Chapter 38: About America
The same goes for improving strength. Originally, it should be necessary to increase weight, increase training volume, and accept a decrease in speed and flexibility in order to reach the top level.
Wow, my speed and flexibility are still top-notch, and my strength has already reached the top. Not only has it become difficult to increase my strength, but if I want to increase my strength, the increase in muscle and weight, if I want to reach the point of improving my strength rating, the impact on my athletic ability will probably be greater than I imagined!
The increase in strength is definitely a great thing for Zhang Hao, but human beings are very contradictory creatures. They can think of unfavorable situations for an absolutely good thing.
Feeling that he was thinking in the wrong direction, Zhang Hao ignored this for the time being. Increased strength is definitely a good thing, otherwise it would take who knows how many years to train to this level, and there is no special effect of the growth card.
In the past month or so, in addition to strength training and maintaining shooting training, he has also practiced catching the ball and shooting, and tactical running training.
There has been progress in tactical running training, but the progress does not lie in the proficiency of the running, but in that the brain knows how to run.
The off-ball movement tactics manual he got covered almost all the off-ball players' movement routes and movement concepts in all the famous tactics in today's league. As long as he learned them all, he believed that he could run well under any coach in today's league as long as the tactics could be executed normally.
However, he only memorized the movements but had not actually practiced any of them with anyone.
Zhang Hao discovered that this must be trained as a team, otherwise it would be hard to say whether he had made any progress. He knew how to run. In the past month, he often "read" this book repeatedly in his "dreams" and had memorized it very well. Since he had a strong learning purpose, he did not find it boring. It was actually quite interesting to study how to run. He could also expand his ideas based on the existing running route map, and he also began to think about how to use some future classic tactical running methods...
However, these tactics were useless even if he found a few younger students to practice positioning together. These younger students were not at the stage to learn this aspect at all, and it was useless without any basic training.
But as a pitcher without the ball, you must practice with your teammates who play in the game together to achieve results.
Moreover, he has a relatively deep understanding of the game and knows that in a real game, the actual tactical execution and the preset tactics may be very different. Actual combat is needed to truly create good team cooperation. Chemical reaction is the most important. Teammates must understand each other, and players without the ball can truly produce chemical reactions with teammates or determine inappropriateness.
Although this problem could not be solved for the time being, Zhang Hao did not get discouraged, nor did he give up studying. Before going to bed at night, he would choose to enter the study mode and study how to move in his sleep.
For now, the only thing he has learned is the off-ball running route map, but Zhang Hao is quite happy about the "tactical learning mode". This thing is great!
This is his shortcoming as a high school player. Unlike most rookies, he has not played in at least the NCAA or overseas leagues. No matter which one, in terms of tactics, theoretical knowledge and practical experience are more sufficient than him.
Now, at least he has a wealth of theoretical knowledge in the area in which he is good at - off-ball movement.
This is bound to be a huge help for him after entering the NBA.
…
"Remaining lifespan 316 days, usable lifespan 315 days."
When he woke up on the morning of August 14, Zhang Hao saw this reminder again...
He couldn't even be numb because this was the time he still had left to live.
After getting up, washing up and putting on more formal clothes, a casual suit, Zhang Hao came to the room of April Clark, the tennis beauty and now a prospective drama actress. At first, Zhang Hao really didn't expect that she actually had good cooking skills. Today, as usual, she prepared breakfast for him.
The breakfast was quite rich. Zhang Hao didn't hesitate and sat down to eat. He often made breakfast for April Clark after she went on vacation. Today they were going to the airport together, so April Clark prepared breakfast for him.
"Paul will arrive in the afternoon. In the morning we will go to pick up your country's talented center... Is he good?" April Clark asked.
"In two years, he should be the best inside player in our country. He was the best center in this year's World Youth Championship. He will definitely be able to enter the NBA." Zhang Hao is very confident in Wang Zhizhi's talent. In the original time and space, he was selected by the Mavericks after wasting three years in the A-League. In the NCAA, as long as Wang Zhizhi can successfully gain a foothold, Zhang Hao does not think there will be any problem for Wang Zhizhi to enter the NBA.
Tomorrow is the registration day for most American universities. Wang Zhizhi boarded a plane from Shanghai last night US time. Xu Jicheng has made an appointment with Zhang Hao to pick up Wang Zhizhi today. Tomorrow Wang Zhizhi will go to Georgetown University in Washington, DC to register.
Pierce will also go to the University of Kansas to register tomorrow, so he will go home today.
"I really envy you talented people. I can only be a drama actor, and I don't know if I can do it. Do you think Paul will lose weight again when he comes back this time?"
April Clark once attempted to become a professional tennis player and knew how difficult it was to become an NBA player. After hearing what Zhang Hao said, she also felt that Wang Zhizhi must be very good, but she did not continue the topic. After all, she didn't know who Wang Zhizhi was.
"I think he will lose a lot of weight. I don't know what kind of blow he has encountered. He may have been rejected by a girl. He actually wants to lose weight... I don't know if you have the talent to be a drama actor, but you are so beautiful and have a good figure. Even if you don't have talent, you can be a vase!" After Zhang Hao said this, he looked up and down at the tennis beauty in front of him.
"You are the vase," April Clark rolled her eyes at Zhang Hao and said with a smile, "Paul will probably fight you to the death if he hears you say that. I have introduced many beautiful girls to him, but he doesn't seem to have any feelings for them..."
"You should tell him directly that you are introducing him to a girlfriend. Given his intelligence, he definitely won't know if you hint at him that you are introducing him to a girlfriend."
"It's possible..." April Clarke said as she glanced at Zhang Hao... She suddenly reacted and said with a smile: "If Paul heard you say that about him, he would definitely fight you to the death!"
…
After breakfast and a short rest, Xu Jicheng came to pick them up.
Zhang Hao rented a business car yesterday. Wang Zhizhi came to the United States to study in college, but he was just an ordinary student. The country would not give Wang Zhizhi too many preferential treatments, or it was impossible to give him too many preferential treatments. The country had done a lot to allow this military player to study abroad, and the military finances paid for his tuition and basic living expenses. In the United States, Wang Zhizhi could only rely on himself.
When they arrived at the airport, the three of them found a coffee shop with a conspicuous sign and chatted while waiting.
As she waited, April Clark's phone rang.
After answering the phone and returning to her seat, April Clark said to Zhang Hao, "Aix, there is another agent who wants to come for an interview. His name is Charles Banks. What is the appointment time? He is in Los Angeles and can come anytime..."
After April Clark went on vacation, Zhang Hao hired her to do some simple work and did not let April Clark handle too many things. If there was really something, she could not handle it, so she took over the job that originally belonged to Pierce's mother to help answer the phone and make appointments.
Pierce's mother was already busy managing the apartment. By August, high school students from all over the world had arrived in Los Angeles. As Inglewood High School is one of the top high schools in the United States, Pierce's mother's apartment business has been booming.
"Charles Banks, Garnett's agent?" Zhang Hao thought of the man who teamed up with Duncan's wife to give Duncan a single-color hat...
"Yes, that's how he introduced himself. He said he hoped you two high school students could be in the same agency."
"Help me reject him and say... banks are all scammers."
Zhang Hao remembered the agent named Banks. He had seen this big guy on a legal program. He was a genius in the agent world who cheated two No. 21 power forwards and later went to jail.
It would have been fine if it was just a scam, but the No. 21 pick in the No. 1 draft was even more miserable. Banks accepted a bribe of 3 million U.S. dollars from the paralyzed wife, and helped her to cook the books and support her gigolo... He was not only framed but also defrauded of money, and lost more than 30 million U.S. dollars.
Garnett didn't lose his wife, but he lost more money.
But other people definitely don’t know about this. April Clark heard the reason why Zhang Hao refused... It was very good and powerful!
April Clark would not make any decisions for Zhang Hao without permission, even though the reasons Zhang Hao gave were very strong, so strong that they made no sense.
Refusing to meet because of the name?
She followed Zhang Hao's advice and called back to reject Charles Banks.
Xu Jicheng asked curiously, "Aix, you haven't signed an agent yet?"
"Yes, I have already signed the contract. If I sign with an agent now, he won't get any commission on the salary, so those capable agents are unwilling to work for nothing. They are not sure if I can still sign another contract. They feel that they may have to work for three years for nothing..." Zhang Hao explained.
Xu Jicheng nodded to show that he understood.
Not to mention these American agents, even domestic reporters don’t know how powerful the Chinese market is.
Zhang Hao is not so anxious about this matter. Judging from the current situation, he doesn't have any endorsements to sign.
Companies like Adidas and McDonald's, which have his contact information, have never contacted him, let alone other brands.
Their rookie class is in the middle of the past and next few big draft years, neither up nor down. Compared with the three draft years from 1992 to 1994, their star power is dim. In the following draft years, geniuses such as Iverson, Duncan, and Olowokandi may participate in the draft in the same year or three years apart... Their rookie class is still incomparable.
Among the 58 rookies in their class, only Stackhouse signed a 3-year, 4.5 million US dollar endorsement contract with Nike, and Garnett signed a 3-year, 12 million US dollar endorsement contract with Nike. No one else signed a contract.
The agent is not in a hurry. There is no point in being in a hurry. You can't just sign an agent casually. It would be better to have no agent at all.
However, Zhang Hao is not without a plan. He plans to find a lawyer first. If there is any contract to be signed in the future, he will use the lawyer to check if there are any problems with the contract.
Lawyers are useful. Although they are expensive, you don’t have to pay them when there is nothing going on.
At 9:30, Wang Zhizhi's plane arrived in Los Angeles. Zhang Hao and April Clark followed a group of reporters to the exit to pick up Wang Zhizhi.
The camera has been set up, and Xu Jicheng specifically reminded Zhang Hao to pay attention to his appearance.
For Zhang Hao and Wang Zhizhi, it was just a new acquaintance, but for the reporters it was different. What if, even just in case, the frontcourt combination of Zhang Hao and Wang Zhizhi would shine in the world basketball arena in the future? This would be precious information.
Even if the two of them just become ordinary players in the NBA, it is still quite valuable information.
Not long after, Wang Zhizhi appeared in the sight of Zhang Hao and his group, pushing several large boxes of luggage.
Looking at this pile of things, Zhang Hao didn't know how many things Wang Zhizhi would throw away and how many things he would never use. As the saying goes, there is only one mother in China, and when a child is going on a long journey, the mother will stuff a lot of things she thinks are useful into the luggage.
Wang Zhizhi saw the staff holding the signs and also saw Zhang Hao, and walked towards them.
Another little fat boy?
Zhang Hao looked at Wang Zhizhi, who was just over 2 meters tall and still had baby fat on his face. He thought that Wang Zhizhi was very talented, after all, he was the newly crowned best center in the World Youth Championship. But given his body shape, his body fat percentage could be guessed to be high... It was estimated that John Thompson, the iron-blooded coach at Georgetown, would train this little fat guy until he vomited.
"Hello, Dazhi, my name is Zhang Hao, you can just call me Aix." Zhang Hao took the cart from Wang Zhizhi.
The cart was taken away by Zhang Hao. Wang Zhizhi was a little at a loss. Facing Zhang Hao's enthusiasm, he didn't know how to respond. He scratched his head and said, "I am Wang Zhizhi. Hello, Aix, thank you for picking me up."
Looking at the extremely young Wang Zhizhi, Zhang Hao smiled, pushed the luggage and took Wang Zhizhi to the store where they could store the luggage.
Neither April Clark nor the media came forward. The cameraman was looking for the best angle to shoot, and Xu Jicheng was handing the radio to the side.
Zhang Hao took the initiative to find a topic: "You chose Georgetown University, which is a good choice. The coaches there are very good at training centers. Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, and Ewing all came from there. They can train any type of center well. Also, Georgetown University is in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Our consulate general is there. If you encounter any problems, you can go to the embassy for help..."
Wang Zhizhi listened to Zhang Hao, who was selected with the 9th pick in the NBA right after graduating from high school, speaking without interrupting and nodding continuously.
As soon as he arrived in the United States, someone who also spoke Mandarin came to pick him up, and he was also a basketball player. Wang Zhizhi's uneasiness was relieved a lot.
Wang Zhizhi boarded the plane yesterday morning Beijing time. It was still morning when he arrived in the United States... He felt sleepy but also felt that he could still do it. He was mainly tired because he was going to the United States to study in college and play in the NCAA. After learning about the level of the NCAA league, he was extremely excited. He did not sleep for more than ten hours on the plane. But when he got off the plane, he saw that everyone around him looked different, had a different skin color, and had a different nationality. The feeling of loneliness and uneasiness of coming to a foreign country filled his heart. Now he finally feels much better.
Listening to Zhang Hao's words, Wang Zhizhi began to look forward to his future university life...
After storing the luggage, we had lunch together and took a rest. Wang Zhizhi had to take a plane to Washington DC in the afternoon. Tomorrow he would go to Georgetown University to register.
They parked the car and went to the restaurant where they had reserved a table. They had Western food. Since Wang Zhizhi had come to the United States, he had to adapt to American life. Zhang Hao did not go out of his way to find a Chinese restaurant. Not only was it expensive, but the taste of Chinese food prepared for Americans was simply unbearable.
However, when ordering food, Zhang Hao saw Wang Zhizhi's confused look and discovered a problem...
"Generally, do you speak English?"
Wang Zhizhi shook his head.
“……”Zhang Hao was speechless.
Back then, Zhang Hao's father had long wanted to send his son to study in the United States, a basketball powerhouse. He hired a tutor early on to help him practice spoken English. After arriving in the United States, he had no problem with basic communication.
But looking at Wang Zhizhi... I guess apart from words starting with H and F, or words like Kangmuang and Beibi, he doesn't know anything else.
There was nothing Wang Zhizhi could do. He joined the army at a very young age and didn't get much salary.
In the original time and space, he participated in the NBA draft in 1998. At that time, he had already played in the A-League for three years. As the strongest center in the country, he saved some money in three years. After playing in the A-League for a year, he was planning to participate in the draft and practiced English hard. When he entered the NBA in 2001 in the original time and space, English was no longer a big problem.
Only now did Wang Zhizhi realize that he didn’t speak English!
There would definitely be no translator. If he came to play in the NBA, with his sky-high salary compared to domestic athletes, it would not be a big deal to hire an interpreter. But Zhang Hao knew that Wang Zhizhi was studying abroad at public expense, so how could he have an interpreter?
Now that you have arrived in the United States, you naturally have to learn how to survive in the United States. You can't not even learn English in four years of college, right?
After thinking for a while, Zhang Hao said to Xu Jicheng who was holding the microphone: "Brother Xu, do you have anyone in Washington?"
"Of course, the General News Department has a branch there."
"Well, let's discuss it. When he doesn't have classes, competitions, or training, can you find someone to teach him English? Just teach him how to communicate at the basics, and he'll be able to learn it on his own after a while. Their international students' courses should also include English courses... But I think it's difficult, so you should help him. If it costs anything..."
At first, Xu Jicheng thought that it was a good thing for Wang Zhizhi to go to the United States to study in college and play in the NCAA. He had just discovered that Wang Zhizhi became deaf and blind after arriving in the United States... After hearing what Zhang Hao said, Xu Jicheng thought it was feasible. When going abroad, people should support each other.
Hearing Zhang Hao mention the fee, Xu Jicheng quickly said, "No need to ask for the fee. I will apply for a reporter who is good at English and familiar with life in Washington. I think the higher-ups will agree."
Although Wang Zhizhi was a soldier, he was only 18 years old after all. He came to the United States with great enthusiasm, but found himself weak, pitiful and helpless in a foreign country. He could only listen to Zhang Hao and Xu Jicheng's arrangements. Of course, he was happy and grateful...
On the other hand, Xu Jicheng had a much better impression of Zhang Hao. Compared with Wang Zhizhi, Zhang Hao was much more experienced in handling things and solved the first big trouble Wang Zhizhi encountered when he arrived in the United States.
However, Xu Jicheng knew that everything is difficult at the beginning and in the middle... Wang Zhizhi still has many difficulties to go through.
Seeing Wang Zhizhi's simple and honest appearance now, Xu Jicheng felt that Wang Zhizhi would soon experience the beating of society... But this is life. He remembered running under the sunset that year, which was his lost youth...
…
They met briefly and had lunch, mainly to help Wang Zhizhi solve the big problem at the beginning - the language problem.
Of course, this only solves the initial problem. Whether it can be completely solved depends on whether Wang Zhizhi can work hard to practice speaking.
After lunch, Wang Zhizhi went to check in, pushing a large pile of luggage. Then came another lonely flight, basically across the entire United States.
Zhang Hao came to the exit of the airport again and waited. An American university academic year generally has three semesters, from mid-August to mid-December, mid-January to mid-April, and early May to early July. Tomorrow is the time when many universities will start registration. For such things, the sooner the better. Zhang Hao, Pierce, and April Clark all want to get the registration done as soon as possible.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Pierce, dragging a small suitcase, appeared in the sight of Zhang Hao and April Clark.
The face... is still very round, but Pierce, who is wearing a vest, can actually see his muscles!
After reducing the fat last time, this time, I also developed muscle lines!
Appearance determines temperament. Pierce has a round face, but looks quite fierce. When he was chubby like a mound before, you couldn't tell how fierce he was unless he was fighting. Now that he has built up muscles, his fierce temperament is immediately revealed.
Seeing his two good friends, Pierce said excitedly: "Axel, April, I'm finally back. Oh my God, these 8 weeks were torture! Those guys playing football were not human beings, they were animals. Look, I have accumulated that thing for more than ten years. Oh, yes, that's what Axel said, more than ten years of wealth! It just left me like that..."
Zhang Hao: “…”
April Clark: "..."
It's still him!
Pierce, who was not stabbed, is still the familiar chatterbox!
