The Chinese Basketball Association announced on Tuesday that both the men's and women's national under-19 basketball teams are actively preparing for the upcoming World Cups. Currently, the men's team has 14 players, and the women's has 24, undergoing rigorous training as they aim to finalize their rosters for the respective tournaments.
The men's under-19 World Cup is scheduled to occur in Lausanne, Switzerland, from June 28 to July 5, while the women's competition will happen in Brno, Czech Republic, from July 12 to 20. The young men's team is placed in a challenging group that includes Canada's under-18 team, which won a bronze medal at the 2024 AmeriCup, Germany, the European champions, and Slovenia, which placed third in a recent competition. Historically, the men's team achieved its best finish in the U19 World Cup in 2013 by securing seventh place, with star center Zhou Qi playing a key role during that tournament.
On the women's side, the under-19 team faces tough opponents including Nigeria, the silver medalist from the African under-18 tournament, Portugal, which finished fifth in the under-18 EuroBasket, and Canada, the silver medalist of the AmeriCup. The women's team has a notable history, finishing third in the 2005 FIBA U19 World Cup and attaining fifth-place finishes in 2013 and 2019.
Looking beyond the under-19 tournaments, the senior men's national team has set its sights on the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, set for August, while also aiming for the 2026 Asian Games, the 2027 World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics. Similarly, the senior women's team is preparing for the women's Asia Cup in July, to be held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Additionally, during the media event on Tuesday, the CBA unveiled a report detailing domestic youth basketball competitions that analyze offensive performance trends and provide insights for developmental strategies.
5 Comments
Noir Black
Having tough opponents is great, but let's face it, our teams are likely to get crushed.
Loubianka
Sure, they can analyze performance trends, but what about actually implementing changes based on these insights?
Leonardo
It's frustrating to see all this hype when we still lack proper facilities for youth basketball programs.
Muchacho
The stats look good on paper, but until we see actual competitive results, it all feels like window dressing.
Bermudez
Do we really think sending young players to World Cups will inspire the next generation? The sport needs real heroes first.