Fan vote: Who's the best young center in the women's global game?
BELGRADE (Serbia) - There's only eight nations at the FIBA Women's Qualifying Tournaments in Belgrade and just four in Group B, yet it's blessed with three of the best rising star centers on the planet.
You could barely have a more difficult choice to make than trying to decide who's the best between Iliana Rupert of France, along with China twin towers Yueru Li and Xu Han. Every member of the trio made an instant splash on opening day in the Serbian capital to underline why they are beginning to emerge as the next leading lights in the FIBA game. On Sunday, they will face each other in a much anticipated clash of the titans between China and France.
Now you have the chance to determine a podium order of who's the best of these brilliant talents using the fan vote below! But first, here's a little more about each of them to help you make your decision.
Iliana Rupert - France
Height: 1.94m / 6'4"
Date of Birth: July 12, 2001
After some devastating performances at club level for Bourges Basket in the French League and EuroCup Women this season, France are benefitting from the good form of Rupert. The center is two years younger than her two rivals but you wouldn't know it from her displays, having to show maturity in the absence of the vastly experienced duo of Sandrine Gruda and Endy Miyem.
Without those two veterans, Rupert wasted no time in shining as she scored 11 points in the opening quarter against Mali to help her team open up with a victory. That comes off the back of her having already impressed at Tokyo 2020 when France won bronze, while she has already taken silver medals at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket Women too.
Perhaps more of a 'modern' style baller, her smarts, ability to handle the basketball and length are great attributes - in addition to her scoring and rebounding prowess. Rupert is destined to be the leader of the French frontcourt for the next decade and will grow even more en-route to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup if France make it as expected, as well as Paris 2024.
Yueru Li - China
Height: 2.00m / 6'7"
Date of Birth: 28/03/1999
It was a blistering start to the tournament for Li, who opened up with 19 points as she made 8 of 11 from the field in a big win against Nigeria. That was little surprise to those who have followed her rise during this last cycle and especially those who were wowed by the way she turned up the dial during 2021.
The 22-year-old was exceptional for China at the Tokyo Olympics and did everything she could to propel them towards the podium with some huge performances, before her team fell short in the Quarter-Finals. Often getting the green light as a starter, Li is maturing rapidly and is already a cornerstone of the team, as demonstrated by the way she also dominated at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2021.
Much more of a traditional frontcourt player who loves being down low and going to work, her size is such an advantage as she is a big body. She is also much quicker than she might look at first glance, not only using her size, but utilizing some nice foot work to make score inside the paint. She looks likely to be one of the leading players in the female global game for many years to come.
Xu Han - China
Height: 2.05m / 6'9"
Date of Birth: October 31, 1999
Similar to her teammate, Han also started strongly in the opening triumph against Nigeria, coming off the bench to make her first 7 shots in a row and eventually accumulating 15 points. Making her debut on the senior global stage at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife while still a teenager, she has since made huge strides and not only at national team level.
Understandably, the towering height of Han is the first striking element, but it's actually her sweet shooting touch and range that are most impressive. She is like clockwork from mid-range and even dropped a triple against Nigeria. That is in addition to obviously mopping up anything around the hoop, while her mobility is excellent for her height too. She may have lost her starting five spot for now, but you can bet she will still be a massive player for China for a long, long time to come.
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