For Xu Zhonghao in Nanning Tsai, March this year is a little different. In October last year, the Bayi team disbanded. After 5 months, he finally achieved "laid-off reemployment" in the CBA. Xu Zhonghao's new journey began in the Zhejiang team, the first professional competition in nearly half a year, the first time in his career to cooperate with foreign aid, the first time he was regarded as a "firefighter", the 30-year-old he faced more challenges. He said that he would cherish the opportunity even more and be willing to use his own experience to help the "back wave" and continue the spirit of "August 1st".
Xu Zhonghao put on a new battle robe. Source: Zhejiang Guangsha Guanwei
"Idle" for half a year, active in the Guangxi sports circle
In the Chinese basketball world, the Bayi team has always been a special presence. In the early years of the national team, the players of the Bayi team occupied "half of the country", "God of War" Liu Yudong, "wind chasing youth" Wang Zhizhi, "flying knife" Li Nan are all leaders, they have reached the CBA finals a total of 11 times and won the championship 8 times. However, when the baton was handed over to the new generation of team members represented by Xu Zhonghao, the Bayi team had lost its former aura. In the context of the rapid advancement of the CBA market, because of the inability to use foreign aid, player salaries and other restrictions, the bayi team with a special system is gradually declining, and the results of recent seasons are at the bottom, and eventually they are scattered.
As a result, Xu Zhonghao, who ushered in the year of establishment, had to encounter an embarrassing 5-month "vacuum period". Xu Zhonghao was selected to join the Bayi team at the age of 13, represented the Bayi team in the CBA League at the age of 18, and has been the main player of the team for 12 years under the name of "Wang Zhizhi's successor", and he has not experienced such turbulence in his career.
However, after being idle at home for half a year, Xu Zhonghao was able to have more intersection and interaction with his hometown, and people have seen him stand for guangxi sports consumption campaign, Xiumei Yongjiang Le Running Challenge, Guangxi men's basketball league and other events, and cheer for Guangxi sports. In order to maintain his form, he also appeared briefly in regional basketball tournaments and even wildball games, making many fans shout "surprise".
Xu Zhonghao actively participates in local events in Guangxi. Nanguo Morning Post client reporter Qin Jiangyi /photo
Of course, what Guangxi fans are most concerned about is where is Xu Zhonghao's next stop? Is it Guangdong Hongyuan, run by Guangxi compatriot Zhu Fangyu, or Guangxi Weizhuang who conquers NBL?
Re-entry, boosting the "back wave" in the new team
On March 1, the third stage of the 2020-2021 CBA League began, many well-known former Bayi players have "famous flowers and masters", and Xu Zhonghao's whereabouts were finally revealed, and he signed a contract with Zhejiang Guangsha for 2 years and 5 months.
According to reports, Guangsha's main foreign aid Radulica recently returned to China to represent Serbia in the European Championships, and it is difficult to return to the team in the short term, and Xu Zhonghao wants to fill the vacancy in the position of center forward. In his debut for Zhejiang, Xu Zhonghao scored 8 points and 10 rebounds, and then helped the team beat Liaoning led by a large number of national players.
Back to the long-lost CBA arena, Xu Zhonghao felt a lot. He said that after a period of absence, he will cherish the opportunity to play more and hope that he will recover as soon as possible. Guangsha head coach Wang Bo believes that Xu Zhonghao's performance is remarkable, but the current play is not all his strength.
Although he is already a "veteran" over thirty years old, many experiences are still fresh to Xu Zhonghao. For example, cooperation with foreign aid, how to integrate into an unfamiliar team, etc., "The primary goal of the team is to enter the playoffs, enter the final four or even impact the championship." Xu Zhonghao said, "Just joined the new team, may not be so clear tactically, but my positioning is still clear, Guangsha young players, the body is relatively thin, I hope I can use defensive experience to help the team." ”