PCJ – Chapter 303 Team Spirit

Ma Lishong applied for funding from above and used it to renovate the earthen playground in front of the school, building a cement basketball court. The old wooden basketball hoop was replaced with a metal one. The kids from Meizi’ao Primary School had to wait for ten days before they were allowed to step on the new court. Even Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t resist and joined the kids in scrambling for the ball. Mute Boy finally managed to grab the basketball, clutching it tightly as he ran without dribbling, afraid someone would snatch it from him.

“Jiaohua, here you go,” Mute Boy ran over and handed the ball to Zhang Jiaohua. Zhang held the ball, and everyone froze. No one dared to take the ball from Zhang Jiaohua’s hands.

Zhang Jiaohua was also taken aback. He had been thinking about running around the court with the ball like Mute Boy, but nobody stepped forward to challenge him. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, Zhang Jiaohua threw the ball towards the hoop. It seemed like the ball had no strength as it flew high, bounced off the backboard with a clang, hit the rim, and then dropped through the hoop, bouncing repeatedly on the ground.

“Grab it!”

After a long pause, the kids finally reacted and piled in to grab the ball.

“Stop, stop, that’s not how basketball is played!” Physical education teacher Xu Xuehe, who had gone to the restroom, walked over to see the kids tangled in a mess.

There were only a few teachers at Meizi’ao Primary School, each having to take on multiple roles. Xu Xuehe not only taught language, but also physical education, music, and art in Zhang Jiaohua’s class.

Xu Xuehe had planned to give up on trying to save Zhang Jiaohua, this special student, but watching the kids running on the basketball court gave him an idea.

Xu Xuehe clapped his hands, “Come on, gather around. Today I’ll teach you how to play basketball.”

Physical education was usually a class where the kids played around, but now Xu Xuehe decided to teach them something. Although he wasn’t a sports major, he had taken formal physical education classes at teacher’s college and was familiar with the basic rules of basketball.

He taught the kids to play because he wanted to use this team activity to integrate Zhang Jiaohua into the group. He believed Zhang’s isolation was due to his reluctance to participate in group activities. If he could get Zhang to enjoy basketball, maybe he would start to blend in with the group.

“Basketball is a team sport. It requires everyone on the team to cooperate in order to win. Have any of you seen a basketball game on TV?” Xu Xuehe asked.

Most of the students shook their heads. At that time, black-and-white televisions were rare, and without cable signals, the only channels available were the provincial station and CCTV-1. Plus, reception was often poor, and TV was only watchable for a few hours each day.

“I have, I’ve watched the NBA on TV!” Liu Wenbo boasted. He was considered well-informed.

Xu Xuehe had expected this response. “Since most of you haven’t seen a basketball game, I’ll explain the rules to you…”

For second graders, basketball was a new and intriguing game. It wasn’t about just running with the ball; the goal was to score by shooting it.

“Now, let’s split into two teams. I’ll lead one team, and Zhang Jiaohua will lead the other. Each team will pick five players, and then we’ll play. Every time one team scores five points, the losing team will switch out players.” Xu Xuehe knew that just explaining the rules wouldn’t work; the kids only cared about playing.

Being a team captain, even temporarily, felt special. Zhang Jiaohua enjoyed the sense of authority.

“Jiaohua, pick me, pick me,” Mute Boy eagerly shouted.

“Alright, Mute Boy is in,” Zhang Jiaohua didn’t care if others thought he was favoring his friend.

“Jiaohua, pick me too!” The other kids, copying Mute Boy, shouted for Zhang Jiaohua’s attention.

Zhang quickly selected five players, while Xu Xuehe picked four others, including Liu Wenbo.

“Zhang Jiaohua, let’s start the game now. Remember, no fouls,” Xu Xuehe said.

“Okay,” Zhang replied, feeling excited.

For many of the kids, it was their first time touching a basketball, and they couldn’t even catch it properly. On Xu Xuehe’s team, it was mostly Xu himself dribbling the ball. However, he would pass the ball without shooting, to keep the game fair.

As Xu advanced with the ball, all five of Zhang Jiaohua’s players rushed at him to steal the ball. Xu quickly passed it to Liu Wenbo, who had positioned himself near the hoop. Liu took a shot, but though he had the strength, the ball bounced around the rim without going in.

Zhang’s team hurried over, with Chen Guizhong managing to grab the ball first.

“Pass the ball to me,” Zhang Jiaohua called, holding out his hands.

“Why should I? I got the ball,” Chen, having finally touched the ball, was reluctant to hand it over.

“I’m the captain. You should give it to me,” Zhang Jiaohua felt this was obvious.

“No way, I found it, so I’m keeping it,” Chen dribbled the ball a few times, but soon lost control, sending it straight to Liu Gusheng on Xu Xuehe’s team, who quickly passed it back to Xu.

“Idiot!” Zhang glared at Chen Guizhong and ran after Xu Xuehe again. They kept running around like this, with everyone getting exhausted. Mute Boy was the most energetic, already drenched in sweat, yet he hadn’t even touched the ball. Zhang Jiaohua was also sweating, always just missing the ball.

Finally, Liu Wenbo made a lucky shot.

“Zhang Jiaohua, your team gets to inbound the ball over here,” Xu Xuehe said with a smile, feeling pleased with his plan.

Focused only on winning, Zhang hadn’t noticed Xu’s satisfaction. All he cared about now was winning the game. What kid didn’t want to win? He hadn’t realized that his desire to win was exactly what Xu was counting on.

“Mute Boy, you inbound the ball and pass it to me,” Zhang Jiaohua picked up the ball and handed it to Mute Boy. He had lost trust in his other teammates, especially Chen Guizhong, who had disobeyed him.

Mute Boy, who was the only one willing to listen, took the ball outside the line and passed it to Zhang. Zhang was no good at dribbling, awkwardly bouncing the ball while moving too slowly. Liu Wenbo and his teammates quickly surrounded him, trying to steal the ball. Zhang didn’t want to pass, so he glanced at the hoop far away and flung the ball with all his might towards it.

The ball flew high and far, heading for the hoop.

“Ah!” The kids all gasped.

Even Xu Xuehe was surprised by Zhang Jiaohua’s strength. He hadn’t expected Zhang to throw it so far. Even Xu himself would have trouble making a shot from that distance.

Although the throw was far, it wasn’t accurate. The ball hit the lower corner of the backboard and fell to the court. Xu easily grabbed the ball.

“Zhang Jiaohua, you can’t score like that.”

After a few rounds, Zhang Jiaohua’s team tasted defeat, and he hadn’t made a single shot.

“Alright, everyone come here. I’ll tell you why Zhang Jiaohua’s team lost!” Xu clapped his hands to gather the group.

“Do you know why Zhang Jiaohua’s team lost?” Xu asked.

“Because Teacher Xu wasn’t on his team,” Liu Gusheng answered quickly.

“Wrong,” Xu shook his head.

“It’s because Zhang Jiaohua’s shots were off. He kept missing,” Liu Wenbo chimed in.

Xu shook his head again. “Liu Wenbo, why did you manage to score?”

“Because I was closer to the basket,” Liu answered.

“Exactly. Zhang Jiaohua’s shots missed because he wasn’t even past half-court. If the other kids tried to shoot from there, they wouldn’t even hit the backboard. Zhang didn’t lose because of bad shooting; he lost because his team wasn’t working together. Whoever got the ball refused to pass, and they kept losing possession. Zhang Jiaohua, as the captain, you didn’t organize your team well. You’re mainly responsible for the loss. Basketball is a team sport, and everyone needs to work together to win,” Xu explained, using the moment to teach Zhang a lesson.

Zhang still didn’t quite understand. He thought he lost because of his poor skills, believing that if he could make every shot, he would win. However, he also sensed that Xu’s words made sense.

“So how can we win the game?” Zhang asked.

Xu had been waiting for Zhang to speak up. “Good. Let’s go back to the classroom, and I’ll teach you how to win.”

The kids, excited, rushed back to class.

Once in the classroom, Xu drew a basketball court on the blackboard. “Look, on the court, each of you is like one of these circles. Now tell me, is it faster to run all over the court or to stay within a certain area?”

“Of course, it’s faster to stay in one area,” Zhang Jiaohua understood this logic.

“Exactly. So, on the court, each player must cooperate and work together. You can’t win by acting alone!” Xu Xuehe smiled, seeing Zhang Jiaohua listening intently for the first time.