Team China barely surviving in its Asia Cup opener against the host has provided another harsh reminder of its current power slump, as the reshuffled squad pushes on with its youth movement in the hope of a future turnaround.
Opening its group phase at the Cup tournament against underdog Saudi Arabia, China kept fans on the edge of their seats, grim-faced and fists-clenched, until the dying seconds of Monday's game, before it edged out the host 93-88 in a much-tougher-than-expected battle in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
To put fans' critical takeaway into perspective — China thrashed the Saudis 98-10 in their previous meeting, a knockout game at the 2005 Asian championship, with NBA All-Star Yao Ming, in his prime, left resting on the bench.
Of course, over the past two decades, the Gulf nation has developed leaps and bounds in a game that was never a mainstream sport in the region, thanks in part to help from North American-born naturalized talent.
It is the sharp decline of Team China's competitiveness, though, that has fans and media worried about its own future prospects in the popular ball game.
For a national program that once did the country proud with a quarterfinal run at its home Olympics in Beijing in 2008, investing in youth — underlined by sending a raw team with little international experience to Saudi — seems to be the right move, as it looks to rebuild following the disappointment of missing out on the past two Olympics in Tokyo and Paris.
Head coach Guo Shiqiang anticipates a tough learning curve for the young team, with an average age of 26 and only three players from the 2023 World Cup roster.
"It was a tough game for both teams, especially for us. Playing the opening game against the host nation was a difficult challenge," Guo said afterward.
"We prepared thoroughly for this game, and I give credit to my players for staying focused and executing our plans well throughout 40 minutes."
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After a slow start, Team China adjusted well in the latter part of the first half, taking a 10-point lead into the interval and extending the margin to 15 points in the third quarter. The host, though, launched a fierce counterattack, tearing China's defense apart by knocking down contested deep 3s and scoring putbacks off offensive rebounds.
Led by American-born guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, the Saudis cut China's lead to just five points, with the scoreboard reading 90-85 with 1:42 remaining, partially thanks to a series of Chinese turnovers in the face of Saudi's full-court press, bringing back bitter memories of similar last-minute collapses the team suffered in multiple games at the 2023 World Cup and Asian Games.
China, though, was able to hold its nerve when it mattered most, led by veteran guard Zhao Rui and forward Hu Jinqiu, who together contributed 39 points, nine rebounds and six assists to help fend off the surging Saudi comeback and secure the win.
Abdur-Rahkman, a former Michigan Wolverines sharpshooter in the NCAA D1 tournament, finished with a game-high 32 points.
Despite the opening win, Team China's lack of consistency in free throws, exposed by its subpar 67.7 percent shooting on the line, and sloppy play in clutch time, underlined by only 13 points scored in the fourth quarter, 10 fewer than the host, suggests Guo's unit remains a work in progress.
"This is a first international tournament for many players in this national squad, and some are still adjusting to the pressure of competition at this level," said team captain Zhao.
"The older guys tried to lead by example today, but going forward, we need more players to step up. That's the only way we'll grow. The further we go, the tougher it gets."
Team China returns to action on Thursday, when it faces India in its second group game, before a final round-robin matchup against Jordan on Saturday. The group winner will advance into the quarterfinals directly.
Jiang Xinyu contributed to the story.
