Green Wave Summer Spotlight: Kevin Zhang
Jun 19, 2019 | Men's Basketball
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Who: Kevin Zhang
What:Â Training with the Chinese National Team
When:Â Summer 2019
Where:Â Beijing, China
What have you been doing with the Chinese National Team?
"I've been practicing and working on my game since I got back here in May. We practice twice each day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and once on Thursday, Thursday and Saturday. We will eventually play against some professional teams from other countries and travel to the United States for games in July. We've also been doing a lot of teambuilding and community service. On June 1, it was Children's Day so we were celebrating with many of them in Beijing."
Who have you been competing against and what lies ahead for the CNT?
"We will play against three Australian professional teams in June before we travel to Portland, Oregon for six days to train at the U.S. Basketball Academy where I used to go. That will help us get ready for our trip to Las Vegas in July where we will play NBA Summer League games. I hope to have a lot of playing time. I'm looking forward to seeing my friend R.J. Barrett again. I haven't seen him since we played together at Montverde Academy. I know how to guard him, so I'm going to try and lock him up if I get the chance."
What kinds of things have you been working on to improve your game?
"The players here in China are really physical. I've been working on toughness and adapting to the physical part of the game. I've been doing a lot of shooting, like I always do. I've also been more aggressive and attacking the rim."
Have you been able to see friends and family?
"As soon as I got back, I stayed with family for a week in Shenyang. I've been in Beijing training with the team ever since then, but I actually had some friends I made at Tulane come to see me. It was exciting to see people again who I only met last year in New Orleans. I also missed the food here at home. I've been eating burgers three times a week. That's my favorite thing to eat."
What has you excited about getting back to Tulane and preparing for your second year of college?
"Playing with my national team has been a good experience for me. We're a good team playing against a lot of other good teams so that's helping me a lot. I'm getting more experience against a higher level of competition."
