Recently, the Chinese women's basketball team announced a 17-member training roster, led by star players such as Li Meng and Han Xu.
In the fierce competition, there are five players who unfortunately failed to make the selection, what is their strength?
First, we need to understand that basketball is a team sport, and each position has its own unique importance. During the selection process, the coaching team will take into account the player's technique, tactical understanding, fitness, experience and other factors.
Therefore, the loss does not mean that the players are not strong enough, but may be due to position competition, tactical arrangements or other strategic considerations. Next, let's give a brief analysis of the strength of these five unselected players:
First place: Liu Yutong
- Age: 23 years old
- Height: 201.00cm
- Role: Center
- Club: Shanxi Xingrui Professional Basketball Club
Player technical characteristics
- Tough style of play: Liu Yutong is known for his tough style of play and good use of physical confrontation.
- Low-post back-to-back ability: Her stunt is low-post back-to-back, by lowering the center of gravity and shoulders to fake swaying, quickly turn around and put the basket, this move is basically unsolvable, as long as she gets the ball in the low post, every hit will be scored.
- Rebounding ability: In many games, Liu Yutong has shown excellent rebounding ability, thanks to her height and basketball intelligence.
- Mental quality: The ability to stay calm in key moments and contribute key points to the team reflects her good mental quality and game experience.
Career Highlights:
- CUBA Championship: During her time at Beijing Normal University, Liu Yutong helped the team win multiple CUBA championships and was named MVP.
- WCBA All-Star Game: She was named to the starting lineup for the 2023-2024 WCBA All-Star Game North Division, showing how high she is in the league.
- National team experience: Liu Yutong is also the main member of the Chinese national youth women's basketball team, participated in many international competitions, including the U16 Asian Championships, U17 World Youth Championships, U17 Women's Basketball World Cup, etc., and helped the Chinese women's basketball team win the gold medal in the Chengdu Universiade.
Liu Yutong, the bright core of the Shanxi women's basketball team, has emerged in the WCBA league with her 2-meter height and strength advantage. In the regular season this season, she averaged 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, becoming a strong contender for "Best Rookie".
In the first four playoff games of her career, she averaged 18 points per game, showing her extraordinary competitive strength and potential, and became a new basketball star in the hearts of fans.
2nd place Zhang Jingyi
- Age: 26 years old
- Position: Defender
- Educational Background: Studied at Beijing Normal University5, and after graduation, she entered the Experimental High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University as a physical education teacher
- Career achievements: He was awarded the title of "Advanced Individual in the 31st Summer Universiade".
Player technical characteristics
- Three-point shooting ability: Zhang Jingyi is known for her accurate three-point shooting, and she has been the center of attention with her three-point shooting many times in the game.
- Scoring ability: She has shown excellent scoring ability in various competitions, including the feat of scoring 50 points in a single game in the WCBA regular season.
- Versatility: Zhang Jingyi is able to use a variety of skills on the court, whether it is breaking, shooting or passing, she can show her all-round ability.
- Resilient Personality: She has an optimistic and resilient personality and chooses to persevere and work hard in the face of difficulties and challenges.
Career Highlights:
- CUBA Achievements: During his time at Beijing Normal University, Zhang Jingyi led the team to remarkable results and was named MVP3 of the finals in the CUBA League.
- WCBA Experience: Zhang Jingyi also had a strong performance in the WCBA League, was named to the All-Star team, and scored 50 points in a single game, showing her excellent scoring ability5.
- International competitions: She represented China in the women's basketball event at the 31st Summer Universiade and helped the Chinese team win gold medal6.
Zhang Jingyi, a scoring guard of the Shijiazhuang women's basketball team, has established her absolute core position in the team this season with an accurate performance of 11.9 points per game and 2 three-pointers per game.
She once made a series of amazing three-pointers at the Universiade to help the Chinese women's basketball team defeat the Japanese team to win the championship and become famous. The tacit cooperation with Han Xu and Liu Yutong has fully demonstrated her basketball wisdom and teamwork ability. Zhang Jingyi is known as "China's version of Female Curry" for her excellent and accurate long-range shooting.
Third place: Wang Lili
- Name: Lili Wang
- Age: 32 years old
- Education: Graduated from Peking University with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in journalism and communication
- Career: Joined the Peking University women's basketball team in 2009, started his career in 2015, joined the Beijing Shougang women's basketball team, and transferred to the Xinjiang women's basketball team in 2015
Player technical characteristics
- All-rounder: Wang Lili is known for her well-rounded skills, capable of handling the ball, playmaking, rebounding, stealing, three-pointers, and breakouts.
- Scoring ability: She is excellent on the offensive end and has strong scoring ability, having scored 60 points in a single game in the WCBA league.
- Strong Defensively: Wang Lili is also excellent on the defensive end, and her steals and rebounding ability provide important defensive support for the team.
- International Tournament Experience: Wang Lili also has extensive experience in the international arena, including important events such as the Olympic Games and Asian Games, and has achieved excellent results.
Career Highlights:
- CUBA Achievements: During her time at Peking University, Wang helped the team win the CUBA Women's Basketball Championship and won MVP honors several times.
- WCBA Experience: In the WCBA League, Wang Lili was selected for the All-Star Game with her outstanding performance and had highlight moments.
- National Team Honors: As a member of the Chinese women's basketball team, Wang Lili helped the team win the championship at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
- 3x3 Basketball: Wang Lili has also enjoyed great success in 3x3, including helping the Chinese women's basketball team finish third at the Tokyo Olympics and winning multiple MVPs in the FIBA 3x3 Basketball Series.
Wang Lili, who joined the Sichuan women's basketball team this season, competed on the court as a striker. She is not only the key core of the Chinese three-person women's basketball team, but also made great contributions to the Chinese five-person women's basketball team winning the championship at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
With comprehensive skills, omnipotence in breakthrough shooting, outstanding athleticism, and rock-solid mental quality, Wang Lili's every appearance on the basketball court is impressive.
Her international influence should not be underestimated, and her outstanding contributions in the field of 3x3 basketball have been highly recognized by FIBA. The reputation of "Female Kobe" is the best interpretation of her basketball skills and court spirit.
Fourth place: Zhang Manman
- Age: 27 years old
- Height: 175 cm
- Sports team: Jiangsu Nangang women's basketball team
- Career: Represented Jiangsu women's basketball team in the WCBA since the 2015-16 season
Player technical characteristics
- Scoring ability: Zhang Manman has shown strong scoring ability in the WCBA league, especially in the 2021-22 season, averaging 10.5 points per game.
- Long Shot Ability: She hit five three-pointers in the opening game of the 2022-23 season, showing her excellent long-range shooting ability.
- Assists & Steals: Assists and steals are also her highlights in her technical stats, showing her versatility on the court and control of the pace of the game.
Career Highlights:
- WCBA All-Star Game: Manman Zhang was named to the 2021 WCBA All-Star Game lineup, as well as the 2016 WCBA All-Star "Rising Stars" lineup.
- Team honors: She won the "Shengfan Cup" professional women's basketball semifinals with the Jiangsu women's basketball team (2022), and in the 2023 Women's Basketball Asian Cup, although she was not selected for the final squad, the Chinese team won the championship.
- National team experience: Zhang Manman was selected for the Chinese women's basketball national Olympic training list (2019), and in 2023, she was selected for the 27-member training list of the Chinese women's basketball team for the Women's Basketball Asian Cup.
Zhang Manman, the guard core of the Jiangsu women's basketball team, galloped in the WCBA arena with her all-round skills and excellent athleticism. She averaged 10.5 points per game in 36 games during the regular season, and in the playoffs, her scoring ability exploded, averaging 11.4 points per game while hitting 2.2 accurate three-pointers per game.
Zhang Manman's quick ball start and defensive transition ability are particularly outstanding, and her balanced performance on both ends of the pitch and excellent physical attributes make her an indispensable member of the team.
Her basketball wisdom and competitive state have been tempered by time and believe in the infinite possibilities of the future arena.
Fifth place: Wan Jiyuan
- Age: 22 years old
- Height: 186.00cm
- Club: Zhejiang Chouzhou Bank Club
Player technical characteristics
- Physical fitness: Wan Jiyuan is known for her good physical fitness and coordination, which provides a solid foundation for her performance on the basketball court.
- Scoring ability: Wan Jiyuan won the regular season scoring title with an average of 22.9 points per game in the WCBA league, showing her excellent scoring ability.
- Rebounding and Defense: She averaged 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, indicating that she also has a good performance in rebounding and defense.
- Adaptable: Wan Jiyuan is able to quickly adapt to different game rhythms and opponents, which is especially important in 3x3 basketball.
Career Highlights:
- Olympic achievements: In the women's 3x3 basketball competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Wan Jiyuan won the bronze medal with her teammates, which is a new height in the history of Chinese basketball in Olympic history.
- WCBA experience: Wan Jiyuan began to compete in the WCBA with the Zhejiang team at the age of 16, and her three-season experience made her grow rapidly and become the absolute main force in the team.
- International competitions: She has won accolades for the Chinese women's basketball team in international competitions, including helping the Chinese team win the championship in the 2022 3x3 Asian Cup.
- Personal Honors: Wan Jiwon was selected as MVP in the 2022-2023 WCBA league regular season, which is a recognition of her outstanding performance in the league.
Wan Jiyuan, the center core of the Zhejiang women's basketball team, proved her dominance under the basket with her steady output of 15.4 points per game in the regular season and 14.6 points per game in the playoffs, shooting an astonishing 63% from the field.
Not only did she make a name for herself in the domestic league, but she also showed her strength on the international stage. The bronze medal in 3x3 at the Tokyo Olympics is a testament to her quality.