18-year-old center Yang Hansen has made China's national team for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- 18-year-old center Yang Hansen has been called up to China's national basketball team training camp ahead of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced on Wednesday.
Yang was joined by his clubmates from the CBA's Qingdao Eagles, Wang Ruize and Zhao Jiayi, in a 16-strong roster.
With an average of 15.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.3 blocks in 34.8 minutes, the 2.18-meter rookie helped Qingdao claim a 23-16 win-loss record and sit eighth on the CBA standings.
The two-week training camp from February 12 to 25 also features 20-year-old center Yu Jiahao of the Zhejiang Golden Bulls and 23-year-old guard Liao Sanning of the Beijing Royal Fighters.
"We need victories, but we also need to put our eyes on the future, so we have brought in some new players," said China coach Aleksandar Djordjevic. "Our aim is to qualify for the Asia Cup and at the same time we will give our young players opportunities to play and gain experience."
The roster also includes familiar faces like Zhao Jiwei, Hu Jinqiu, Cui Yongxi, Hu Mingxuan, Xu Jie and Zhu Junlong.
China will play against Mongolia and Japan on February 22 and 25, respectively. ■
