ctnovel Chapter 26: 8 to 4, the battle continues!
Chapter 26: 8 to 4, the battle continues!
After scoring 45 points to help his team advance to the Elite Eight, Zeng Zhen's fame across the United States skyrocketed again, with one of the highest-rated draft websites predicting he would be selected 42nd overall in the second round.
Zeng Zhen's rise in status was even more evident on the UCLA campus, where photos of him wearing thermal underwear were plastered all over the university's giant posters.
After lunch, Zeng Zhen and Westbrook returned to their dorm.
I had just sat down when Schwarz called.
"The staff from the Chinese men's national basketball team invited you to participate in the national team's internal selection trials for the Olympics. Would you like to go?"
"I have to participate in the selection process? That's so troublesome."
"Yes."
Zeng Zhen was somewhat speechless. If it were a sincere invitation, he would find it hard to refuse, after all, it was the Olympics on his home turf. But having to participate in the selection trials made him feel it was too much trouble.
The Chinese men's basketball team is currently in its golden age. Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian are both core players and rotation players in the NBA, while Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi, and others are in excellent form. Zeng Zhen, however outstanding, has only had three breakout games as a college player and is not receiving much attention.
"Jeff, I'll decide on this after the draft."
"Well, Zeng, if you can become the core point guard of the Chinese men's basketball team in the future, it will be much easier for you to develop in the domestic market."
Schwartz wants Zeng Zhen to play for the national team. The reason is simple: playing for the national team will further enhance Zeng Zhen's reputation, making it much easier to negotiate endorsements in China.
"Okay, I understand."
.......
Hupu NCAA Column: Match Preview: March 29th, NCAA March Madness Round of 8, UCLA will face Kentucky University, can Zeng Zhen continue his explosive performance?
Hupu fans continued to exchange ideas in the comments section.
The number of fans was larger than in the previous game, and everyone was very excited. After all, he scored 45 points in the previous game, which brought him to the middle of the second round of the draft. If there are no surprises, he will become another player to enter the NBA after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.
Unlike Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, Zeng Zhen is a guard, and such a guard is extremely important for the Chinese men's basketball team.
In particular, after Zeng Zhen's verified Hupu account, "I aspired to play in the NBA when I was 10 years old," was unearthed, all the posts on Zeng Zhen's Hupu account were about his efforts to pursue his dream, but at the time, no one paid attention to him.
I want to watch Zeng Zhen compete in this year's Olympics.
If he continues playing like this, Zeng Zhen will definitely make it to the NBA.
I haven't watched his matches yet, but the highlights are truly amazing.
[A god beyond the three-point line, capable of unleashing a variety of long-range three-pointers; his play is no worse than that of star guards.]
[I want to be with Zeng Zhen when he was 10 years old, and you'll be playing in the NBA when you're 19!! Haha]
[Keep it up, Zeng Zhen! I watched your last match, you were absolutely unbeatable! Keep playing like this, the first round isn't far away!]
.....
"Internal incision".
"Hurry up."
"Bang!"
On the training field, Zeng Zhen made a bounce pass from the top line to Westbrook, who was cutting inside.
The basketball was passed perfectly, and Westbrook caught it, took off, and completed a powerful one-handed dunk.
"Um!!"
Ben Holland was writing and drawing in his notebook by the training field.
[He can deliver precise passes when undisturbed.]
"Aside from being a little weak in post-up play, he was a very well-rounded player as a combo guard," Ben Holland said with a smile.
"Boss, he's a guard. Apart from Michael and Kobe, there aren't many guards who are good at post-up moves. He only practices the skills of a normal guard," Dixon complained about his boss.
Of the entire Bruins, only Ben Holland hoped that Zeng Zhen could do everything.
"No, no, I think he had a really great talent for post-up play. Just imagine, once he got into the low post, with his height, wingspan, and touch, wouldn't it have been easy for him to beat those guards? It's a shame he's going into the draft this year."
Ben Holland's point is that if he had another year, he would train Zeng Zhen to be like Kobe or Jordan.
"OK, hopefully he can hone his back-to-the-basket skills after entering the NBA." Dixon shrugged.
........
On the evening of March 29th, it was morning in China.
UCLA vs. University of Kentucky.
"Welcome viewers to the live broadcast room. Starting today, I'm Langlang, and I will be providing live text coverage of the NCAA on Sina Sports."
"The starting lineup for today has been announced. Just like in the last game, Zeng Zhen is in the starting lineup."
[Langlang, what are your thoughts on today's game?]
I'm watching a live stream on an international website!!
[6666, support Zeng Zhen, support the UCLA Bruins!]
What does the host think of Zeng Zhen's draft position?
"What do I think? I'm definitely optimistic about UCLA winning. As for Zeng Zhen's draft position, the general prediction is that he will be selected in the middle of the second round. However, it depends on his subsequent games. If he plays well, his draft position may continue to rise, but if he plays averagely, he may remain in this draft range."
"The match is about to begin. Let me first introduce the starting lineups for both sides tonight."
UCLA:
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook.
Shooting Guard: Darren Collison.
Small forward: Zeng Zhen.
Power Forward: Luc Mbah a Moute.
Center: Kevin Love.
"All five players on this team are ranked on the draft website, with Westbrook and Love both being lottery picks."
"Let's take a look at the University of Kentucky."
Point Guard: Joe Crawford
Shooting Guard: Jodie Meeks
Small forward: Raymond Harris.
Power Forward: Patrick Patterson.
Center: Jared Carter.
Joe Crawford, Meeks, and Patterson are all considered to be players who will enter the NBA soon or next year.
"Today's arena is the ATT Center in San Antonio."
Inside the arena, the fans continued to contribute to the fervent atmosphere. Although the city is small, the Spurs had long cultivated a love for basketball.
The game started quickly. The University of Kentucky was considered the weaker team. Their defense was tough and hard-working, and they paid close attention to Zeng Zhen from the start.
The University of Kentucky knew that UCLA would retaliate quickly, so they didn't try to match UCLA's fast pace; instead, they chose to slowly wear them down.
Kentucky has played this way in previous games, waiting for their opponents to get impatient and make mistakes, then seizing every scoring opportunity.
Meeks and Patterson were in good form, both hitting three-pointers in quick succession.
Zeng Zhen's shooting touch wasn't as hot as in the previous game. He missed his first three shots, and his poor shooting also affected Westbrook and Collison, who also missed their shots.
Kentucky started with an 11-2 run, while UCLA only managed 2 points thanks to Love's offensive rebound.
UCLA has announced a pause.
Ben Holland, holding his clipboard, yelled, "If your outside shooting isn't working, then attack the paint! Don't keep thinking you can beat them with threes. They're a strong team, not so easy to deal with. Zeng, drive in! Don't tell me you don't have the ball. If you can't handle them, then you shouldn't even think about being the number one draft pick!"
OK!
Actually, Zeng Zhen would have reduced his outside shooting even without Ben Holland's reminder.
He'll attack whenever there's a mismatch—no, whenever there's a one-on-one situation.