Chapter 38: Forming the Team and the Call for Recruits (Part One)

Although Turgun Maimaiti still had many shortcomings, Wang Lei was determined to keep this “special” young man. Compared to the other university players who had yet to arrive, Turgun was, in Wang Lei’s mind, the cornerstone of the team. With Turgun, Wang Lei felt the path ahead would become much smoother.

To keep Turgun, Wang Lei had to make considerable efforts. First, Turgun was only sixteen and still in secondary school. Although many at his school regarded him as an outsider, he was nonetheless a student. It was impossible for Turgun to leave school entirely for professional training; the Republic’s regulations were strict—every adolescent had to complete twelve years of compulsory education. Even sports schools had to ensure at least five hours of academic study per day for their students.

Given Turgun’s background, he was clearly attending a regular school, so Wang Lei first needed to arrange for him to transfer to a sports school near the training base. Only then could Turgun have at least half a day dedicated to proper training.

After seeing off the tearful yet smiling siblings Aziguli and her brother, Wang Lei shamelessly headed once more to the Provincial Sports Administration Center. Ultimately, Turgun’s issue needed to be resolved there, but it was a relatively minor matter, and Wang Lei believed the center would not obstruct him.

Of course, Wang Lei needed to secure more funding on this visit. The initial two hundred thousand yuan had not been spent lavishly, but with the team about to enter full operation, expenses would rise dramatically. Clearly, two hundred thousand would not suffice.

Meanwhile, Aili and Xue Yongjiang could not remain idle. They were to pursue Wang Lei’s chosen player list once more; nine university players plus Turgun were not enough. At least five more players were needed to properly form a team.

Another matter weighed on Wang Lei: commercial sponsorship. The funds provided by the Provincial Sports Administration Center would certainly fall short—a perennial issue. Every province, when forming a youth team, brought in commercial capital, though sponsors were limited to naming rights and jersey branding; team management and operations remained off-limits.

In the prosperous southeastern provinces, youth teams performed well over the years, attracting many mid-level sponsors waving their cash. But in frontier provinces and less developed regions, sponsorship for youth teams was far scarcer. This time, Wang Lei had decidedly rejected “connections,” meaning his options for securing sponsors were further restricted. In previous years, many players in the frontier province youth teams were brought in by sponsors.

In the final week of November, Urumqi welcomed the second heavy snowfall of winter. Amid drifting snowflakes, Wang Lei’s training base was visited by several new faces.

First to arrive were five university graduates recruited from outside, followed by Liu Shi, a traditional Chinese medicine therapist clad in standard outdoor gear.

The training base was equipped with communal dormitories: players were assigned four to a room, while coaches shared two to a room.

Gradually, the university players whom Aili and Xue Yongjiang had tirelessly persuaded also arrived.

Wang Lei’s charm at the Sports Administration Center paid off once again; he secured nearly one and a half million yuan in funding and resolved Turgun’s transfer. Wang Lei even went out of his way to help the persistent Aziguli, arranging a cleaning position at the gym so she could care for her brother nearby.

Compared to the other university players, Wang Lei was especially concerned about Turgun. The boy was indeed “special,” and needed proper care.

University players could not undergo fully professional, all-day training. They still had academic requirements; those lacking sufficient credits could not even participate in games, a longstanding rule of the Republic.

This was the biggest flaw in Wang Lei’s provincial youth “student army.” None were registered professional players; not only did they lack experience, but even their daily training was heavily restricted.

Fortunately, most of these university players were fringe members of their campus teams. Otherwise, they would not have chosen to join the provincial youth team for development. Most had managed their schedules to earn enough credits for the year, so at least half could participate in closed training at the base until the winter break.

On the first day of December, the snow ceased, and the Frontier Province Youth Basketball Team was formed with scarcely any attention. Everyone gathered in the gym for their first day of training.

The Provincial Sports Administration Center symbolically sent a deputy leader to the gym that day, who delivered a rambling speech for half an hour before leaving. The rest was Wang Lei’s time.

“Hello everyone, I am Wang Lei, your new head coach. I imagine some of you have heard my name.”

As Wang Lei introduced himself, the university group stirred. These young men had come here out of love for basketball, and many had watched Wang Lei’s games in their school days. As one of the country’s few formidable perimeter stars at the time, Wang Lei had his share of fans. Though two years had dulled many memories, several recognized him immediately.

“First, I must admit—our team is young. The coaching staff averages twenty-five years old, with Old Xue dragging the average up a bit, haha. You too are young; this is a brand new team.”

“I can’t guarantee my coaching staff is highly professional, nor can I promise I’m outstanding myself. After all, this is my first time as a coach, my first time even speaking in such a setting.”

“Youth is our weakness, but it is also our greatest asset. You’ve all come here out of love for basketball. I don’t care what you were before—here, you begin anew. You’ll receive new training, new tactical concepts. I hope you can put aside past burdens, discard old ways, and embrace bold innovation while we are still young.”

“I want to ask you all: is anyone afraid of failure? If you are, step forward. I will grant you the compensation you deserve, and then ask you to leave. In my dictionary, fear does not exist. I have experienced failure—painful failure—but I came through it, and I believe you can too, perhaps even surpass me. Finally, I want to leave you with one thought: remember, youth never knows defeat.”