Emergence of Wang Junjie at the Asia Cup has injected fresh confidence in the rebuild of the nation's men's team

A cool "summer internship "has propelled Wang Junjie to the forefront of Chinese basketball, with the young prospect's breakout Asia Cup campaign bringing new vitality to the rebuild of the men's program.

A little-known, soon-to-be-junior at the University of San Francisco before the summer, Wang had no clue where his international debut with Team China at the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, would take him — certainly there was no inkling that he'd end up as one of the tournament's poster boys after helping China achieve a runner-up finish, its best result in a decade.

Boasting a combination of size, touch and mobility, the 20-year-old forward put up an impressive performance, scoring 13 points, shooting 56.1 percent from the field, to go with 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.5 minutes per game as he stood tall for Team China in the absence of higher-profile teammates Yang Hansen, Portland Trail Blazers' star rookie, and NBA prospect Cui Yongxi and former Houston Rocket Zhou Qi.

After overpowering all its opponents on its way to the final, Team China was narrowly edged out 90-89 by world No 7 Australia in the gold-medal game on Aug 17, settling for silver in its first final at the continental showpiece since its 2015 title run.

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Despite the agonizing near miss, the emergence of the bold and fearless next generation, underscored by Wang's unexpected rise, has breathed new life into the struggling team at international level.

More importantly, the intriguing background of Wang, known as Barry in the United States, who developed his game in China's school system all the way to joining the NCAA D1 program, has offered a fresh take on talent cultivation for Chinese basketball.

Dubbed as the "strongest intern "on Team China's summer assignment, Wang shrugged off the hype around his overnight breakout, stressing that it all came down to the hard work that nobody sees.

"Life is like a book. Some chapters are long, some short, filled with stories — many of them painful, unseen by others," Wang, who was selected into the tournament's All-Star Five, told The Paper in a recent interview.

"But what people end up seeing is only the polished version of me under the spotlight."

Born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, Wang started basketball training at four years old and soon flourished in the country's budding school system, overseen by his father, a PE teacher, as he helped Hailiang Junior High School claim the national U15 championship in 2020 and was named the final MVP for scoring 31 points and 19 rebounds.

A different path

His natural gifts of size and athleticism, coupled with hard work sharpening the fundamentals, helped Wang shine on the global stage after he was enrolled in the NBA Global Academy in Canberra in 2022 to train under veteran Australia National Basketball League coach Marty Clarke along with top international prospects.

At NBA's Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in February 2023, Wang stood out from a strong field that included current NBA stars Josh Giddey (Chicago Bulls) and Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks), turning scouts' heads and earning offers from seven DCAA D1 college teams.

He eventually signed with the San Francisco Dons in April 2023 to become the first NBA Academy alumni from China to sign with a D1 program.

READ MORE: China defeat South Korea to reach FIBA Asia Cup semifinals

"Barry possesses great size and a skillset that gives him a chance to be an instant fan favorite here on the Hilltop. His work ethic, personality and high basketball IQ will make him a huge asset, both on and off the court," the Dons' head coach Chris Gerlufsen said in 2023 of Wang's arrival.

The road to the top, however, was a steep climb that has tested Wang's resilience to the limit.

"I barely felt pressure from my peers in China," Wang admitted in The Paper interview.

"Then I went from being the best to nearly the worst overnight. I felt tiny as dust. From starter, to almost the last man on the bench, it was frustrating."

After a season of struggle in his freshman year, where he earned only 7.5 minutes per game as a sub, Wang rose to the occasion in his sophomore season by earning an average 20.1 minutes in 33 games, including 24 starts, and contributing 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds.

His always strong self-confidence, stemming from hard work, and improving overall game drew attention from Team China head coach Guo Shiqiang during a US scouting trip in January to draft talent for his Asia Cup roster.

To the surprise of even some of the squad's die-hard fans, the unheralded Wang suited up in red for the first time in Team China's Cup opener against the host on Aug 5, and the rest is history.

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"Opportunities are rare. They don't come every day. When they do, you have to grab them tightly," said Wang.

"It (the one-point loss) proved we belong on the same level as the world's best. It gave us hope. If we keep pushing, keep working on our details, why can't we beat them one day?"

Now that he's taken another step up the ladder, Wang is looking further upward.

"Perhaps next year, I will sign up with the NBA Draft to try my chance at the professional level. Should I go undrafted, I will continue seeking opportunities to ply my trade in overseas leagues and look to elevate my game in higher-level competitions after graduation."

Yang Hanchu contributed to this story.