Top draft pick Ou Junxuan, selected by the Shanghai Sharks, receives a congratulatory scroll from CBA chairman Yao Ming. XINHUA
Record university representation at CBA Draft vindicates Yao's reforms
Yao Ming's efforts to invigorate Chinese basketball's youth development are bearing fruit after a record number of college prospects were plucked from this year's CBA Draft.
Following a season when a number of rookies memorably upstaged some of their more experienced colleagues, another 19 youngsters joined the professional ranks after being selected by 12 clubs at the sixth annual CBA Draft in Quanzhou, Fujian province, last week.
The 11 players selected from the Chinese University Basketball Association was an all-time high for the draft, underlining the collegiate platform's growing importance to CBA scouts and managers as the league expands its talent trawl beyond the traditional State-run system. The CUBA also enjoyed its biggest ever representation in the draft, boasting 25 out of the 64 young hopefuls.
"The quality and quantity of talents signing up for the draft are pretty encouraging," CBA chairman Yao said in his opening remarks at the draft night.
"We have witnessed the growth of a decent group of young homegrown players over the past season," added Yao, a former NBA All-Star who was elected CBA chief in 2017, six years after his retirement.
"We hope by opening the doors wider to talents from all corners of the game we can have more players promoted and tested in the league to become future stars."
Yao introduces second pick Zhu Mingzhen, who was snapped up by the Guangzhou Loong Lions. XINHUA
Top pick Michael Ou Junxuan, selected by the Shanghai Sharks, was touted as the brightest prospect thanks to his two years' experience in the NCAA's Division 1 tournament for California State University, Northridge.
The 21-year-old forward/center, who stands 2.1 meters tall, said he'd rather be known in the CBA for his game than just his reputation from his NCAA stint.
"I want to be remembered as a low-profile and hard-working player," said Ou, who started full-time training at 13 at a CBA-sanctioned basketball school in Dongguan, Guangdong province.
"The biggest challenge is to get used to the intensity, pace and physicality in competitions of the professional league and I believe my experience playing in the US will help me make a smooth transition," said Ou, who averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 50 games for CSUN over the past two seasons.
Ou's potential as a strong post player impressed Shanghai's coaching staff last September, when he scored 23 points in a warm-up game representing an NCAA select team against the Sharks during the CBA club's training trip to Los Angeles.
With the 2020-21 CBA season less than two months away, Ou said his goal for his rookie campaign is to average a double-double and help the Sharks rediscover their bite after missing out on the postseason this year.
Zhu Mingzhen, a forward from Peking University, and Lin Ting-chien, a Chinese Taipei player representing Bryant University in the NCAA, were selected second and third by the Guangzhou Loong Lions and Tianjin Pioneers respectively on Friday.
Beijing-born Zhu－whose father hails from Uganda and whose mother is Chinese－boasts exceptional athleticism and consistent shooting on the perimeter.
The 24-year-old, a product of Beijing No 4 Middle School's renowned youth basketball program, is currently competing with PKU on his last year in the CUBA as the university bids to secure a fourth consecutive national title. Cultivated in Beijing's high-school league and then honed in the collegiate ranks, Zhu's status as one of the hottest commodities at the draft is indicative of the school sports system's rising stock with CBA clubs.
The 2020 CBA Draft featured a record number of players from China's collegiate sports system, with a total of 11 CUBA prospects selected by professional clubs. CHINA DAILY
"I think the draft expands the horizon of talent development for the professional league," said newly installed Jiangsu Dragons head coach Li Nan.
"It builds a platform for players of various backgrounds to demonstrate their skills and commitment to turn pro whereas we didn't manage to do that in the past."
However, the former Team China head coach reckons the gap in competitiveness between the professional league and the collegiate competition remains a sizable one that rookie players need to be prepared for physically and mentally.
"The test of competing on a much busier schedule and in more fiercely contested games can be intimidating for some of the young players. To live up to their expectations, they should start from surviving and staying healthy," added Li.
Last year's top draft pick, PKU graduate Wang Shaojie, who was selected by the Beijing Royal Fighters, set the bar high for this year's crop to follow.
Coached by former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, Wang played a significant role in helping the Royal Fighters make the CBA playoffs for the first time since the franchise was promoted from the second-tier league in 2014.
The power forward was voted the league's Rising Star of the Month in July after averaging 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds over five games while battling a knee injury since the league resumed play in June after a four-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Sooner or later, a rookie is going to hit the wall. As long as you hang in there, perseverance, hard work and a positive mindset will eventually pay off," said the 23-year-old.
