China Aims to Win Basketball Title in EA Games

China Aims to Win Basketball Title in EA Games

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Wang Fei, head coach of China's national basketball team, was confident to win in the East Asian Games next month, and said Monday a younger team is enough to bring the trophy back home.

"Everybody believes China will win in the East Asian Games. That is also what I think," said Wang Fei after the first-day training session of the 17-man team.

Along with China's Asian Games and Championship winning team veterans, Wang Fei also added some young blood to his team by calling in three 19-year-old new faces of Mo Ke, Hu Xuefeng and Du Feng.

Wang said he had decided a 14-man squad to enroll for the EA Games, which is scheduled from May 19-27 in Osaka, Japan.

"I'll save some experienced veterans for July's Asian Basketball Championship in Shanghai, which will decide the Asian berth to compete in the world championship," Wang said.

Wang, who had study experiences in Dallas with Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for half a year in 2000, said one of Mavericks assistant coaches would join in the Chinese national team for physical training.

"He will come to Beijing next Wednesday or Thursday," Wang said, not mentioned the name of the coach.

China will play three warm-up games against the All-Star team of America's International Basketball League (IBL) on May 5, 7 and 9 in China before the East Asian Games.

Wang Zhizhi, Mavericks newly recruited center, will join the national squad next month.