrow they will all go back to their own homes. Rahim, who has the best family background and the richest family, invited everyone to a high-end restaurant for a gathering. He rented a few cars and took everyone to a high-end restaurant for a gathering.
Rahim's family environment is really good. He was born in a church family. Several generations before him were priests. From the church level, all the people in a town with more than 50,000 people follow his father. A town with more than 50,000 people is not small in the United States. The city of Inglewood is about this size. His family also has a charitable foundation... In his generation, his younger brother is expected to take over the position of priest.
His non-competitive character has caused him to be criticized in the media, but his gentle personality allows him to seem to have good relationships with everyone... Money is always useful.
Among the 18 people present, many came from the slums and had never been to a high-end restaurant. Fortunately, as the black people put it nicely, they were "not particular about details", so Rahim didn't mind if they ate to their heart's content.
Although I couldn't drink, the whole process was enjoyable.
There will always be a time when the music ends and everyone goes their separate ways. Some people don’t have much idea of this, but Marbury is a thoughtful person. After eating and drinking, he leaned back in his chair and sighed, “Maybe this is the only chance for us to get together for a meal in this lifetime, right?”
Some people didn't take Marbury's words seriously at all, but many people had the same feeling.
Although the time was not long, we trained together, advanced together, and played together in a game that is the highest level in today's high school world. This kind of friendship is rare and worth remembering.
"Not only that, many of us may not even have the chance to meet each other in the future." Bibi said faintly.
After hearing what his roommate said, Zhang Hao knew that Bibby was right. These days, the only ways to communicate remotely were landlines and letters, and the Internet was not very convenient. However, he heard another meaning in Bibby's words - this is why I don't want to have a good relationship with other people.
Yes, that's right. Because many people may only come into contact with each other once in their lifetime, and may not meet again for ten or eight years, or even never see each other again in their lifetime. So for Bibby, there is no need to have too much communication with other people. People are emotional creatures. If you make a good friend and then don't see him for many years, if you happen to have a really good relationship with this friend, it will instead cause negative emotions.
Zhang Hao thought for a while and said, "Not necessarily. Maybe we will have many opportunities to meet in the future."
There are 10 people present here who Zhang Hao considers to be future NBA stars. The situation is completely different from making friends in ordinary games!
Bibi looked at Zhang Hao, smiled rarely, and said: "If it were you, we might have fought each other in college... Now those universities won't be blind anymore, right?"
Bibby was really happy that Zhang Hao played well this time. It was a pity that they were just teammates in this elite competition. However, with Zhang Hao's strength, Bibby believed that Zhang Hao would soon become a star of an NCAA team.
But Zhang Hao shook his head at this time: "NCAA? That's just a process... In college, we may not have the opportunity to meet. I think our goal should be the same as Kevin's."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention was focused on Zhang Hao.
Isn’t what Zhang Hao just said exactly their dream?
If it's the same as Garnett, it means entering the NBA, the highest stage of basketball!
When others say this, they may think it is too arrogant. Every year, there are so many talents entering the NCAA, and every year there are so many basketball players participating in the NCAA draft, but now, only more than 50 people can be selected in each draft.
After reaching the top of high school, they realized how strong those stronger ones were. Although they were all geniuses with strong self-confidence, compared with Garnett, Kobe, and Odom, three guys with exaggerated talents...
However, when Zhang Hao said this, everyone thought it was normal.
During the training camp, they had already felt Zhang Hao's admirable self-confidence.
Everyone began to look forward to the scene of having their names called during the talent show.
Garnett rarely confronted Zhang Hao , but smiled and said, "I'll wait for you in the NBA."
Zhang Hao looked at Garnett, smiled, and responded: "See you in NBA!"
…
…
"Oh, Axl, your performance this time was amazing. I wanted to be like you last year, but unfortunately I failed. I should be able to do it if I go this year, but I'm giving the opportunity to you. You have to thank me. My mom has made a lot of delicious food tonight to celebrate for you winning the MVP. You have to be on time then..."
Back in Los Angeles, back to the apartment, there is still the familiar chatterbox, there is still the familiar little fat boy. Sure enough, this is the real thing, Marbury is just an A-grade product.
Listening to Pierce's chattering, Zhang Hao acted as a good listener.
Although he was envious, Pierce did not have any jealous thoughts. However, he still had to brag about his achievements. Pierce vaguely felt that he seemed to have been surpassed by Zhang Hao. He had felt Zhang Hao's rapid improvement in mid-range shooting during the previous training. Of course, he was happy about this. Only when Zhang Hao became stronger would he have the opportunity to continue advancing on the basketball path.
However, no one expected that Zhang Hao could win the MVP of the Adidas training camp, which is one of the highest honors in American high school basketball. In a sense, it is comparable to the best high school student in the United States evaluated by the Associated Press. This year's best high school student in the United States is Kevin Garnett, a favorite in the first round of the NBA draft.
Pierce also felt the pressure. He felt that he should train hard and losing weight was the first priority...
While mumbling, Pierce thought of something and changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Axel, my mom said the coach of the UCLA Bruins called and hopes to meet with you when you come back. Oh, no! I have already rejected them. I lost the opportunity to continue to be teammates with you in college..."
Zhang Hao knew this a long time ago. Before he left the hotel in San Francisco this morning, the club manager of the Stanford University Redwoods team of the Pacific 12 Conference had already come to see him once. Unfortunately, the head coach of the Redwoods team was currently on vacation and traveling in Europe, but he had agreed to meet with him in Los Angeles in a while.
Many people benefited from this Adidas training camp. It can be said that everyone who made it to the elite competition list benefited. Being selected for the elite competition list is still the most recognized in NCAA schools in this era. It is not like in the future when the training camps of Adidas, McDonald's and Nike will compete with each other for talented high school students, and hold training camps at the same time to compete with each other, lowering the level of each competition.
Like Kobe, although he lost, the scene of him fighting alone against the crowd allowed his father to appear on TV shows to show off his son.
Garnett's selfless style of play and strong strength have also been highly praised by scouts of NBA teams.
Odom became an overnight sensation and was nicknamed the "Left-Handed Magician." He only turned 16 in November, but his talent is simply explosive!
The one who benefited the most was naturally Zhang Hao.
These people are very good, but they were strongly suppressed in the elite competition!
10 mid-range shots! That's amazing!
UCLA is a local school. If UCLA doesn't fight for it, the local media will definitely go crazy.
In the days following Zhang Hao's return to Inglewood, many coaches from universities came to visit him. He was distressed that no one paid attention to him before, but now more than a dozen universities have come to him, and he is in a dilemma...
Originally, the best choice was definitely UCLA. The first university he applied to was the local UCLA, and then USC. However, only the latter was willing to give a partial scholarship, and the amount given was only equivalent to an ordinary scholarship. Traditionally speaking, if you get a sports scholarship, you cannot get an ordinary scholarship.
Now these two universities have come with full scholarships, but Zhang Hao is very resistant...
On May 24, finally, the meetings of those NCAA Division I schools were all over.
In the past four days, from the 20th to the 23rd, basketball club managers and head coaches from 17 NCAA universities came to Pierce's apartment to meet with Zhang Hao.
Due to the large number of teams he met with, Zhang Hao did not make a decision immediately. He really didn't know how to make the decision now.
Scholarships are the same for all. What is considered is not this aspect, but the city where the university is located, the faculty of the school, and the living environment of the Chinese people...
The best choice is the University of Kansas, where Pierce will attend next semester. The Wildcats are a traditional strong team in the NCAA. If Zhang Hao joins, the two of them will form the most promising frontcourt combination.
But Zhang Hao is also interested in Stanford University.
Zhang Hao was really conflicted, so he came to the gym for training. He hadn't trained for several days, and training was more likely to help him calm down.
The main reason is that today's training is quite special. In ancient times, there were red sleeves adding fragrance to the training, and now there are tennis beauties feeding the ball...
We had originally planned to have lunch together when we just came back, but Zhang Hao has been busy for the past four days. Today he finally has some time, but after lunch Zhang Hao didn't feel like going out to play, so he came to the gym for training. April Clark came to serve as a caddy and help with serving.
The mid-range shot is Zhang Hao's strongest basketball skill. He will not slack off in training in this area. He is currently struggling with it and has no extra time to think about how to expand his skills, so he will continue to practice the mid-range shot.
After another set of 50 shooting practice, April Clark asked, "Axe, which college are you going to?"
"I haven't decided yet. How about you? Your SAT scores are pretty good, right?"
"My transcript was sent to school the day before yesterday. I did OK in the exams, but to go to the University of Southern California, I have to pass their art exam... The University of Southern California should have invited you to join, right?"
“They came the first day I started meeting with those universities.”
"I knew you could do it. I wonder how much those universities are regretting not accepting your basketball scholarship application..."
Zhang Hao was chatting with April Clark when his sophomore club manager asked Zhang Hao to go to the head coach's office. Coach Scott Collins wanted to see him about something.
Zhang Hao apologized to April Clark and came to the office.
"Coach, what's up?"
Scott Collins responded, "Have you decided which college you want to go to?"
Zhang Hao shook his head and was about to ask the coach for advice, but he saw Scott Collins take out a form from the drawer and hand it to him.
Zhang Hao was curious about the result form, and it clearly stated on the top - 1995 NBA Draft Application Form.
On the 14th, the lottery for the 1995 NBA draft had already taken place, and the Warriors won the No. 1 pick.
Next, May 27th is the deadline for draft registration. Except for college graduates and overseas players who are 22 years old or older, anyone who fails to send in their draft application before this day will not be able to participate in this year's draft. However, the NBA calculates the time based on the time it is sent out.
After May 29, teams can begin draft tryouts.
Zhang Hao looked at the application form and was a little confused - what does this mean?
"I'm going to New York tomorrow. I can help you take this to New York and submit it to the NBA headquarters."
As soon as Scott Collins finished speaking, Zhang Hao's subtitle prompt came!
"Specially signed player: Zhang Hao. His talent has been recognized by many basketball practitioners and has become the object of competition for many NCAA teams. Mission: Talent ownership is triggered."
“Talent belongs to:
Optional Goal 1: Choose an NCAA team to join.
Reward: 1 bronze gift pack. (Select target 1, target 2 will not be triggered)
Optional goal 2: Skip college basketball and enter the 1995 NBA draft.
Rewards: If the host is selected in the second round of the 1995 draft, he will be awarded a bronze gift pack; if he is selected in the first round, he will be awarded a silver gift pack; if he is selected in the top ten, he will be awarded a gold gift pack. (Not cumulative, if you select target 2, target 1 will not be triggered) "
A sudden mission!
This task actually asked him to choose whether to skip college and participate in the draft!
Once he submits his NBA draft application, according to current NCAA rules, he will lose the opportunity to participate in NCAA basketball games, which naturally means he will lose the opportunity to get a basketball scholarship!
Zhang Hao tried to calm himself down. After calming down, he was silent for a while and asked Coach Scott Collins: "Coach, do you think I can do it?"
Zhang Hao himself doesn’t believe that he has the ability to play in the NBA now.
"I think this incident scared you, but you should have confidence in yourself. I have seen your progress during this period. I went to watch the Adidas training camp elite competition this time. I was surprised by your progress during this period. I can be sure of one thing - even in college, no one can shoot better than you..."
