BEIJING (China) - Yang Hansen is all set for a comeback as China called the young guns once more in an attempt to continue their winning ways in Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
The 20-year-old big man banners the traditional contenders' 21-man training camp roster for the June 29-July 6 competitions, as announced by the Chinese Basketball Association last June 10.
"The national team always welcomes outstanding athletes, and this training camp roster also includes some new faces, providing our coaching staff with more options for tactical arrangements," Coach Guo Shiqiang said, as per translation.
Yang last played for Team Dragon in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, in which he played for 6 games and posted averages of 8.7 points on 67.7-percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and a block in 14.6 minutes.
That included a solid 19-point, 10 rebound showing to star in their 86-78 victory over Guam in the latter's own stomping grounds, leading his side to a top-seed finish in Group B entering the Asia Cup proper.
But now, Yang is coming in armed with more experience, as he's fresh off his rookie season in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, where they reached the Playoffs' First Round.
The former FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup standout, for starters, was drafted 16th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2025 NBA Draft, becoming the highest Chinese draft pick since Yi Jianlian in 2007.
He was eventually traded to the Trail Blazers joining a youth-laden franchise whose centerpiece is another FIBA star in Deni Avdija of Israel.
Portland gave him the chance and played him for a total of 47 games, albeit in limited minutes, and even became part of the NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 in Los Angeles as he was included in the Rising Stars Challenge.
He played for the team made up of G-League talents as he was, at the time, assigned to the Rip City Remix, where played for 5 games and averaged 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game before being called back up.
Soon, the native of Shandong is expected to be donning Team China's red and gold anew, and fans and observers alike are curious to see how much he's morphed as a player now that he has an NBA pedigree under his belt.
What's sure, though, is that Yang should provide a major boost in their bid of finishing the First Round with another pair of wins after beating Japan and Chinese Taipei back in Window 2 after getting blanked by Korea.
Aside from Yang, among the notable names in the pool are lead center Hu Jinqiu, University of Massachusetts transferee Wang Junjie, former G-League Ignite talent Zeng Fanbo, Ben Li, and Zhao Jiwei, to name a few.
Coach Guo and his charges will be taking on the very same teams this Window 3. They are set to take on Japan first at the Liaoning Gymnasium on July 3, before battling Chinese Taipei in Goyang, Korea on the 6th.
"These two games are crucial for advancing from the group stage and securing a place in the next round," said the decorated mentor, who's also eyeing to steer the program to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
FIBA