He makes a steal, leads a fastbreak and then scores a lay-up.
Even at 73, Jiang Jinshao is still running the show.
Jiang still remembers how a local newspaper in Seattle two years
ago expressed doubts after he and his teammates made amazing
fastbreaks and dominated the court.
"A reporter asked me what kind of things we'd eaten before the
competition. I told them 'we've kept this intensive training for
over a decade. It's not a miracle for us'", said Jiang, a veteran
of an amateur basketball team from Guangzhou.
Jiang's team started to play together in the 1950's and has
never stopped.
"We manage to play three times together every week. Even over
holidays, we will try to get together and find some teams to play
with.
"It is basketball that keeps us healthy, young and
energetic."
"At every match during the competition, we can score points
after making fastbreaks and win by over 20 points against
opponents," said a jubilant Jiang after the team won the over 65
age group of the Beijing Basketball Game for Chinese of the World
in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, last
weekend.
"Five members of our team are over 70. But we are able to play
against those ten years junior. We are really enjoying the feeling
of being young, which is a result of years of playing the
sport.
"We've won successive titles in the group in this tournament and
we are also frequent winners at other contests with fellow
basketball enthusiasts from around the world."
The Fourth Beijing Basketball Game for Chinese of the World was
initiated by the Beijing Sports Bureau in 2004 and is part of the
Chinese Amateur Basketball Open (CBO). More than 1,000 people of
Chinese origin from 12 countries and regions joined in.
"We took on teams from USA and Malaysia. They were younger but
still could not beat us," smiled Jiang. "But off the court, we are
very good friends."
NBA inspiration
Jiang has witnessed the increasing popularity of the sport among
Chinese around the world.
"More and more people are talking about basketball. Also there
are more young people choosing the sport as their career in my home
town," Jiang said.
Jiang's province Guangdong is home to former CBA champions
Guangdong Hongyuan, which has produced promising national team
guards Chen Jianghua and Liu Xiaoyu, not to mention NBA prospect Yi
Jianlian.
Expectation for Yi - who is expected to be a lottery pick - has
further increased interest in the sport after Yao Ming joined the
Houston Rockets in 2002 and began developing into a quality
center.
"When more and more fellow Chinese basketball players are able
to prove themselves in NBA, more people will be crazy about the
sport," said Erwin, an Indonesian-Chinese who plays for Samudera
basketball club.
Erwin said Yao and Wang Zhizhi, the first Chinese in the NBA,
have inspired overseas Chinese to play the game.
"It is not easy for Chinese basketball players to be recognized
internationally. Yao and Wang have managed to make it and Yi will
soon follow in their footsteps.
"China needs superstars in basketball and it will encourage more
to join in."
With the sport gaining popularity, various amateur-orientation
events like the Basketball Game for Chinese of the World are
joining the CBO to develop the sport.
More stars needed
China's top basketball official believes the sport's popularity
among the young and the old is the result of the development of the
domestic league and influence of international stars like Yao.
"High level domestic leagues like CBA and CUBA (top flight
league for university students) are the motivation for the
development of grassroots sport, while star icons like Yao and Yi
are inspiring more youngsters to take part," said Zhang Faqiang,
president of China Basketball Association.
The CBO is part of the efforts to further develop the grassroots
level.
"Before the CBO there were numerous local competitions in
different corners of the country. But the CBO links them together
and gives local teams the chance of a broader range of
competition," said Zhang.
Also the vice chairman of Chinese Olympic Committee, Zhang said
the Olympics gives the sport another shot in the arm.
"The tournament and the CBO have become important parts of the
Beijing Olympics program - National Fitness and Olympic Glory. The
hopes rest on Yao, Wang and Yi's team to fire up enthusiasm for the
sport. "
China equalled its best performance at an Olympics in Athens
with a final eight finish. But the development of Yao and Yi means
the target for the team next year is a medal.
Next year's Beijing Basketball Game for Chinese of the World
will also return to its inaugural host city and is expected to draw
more overseas Chinese basketball enthusiasts.
(China Daily June 8, 2007)