I came across this article that Cal has been having 7'3" Max Zhang wearing doing boxing drills with a heavy bag to make him more aggressive. I wonder if anybody ever tried this with Yao? http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/...l-team-wants-Max-Zhang-to-be-more-aggressive- Cal Bears basketball team wants Max Zhang to be more aggressive by By Jeff Faraudo Oakland Tribune , Contra Costa Times Max Zhang won't be wearing boxing gloves tonight when he takes the court against Iowa State. But the Cal basketball coaching staff wants him to carry a pugilist's mentality onto the floor. Zhang, the Bears' sophomore center from China, has been working out with conditioning coach Mike Blasquez, using boxing drills to try to bring out his inner Tyson. "I can only imagine what it's like being 7-foot-3 and dealing with all the issues that go with that and the expectations," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. "His culture probably, his personality has affected some things. He's just a very, very nice kid." The Bears (4-3) don't want to change that except when he steps on the court. Zhang, who started the past two games while Markhuri Sanders-Frison recovered from the flu, knows he needs to be more aggressive and believes the boxing drills are helping. After lacing up the gloves, he hits the heavy bag and takes turns exchanging blows with Blasquez. "Before that, I think I thought I was ready. Before I'd step on the court, I'd talk to myself," he said, explaining how he'd try to mentally prepare himself to play. "But actually doing those boxing workouts really helps me focus and brings (out) my aggressiveness. I'm probably not going to be very good (at it), but I like boxing." When he's on the floor for tonight's Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series game against the Cyclones (6-2), Zhang will face one of the nation's better big men. Craig Brackins, a 6-10 junior forward, averages 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds, a year after scoring 20.2 points per game and toying with entry into the NBA draft. The assignment may be a welcome relief for Zhang after Wednesday's game at New Mexico, where he struggled a bit against a quicker, smaller frontcourt. Four days earlier, he had something of a breakout game with career-high numbers of seven points and five rebounds, along with two blocked shots, in a win over Princeton. "Max is a big confidence guy," Montgomery said. "He plays better when he's feeling good about himself. He just doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself." That may be because Zhang has played far less competitive basketball than most of his American counterparts. He's added 35 pounds since arriving at Berkeley in the fall of 2007 but remains a work in progress, especially as an offensive player. "I can't really tell the difference between today and a couple weeks ago," said Zhang, when asked to gauge his progress. "Sometimes I have a hard time seeing the big picture and I do feel bad about myself that I'm not getting better that quickly." "He has improved a lot," senior point guard Jerome Randle said. "The more he's out there playing on the floor, the better off he'll be." How quickly Zhang improves isn't solely up to him. Montgomery said he's had to convince his players not to throw a bounce pass to such a tall teammate, and acknowledged that Zhang is not effective in all situations. "His length definitely causes people some problems. We're trying to get Max to play above the competition, rather than force contact," Montgomery said. "Just jump above and shoot it. They're not going to block his shot."TODAY: vs. Iowa State, 8 p.m. TV: ESPNURadio: 1550-AM
Max zhang is pretty bad... he's skinnier than a skinny twig. However, walking past him on the street is pretty interesting. These girls in front of me turned around and said "holy s$#@ what the f#@! is that" while pointing politely..
The Cal Athletic guide list him at 7'-3" 240 pounds pretty damn thin. According to the article I posted they said he's gained 37 pounds since he's been at Cal so he must have been build like a flagpole when he got there. Anyway Yao was pretty skinny when he first got here so maybe Zhang can bulk up some.
Gonna need him to bulk up.. we lack a post presence in general and injuries to players, especially Theo "amazing 3pt shooter" Robertson are killing us.
Food must be very scarce in China. All these Chinese basketball players look so skinny before eating a real hamburger.
Yao was already 290 lbs when he got to the U.S. Skinner than he is now, definitely not nearly as strong, but there's no comparison with a 7'3'' 240 lb guy (or apparently 203 lb before gaining weight at Cal). (And Zhang's eyebrows apear to take 5 of the 240 lbs.) Anyhow, this guy doesn't sound like an NBA prospect. Likely will have a career in Chinese pro ball though if he wants it.
I bet they are making him box to dissolve his basketball skills so that another Asian man won't be successful over Americans.
you don't need to know english to pass classes. kids over there learn at a faster pace. as long as you know enough to get by. :grin:
His English is about Yao's level, which is more than good enough for classes. I mean, apparently his favorite dance is the soulja boy dance so he's somewhat Americanized by now.
That's not true. We have various and plenty of food here in China, and most of them are dilicious. Have you ever eaten the chinese food? I suggest you to have a try before you said the scarce thing. We dont eat hamburger 'cause we know it's high calorie which make us overweight. thank you
