When I arrived at the Falcon Center in Houshayu on Sunday afternoon, the venue outside was already crowded by spectators, and the 2021-2022 BIYB Autumn League U12 final was at a decisive moment. The BIYB Autumn League has been raging since mid-October, with 74 teams rushing to the highest honours in 13 age groups, and this is its last matchday.
I looked over the shoulder of an audience member at the scoreboard, with 14.8 seconds left in regular time, and Youken 3 points behind Qianfan, all of which are well-known institutions in Beijing. "Eugene, come on!" On the other side of the venue, Youken's huge cheering group rhythmically shouted cheering slogans, which was deafening and set off the tense atmosphere at the time of the decisive battle to the extreme.
All eyes were on the north half, and the little ones stretched their necks for fear of missing any details. "Uken needs a three-pointer." I stood in the pile of people and thought so. But I don't quite believe that among the undeveloped children in Yuken's group, someone can easily shoot a three-pointer under the strict defense of Qianfan, which is too difficult. I'm curious, how would a kid under 12 handle a potential tie?
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Pause ends. No. 0 Zhang Yipeng - Youken's scoring champion - sideline serve, No. 8 Yang Zan suddenly started to accelerate from the bottom line, through the elevator door cover set up for him by two teammates, successfully got rid of the defense, and received Zhang Yipeng's serve. He handed the ball back to Zhang Yipeng with a hand on the spot + cover. Under some pulling, Qianfan's defensive formation revealed a gap, and vitality suddenly appeared. Zhang Yipeng dribbled the ball at full speed to the right side of the 45-degree three-point line, jumping, drifting, shooting, the action in one go, the ball hollowed into the net, 41 flat!
The game entered overtime, Youken escaped the day, and the whole audience boiled over.
When I returned home and watched the video with the Sports Hub App, I was still amazed at the children's tactical execution, these concepts I only understood in college, they have been able to use skillfully at this age, and the Beijing basketball circle has been "rolled" to this extent? Thinking about it, I feel relieved that today, when children generally receive formal basketball training at the age of 8-10, the effective age of these children on the court may have far exceeded the adults represented by me on the audience. It's not that they're "outrageous", it's that I'm left behind.
Youken failed to continue to perform magic in overtime, and Qianfan took away the crystal clear trophy that incorporated the elements of the Great Wall. However, there was no loser in this game, qianfan took away the victory, but Youken left a moment that was enough to make people remember for a long time, and the children of both teams had good memories.
If you think this is the peak moment of the Falcon Center that day, then you are wrong, the U9 final that starts after the next game is the one that really opened my eyes. Because the U10 finals after that were also between Youken and OD - even the coaches were Li Mao and Li Chao respectively, so the sidelines of the U9 finals brought together more players and parents than the U12 finals, and I was in the crowd, almost no place to stand, and it became a luxury to want to go around from the outside of the field to the other side of the court.
Li Mao and Li Chao are excellent young coaches in the industry, and the teams they coach always meet in the final of the Beijing Competition, know each other's roots, come and go and even mix into excellent friends, but they still have red eyes when they meet on the field.
The players also disregarded the usual friendship, "killed" people on their backs, in order to grab a ball rolled out of the ground for several meters - I suspect that many children's tights in the hole is how it comes. They didn't speak boldly, they didn't even know how to roar, but you could clearly feel the bravery that had flowed in the blood of mankind tens of thousands of years ago, running wildly in the boxy space in the center of the falcon. In line with this, they once again refreshed the technical and tactical level of my cognition.
They, including the girls on the team, were desperate, but they weren't reckless. Yes, you can see the sense of space that 1-2 years of formal training have built up for them, "no space, no basketball", which many coaches say. They are very spread out when they attack, they are willing to share the ball, they know how to cover their teammates, the awareness of the fast attack, the speed of the defenders are very fast; they know how to make up for each other when they defend, and they know that the ball holder rushes to the sideline when the whole field is pressing...
Of course, they are also very young, close to the basket, they look up at the childish little face, but they hit the iron again and again, cross the bridge, how can not be put in. On the free throw line, they adjust their breathing, straighten their hands, and shoot confidently, but they often get a bounce out of the box. The basket hanging at a height of 3 meters and 05 meters is more than enough for them.
Is this game more watchable? From an adult point of view, it is not strong, 4 quarters of 32 minutes, the two sides combined to only score 65 points, each only one quarter to score in double figures. However, the spectators of this game have created a stadium atmosphere comparable to that of the Thousand People's Pavilion, because the vast majority of the spectators on the sidelines are ball fathers and ball mothers, not so much watching the ball, but rather watching the children grow. Children's efforts, they understand best.
They may usually be well-dressed public officials, or they may be well-paid industry elites, they may be gentle and friendly, they may also be introverted and taciturn, no matter what kind of identity and personality they are, in the Falcon Center, they are the craziest fans in the world. They honked their hands into a "horn" and shouted loudly into the field; they lost the restraint of an adult and jumped three feet high like a child; they cheered and screamed, and a pair of fleshy voices made a sound that made my eardrums buzz.
The children fought hard inside the stadium and the parents fought outside. This may be the least offensively efficient game I have ever seen on the spot, but it is also the game with the strongest sense of substitution, when your eyes sweep over the reddened faces on the sidelines, sweep over the figures in the field that can't run and jump, you will feel the most primitive charm of basketball.
"Is that the same with youth games in the United States?" I asked Shaan Price, who was watching from the sidelines, an American who has been helping the Chinese basketball association at all levels in recent years to train coaches and knows a lot about youth basketball in China and the United States. He opened his eyes wide and told me, "It makes no difference. ”
In the final quarter of that game, OD, who was 11 points behind in the first quarter, was only 2 points behind, but a dragon layup by Yang Shufan of Youken No. 19 stifled their hopes of turning the tables - which was almost the most smooth attack in the game. The buzzer once again let out a piercing howl, the whole game was over, Youken won this championship, the children, parents, coaches rushed into the field, stood on the falcon logo in the middle circle, gathered in a circle, and shouted "Youken is the champion". There are no ribbons falling from the sky, scattered in all directions, and no majestic music, but the hearts of young champions are drumming in the chest.
Li Mao hung the medal symbolizing the runner-up on his wrist and sat down on the bench in frustration, his voice was too dumb to speak, but there was still a U10 final waiting for him. "The first two encounters were won, this one didn't start well, and we won the last three quarters." He said. I patted him on the shoulder and comforted him: "Victory and defeat are commonplace, fight back next time." He nodded, barely squeezing out a smile.
On the way back, I talked to Takayama all the way, about american youth basketball, about the American basketball education system, and frankly, I was envious, envious of their public schools opening basketball halls to surrounding residents, envious of their math teachers can also be great coaches. But I wasn't pessimistic, because that day, the BIYB arena made me feel a force like never before.