As commentator Dali once put it, he is the“ Wenzhou liquid missile, with a strike range covering the entire Zhejiang province.”

◎ Talent as the Boat, Self-Discipline as the Wind

From a raw teenager to the key player of the team, Yan has embodied what it means to be a“ hexagon warrior” through perseverance and passion.

Even in elementary school,“ Azi” stood out for his athletic gifts. By third grade he had already been spotted by a school coach and begun his journey with basketball. In eighth grade, he was fast-tracked into an adult team, competing against grown players — an experience that forged his solid tactical foundation. In high school, he went on to play for the varsity team at Wenzhou Vocational Secondary School.

In 2019, Yan helped his school reach the finals of the 12th ZSBL Zhejiang Provincial High School Basketball League (Super Group), becoming the only vocational school ever to make the championship round in the event’s history. Among his teammates were Chen Buwei — now also with Wenzhou — and even his coach at the time was Lin Wanpeng, today a fellow teammate. The team finished seventh overall. That performance earned Yan a National Level II Athlete certificate and secured him a direct pathway into college.

That same year, while the world was facing unprecedented challenges, Yan had one of his own: preparing for college entrance exams on his own. He set himself a punishing schedule — online classes from 6 a.m., gym workouts and specialized training in the afternoon, and test prep late into the night. After months of relentless effort, he was admitted to Wuhan Sports University, majoring in sports training, taking another step forward on his professional path.

Some players excel when the game is smooth; others thrive in adversity. Yan consistently leads his team out of desperate situations — a resilience perhaps forged through early hardship. When applying for high school, he ranked first in basketball recruitment at Pingyang High School but missed admission by a mere 0.5 points due to a reformed academic scoring system. In university, a severe ankle injury struck just a week before the CUBAL Division I League, costing him his closest shot at a professional career.“ It crushed me,” he recalled.“ But what could I do? I couldn’t just stop playing. I had to wait for the next chance.”