Zhou Qi - the next big asian thing

[sisibilio]

Is not Jeremy Lin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYVO5bUF ... re=related

But Zhou Qi.

The most devoted bbll junkies around probably already know his name. He started to gain some fame around the net, at least among those outside of China, last year in february when he had some ridiculous (Rickyrubiesques) statlines in a tournament played in Turkey, including 40 pt 28 reb 15 blk in the semifinal and 30 pt 17 reb 8 blk in the final.
http://www.chinasportstoday.com/en/blog ... t_yao_ming
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BUANG-o9Iw[/youtube]

Some would argue that it wasn't an official tournament and th competition might not have been that good, not to mention the guy looked like a bamboo stick. Well, ok.


Later that summer took place the 2nd U16 asian tournament and China led by Zhou (or should i say Qi?) dominated effortlessly as expected and qualified for the u17 world tournament that will be held in Lithuania next july.
You can read some discussions about the tournament here.
http://forums.interbasket.net/showthrea ... 28-Vietnam
But then again the naysayers could argue that China is always expected to win there. And remember that iranian guy, Rouzbahani, also dominated one of those underwhatever asian tournaments a few years back and, where is he now?
Fair enough.

This spring the chinese NT attended the tournament of Mannheim, arguably the most prestigious u18 tournament in the world. Despite China losing 4 out of the 6 games and having more earthly numbers (he didn't play in one of the games and remember he was 2 years younger than most of his rivals) he left everyone in attendance extremely impressed.

Zhou Qi looks really impressive. Great feel for the ball. Able to handle the ball. Shoot. 2m15 tall.

https://twitter.com/#!/ChristopheEPcom/ ... 2036559872
http://www.europeanprospects.com/1994-b ... -bottom-8/

The famous Chinese, the one everyone talked about but nobody had seen. This was his grand international showcase. At 16 years old i have never seen anyone like him. Or at 17, or at 18. Amazing, fascinating, awesome ... The player with more potential that i have ever seen in Mannheim

http://www.feb.es/NoticiaDesarrollo.asp ... icia=42000

Here you can see an extensive video of his performance there.

In a few months we all will be able to see with our own eyes if all the buzz and attention he has received was or not deserved. Will he be the next Rubio, the next Yao, the next Sabonis, the next Aleksandrov?
Only time will tell but like the old balladist wrote: "To the most beautiful moment in life. Better than the deed, better than the memory. The moment... of anticipation!"
(its really a quote from the Simpsons but it's still great xd)

Let the hype begin.

[mavs7777]

that basketball is tiny

[ManualRam]

he looks more fluid than most 7'+ kids that age. that's all i can really say.
i'd have to see more.

[JimboSlice]

this thread title made my immaturity lol

[azuresou1]

Looks like he has good touch, but lacks explosiveness and mobility. Not sure if he'll pan out, I'd bet against it.

[sisibilio]

Really? do you think a 16 years old 7 footer able to do this lacks mobility?
Allow me to disagree.

[Elden Payton]

He's probably 46 /Green

[Nuntius]

He seems to have good skills but not so good athleticism. I'd take that bet.

If he was to take a scholarship at Georgetown then he could translate pretty well.

[sisibilio]

By far the biggest talent at the tournament was 16-year-old Chinese center Zhou Qi.

The Chinese team was made up exclusively of players born in 1995 and 1996 as they prepare for the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania this summer. And Qi, who turned 16 in January, showed that he can already dominate older competition.

While he still needs to build body mass, he already has a strong feeling around the basket offensively, defends adequately for his weight, knows how to block shots and even boasts a bit of a mean streak. He has plenty of tools to work with and if he continues to work hard and with dedication, it’s easy to see him as a future star.

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/c ... /arti.html

[edquantum]

He's probably 26 years old.

[Moooose]

He plays like Wang Zhi Zhi. Not enough mobility but decent touch around the basket.
If he's not going to gain some foot speed and a little more hops, he'll probably end up with the same fate.
Yi Jianlian is perhaps the next most talented Chinese basketball player (next to Yao) that has an NBA game, and yet he's buried deep in the Mavs' bench. Back when he was in Washington, he was capable of double doubles in decent playing time. Too sad, he's not even in the Mavs' regular rotation.

[peZt]

I've been hyping this kid up since I saw him in that tournament in Turkey. He was just incredible there.
He's already 7'1, very quick and mobile for his size, incredible ballhandling for a 16 year old 7'1 Center, excellent shot, great shotblocker. Just needs to bulk up.
And I don't think he is older than his listed age, because he looks like a kid.
Can't wait to see him at the World Championship and the Nike Hoop Summit.

[SVictor]

this thread title made my immaturity lol

[gensu3k1]

I wasn't impressed by the youtube clips at all, but the production at the Schweitzer tournament is hard to ignore.

[sisibilio]

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l ... /arti.html

Qi's talent is recognised by opponents too.

“I think he’s an exciting prospect for China basketball," said Australia coach Damian Cotter after Qi went for 13 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, three assists and two steals against his team at the AST.

"He’s obviously very big, but he’s got nice hands. He’s got good footwork. I think in the next two or three years as he develops his body, he is going to become a force to be reckoned with."

“The major thing I learned was that players are a lot more physical and stronger in this tournament than what I was used to before. I learned a lot in playing more physically at center,” said Qi, who finished as the top shot blocker with 4.2 blocks per game in Mannheim.

“I’m just trying to be myself. I’m trying not to pay attention to the media attention. I just want to be myself. I’m trying to improve and just get better,” said Qi.

[sisibilio]

less than 3 weeks left.

http://kaunas2012.fiba.com/

[CarterDUnk16]

asian pride! Needs to really bulk. Seems like every asian basketball player coming out of china looks like a toothpick. Gotta lay of the vegetables and add some protein. I say this because my family is the same. Usually have to push my parents into making more dishes with meat instead of 4/5 dishes of veges.

[boogie-reke]

Are you sure he's 7'2? They have him listed as 6'11 in the FIBA worlds

He's averaged 14 pts, 10 rebs, 4 blk, 2 ast, 1.5 steal and 3 TO per game - shooting 47% from the field (50% from 3 on 4 attempts) and a very impressive 85% from the line, playing 30 minutes per game.

[pohani komarac]

rumours say he is 92. born

[JustMagic]

rumours say he is 92. born

I think those rumours are bs. It will be realy stupid of China (or the kid himself) to do something like this, especailly nowadays that everyhing is online. It's not that strange for a 1,3 billion nation to have 1 7ft athletic kid evevry couple of years.

Are you sure he's 7'2? They have him listed as 6'11 in the FIBA worlds

He's averaged 14 pts, 10 rebs, 4 blk, 2 ast, 1.5 steal and 3 TO per game - shooting 47% from the field (50% from 3 on 4 attempts) and a very impressive 85% from the line, playing 30 minutes per game.

They rounded down to 6-11 but he is 2.12 cm, which is a bit under 7ft and usually it's without shoes. So you can say he's 7-1 by NBA standards.
He's also a year younger than most players in the tournament.