Facing the challenge, looking at the long-term, the Chinese men’s basketball team is growing in grind
After the end of the men’s basketball Asian Cup qualifiers, the Chinese men’s basketball team had a teaching match with the Philippine men’s basketball team in the Philippines to prepare for the next Tokyo Olympic Games defeat.
In the Asian Cup qualifiers, although the Chinese men’s basketball team achieved four consecutive victories, it did not go smoothly along the way. This alternate team with old and new teams has withstood many tests. In 2019, Zhou Peng missed the Basketball World Cup due to injury. He returned to the national team this time. As the captain, Zhou Peng is the team’s most experienced player in international competitions. He is also the backbone of the team on the court.
In the first game against the Japanese team, at the critical moment when the Chinese team was approached by their opponents several times, they relied on Zhou Peng’s scoring to stabilize the situation. In that game, he also scored a team-high 16 points. Reversing the second game of the Japanese team, Zhou Peng said that he had a bottom line at the time, “We have won them in the first round, so we are very confident. Although we have been at a disadvantage for a long time, we have the belief that we must win. give up.”
Regarding the defeat of the Olympic Games, Zhou Peng admitted that there is a gap in strength with his opponents, “but we will never give up, and strive to play a wonderful and efficient game.”
Zhou Qi underwent eye laser surgery before the game, and immediately came to the Philippines to join the national team after the operation. In the second game against the Japanese team, Zhou Qi scored 18 points and 12 rebounds. His performance in the interior was one of the decisive factors for the Chinese team’s reversal and victory. Head coach Du Feng commented on this: “He can appear on the field, it is an encouragement to the team, it is a manifestation of the spirit of unity.” Zhou Qi said: “At that time, I didn’t think about injuries or anything, I just tried everything. Do my best to help the team win! I feel that I am in the team to lead by example.”
Also setting an example for young athletes with practical actions is Zhao Jiwei, who requires him to take the lead in both life and competition. “This allows young players to realize that the national team is a very demanding place.”
“The intensity of the confrontation, the scale of the penalty, and the information of the opponent are different from the league.” As the most valuable player in the CBA finals last season, Hu Mingxuan said in one breath his three new understandings of the international arena. In the 4 games of the Asian preliminaries, Hu Mingxuan’s efficiency outside the three-point line has declined compared with his in the league, which shows the impact of the international arena on young players. “For me, there is still not enough experience in international competitions, but there are gains in every game.”
Growing up in constant tempering, this is the only way for the Chinese men’s basketball team to move forward. Next, the Chinese men’s basketball team will travel from the Philippines to Canada to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament. Faced with powerful opponents in the Qualifying Tournament, Du Feng used three “dare” to encourage the players. “I hope the young guys dare to challenge the strong team, dare to face their own shortcomings, dare to use their own technical characteristics. Find gaps in actual combat, improve the shortcomings through training, and strive for further goals.” (Reposted from June 25th ” China Sports News 03)
