Young guns locked and loaded

Rising stars given chance to shine as Team China steps up World Cup preparations

The Chinese men's national basketball team is looking to the future by giving youth a chance at a mini training camp in Qingdao, Shandong province, from May 1 to 9.

The Chinese Basketball Association announced on Monday that 15 players will be involved in the camp under the guidance of Team China head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic. CBA president Yao Ming will also be in attendance as "team leader".

Apart from core squad member Zhou Qi, the camp will feature predominantly young players, including exciting talents Wang Ruize of Qingdao and Cui Yongxi of the Guangzhou Loong Lions.

"One of the main goals of this mini training camp is to allow the young players to get familiar with the atmosphere of the national team as soon as possible. That's how we can increase our efficiency in preparing for the coming FIBA World Cup," read a CBA announcement.

"At the same time, this will be a chance to test all the players who are selected. The mini training camp is a new way for the CBA to coordinate the national team in the current basketball environment. We hope to provide better services to our players."

Most of the young players selected for the camp have completed their CBA seasons, while a number of Team China regulars are absent due to their involvement in the ongoing playoffs. Depending on how the postseason progresses, adjustments could be made to the training camp roster.

With the FIBA World Cup tipping off in August, keeping players in top physical condition is another important goal of the training camp. It's likely, though, that the final World Cup squad will differ quite a bit from next week's squad, with selection decisions to be made based on the team's requirements and players' form and fitness.

Djordjevic took the Team China reins in November, stating that his top priority is winning a ticket to the Paris Olympics via the single qualification berth allocated to Asia at the World Cup.

The Serbian impressed fans earlier this year as Team China completed its 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying campaign by finishing second in Group F, with a record of 10 wins and two defeats.

Qualifying for the Olympics at the World Cup, though, is a much taller task for Djordjevic's men. Asian basketball powerhouses Japan and the Philippines — both boasting naturalized players in their squads — are currently favored ahead of Team China to earn Asia's solitary direct qualification berth.

The Chinese men's team missed the Olympic tournament for the first time in history at Tokyo 2020 following a disappointing campaign at the home World Cup in 2019. It's hoped a new direction under Djordjevic can inject fresh impetus into China's rebuild.

Since Djordjevic took over the national side, he has been focusing on selecting and nurturing the next generation of Team China stars, as exemplified by next week's training camp.

"Djordjevic said many times that he will keep a close eye on the young players in training camps and league matches. Based on the current roster for the short training camp, promising young stars like Zeng Fanbo and Zhu Xuhang, who represented their country for the first time in the qualifiers, have been called up again," read a bjnews.com.cn commentary.

"And more young players who have impressed in this season's CBA also earned their chance at this training camp, such as Lin Wei, a 19-year-old Nanjing Monkey Kings player who delivered impressive performances in his rookie season."

Zhou Qi's inclusion in the training roster has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this season, the former Houston Rockets player was involved in a dispute with his former club, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

The Flying Tigers, the 2016-17 league champions, withdrew from the domestic league on Feb 28 in protest against a CBA ruling that banned them from signing any new players for a year. That sanction was triggered by a league investigation into claims made by Zhou related to his long-running contract row with the club.

A CBA board meeting in March voted to allow Xinjiang to return to the league in order to "enhance the cohesion of the entire league organization". However, the standoff between Zhou and Xinjiang has left the star center with no official games to play for months since he returned from Australia, where he played with the South East Melbourne Phoenix last year.

Therefore, the CBA's announcement that the training camp will give players a chance to "adapt to the national team's system and maintain fitness levels" is especially applicable to Zhou.