Yi Jianlian (CHN)
16/02/2015
League
to read

Yi poised to bring China back into reckoning

GUANGDONG (CBA/2015 FIBA Asia Championship) - For the first time in a very long time, all has been quiet on the Chinese men's national team front.

The side led by coach Tom Maher at the FIBA Women's World Championship in Turkey? They made plenty of noise with a stirring comeback against Belarus that put the team into the Quarter-Finals.

The last time the majority of us saw China's men was at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Manila, where the team suffered a Quarter-Final exit at the hands of Chinese Taipei.

So what can we expect from the men's national team in 2015, a year after a FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain that had no China?

Judging from the current form of Yi Jianlian, a lot.

Yi has been playing inspirational basketball in the Chinese CBA with club side Guangdong Tigers, leading the team into the Semi-Finals of the play-offs.

He had 26 points and 17 rebounds in the Game 4-clinching 102-89 triumph over Dongguan Leopards, a side coached by former Australia national team boss Brian Goorjian.

Yi, who has China national team stalwarts Zhu Fangyu and Wang Shipeng alongside in the Guangdong side, has been in rampant form this season.

He led the side to a league best 34-4 record during the regular season.

In the 114-97 triumph over Dongguan in Game 3, Yi had 28 points and 12 boards.

Semi-Final opponents Beijing Ducks will be no pushovers.

After coming in fourth during the regular season, the Ducks swept Jilin Tigers, 3-0, in the opening round of the play-offs.

Yi will encounter a couple of familiar faces when he goes up against that team.

China international Sun Yue, who like Yi played in the NBA, and former USA international and NBA star Stephon Marbury are leading players in the Beijing side.

FIBA