A classic CBA showdown "Liaoyue War" allows us to see the hope of the Chinese men's basketball team in the post-Yi Jianlian era - Liaoning team forward Zhang Zhenlin, born in 1999.
46 points! Set a single-game scoring record for a local player in the CBA last season! In retrospect, it's still incredible, it's a CBA rookie who played against a defending champion. While creating various records, Zhang Zhenlin with excellent physical fitness, in the game of a variety of dunks impressive, the explosion of the ball style is even more let him instantly suck countless powder.
At the age of 14, he went to the United States to play ball, accompanied by bittersweet
In 1999, Zhang Zhenlin was born in Shenyang into a basketball family, his mother is wang Fang, a former Chinese women's basketball player and Liaoning women's basketball star, and his father Zhang Yan also played for the Liaoning men's basketball team for many years. Zhang Zhenlin once said frankly: My parents are my leaders. When he was young, he was often taken to the basketball court by his mother to play, and it was in such a strong basketball atmosphere that he gradually grew up.
The basketball genes of his parents were well expressed in the young Zhang Zhenlin, and after entering the youth training system of the Liaoning men's basketball team, he showed a much higher physical talent than his peers in the usual training and competition process. Considering her son's future development, her mother, Wang Fang, decided to send Zhang Zhenlin, who is not yet 14 years old, to the United States.
With the help of Qin Xiaowen, president of Beijing Shougang, Zhang Zhenlin traveled to the American Basketball Academy in Oregon for professional basketball and English training. When he first arrived in the United States, he had a strong sense of curiosity and freshness, and he soon felt the difference between the cultures of Eastern and Western countries, which did not only come from basketball, but also diet, communication, learning, etc., which made Zhang Zhenlin difficult to accept in a short period of time.
In a later interview, Zhang Zhenlin confessed:
"What I miss most is the holidays at home, at home everyone gets together to eat and watch TV, I think it was a very happy time, it was not very cherished at the time, and now when I leave home, I find that home is the best place." 」
In the face of these various adaptations, Zhang Zhenlin did not regret coming to the United States, but actively integrated into such a learning life. Even though his English level was not very high at that time, he still made many foreign friends with a cheerful and generous personality.
After living and training at the American Basketball Academy for a while, Zhang Zhenlin was introduced by Dean Bruce O'Neill to La Lumiere High School, the top basketball high school in the United States at that time.
During his days at La Lumir High School, Zhang Zhenlin's physical fitness continued to improve, and his easy-going and cheerful personality made him quickly integrate into the group. In 2017, Zhang Zhenlin won the National High School Basketball League championship with La Lumir High School, becoming the first Chinese player to receive this honor. After winning the championship, Zhang Zhenlin seriously considered the prospects of his future career development path, and he wanted to get more opportunities on a higher competitive stage.
Soon after, Zhang Zhenlin transferred to Montverde High School, which is also a top basketball high school, and through his own efforts, he quickly sat in the position of the starting force of the varsity team, helping Montverde High School to win the National High School Basketball League championship again.
Joined Tulane University under the tutelage of Dun levy
In September 2017, Zhang Zhenlin, who was about to enter the university campus, received invitations from more than ten strong schools including UCLA, Brigham Young University, Kansas State University and DePaul University with his excellent performance in high school, but he finally chose the less well-known Tulane University, under the former NBA coach Mike Dunllivi, and has since started his college basketball career.
As a first-class NCAA league school, Tulane University has a history of more than 100 years, reaching the National Championship three times in the 1990s. Although Tulane University is downstream in the NCAA first-level alliance, it is a first-level alliance after all, and its strength is still there.
In his two years at Tulane, Zhang Zhenlin played in 60 games (including 35 starts), averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game in an average of 20.8 minutes per game. In his second season at Tulane University, he averaged the fifth-best points per game (6.5) and overall (194). On the whole, Zhang Zhenlin's two seasons for Tulane University can only be regarded as a qualified level compared with many NCAA players.
After the tempering of college basketball, Zhang Zhenlin's physical fitness has risen to a higher level.
He was called up by the national team and returned to the Liaoning men's basketball team
"In fact, the training is very intense, and the intensity is also very large. No matter where I train or play, I have to be 100% committed, and that's the most important thing. ”
This is what Zhang Zhenlin said in an interview before the national team training camp, and his focus was indeed not in vain.
On June 21, 2019, Zhang Zhenlin made his debut for the national team and was replaced in the middle of the first quarter. His performance on the pitch was remarkable, relying on his physical fitness to work very the defensive end, and he also delivered a very perfect pass. In the third quarter he got another chance to play, hitting a hook in the low post as soon as he started, but the defensive end also paid some price due to lack of experience. Zhang Zhenlin has said before that he very much wants to play for the national team, and it is worth wearing the national team's jersey, no matter how tired it is.
Due to the serious epidemic abroad, Zhang Zhenlin had to return to China early after ending the second season of Tulane University, and has been training with the Liaoning men's basketball team in the CBA offseason. In the 2020-21 season, Zhang Zhenlin officially returned to the Liaoning Bengang Men's Basketball Team and achieved excellent results. In his preseason debut against Zhejiang, he scored a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds, and again cut a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds in his regular season debut.
In the regular season in March, when Liaoning played against defending champions Guangdong, Zhang Zhenlin shot 16 of 24 and 8 of 14 three-pointers, scoring a record 46 points. For a time, the name Zhang Zhenlin became known to everyone in the domestic basketball world, and everyone knew it.
Qingdao CBA All-Star Weekend, the most popular is the new star from the Liaoning team Zhang Zhenlin, who performed well in the Star Sharp Game and won the MVP; in the final of the dunk contest, he beat Chen Dengxing's 98 points with a high score of 99 points to become the champion; in the main game, he played as a starter of the North District All-Star, and also had a bright performance.
In the annual drama CBA finals, the Liaoning team and the Guangdong team passed the barrier all the way and finally met again. Guo Allen, Zhao Jiwei, Zhao Rui, Zhou Peng and other national players are still the most concerned, but in the finals, Zhang Zhenlin, as a rookie rookie, unexpectedly stole the limelight of these national players.
In the three finals, Zhang Zhenlin can average 17 points and 7 rebounds per game, second only to Guo Allen among the local players in the team. In addition, Zhang Zhenlin also played a pillar role in the defensive end, and his explosive physical fitness made him very good at fighting under the basket, often becoming the last defensive gate of the Liaoning team.
In the second game of the finals, Zhang Zhenlin repeatedly hit three-pointers at key moments to save the team from water and fire; in the third game of the finals, it was he who made up the basket at the last moment to bring the game to overtime. A CBA rookie not only did not shy away from the stage against the powerful Guangdong team, but saved the team from fire and water again and again, and the almost impeccable performance seemed to have become the X factor in that round of the finals.
23 years old, very young, physical talent is not bad, it can be said that Zhang Zhenlin has great potential, his future is also full of infinite possibilities, let's wait and see!