by sportswriters Su Bin and Yao Youming
XI'AN, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Feng Minmin may not be a familiar name to many, but mention the girl whose video of a mid-air 360-degree spin and between-the-legs finish in a one-on-one went viral last year, and most will know exactly who she is.
"Her moves are so smooth, they feel like being added with visual effects." "Even many boys cannot handle these moves," many netizens commented.
Feng, a second-year senior high school student from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, didn't stop there. A bigger stage awaited her.
SEEDS OF BASKETBALL DREAM SOWED
Feng started playing basketball in the third grade, and more specifically, in a shooting game during a physical education class.
"I just felt it was so cool when I made it, and then I was fascinated by it," she recalled.
Feng began searching for basketball tutorials and highlight clips, saving them to her phone, then watching them over and over, breaking down each move before trying to replicate them herself, again and again.
Speaking of her signature between-the-legs move, Feng said it was based on developing her core strength. "That will make it easier to do these moves. Some basic skills also require exercising on a regular basis," she explained.
Standing 155 cm tall, Feng found it hard to develop into a professional basketball player. As a sports special student, she chose athletics as her major, but didn't give up her basketball training. Due to her academic burden as a high school student, she could only train at weekends.
"Learning and training are not contradictory," she said.
STEPPING INTO SPOTLIGHT
Few would associate a bespectacled girl like Feng with the dazzling moves she produced on the court.
Despite facing long odds of becoming a professional, she still made it onto the pro stage, and did so twice in less than a month.
After competing in the Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Weekend skills challenge as a wildcard entrant earlier in March, Feng received an invitation from the Women's Chinese Basketball Association to contest last weekend's All-Star skills challenge alongside professional players.
Though failing to qualify for the finals on both occasions, she has found a clearer target on her basketball path.
"I will continue to hone my skills, love basketball and improve myself," she noted.
During the WCBA All-Star Weekend, she met her idol Yang Shuyu, captain of China women's national team, and took a photo with Yang.
"She encouraged me to keep working hard at basketball," Feng said.
"Appearing on such a big stage is a precious experience for me. I was excited about it and have learned a lot. I'm impressed by the performances of these professional players, and I need to learn a lot from them," she added.
Feng said basketball plays a central role in her life, though she admits she has not set overly ambitious goals for herself in the sport.
"I want to become a PE teacher or a basketball coach in the future, and guide more children to enjoy playing basketball," she said. ■
