TalkBasket.net Basketball Forums

Quote:CHN – Gong in frame for return to China national team





BEIJING (CBA) – Former China coach Gong Luming is emerging as the front-runner to take over as national team boss as a replacement for Jonas Kazlauskas.



Gong guided China to a place in the Quarter-Finals at the 1996 Olympics.



The China job became vacant after Kazlauskas’ contract expired at the end of the Beijing Games.



A source that is close to the CBA management center is quoted in Sinasport as saying: "There are no foreign coaches who will fit the Chinese national team, and it is 90% certain that Gong Luming will be the team's next coach."



Xin Lancheng, who has replaced Li Yuanwei as chief executive of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), is keeping an open mind.



"Whoever fits the team or whoever brings the team to a greater success, then it is he who will be appointed as new coach, no matter if he's Chinese or not," Xin said.



"We have no argument in appointing foreign coaches or not."



Kazlauskas led China into the knockout round of the 2006 FIBA World Championship and steered them into the Quarter-Finals of last year’s Olympics.



He was introduced to the media earlier this week as the new coach of Greece.

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/29401/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...29401/arti.html[/url]

Quote:CHN – Gong still a strong candidate for China job



BEIJING (FIBA Asia Championship/2010 FIBA World Championship) – Media speculation is growing in China that former women’s national team boss Gong Luming will be handed the reins to the men’s side for this summer’s FIBA Asia Championship.



Gong is on the shortlist of candidates with three CBA coaches: Guangdong’s Li Chunjiang, Liaoning’s Guo Shiqiang and Bayi’s Adijan Chang Bin.



The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), meanwhile, has let everyone know what they are looking for as the replacement for Jonas Kazlauskas, the Lithuanian coach who guided China at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and last year’s Olympics.



The CBA published “The Notice of Recommendation and Self-recommendation on 2009 Chinese Men’s Basketball Coach” and revealed the qualifications for the job which will not have come as a surprise to anyone.



According to the CBA notice, candidates need to have a respectable public image and have prestige in basketball. They must have political awareness and work with dignity, honesty, devotion.



A high level of academic achievement with distinguished training skills and abundant tactical experience is required. Candidates should have a profound knowledge on the trends in international basketball.



Coaching hopefuls must have good communication skills. The candidates should also have trained players for high level international competitions like the Olympics, Asian Games or Asian Championships.



The right candidate should also have served as a national team or youth national team coach, or should have been at the helm of a CBA club for at least three years with good results.

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/29701/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...29701/arti.html[/url]

Quote:CHN – GONG! China narrow the list



BEIJING (CBA) - Four men now have a chance to replace Jonas Kazlauskas as the coach of China’s national team and Gong Luming is not among them.



Gong, the former coach of China’s women’s team, was according to the country’s media the hot favorite to take over but he has withdrawn his name from consideration.



The CBA Administrative Center has revealed that Liaoning coach Guo Shiqing, Guangdong’s Li Chunjiang, Zhejiang’s Guang Fei and Beijing’s Min Lulei are now the only men on the list of candidates.



The announcement by Gong has taken everyone by surprise.



He was, according to media reports, a close personal friend of Xin Lancheng, the director of the Chinese Basketball Administrative Center, and was therefore the leading candidate.



But Gong spoke at length about the China coaching position to TITAN and said: "I haven’t received any information. Nobody has talked to me about it. I took it as a joke myself.



"The media created this hype that I was in a very good relationship with Xin Lancheng, and it almost became true.



"Actually, I haven’t had much contact with him. The years that have passed since he left (the CBA,) I haven’t been in contact with him.



"Plus, what kind of logic is it that you can be the national team coach because you are in good relationship with your boss?"



Gong had some interesting things to say about the position, and the job that Lithuanian Jonas Kazlauskas had done.



"Jonas is a clever coach who could discover the problem of the national team," Gong said.



"But he couldn’t put his tactics into practical use for the national team as outdated training methods had already formed the players.



"Jonas divided his tactics into many different, relatively easy ones. And then, the teams changed a lot.



"But it also has disadvantages: once your rivals become familiar with you, it wouldn’t work anymore.



"Therefore, the problem of Chinese basketball lies deep in its roots.



"It won’t be solved with one or two good coaches.



"Now the (CBA) Center calls for the ‘Whole Nation System’ that reinforces the importance of reserves and youth."

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/29753/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...29753/arti.html[/url]

via basketballfollowers.com

Quote:Korea’s tallest basketball player Ha Seung-jin (7-feet-3 or 222 centimeters) has never faced a player taller than himself. He could soon see that opportunity at the Asian Basketball Championship in August. Sun Ming Ming



Sun Mingming of China is considered the world’s tallest basketball player. The 26-year-old center, who was born near Harbin, is 7-feet-9 or 236 centimeters tall and weighs 160 kg.



Sun is taller than the U.S. NBA’s tallest player and compatriot Yao Ming (7-feet-five or 229 centimeters) and former North Korean center Ri Myung-hun (7-feet-nine or 235 centimeters).



The Chinese can easily hold the rim just by raising his footstep.



The record for the NBA’s tallest player is held jointly by Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol (7-feet-9 or 231 cm tall each).



Formerly a member of China’s youth team, Sun almost died due to a tumor in his pituitary gland but recovered after surgery. He went to the United States in 2005 to realize his hoop dream.



He played in the minor leagues, but failed to sign with an NBA team due to a lack of physical strength and speed.



Sun also had a bit part in Jackie Chan’s movie “Rush Hour 3” in 2003 due to his height, and joined the Japanese pro league last year after playing in Mexico.



He helped the Higashimikawa Phoenix of Japan finish third in the playoffs after leading the team to the Eastern Conference title this season.



Sun had 67 dunks and 280 rebounds in 49 games, averaging 7.7 points. He returned to his hometown for the first time in two years after the end of this season.



“I will play for at least 10 years. I am the happiest when I play basketball,” he told the Associated Press.

via [url="http://www.basketballfollowers.com"]http://www.basketballfollowers.com[/url]

Quote:BEIJING (Reuters) - Yao Ming has called for an infusion of new blood in the Chinese national basketball team to ensure they can cope when he eventually brings his international career to a close, local media reported on Thursday.



Yao MingThe Houston Rockets center will not play for China at this August's Asia Championships because of a foot injury and said last year that the Beijing Games would be his last Olympics.



The 28-year-old said Chinese basketball should be less concerned with putting out the strongest possible team for every tournament and give young players more court time to increase their experience.



"I think chances should always be given to young players. However long time I could play, one day I will retire," he told Shanghai TV.



"A team that wants to continue and improve has to have fresh blood."



The 7ft 6in (2.29m) Yao injured his left foot during the NBA playoffs last month. He had a series of serious injuries in 2005 and 2006 and underwent surgery for a stress fracture on the left foot before last year's Olympics.



"I've seen many players still playing in the national team at the age of 30. But it was different that they did not play in a league as intense as the one I do," he said.



The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) are determined to reclaim the Asian title they lost two years ago, and have confirmed that 31-year-old former NBA player Wang Zhizhi would be in the squad.



Sun Yue, the 23-year-old LA Lakers guard, has also been ordered by the CBA to return home for the continental tournament in Tianjin from August 6-16 instead of participating in the NBA Summer League.



Yao, who has never been beyond the Western Conference semi-finals in six years with the Rockets, admitted to some envy of his compatriot's championship ring.



"I am a bit jealous, it would be heartless to stay indifferent," he said.

Via [url="http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/news/p/nid/40482/article.html"]FIBA[/url]

Quote:China will have a very important warm-up event against Canada this summer as they prepare for the FIBA World Championship under their new coach, Bob Donewald Jr.



The Chinese will play against the Canadians at the Jack Donohue International Classic on August 10 in Vancouver.



“I am very excited as this will be a very good road test for Team China as we prepare for the World Championship,” said Donewald, who was handed the reins to China’s national team in late April.



“We, Team China, need some tests outside of our country, and we feel this will be a great environment in a great city to get started away from home.



"This is a warm-up game against a very athletic, talented Team Canada.



“We look forward to seeing some friendly faces in Vancouver as both teams prepare to get each other better and get ready for a successful summer.”



China will play in Group C of the FIBA World Championship against Greece, Ivory Coast, Russia, Puerto Rico and hosts Turkey.



Those games will be staged in Ankara.



Leo Rautins, the Canada coach, is happy to be playing games in British Columbia.



“We have a quite few guys on our team from B.C. and this is the ideal environment to tip off the JDIC and our busy summer of competition,” Rautins said.



Canada will compete in Group D in Turkey against New Zealand, Lebanon, Lithuania, France and Spain.