A learning curve

A pathway from campus to pro

Nowhere could the league's ethos be more finely distilled than at Huaqiao University.

Macau Black Bears head coach Zhou Lunan is also the head coach of the university's men's basketball team. Several of his student-athletes are currently on the Black Bears roster, creating a hybrid squad that straddles collegiate and professional basketball.

Zhou took over as head coach of the Black Bears last November, and the Quanzhou game marked his first home game with the team.

"Our opponents are top players from their respective leagues," Zhou said.

"In individual matchups, we may lack some physicality and experience, but it's a valuable process that helps our players broaden their horizons."

For Zhou, the learning curve applies to coaches as much as players. "Watching how coaches at higher levels make tactical adjustments during games — I've learned a lot from that," he said.

The physical gap between student-athletes and professionals, Zhou said, forces coaches to rely more heavily on tactics, execution and collective play.

"We emphasize team basketball," he said. "Everyone needs to think about others — one for all, all for one."

That philosophy has already produced tangible outcomes. Two recent Huaqiao University graduates, Zhang Gaoming and Jiang He, have gone on to play in the CBA.

For 21-year-old Ye Runfeng, a starting guard for Huaqiao University, the EASL game offered a clear reference point.

Last year, Ye helped his team beat defending champion Tsinghua University in the Chinese University Basketball Association League (CUBAL) semifinals before finishing runner-up to Peking University. With the Black Bears, however, his role shifted from starter to rotation player.

He said competing against elite players had sharpened his understanding of the game and would make his return to the collegiate league feel more manageable. Just as important, he said, was observing the daily training intensity of his pro teammates.

Having begun formal basketball training only in his third year of middle school, Ye credits the CUBAL competition and Zhou's guidance for accelerating his development. The EASL experience, he said, clarified both the gap and the opportunity ahead.

"There's still a physical difference between us and the professional players," Ye said. "But, I believe I have the confidence to challenge them."

As the game ended and the crowd filtered out of the gym, students drifted back toward dormitories and evening classes.

On the same campus, where lectures and exams define most days, professional basketball had briefly taken over — leaving behind not just a final score, but a tangible sense of how close the professional game might be for those whose jersey still carries their university's badge.

liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn