(Fig. 1) Group Photo of the Men's Basketball Champions of Xi'an Eurasia University at the Award Ceremony

On the evening of March 18, 2023, at the Aoxiang Gymnasium of Northwestern Polytechnical University, the basketball referee blew the final whistle, and the score was fixed at 67:46. The Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University defeated the Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Shiyou University, winning the championship of the 2nd level league in the 2022 College Basketball League in Shaanxi Province and CUBAL preliminaries for the first time. Xi'an Shiyou University achieved second place, marking its best performance in recent years.

A Predictable Championship Win

After the game, a media outlet interviewed me and asked for my thoughts on the first championship won by the Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University. I replied, "Of course, I am happy about the win, but I am not particularly excited because, in recent years, we have won two consecutive second-place finishes, one third-place finish, and one fourth-place finish. Winning the championship was an expected outcome." The only disappointment was that the Men's Basketball Team of Northwestern Polytechnical University lost to Xi'an Shiyou University and did not make it to the finals. This denied us the opportunity to defeat our long-standing rival.

(Fig. 2) Liu Qing (First from the Right), the Head Coach of the Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University, Receives the "President's Nomination Award" For the Year 2020

The Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University owes its success to the exceptional guidance of head coach Liu Qing. In 2007, after graduating with a Master's degree in Basketball from Xi'an Physical Education University, Liu Qing joined the sports center at Xi'an Eurasia University as a coach. In his first year, Liu led the team to the top eight. For over a decade, Liu Qing has been devoted to this career and has worked tirelessly to train and lead the team, which has consistently performed at a high level. The breakthrough year for the team was in 2018 when they competed against the Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Shiyou University in a quarterfinal match of the CUBAL second-level league. The two teams played an unprecedented and thrilling game, with two overtimes. The Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University emerged victorious and advanced to the top four, ultimately earning third place in 2018. This was also my first time watching our Men's Basketball Team play, and since then, I have been following and supporting the team's development. In 2021 and 2022, the team achieved second place in consecutive years.

Integration of Curriculum Reform, Club Activities, and High-Level Competitions for Development

After the game, I called head coach Liu Qing and asked him how he felt about winning the championship. To my surprise, his first response was to attribute the team's success to the strategic planning of Xi'an Eurasia University's "4+4+2" Strategy and the "14th Five-Year Plan." He explained that under the guidance of the university's "4+4+2" Strategy, the Sports Center of Xi'an Eurasia University has implemented comprehensive sports curriculum reform since 2009. This includes the introduction of elective courses and the establishment of sports clubs. Through these efforts, a number of outstanding clubs have emerged, such as the Journey Cycling Club, Dance Sport Club, Fitness Club, etc. These clubs have won provincial championships and runners-up for consecutive years. In recent years, as our strategic management and performance management systems have become more sophisticated, we have established clear annual objectives and tasks, implemented talent development and comprehensive training plans, and allocated a variety of resources accordingly. Therefore, starting from 2018, our Men's Basketball Team has been reaching new heights every year.

(Fig. 3) The Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University Is Playing Against the Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Shiyou University

What role have you played in this, I asked. He said, "I have a strong passion for and take pleasure in my work, and I have also formed a great teacher-student relationship with my teammates. During this year's winter break, our team members arrived on campus early and stayed at the school's hotel to undergo intensive pre-match tactical training. Through leading the team, my skills have also significantly improved, and over the past few years, I feel that I have become one with the players on the field. It can be said that in many matches, we were playing as a team of six."

Huang Xin, Associate Dean of the School of General Education, told me that Liu Qing's personal contributions and the goals of the general education reform of Xi'an Eurasia University were not initially well-aligned. When the university was emphasizing curriculum reform, Liu Qing was marginalized for a time. Some believed that Liu Qing's dedication to leading the basketball team's daily training and competition was a distraction from his job responsibilities and that winning the championship was a "pipe dream". As we reflected on our "physical education objectives", we came to realize the importance of sports competition results in motivating students to participate in sports more widely. Observing the growth and changes of students in high-level sports team training, we recognized that our education requirements could not be fully met through physical education curriculum construction alone. Instead, we realized that the integration and development of the physical education curriculum, sports club activities, and high-level competitions is the correct path to take. Subsequently, a series of sports education and teaching reforms followed suit. Under the guidance of Liu Qing, the team has been able to secure essential support and resources, which has enabled them to achieve outstanding results. This has also boosted the confidence and enthusiasm of both students and faculty, leading to a continuous improvement in the school's sports culture. As a result, the school's sports education strategy has been strengthened by this positive feedback loop.

Breaking New Ground: Establishment of the EUBA Basketball League System

Huang Xin also mentioned that our EUBA league system has laid an important foundation for the school team's championship. The "EUBA Basketball League System" of Xi'an Eurasia University currently has 10 clubs. In organizing this league, we have drawn upon the mechanisms of the NBA and CBA. Every year, a freshman selection competition is held, and weaker teams can select talented freshmen in order to ensure a balance of skills among all teams and maintain the overall competitiveness and entertainment value of the league. The league's competition system is well-established, with players having year-round opportunities to play. Each club represents a different student community and participates in various competitions, drawing in a significant number of spectators and fans for each game. Each club has a comprehensive internal governance system, and the EUBA system is managed entirely by students. As a result, we have trained a large number of sports event management professionals for basketball in the province. The success of the Xi'an Eurasia University team and the EUBA basketball league system has attracted numerous high school basketball players to apply to Xi'an Eurasia University each year, creating a virtuous cycle of basketball talent development. It is precisely this comprehensive operational mechanism that ensures the training and competitive performance of the EUBA system. Therefore, our top-ranked sports clubs and sports teams have a good chance of winning against the teams of other universities in the province that are in the top eight.

(Fig. 4 and 5) Behind the Scenes of the EUBA Basketball League Matches of Xi'an Eurasia University

Xi'an Eurasia University has combined its sports club system development with talent cultivation and has established a major in "Sports Operation and Management." Approximately 100 new students are admitted to this major every year. During their time in school, they participated in the operation and management of various sports clubs, truly realizing the talent cultivation method of "learning by doing". This has prepared them well for successful careers.

As a college that primarily focuses on business education, we have a unique advantage in management education and research. Moving forward, we intend to work closely with organizations such as the Shaanxi Province Basketball Association and the Federation of University Sports of China to leverage our research and talent advantages in promoting the development of mass sports activities.

Conviction, Action, Dedication, and Progress

The Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University's victory over the prestigious universities' monopoly on men's basketball championships not only broke the stereotype that top universities with rich history, strong capabilities, and abundant professionals always excel in various competitions within universities, but also shattered people's preconceived notions, especially in the basketball field which garners significant attention from young students in China. When we repeatedly urge ourselves to "stay true to ourselves and not waver," we are inadvertently or deliberately pushing back against the pervasive "deification of prestigious schools", "worship of leadership attention", "idolization of celebrities," and "worship of wealth" that exist in our society. The success of the men's basketball team was not the result of special attention and investment from school leadership, nor did they have access to resources that were significantly different from other sports teams at Xi'an Eurasia University. They were not trained by professional coaches brought in with large sums of money, and their coach, Liu Qing, is an ordinary physical education teacher. The team was not composed of recruited athletes with exceptional sports talent, but rather was built by ordinary players who honed their skills through consistent training under the guidance of their coach. It is unlikely for any organization to have high-level professionals in all aspects at all times. The key is to help ordinary individuals understand their goals and achievements, form a team, and continuously learn and grow through hands-on experience.

(Fig. 6) The Men's Basketball Team of Xi'an Eurasia University at the Competition

The success of the men's basketball team in winning the championship can be attributed to a series of educational principles upheld by Xi'an Eurasia University. These principles include providing students with high-quality educational services, fostering an environment that allows students to grow and develop in their own unique way, instilling in them a habit of physical exercise during their time at the university, encouraging them to enjoy the pleasures of sports, and shaping their character by instilling a courageous and tenacious sports spirit. Whether we can achieve these goals depends on our continuous actions, such as establishing a well-designed system for strategic and performance management, driving the reform of the physical education curriculum, and systematically integrating the development of various sports events with the sports club system. It also depends on the long-term commitment from top to bottom, persisting in following our beliefs and goals, regardless of external recognition or the outcomes we achieve. We need to challenge the traditional mindset surrounding college physical education, break free from unreasonable constraints that exist in the thinking of leaders, sports teachers, and students, and develop new models of sports education.