Chapter Thirty-six: The National High School Basketball League!

Starting from September this year, the inaugural National High School League officially commenced.

The entire country was divided into four competition regions: East, South, West, and North. Every high school across the nation was required to participate, even if only for a single round.

First, teams would compete in group stage matches to determine the top two schools in each county, who would then advance to the municipal tournaments. The top two from each city would move on to the provincial competitions, and finally, the best from each province would compete to select the top two from each region, entering the national quarterfinals.

The eight national finalists would then vie for the ultimate champion, who would be crowned as the national victor, and their region would earn the title of the strongest.

The first National High School Basketball League, lasting a whole year, called for the participation of 15,681 ordinary high schools, 3,801 technical schools, 5,916 vocational high schools, and 2,995 trade schools—28,393 institutions in total.

The competition strove for fairness and transparency, seeking to stimulate enthusiasm among all schools. Finals at each stage would be broadcast live by local television stations.

It was imperative to build reputation and create nationwide influence.

At that time, outstanding basketball players in the tournament might be directly recruited by prestigious universities as special basketball talents, entering the CUBA, or even the CBA.

The reason why CUBA and CBA have nowhere near the fervor of the NCAA and NBA in the country is simple: a lack of excitement.

True champions always emerge from intense trials and tribulations; this is especially true in competitive sports.

Those who laugh last in the year-long high school league will experience incredible growth, for this is the age of greatest potential and malleability—a time to fight for their dreams.

Lin Lang understood that as long as the first tournament was executed perfectly and achieved its expected impact, it would mark a transformative step forward.

Subsequently, junior high school leagues and youth basketball development systems would inevitably progress and be refined.

Within a few years, a comprehensive basketball system could be established.

And once the system was in place, figures of the caliber of Kobe or Jordan would surely begin to emerge.

This vast nation never lacks talent; it only lacks means to discover it.

In the grand vision of Lin Lang and Zhou Huaxing, as long as the basketball system was built, other systems—football, arts, and more—could follow suit.

The pursuit of dreams should never be the privilege of children from wealthy families; as long as you possess some talent and are willing to persevere, everyone deserves a chance.

Lin Lang and Zhou Huaxing were determined to provide all young people with a stage to chase their dreams!

Lin Lang was content, now that he had higher-level support and full cooperation from the Ministry of Education and the Sports Bureau. Although Yao Ming was not yet the chairman of the Basketball Association, his influence as a recently retired player remained immense.

Once the league was launched, these regional showdowns would ignite people’s competitive spirits.

Moreover, Lin Lang knew well that there were already plenty of high schoolers who played basketball. All it would take was a few spectacular matches among so many games to instantly build the league’s reputation.

With fame and popularity comes commercial value, attracting a steady stream of sponsors.

The tournament would become ever more grand, further spurring enthusiasm.

Lin Lang understood the meaning of youthful recklessness.

There is no time in life when one is less willing to accept defeat than in adolescence, and he anticipated that this unprecedented high school league might be even more thrilling than he imagined.

And the players he had coached in his previous life as a gold-medal coach might shine brilliantly in this league, growing faster and rising higher than before.

As for Lin Lang’s only precious son, Lin Nan, after half a year of rigorous training, how far could he go in this league?

...

At 2:30 PM, at a verdant basketball court in QS County, a thirteen-year-old boy, standing at 178 centimeters, was endlessly dribbling and shooting on the cement ground.

Having ridden his bicycle all over town, Lin Nan finally found a court shaded from the blazing sun by trees.

Half a year had passed. Relentless basketball practice and daily jump training had helped Lin Nan grow from 175 to 178 centimeters, and six emerging abs were faintly visible on his bare torso.

Following Lin Lang’s advice, Lin Nan’s summer routine was highly disciplined.

He rose at 5:20 in the morning (never later, sometimes earlier), washed up, then ran—ten kilometers for endurance, like Bruce Lee, followed by hundred-meter sprints for explosive power.

Afterward, he’d return home for a hot shower and breakfast, usually eggs, bread, and milk or a steaming bowl of beef noodles.

The morning was the only leisure window in his day, when Lin Nan would watch Allen Iverson’s game videos on his computer, learning skills to practice in the afternoon.

After lunch, a half-hour nap, then he’d head to the shaded court for solo fundamental practice.

By sunset, when only the afterglow remained, Lin Nan would go to the sports plaza’s basketball court to compete with middle-aged men.

At first, Lin Nan was always the one getting beaten. These uncles, still passionate about basketball in middle age, trained daily without interruption.

Physically and technically, they completely dominated Lin Nan; his only advantages seemed to be speed and ever-growing stamina.

Luckily, Lin Nan was fiercely competitive and refused to back down. He threw himself against the uncles in the paint, gradually progressing from being overwhelmed to holding his own.

Technically, Lin Nan kept watching Iverson’s videos. He slowly realized that Iverson’s dazzling moves involved not only feints and direction changes, but a rhythm and footwork.

With various crossovers and behind-the-back dribbles, he was able to shift defenders’ balance bit by bit, until eventually they couldn’t keep up with Iverson’s breakthrough and were left sprawling on the floor.

Lin Nan understood that what allowed Iverson to perform such spectacular and practical streetball moves was his powerful body coordination and extraordinary ball control.

Therefore, Lin Nan trained ever harder, applying his skills in real games with the uncles.

By the end of summer, the uncles at the sports plaza court all knew Lin Nan as a formidable player.

Active movement, swift steals, skilled ball handling, graceful jump shots, soaring rebounds—

The uncles saw traces of Iverson in Lin Nan, recognizing his deep passion for basketball.

Lin Nan’s progress over the summer had been remarkable!

From being led by the uncles, to outpacing nearly all of them.

They were fond of this basketball youth, some even saying: Lin Nan is the future star of national basketball, a rare point guard talent.

They weren’t worried their praise would make Lin Nan arrogant, for his daily performance showed exceptional discipline.

And so it was.

As summer drew to a close, Lin Nan had one last goal: dunking.

With his current physical attributes, he could almost place the ball gently in the hoop, but was still a bit short of dunking.

A dunk is not just for show; it’s a clear manifestation of strength, and in critical moments, a powerful dunk can greatly boost team morale.

Therefore, Lin Nan was determined to master it.

Besides, with the character "Nan" in his name, how far could he be from dunking?

In the final days of summer, each night Lin Nan would head to the elementary school playground near home for dunk practice.

Under Lin Lang’s guidance, the training had two parts.

First, finger push-ups to strengthen grip, so he could securely hold the ball.

Second, jump training to reach sufficient height.

Vertical leap is a comprehensive reflection of physical attributes, tied to explosive power, flexibility, core strength, and leg strength.

Lin Lang wasn’t planning weighted training just yet; only running, stair jumps, and single-leg squats.

Running meant circling the semi-arc of the 400-meter track, jogging along the straightaways to recover, sprinting the curves at full effort, repeating until exhausted.

Stair jumps involved leaping from the ground to the flag platform, about half a meter high, conveniently adjacent to the playground.

First double legs, then left and right legs individually.

As with his hands, Lin Lang required Lin Nan to shoot, lay up, and handle the ball equally well with both hands; the same applied to his feet.

A player who can attack from both sides, start and finish with either foot, and possesses solid fundamentals is truly formidable—nearly impossible to defend one-on-one.

Lastly, single-leg squats: one foot on the flag platform’s edge, the other suspended, lowering the body then rising, hands forward for balance, back straight, relying mainly on leg strength for movement, ensuring standard posture and force, highly effective for leg strength.

For several days, Lin Nan returned home each night completely exhausted, sometimes even cramping.

Ye Xinlan was distressed by his fatigue, but Lin Lang said that since the child was pursuing his passion, all effort was worthwhile.

And if you asked Lin Nan himself—was he afraid of hardship?

He would surely say: No!

Was he happy?

Absolutely!

Lin Lang, watching his child’s exhaustion, felt a pang of sympathy.

Fortunately, he had miraculous herbal remedies. Each night, Lin Nan would soak in a large wooden tub for half an hour, then sleep soundly.

By morning, all fatigue vanished—he was refreshed and full of energy.

Thus, on the very last day before school began, Lin Nan accomplished his first dunk.

When Lin Nan soared high at the sports plaza court and slammed the basketball through the rim, a group of middle-aged uncles stood stunned.

Such promise in the young! Lin Nan was only thirteen and a half years old—who could predict what his future might hold?