CHN - Passion of coach Li driving China onwards

PANEVEZYS (FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) - It doesn't have to fall particularly quiet inside the Panevezys Arena at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women for the incessant instructions and chatter of China head coach Xin Li to be audible above anything and everything else.

She is almost in perpetual motion, constantly jumping up and down, as well as wandering right down past her entire bench at regular intervals.

And, at times, she doesn't merely point and call upon her substitutes, but actually goes and physically brings them to the table. It's absolutely great fun watching Li at work.

So, she is incredibly intense - that much is obvious. But where does it all stem from?

"I used to be a player and played with China at two Olympic Games and also at two FIBA World Championship for Women tournaments," said Li with a slight smile, her 'game face' having slipped away.

"This is why I am so very passionate about the game.

"I just want to pass on this passion to my young players and for them to be successful."

So far at least, Li has certainly set her team on the road to success.

Having finished second in Group D during the Preliminary Round, China currently sit with three wins from four games and opened up their Eighth-Final Round campaign with arguably their best display yet, a fine 79-64 success against Canada.

Their only defeat so far has been against tournament favourites USA and whilst their next contest against the still unbeaten France looks like a tough one, a win could see them cementing a place in the Quarter-Finals.

Not that Coach Li is admitting to setting her team any specific goals.

"We do not have any targets like making it to the last eight or the last four," insisted the play-caller.

"We work on improving as players and as a team and so we are not looking ahead, because I know from my own experience that this is the best way to be at any tournament."

On the evidence so far, China look like they could be a dark horse.

The team is being expertly led by playmaker Liwei Yang and the frontcourt trio of Yaoming Hu, Hengyu Yang and Sijing Hunag are combining for some impressive efficiency, with a real appetite for hard work - both on and off the ball.

China have missed the Quarter-Finals at the last three FIBA U19 World Championship for Women.

You have to go back to 2005 in Tunisia for the last time they reached the last eight of the competition.

On that occasion, they finished with the bronze medal and at this juncture, you wouldn't exactly rule them out of achieving a repeat of that success.

However, it would take a brave person to even mention the word 'medal' as a possibility to the fiery coach Li and you can guarantee that none of the Chinese players are being allowed to even think that far ahead.

FIBA