Zeng following the path of Lin Li Gen of the North team tries to shoot against Zaid Abbaas of the South side during the 2012 CBA All-Star ...

Zeng following the path of Lin

Li Gen of the North team tries to shoot against Zaid Abbaas of the South side during the 2012 CBA All-Star Game on Sunday in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The North won 122-112. Li was named All-Star MVP. Cui Meng / China Daily

Longlion's guard inspired by Knicks sensation's rise to prominence in NBA

GUANGZHOU - While "Linsanity" continues to gain momentum in the United States, Chinese basketball fans may have found a potential equivalent in the CBA.

Zeng Lingxu, the Foshan Longlions' rookie guard and a Tsinghua graduate, boasts some similarities with New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin as they both have fine skill sets and are products of top universities.

After delivering a decent performance of 14 points and 2 assists at the CBA All-Star Rookie Challenge on Saturday, Zeng showed model students can also shine on the court, which triggered immediate comparisons with Harvard graduate Lin.

Still, the 24-year-old remains clear about the gap between himself and Lin even though some Chinese hoop celebrities have hailed him as the country's own Lin.

"Compared with him, I am far behind now. It's just like the comparison of Tsinghua and Harvard, the CBA and NBA. The gap is there obviously," Zeng said after the North rookie team stunned the South, 105-88.

"Lin is not only a role model for me, but also for all the university players in China. We can see a lot of virtues in him that come from a college education toughness, hard work, a smart head and mature mind. I think that's what he learned from his time at Harvard," said Zeng.

Born and raised by a basketball family, Zeng was sent to a basketball camp by his ex-player father when he was in primary school and thus started the story of a skinny boy who began to thrive through dint of hard work.

Having improved his skills and strength in high school, Zeng earned an offer from Tsinghua in 2006 and started to play in the Chinese University Basketball Association (CUBA) for the renowned university where student players are required by attain the same high academic standards as their fellow students.

"It's really tough to balance training and study at school. I don't have any concessions regarding my academic performance, so I have to spend more time than most to pass every exam so I can be allowed to practice and play," Zeng was quoted as saying before representing China at the Universiad in Shenzhen last August.

Averaging 23 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his fourth CUBA season last year, Zeng steered Tsinghua to third place in the collegiate league and subsequently won a four-year contract from Longlions after graduating with a bachelors degree from Tsinghua's school of economics and management.

Now a professional athlete, Zeng's school background makes him a rather rare case in Chinese sport in which most athletes come up through the state-run sport system.

"They (Lin and Zeng) almost developed the same way; playing while studying in university and then joining the top league as a pro," said prominent Chinese basketball commentator Zhang Weiping.

"From school to the pros, Lin rode a typical track in the US, but Zeng seems a special case in China because we have a different talent-cultivating system," said Zhang.

Despite sharing a similar background with Lin, Zeng's physical conditioning and outside shooting in particular require a lot of work.

"Basically, I am happy about my performance tonight but I still struggled physically a little bit while guarding bigger opponents and also rebounding," said Zeng, who averaged 7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his 29 games for Foshan this season.

The young Longlions failed to make the playoffs, but the 1.93-meter guard's sharp penetration, neat finishing at the basket and smart passing off the dribble have shown he has the potential to become a rare local star in the playmaking position that has been dominated by foreigners.

Zeng's rise has already drawn praise from the national coaching staff.

"He's got a clear mind and full-court vision. He controls the tempo very well and knows when to pass and when to shoot. The South's first half ran pretty smoothly thanks to his drive," said national assistant coach Li Nan during the Rookie Challenge.

Zeng admits it will be hard for him to ever emulate Lin's feats, but that's not going to stop him from pushing himself to the limit.

"Everything comes from hard work and I should learn from him about that. If I can only put in as much off-court effort as he did, I can improve fast."

Meanwhile, another budding Chinese star, Guo Ailun - the Rookie Challenge MVP, echoed Zeng's sentiments.

"Lin's performance is amazing. I never thought an Asian guard could play so well in the NBA," said Guo, who had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on his way to steering the North team to victory.

"He's been a motivation for us. But I know only hard training makes it happen, and I will practice harder and harder," said the 18-year-old.