CHN - Legendary duo handed coaching roles

BEIJING (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Legendary Chinese stars Nan Chen and Miao Lijie have been given coaching roles ahead of the team competing in the FIBA World Championship for Women later this year.

The pair will join the coaching staff and work alongside play-caller Tom Maher, who has drafted in the duo to carry out coaching duties along with veteran Wang Guizhi, Xu Liming, Zheng Wei and his Australian compatriot Michelle Timms, who assisted him at the FIBA Asia Championship for Women in Bangkok last year.

China booked their place for Turkey by taking bronze in Thailand and continuity looks likely after 11 of the 12 players who stepped out at the tournament were selected again for the initial training roster.

The line-up included forward Song Gao who led the way to the podium last year, with the only absentee being Chen, who having announced her retirement from national team duties, will now focus on her coaching career with the senior side.

The 31-year-old will be sorely missed, having finished as the second top scorer on the team in Bangkok with 12.7 points per game.

Chen enjoyed a glittering career and played at three Olympic Games tournaments, as well as three FIBA World Championship for Women events. She also led China to a number of gold medals at the FIBA Asia Championship for Women.

Her omission means that China look even more like a team in transition, something alluded to by Maher.

He reiterated: "We are a young team, so it may need a long time to reach where my requirements are. But I'm happy where we are."

The roster includes some new faces including Ma Xueya and Shao Ting, who are both competing in the WNBA Finals for Shanxi and Beijing respectively.

China could end up targeting the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey, a stage they have not reached since 2002, when they managed to make the final eight on home soil.

The initial roster is as follows: Shao Ting (Beijing), Cheng Feng (Liaoning), Gao Song (Zhejiang), Chen Xiaojia (Jiangsu), Xu Nuo (Jiangsu), Huang Jing (Shanghai), Yang Liwei (Guangdong), Huang Hongpin (Guangdong), Wei Wei (Guangdong), Qiu Siyue (Guangdong), Ji Yanyan (Heilongjiang), Liu Jiacen (Heilongjiang), Zhang Jiahe (Heilongjiang), Ma Xueya (Shanxi), Lu Wen (Bayi), Sun Mengran (Bayi), Zuo Jiayi (Bayi), Zhao Shuang (Shenyang) and Li Meng (Shenyang).

FIBA