Beijing, Feb. 26 (Reporter Wang Yu) On the 26th, the Chinese men's basketball team ushered in the last game of the sixth window of the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup Asian Zone Qualifiers. After four quarters, the team won 86:74 against the Iranian men's basketball team, reaping two consecutive wins in this window. The World Qualifiers record was finally fixed at 10-2.
After fifteen months, the Chinese men's basketball team completed all the matches of the World Cup qualifiers amid expectations and controversy. Behind the World Cup ticket, this team has survived the transition from local coach Du Feng to foreign coach Čordjevic, and is also regrouping from the trough of talent reserves and achievements, starting a difficult climb.
Du Feng, former coach of the Chinese men's basketball team. Photo by Zhang Shuo, reporter of China News Agency
15 months in the game After two terms of manager
In November 2021, Du Feng, who took over the position of Chinese men's basketball coach for two years, ushered in the second hurdle of his coaching career - the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup Asian Zone Qualifiers. If the previous defeat in the Olympic Selection Tournament was a gap in hard power, then winning a place in the 2023 World Cup is the bottom line that Du Feng must guard.
However, injuries have become a lingering cloud during his tenure. With the helplessness of missing major generals, the Chinese men's basketball team passed the four window period, and the record also reached 6-2, one step away from the World Cup spot. But at this time, the loss of the Asian Cup and the controversy surrounding the team and himself made Du Feng retreat.
It's November 2022, the fifth window of the World Qualifiers. After nearly a year of fighting, the Chinese men's basketball team finally sealed its ticket to the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup after defeating Bahrain away. Just a day later, the Chinese Basketball Association announced that Du Feng stepped down as the head coach of the men's basketball team and selected Serbian Aleksandar Djordjevic as the new coach of the team.
Data map: Du Feng. Photo by China News Agency reporter Han Haidan
A victory and a ticket have left a relatively happy ending to Du Feng's regretful coaching career in the past three years. At the same time, it also buys valuable time and training opportunities for successors. At this point, the "Du Feng era" of the Chinese men's basketball team has temporarily come to an end.
Taking over the team in the trough, leading the way in the controversy, winning the World Cup ticket to plant the seeds of hope, in the three years that Du Feng and the Chinese men's basketball team are deeply bound to the fate of the Chinese men's basketball team, the journey of the World Preliminary Round is like the epitome of this team, no matter what adversity it is in, it can only move forward, and only move forward.
The "new" team faces old problems
From serving as the head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team to leading the team to the World Preliminary Tournament, only three months were left for Giordević to get acquainted with the players and practice new techniques and tactics. The bigger difficulty is that in the face of the decline in the overall strength of the Chinese men's basketball team, it is imperative to implement the replacement of the new and old lineup.
According to media reports, in less than two weeks of "Joe I" training, Jordjevic has constantly reformed according to his coaching style, the team has practiced nearly 30 sets of tactics, and will arrange different personnel combinations every day, striving to find the most suitable combination in the shortest possible time.
On the evening of February 23, the Chinese national men's basketball team played against Kazakhstan in the 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup Asian Zone Qualifiers, and new coach Jordjevic (right) coached the Chinese men's basketball team for the first time in the game.
The 16-man roster for this World Preliminary Round reveals a strong "Joe's style". In addition to the preference for taller players in various positions, the selection of Zeng Fanbo, Zhu Junlong, Zhu Xuhang and Jiao Boqiao has made the Chinese men's basketball team recognized as the most talented forward in recent years.
In the two rare tournaments, Qiao Shuai gave young players the greatest trust and opportunities, but whether it was the second half against Kazakhstan or the first half against Iran, the rotation of the lineup made it difficult for the Chinese men's basketball team to occupy the advantage on the scene, and even made frequent mistakes and had many "dangerous situations".
The new men's basketball team continues to trial and error in the competition, which may put the team at risk of defeat, and the game process is relatively bumpy, which also exposes the problem of low shooting percentage and insufficient tacit understanding, but if this new starting team wants to achieve "rebirth", this is also the "price" that must be paid on the road to growth. ”
It is worth mentioning that in the match against Iran, all 12 players of the Chinese men's basketball team had the opportunity to play and scored, among which Cui Yongxi and other young players also impressed the fans with their outstanding physical talent and athletic ability, which became the biggest gain of the team in the sixth window in addition to victory.
Group photo of players from the Chinese team.
The World Cup faces greater challenges
Ending the World Preliminary Tournament with a two-game winning streak, it was only the first small hurdle for the Chinese men's basketball team under Jorjevic. And this year, the challenges of the World Cup and Asian Games await them. Among them, the results of the World Cup will also directly determine whether the team can qualify for the Paris Olympics in advance.
In the last Men's Basketball World Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team playing at home only won one victory, failed to qualify from the group, lost the opportunity to go directly to the Tokyo Olympics, and finally ended the record of nine consecutive Olympic Games. At the beginning of his tenure, Djordjevic pointed out that leading the Chinese men's basketball team to qualify for the Paris Olympics at the World Cup was his goal.
However, if the Chinese men's basketball team wants to win a direct seat in Paris, it may only be more difficult than four years ago. Just a few days ago, the Japanese men's basketball team, which was not fully full-played, defeated the Iranian men's basketball team by 30 points, and the Chinese men's basketball team did not share the victory with the opponent until the fourth quarter today.
The Chinese men's basketball team in training. Photo by Zhang Hengwei
In the men's basketball World Cup in six months, the local Japanese men's basketball team is bound to send the strongest team with multiple NBA players, and the competition for the best result in Asia will be more fierce to go straight to Paris. In half a year, how will Qiao Shuai select the strongest team in his mind?
Speaking about the basic criteria for forming a team and selecting players, Jordjevic once emphasized, "I always believe that building a national team does not necessarily require 12 best individuals, but 12 players who can integrate into the team to the greatest extent and maximize the competitiveness of the team. ”
Injecting fresh blood into the team and seeking a high squad, the outside world has seen the new changes that Jordjevic has brought to this team through two World Qualifiers. Increasing intra-team competition and enhancing external competitiveness will also become the driving force for the Chinese men's basketball team to move forward.
(China News Network)