1997, Zhang Yongjun, who just retired, took the coaching seal from Wang Lifa, the former head coach of Guangdong Hongyuan Men's Basketball Team, and started his coaching career. In the first season when Zhang Yongjun took over the Guangdong Men's Basketball Team, many veteran players retired, which made the Guangdong Men's Basketball Team, which had been ranked second in the league before, fall into a low tide. In this case, Zhang Yongjun, a "fledgling" player, boldly used new players, with young players Feng Hezhu as the main force, and quickly restored the vitality of the team, making it among the top players in the league. In 2000 -200 1 season, the Guangdong men's basketball team, which claimed to have "killed" into the top three in the league, suffered four consecutive defeats, and Zhang Yongjun submitted his resignation to the club and was approved. After that, Zhang Yongjun served as the coach of the National Youth Team for several years. This year, Zhang Yongjun returned to CBA as the head coach of Dongguan New Century Men's Basketball Team, which opened a new chapter in his career.

"Many players in our team are participating in CBA for the first time, because most of the old players who played in CBL have retired and a group of young players have been added to the team." Like Zhang Yongjun, who took over the Guangdong men's basketball team, the retirement of a group of old players made him realize that the Dongguan men's basketball team will face great difficulties in the new season, but he also understood that if the team wants to have a longer-term development, it is necessary to boldly put new players on the front line.

The experience of being a coach tells Zhang Yongjun that if the team wants to have a bright future, it must cultivate its own talents. "Young players have a lot of room for improvement. This year may be a painful year for the team, but it will make us happier in the future. " Zhang Yongjun's idea was strongly supported by the club. In the first year of being short-listed in CBA, the club didn't set specific goals for the team, only hoped that young players could grow up in the competition as soon as possible, so as to lay the foundation for good results in the future.

200 1 1, Zhang Yongjun hangs the seal of Guangdong Hongyuan Men's Basketball Team Coach. In June 2005, Zhang Yongjun led Dongguan to "kill" back to CBA in the new century. After more than four years, Zhang Yongjun once again stood in the CBA as the head coach of the champion team of CBL (National Men's Basketball League), and Guangdong Hongyuan, which he once led, has now become the overlord of CBA.