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Next-gen thinking puts trust in youth
2020-08-28 
Zhu Mingzhen is among the new recruits selected for China's youngest ever national team training camp, which opens in Beijing on Tuesday. [Provided to China Daily/Xinhua]

Youngest ever national training squad selected as China rebuilds for future

Almost certainly an onlooker at next year's Olympic tournament, China's men's basketball program has begun rebuilding for the future by assembling its youngest ever squad for an offseason training camp.

Having failed to secure Asia's only direct Olympic berth at last year's home FIBA World Cup, the Chinese Basketball Association is pinning its hopes on the next generation of hoopsters after calling up 24 players with an average age of 20.7 on Wednesday.

None of the 12 players that lost the Tokyo qualification spot to Iran at the World Cup were invited to attend the three-week camp, which will open on Tuesday at Beijing's national training base behind closed doors.

Nine of the new call-ups have no CBA league experience, such as rookie forward Zhu Mingzhen, who was selected by the Guangzhou Loong Lions as the second overall pick in last week's draft, and teenage prospect Zeng Fanbo, who plays in the American high-school system.

Born in Beijing to a Ugandan father and a Chinese mother, Zhu, a graduate of Peking University's CUBA program, becomes China's first adult national team member of foreign descent.

The oldest player in the camp is 25-year-old center Jiangsu Dragons center Wu Guanxi, who averaged a career high of 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds last season, his sixth CBA campaign.

Zeng Fanbo is among the new recruits selected for China's youngest ever national team training camp, which opens in Beijing on Tuesday. [Provided to China Daily/Xinhua]

The CBA says the camp will help the team prepare for the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament, where China will face five much stronger contenders in a battle for one Olympic ticket, as well as next year's FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

With China's current aging roster no longer competitive enough, rejuvenating the program with new blood is now the priority, said head coach Du Feng.

"We called up a lot of young players and many new faces this time, which is quite unusual for a national team camp," said Du, who took the reins in October after China finished 24th at the World Cup, its worst ever ranking.

"It offers us a chance to learn more about them and develop these young talents. It's time to take the future development into consideration," added Du, who is also coach of CBA champion the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Young Guangdong guards Hu Mingxuan and Xu Jie are included in the camp after the back-court combo played a major role in helping the Southern Tigers win their 10th CBA title earlier this month.

Xu Jie is among the new recruits selected for China's youngest ever national team training camp, which opens in Beijing on Tuesday. [Provided to China Daily/Xinhua]

"It was a huge honor for me as much as a valuable opportunity for me to learn and improve," Zeng, who at 17 already stands 2.04 meters tall and weighs 90 kilograms, told Beijing Youth Daily on Thursday.

"This national team call-up will be an important mark on my young career. I don't feel any pressure now, just pure excitement. I will make the best out of every minute at the camp."

Born in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Zeng joined the Beijing Ducks youth program when he was 11 after impressing the CBA club with his exceptional physicality.

In 2017, he was sent to the United States on the Basketball Pioneer Program, funded by the Ducks' parent company, Shougang Group, for a high-school league tryout.

After enrolling at Windermere in 2018, Zeng has solidified his status as a major college prospect by averaging 15.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots and 2.1 assists in his sophomore year last season in Florida's Class 3A league.

The high-school standout's all-around game has sparked intense interest from collegiate programs, such as Gonzaga and Florida State University, according to Windermere coach Brian Hoff.

"The strength of his game is his versatility and that he does so much well," Hoff told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

"He shot 47 percent from the 3-point line as a 6-foot-9 sophomore. That is unheard of. He's an outstanding passer. He's extremely efficient. Great timing on blocking shots... He will be a unique player because he does so much well."

Du said players will be eased into the camp in the first week before progressing to scrimmages, tactics sessions and individual skill development.

"Twenty days is not a long time, but I hope everyone can gain something from it. Seize the opportunity and make it count for a better future," Du said.

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