BEIJING (China) - China missed the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 and that led to some people wondering if the Asian powerhouse took a step backwards. Wang Quanze insists that the country’s showing at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2018 and return to the U19 global spectacle this summer should end all doubts.

China’s absence from Cairo 2017 came after three consecutive U19 World Cup appearances and 11 in the last 12 editions. And it led to Wang and his teammates having more motivation last summer at the U18 continental tournament in Thailand.

"It was very motivational. People started to doubt not only that particular team but also China’s training system. I felt very offended," said Wang, who averaged 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.32 steals in leading China to a third place finish. "My teammates and I know what we needed to do and we took care of the business."

Missing the 2017 tournament proved a learning experience as well.

"I remember as a kid growing up knowing that that’s the biggest tournament for youth basketball. My country learned a lot from it. It definitely pushed us to work harder," Wang said.

The 6ft 7in forward cannot wait for China to play in Heraklion.

“I’m very excited. I’m extremely grateful to represent my country. Last year was my first time and I had a great experience. However it was within Asia, this time is the entire world. I can’t wait to show people what we can do," Wang said.

And the Chinese will be challenged with a tough Group D, which includes France, Puerto Rico and European U18 champions Serbia.

"This group is arguably the toughest group in the tournament. Those three teams are very talented especially Serbia and France, who were both top three in Europe. It will be a great challenge for us," he said.

Wang will come to Greece after a strong freshman season of college basketball in the United States, where he is known as Michael Wang and plays for the University of Pennsylvania. Wang moved to the United States when he was 14 years old to play basketball and get an education, attending the strong high school program Mater Dei in California before moving onto the Penn Quakers.

"(Playing in the United States) helped me a lot. My high school is a basketball powerhouse and we played national tournaments every year. Being able to compete against the best student athletes was incredible," he said.

Then at Penn this season, Wang averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

"I’d say my season went well and I surprised a lot of people. My teammates and coaches have been supporting me since I first got there. I’m also grateful for the opportunity that my coach gave me - being able to play many minutes and have a such important role for my team," Wang said.

Wang even had a four-game stretch in December in which he averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds - including scoring 23 points against University of Miami, Florida.

"I was very confident during that period of time. My teammates and coaches really believed in me. I thought I could keep the momentum going for a while. However, I had a knee injury that kept me away from playing a lot," he said.

“I DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS YET. BUT PERSONALLY MY GOAL IS TO BE TOP-EIGHT AND TO PROVE THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE BEST U19 TEAMS IN CHINESE BASKETBALL HISTORY.”- Wang

Wang feels back to full health and is ready to lead China in Greece.

"I don’t know too much about other people’s expectations yet. But personally my goal is to be top-eight and to prove that we are one of the best U19 teams in Chinese basketball history," he said.

Wang and China would have to improve on the country’s seventh-placed showing in 2013, which was the only time they reached the top eight. And that would definitely end any doubts.

FIBA