THE odds have never been greater for China to make a big splash in the group stage that will be held in the capital city of Beijing, even as Venezuela, Poland, and Cote d’Ivoire all hope to advance to the next stage of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
The host is aiming for nothing short of glory as the side brings a talented squad to Group A, although Venezuela and Poland — both ranked higher than China in the FIBA World Ranking — also enjoy fair chances of making it to the second round. African side Cote d’Ivoire, in the meantime, is the group’s underdog, though it would be folly to immediately count the side out.
The Chinese are returning to the World Cup after missing the 2014 edition in Spain, and they are hoping to match or surpass their best-ever finish, having made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the 1994 World Cup in Canada. The home team spared no expense in their preparations for the tournament, playing at the NBA Summer League before a series of tuneups, with their last one against Dominican Republic set for this weekend.
Bannering them will be their modern version of the “Walking Great Wall” — Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin. Yi will be their main pillar around the basket, while Zhou should potentially be one of the field’s best rim protectors. Wang, for his part, has shown vast improvement in his level of play and should make a significant impact. Perhaps the true barometer for China, however, will be spitfire point guard Guo Ailun, who has turned a lot of heads in their preparation games and is expected to continue performing well.
When the Poles meet Venezuela on the very first day of the World Cup, that may well decide much of the collective fates of the Group A teams. With host China gaining more traction as each day passes, the onus will be on the group’s two highest ranked teams — Poland and Venezuela — to defy expectations. Despite being ranked 20th in the world, the FIBA Americas squad haven’t made a lot of good noise in their buildup to the World Cup. This matchup Saturday between Poland and the Venezuelan quintet may be the crucial determining factor in terms of who moves on to the second round and who falls by the wayside, especially if China keeps playing at a high level and continues gaining momentum.
Yi has been China’s top big man ever since Yao Ming hung up his kit, and the 31-year-old former NBA Draft lottery pick is projected to be among the top performers in Group A. The 2.13m forward-center will play in his third World Cup after debuting in 2006 and helping China to a top 16 finish in 2010, where he was among the best overall performers after averaging 20.2 points and leading the entire World Cup in rebounding with 10.2 boards per contest. Needless to say, Yi’s experience will be vital as he tries to guide China’s relatively young core to greater heights.