Class of 2015 going from strength to strength on court

Many of the nation’s top basketball players used the 2015 Chinese National Youth Games in Fuzhou as a springboard to professional careers. Here’s an update on three of them:

Six-foot-nine forward Shen Zijie became a huge fan favorite en route to winning a gold medal at the Fuzhou Games. He entered the CBA as a bench player with the Shenzhen Leopards but saw only limited action during his first few pro seasons.

In 2018-19 Shen had a breakout year, averaging 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. The 21-year-old joined China’s national team in 2019, lining up alongside the likes of Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin.

Although the FIBA World Cup tournament starts next month, Team China head coach Li Nan has yet to announce the host’s final squad — but Shen is certainly in the mix to make the cut.

In 2015, Li Yueru led the Guangzhou under-16 women’s team to a national title at the Youth Games. Next year, she hopes to be representing her homeland at the Tokyo Olympics.

At the 2017 Asian Cup, Li and her teammates grabbed bronze. At last year’s FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain, Team China finished fifth.

This past April, Li was drafted by the Atlanta Dream in the US-based WNBA.

China will start its Olympic preliminaries at next month’s Asian Cup.

“I was a rookie player in 2017, but this time I should lead my newly promoted national teammates to follow the coach’s orders carefully. I want to have a good performance at the Asian Cup and a good start to the Olympic preliminaries campaign,” Li said.

Xing Jinbo was the most outstanding female player at the first National Youth Games, which served as a springboard for her joining the WCBA.

Xing is so popular she even receives flowers from fans when she plays in the WCBA as she chases her dream of gaining glory with the national team.

Meanwhile, 6-foot-9 Taruike Jianiyou, who likewise gained fame at those Games, has been nicknamed “Foreign Player” by fans since joining the CBA’s Beijing Ducks.