China's ongoing search for a caliber point guard threw up a new
name yesterday, when head coach Jonas Kazlauskas included
18-year-old Liu Xiaoyu in the summer roster.
Two years ago Liu was an unknown kid with a shaved head playing
ball on the streets of Changchun. He worked his way up through the
Chinese Highschool Basketball League (CHBL) and training camps
hosted by local sponsors.
He was picked up by Guangdong Tigers, former team of NBA
prospect Yi Jianlian, and his impressive performances last season
persuaded the national team's Lithuanian supremo to give him a
shot.
Joining Liu in the summer roster, which will see players
audition for spots alongside Yao Ming at next year's Beijing
Olympics, are two other international rookies, Wang Lei and Ding
Jinhui. Making way are veterans Gong Songlin and Yang Ming, who are
struggling with injuries.
All three of the new picks were part of the junior team that
embarrassed the Yao-less senior team this month. They also beat
Sydney Tigers twice.
"I know people have very high expectations of this team. So do
I, and that's why I keep on improving the roster and pushing them
so hard," the Lithuanian told media yesterday.
"The three new players have impressed me very much over the past
months, they are young and very motivated, I think they will show
me something and also tell our veterans that the challenge is
there."
"This is not the final roster for the Olympics. I will adjust
the line-up a month later after the warm-up matches and I won't
stop doing so until I find the right players."
Pure point guard
Now considered the most exciting pure point guard prospect in
the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), Liu averaged 2.75 points
and two assists to help his team Guangdong Tigers to the Playoff
Finals.
Next season he is expected to get significantly more minutes,
and his playmaking instincts make him particularly attractive for a
team that struggles to get the ball to its star big men.
The starting point guard remains Liu Wei, and Liu Xiaoyu will
compete for minutes off the bench with Guangdong teammate Chen
Jianghua, who has struggled to live up to the hype his addition to
the roster last year created.
Zhejiang small forward Ding, 17, has been picked for his scoring
potential. He averaged 14.4 points and six boards last season and
almost single-handedly took a weak Horses team to the playoffs.
Meanwhile Wang, who is 21 and stands at 2.01m, had 18.6 points
and a career-high six assists last season for Shanxi.
"For sure we have the best inside big men in the world - Yao
Ming, Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian. The team would be an
international force if only it could get them the ball," said
Kazlauskas.
"Like I said before, everybody will pass the ball to Yao at the
Olympics. We play team basketball and everybody is important in
offense and defense."
Zhu Fangyu, a key contributor on the team that made the
quarterfinals at the world championships last summer, has been
sidelined after surgery. Also unable to participate this summer
because of injuries are Li Nan and forward Du Feng.
Warm-up series
Yi Jianlian, who is preparing for the 2007 NBA Draft in Los
Angeles, Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming also will join the camp later
this month with a chance of making the roster for the summer
warm-up series that runs from June to September.
The CBA has also set up "Team Two" for the first time this
summer, with the aim of providing competition for the first team
and the opportunity for talented youngsters to hone their
skills.
Hu Jiashi, vice-president of the CBA, said the new system is
helping the team gear up for the Olympics.
"We want to create more competition inside the team and give the
coach more choices," he said. "If a veteran doesn't play hard, he
will be relegated. So in the camp, they have to fight for their
positions as they cannot take anything for granted."
China is scheduled to join a four nation invitational later this
month in Guangdong, and will then head for Europe in July.
The team will also take on Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic at the
NBA China Games in Macao in September.
China's men's team reached the last 16 of the World
Championships in Japan in September, losing to eventual runners-up
Greece. The team underlined their regional dominance by winning the
Asian Games in Doha in December despite being without Yao of the
Houston Rockets.
National team roster: Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Mo Ke, Zhang
Songtao, Ding Jinhui, Li Xiaoxu, Wang Shipeng, Wang Lei, Li Nan,
Zhou Peng, Sun Yue, Huo Nan, Liu Wei, Wang Zhongguang, Chen
Jianghua, Zhang Qingpeng, Liu Xiaoyu.
(China Daily May 31, 2007)