Ma Zhenxiang, born on January 23, 2000, is 201cm tall and weighs 100kg, and plays as a small forward/big forward. At the 2021 CBA Draft, Ma Zhenxiang was selected by the Ningbo Fubon Men's Basketball Team with the 15th pick in the first round, becoming a professional player in the CBA and the first player in the history of Ningbo Fubon to enter the CBA through the draft.
Time back to November 13, 2021 —
There was not much time left in the game, ma Zhenxiang received the ball outside the left three-point line, and Ningbo was less than half a quarter away from the first victory in the team's history. He glanced at the end of his opponent's bench, his good friend and the best partner of the university: Tongxi defender Wu Tingjia sitting without a word. Recognized as CUBA's most terrifying three-point shooter did not play a minute in this game, Ma Zhenxiang did not hesitate, combined the ball, neatly hit his sixth three-pointer of the game, defeated his team in the way that his friends were best at, and helped the young Ningbo Fubon get the first victory in team history. It also made him the 13th round rookie of the CBA regular season with 1368 votes. In the game, he scored the second-highest 20 points on the team, with another 2 steals and 2 blocks, and both offensive and defensive ends were the best of the team's young players. People are also gradually beginning to expect that this sunny teenager will be the future of this equally young new army.
Jump from young fame to the pillar of the mine
Ma Zhenxiang's basketball road can be described as a high-open high, and he began to learn basketball with Coach Fan Lei from an early age, which brought him solid basic skills and excellent ball sense.
In 2012, Ma Zhenxiang represented Kaifeng in the Group A competition of the Henan Provincial Basketball Championship and won the 4th place. Although it is the first time to participate in the provincial competition, Ma Zhenxiang's performance is not inferior to the older than his own. After graduating from junior high school, Ma Zhenxiang was quickly favored by the famous basketball school, Henan Experimental Middle School, and enrolled in school. In the past three years, with the joint efforts of Ma Zhenxiang and his teammates, the basketball team of Henan Experimental Middle School has won all the championships of Henan Provincial High School Boys' Basketball Team. In 2016, Ma Zhenxiang successfully entered the CUBA Haoqiang China University of Mining and Technology with the first place.
When he first entered school, Ma Zhenxiang weighed 230 pounds and was a small fat man without compromise. And this size obviously can't match the China University of Mining and Technology, which is famous for its "Kombat Whirlwind". In order to better integrate into the team system, Ma Zhenxiang began to lose weight. From the beginning of the school in September to the end of the semester, after hard training, Ma Zhenxiang lost more than 30 pounds of weight and became the main force of the team. Before the 23rd CUBA League, whenever the name of the mining university was mentioned, the first thing that came to mind was the double gun of Wu Tingjia and Hu Liangyu in the backcourt, and Ma Zhenxiang, as the third offensive point, gradually entered people's vision.
In 2020, big brother Hu Liangyu ended his CUBA journey. The team bid farewell to a core, and the responsibility on Ma Zhenxiang's shoulders has become heavier. In the 23rd CUBA, Ma Zhenxiang averaged 19.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block per game, and the number of points and rebounds were in the top two in the queue.
For Ma Zhenxiang, the most memorable match of his college days was against Shanghai Jiaotong University on April 27, 2021. Shanghai Jiaotong University's attack at the beginning was smooth, once leading mining university by as many as 20 points, Ma Zhenxiang and Wu Tingjia rushed to help the team complete a big reversal 92:85. In that game, Ma Zhenxiang played the whole game with an injury, cutting 30 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. "After the fight, my thighs were cramping, and I still had to keep playing." He also said that his favorite thing is the basketball atmosphere of the university and the enthusiasm of the fans: "When the home game is always crowded, you can see the alumni association when you go out to play." ”
On June 5, 2021, in the last 2 minutes and 18 seconds of the match between Mining University and Peking University, Ma Zhenxiang received his fifth foul while defending. The CUBA story ends with an early foul. In that game, mining university finally lost to Peking University and did not qualify for the finals. In the face of this result, Ma Zhenxiang said, "I didn't expect the CUBA trip to end with such a dramatic result, but at this point, we still have to learn to accept it calmly, and the mining men's basketball team is also worth leaving with its head held high!" ”
With pride, regret and unwillingness, Ma Zhenxiang and teammates Wu Tingjia, Hu Liangyu and Zhang Weihao participated in the 2021 CBA draft, and the new journey beckoned to him.
When the new alliance meets the potential rookie
On July 16, 2021, the Ningbo Fubon men's basketball team announced that it will return to the league for the 2021-22 season and will go to Qingdao on July 18 to participate in the CBA League Draft. At the draft meeting, the Ningbo Fubon men's basketball team, which held the 15th pick in the first round, selected Ma Zhenxiang, who became the first player in the history of Ningbo Fubon to enter the CBA through the draft. Recalling the moment when he was selected, Ma Zhenxiang was excited: "I slept at twelve o'clock the night before, but I didn't fall asleep until two o'clock, and the moment I was selected was too happy and surprised." ”
As a new CBA team dominated by young players, the Ningbo Fubon men's basketball team gave Ma Zhenxiang the opportunity to perform, and Ma Zhenxiang's adaptability was also very surprising. In the first stage of the game, Ma Zhenxiang started all, averaging 29.9 minutes per game, contributing 11.8 points and 3.3 rebounds, and as a big player, he has a comprehensive offensive technique and can score points in a variety of ways. In addition, Ma Zhenxiang also has a 37.8% three-point shooting rate, which can open up the team's offensive space. Due to the lack of height of the young Ningbo team's inner line, the 201cm Ma Zhenxiang often needs to defend to the position of center in defense, which also has a certain impact on his physical strength and feel. He said: "The coaching staff also found this problem, which will make me drop in the second half of the shooting rate, and I need to adapt and solve it." ”
In the first season of the CBA trip, Ma Zhenxiang will face many internal players with different technical characteristics in every game, and the most impressive one is Tao Hanlin of Shandong. 'His body is strong, his feel is soft, he's always passionate on the pitch, he always infects his teammates, like a leader.' This temperament deeply affected Ma Zhenxiang, and he also decided to become a player like Tao Hanlin who was excited about the game. "I used to think I was playing like Duncan, and I was calmer at all times," Ma Zhenxiang said with a smile. ”
In the last game of the first stage, the Ningbo men's basketball team defeated Nanjing Tongxi and won its first victory of the season, which was also the first victory of the newly formed Ningbo men's basketball team to return to the CBA, and in this meaningful game, Ma Zhenxiang played nearly 40 minutes and scored 20 points, including 6 three-pointers, becoming an important contributor to the team's victory. It also made him the 13th round rookie of the CBA regular season with 1368 votes. This quiet guy also gradually entered the field of vision of the fans.
Under the court, Ma Zhenxiang admitted that he usually likes to make a pot of tea, then read books and listen to music. He also joked that he would become a teacher if he didn't play. This young man who is always smiling has a clear goal for his career: "Now we are still in the trough, the record is not good, but we must also show the attitude of being a young man, the mental outlook must be good, so that everyone can see hope." 」 The fans in Ningbo are also very enthusiastic, and I hope to grow with Fubon. ”
Producer: Guo Biwen
Review: Tang Yihong
Sports Daily reporter: Lu Yingjian