First Hand Knowledge Of Level Of BBall In China

X-PAC · Jun 23, 2002

Please keep in mind that the observations in this article are first hand interpretations of the level of skill in Chinese Basketball. Forget the lawn chair renditions this is the real deal that goes on to bear witness the woefully underrated talent of the Chinese bball players.

Quest Members think Yao has future in NBA

By NEIL HOHLFELD
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

The number of Yao Ming experts in Houston has grown exponentially since the day the Rockets won the lottery for the first pick in Wednesday's NBA draft. Listen to any sports talk show, and a succession of callers will tick off reasons why Yao should or shouldn't be the Rockets' choice.

Little matter that their only exposure to Yao is the snippet of the often-replayed tape of the 7-5 center working out for NBA executives in Chicago. So these guys know, right?

Well, not really. There are, however, several people on the Houston basketball scene who have firsthand knowledge about the level of basketball in China. The Quest basketball team recently returned from a tour of China.

Quest is headquartered in southeast Houston and sponsored by To God Be The Glory Basketball. The organization sponsors camps for young players, arranges tours for its teams throughout the world and also plays preseason exhibition games against collegiate teams.

While the Quest team did not go head-to-head against Yao during a recently completed 9-2 tour, the coach, staff and players have a feel for whether Yao can bridge the athletic and cultural gap to become a force in the NBA.

Cyril White, the managing director of Quest, twice has taken teams to China for exhibition tours since 2000 and has another one scheduled for later this summer. White played at Texas Lutheran University in 1992-93 and was a student assistant coach at Rice University in 1996-97. He also played professionally in the China Basketball Association in 1999.

Yao is worth the first overall pick, White says. The transition to the NBA won't be easy, but White believes Yao's experience in international basketball plus the devotion to fundamentals by Chinese players eventually will overcome whatever obstacles will arise.

"I believe he's going to be able to play," said White. "I definitely believe the physical demands of the NBA at first are going to be a hurdle. Obviously, his height is an asset. But the way he has become accustomed to playing and what he's going to face next is going to be a hurdle, no question.

"But here's the way I look at it. He's 21 years old, he's played international basketball for five, six years and he's been drilled in how to be a basketball player. To me, it's similar to what a player leaving college faces. He'll have to make some adjustments, but there is a huge upside. A huge, huge upside."

Gracen Averil, a 6-6 forward who went to Spring Woods High School and played at Texas Tech in 1997, has made both trips to China with Quest. Averil also played on the U.S. Virgin Islands national team, so he is acquainted with international play on several levels.

Is Yao worth the pick? Averil can only compare the level of play he's seen in two trips to China with what Yao will face when he comes to the NBA.

"When we were there, it seemed like Yao Ming was on TV in taped games every other day," said Averil. "We watched tapes of international games and Chinese league games. He dominated those games.

"The guys we played against were good, competitive players. If Yao Ming is considered the best player out of China, and the guys we played were good, then I have to think his game is far enough along for him to be successful. I think he'll be OK."

Do not, Averil warns, mistake the long, lean bodies of Chinese players with an inability to battle under the basket. Averil has heard fans bring up 7-6 Shawn Bradley, who has, by and large, been a bust in the NBA, in reference to Yao and cautions against making that leap in judgment.

"He's not a Shawn Bradley," said Averil. "Even now, people dunk on Bradley, but from what I've seen that won't happen to Yao Ming. The interesting thing about the players in China is that most of them are big. Everybody is 6-9, 6-10, and they're very, very strong.

"You look at them, and they don't look strong. But you get underneath against them, and they are strong. They learn how to position themselves and how to use their bodies. I'd think Yao Ming will be that way."

Another perceived problem for Yao will be adjusting to American culture. Edward Pittman, the camp coordinator for Quest, also has been to China twice. Nearly every player on the Chinese teams Quest played, Pittman says, can understand some English and speak the language to some degree.

Because Yao has traveled the world as an international player, Pittman believes the off-court transition might not be as difficult as some people expect.

"In the beginning, he might have a little trouble, but the one thing I've learned about Chinese players is that they adapt very well," said Pittman, who played at Madison High School and is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas. "I don't think he'll get homesick and want to go home. He's been groomed and drilled to be a basketball player since he was 13, 14 years old.

"One other thing we kind of learned the hard way was that most of the players had studied English. We thought we could say things about our plays that they wouldn't pick up on, but they understood what we were saying. They kind of fooled us. From what I'm told, Yao speaks English quite well."

The biggest hurdle might be whether Yao will adapt to the less structured brand of play in the NBA. In China, White says, set plays are designed by coaches and players are expected to execute their roles in the play without fail.

If a player strays from the set play, he will find himself quickly on the bench. Because of that, there is little spontaneity in the Chinese game.

"All of their players have a handle on the fundamentals and are highly skilled in handling the ball, passing and shooting," said White. "But the big difference really goes back to our way of living and our individualistic way of thinking in the Western world.

"You don't see that in China. You're drilled to be a team player and to put aside any individual play. That's just the way the culture is. That may be another hurdle for Yao Ming to overcome."

For his part, Averil might be able to follow Yao's progress next season from a different perspective. White said he has had preliminary talks about placing a player or two with the Jiangsu Dragons, the team White played for in the China Basketball Association. Averil said there was a chance he might be one of the players who goes to China next season.

"I really enjoyed myself on the tours, seeing a totally different way of life than what we're used to here," said Averil. "Going for six months might be different, but it's something I would definitely be interested in doing."
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