Got it! A March Madness offer! The rising superstar of Chinese men's basketball

Nice, very nice.

As revealed by Zhang Boyuan's father,Zhang Boyuan has secured an offer from the University of Illinois.

According to domestic media sources, the University of Illinois is a strong team in the Big Ten Conference, frequently making it to March Madness and achieving Elite Eight appearances in recent years. Here is a detailed explanation:

Notably, this year’s 20th pick in the first round, Ayo Dosunmu (Heat, wing guard), and the 21st pick, Will Riley (Wizards, forward), both come from the University of Illinois, showing the school’s strength in developing wing players.

Back to the point, although Zhang Boyuan is currently rated as a three-star high school player with a score of 88, ranked 59th nationally as a small forward, if he continues to perform well, a four-star rating is within reach soon.

Actually, Zhang Boyuan was already eligible to play for Shanxi in the CBA this season, but he has higher ambitions. He chose to go overseas to play for Veritas Academy, where he has grown into the team's primary offensive leader, scoring 20+ points in multiple consecutive games. It’s expected that he will compete in the NCAA next season to pave his way to the NBA.

Previously, the NBA Draft Room, a US draft media outlet, predicted Zhang Boyuan would be selected 30th overall in the first round of the 2028 draft.This media outlet also predicted Yang Hansen would be picked 22nd in the first round this summer, and Yang was eventually selected 16th by the Trail Blazers, making them the US draft media closest to the actual results.

This guy was born on January 22, 2007, stands about 2.03 meters tall, plays as a wing at positions 3 or 4, mainly scores through shooting, and has some ball-handling skills. In this year’s U19 World Cup, he averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Except for a 9-minute 2-point appearance against Germany, he scored in double digits in every other game, including three 20+ point games.

If Wang Junjie is the answer at the four position for the Chinese men’s team, then Zhang Boyuan might be the answer at the three. This stable and explosive all-around shooter perfectly fits the modern basketball style.

“Yang Hansen was picked by an NBA team, and I want to go there too.”