SHENZHEN (China) - A few more days and finally, the highly-anticipated 2024 FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup is set to open shop in this sprawling Chinese city.
For sure, there's been much curiosity as to what we can all expect in the June 24-July 1 competitions. So, it's high time to give fans reasons to look forward to the meet.
1. Can China reassert their U18 dominance in home soil?
It is going to be the first time that China will host the tournament in two decades, or since the 2004 edition played in this exact same city.
Needless to say, the homecourt advantage is on their side and they definitely plan to maximize as much in an attempt to regain the throne they lost to Australia in the 2022 competitions held in Bengaluru, India.
Their journey back to the top begins in the Group Phase, where they are situated in Group B along with Japan, New Zealand, and Indonesia.
If ever this batch gets the job done, Team China will extend their record number of titles in the competition to 17. Will that happen? That's for us to wait and see.
2. Will Australia go back-to-back?
After a bronze finish in their first U18 Women Asian Championship run in 2018, Australia would go on to strike gold in the following edition in 2022 - dominantly.
Then led by eventual TISSOT Most Valuable Player Isla Juffermans, the Gems went on a 5-0 sweep of the tournament, capped off by an 81-55 mauling of China in the Final to spoil the powerhouse's bid of winning the title for the sixth consecutive time.
For sure, the defending champions aim to go back-to-back. Will that happen?
3. China-Japan: THE rivalry
Of course, this list won't be complete without mentioning what has been the rivalry of rivalries: China versus Japan. These proud programs have met countless times in the past, and that won't change in this year's meet.
In the 2022 tilt alone, the two met twice, with Japan winning the first encounter in the Group Phase by way of a 76-59 decision. But when it mattered most, the Chinese came out on top, 54-51, in their Semi-Finals duel.
China and Japan will meet yet again on June 25 in the last game of the Group Phase and depending on how Group B plays out, that match may not only be a tiebreaker of sorts but could be crucial on how the knockout stages would look.
4. Tallest to play in the U18 Women's Asia Cup - ever
At 2.20 M (7'2") tall, Zhang Ziyu may just be the tallest to ever play in any FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup. Definitely a presence one can never miss in the tourney.
It will be her first FIBA experience and it would be interesting to see if her exploits in provincial tournaments in China would translate to the national team's cause.
With Ziyu in tow, the Chinese have yet another potential cornerstone to their women's program, which presently has the successful Xu Han and Yueru Li, to name some, serving as two of their key players particularly on the frontcourt.
Much of the success of Team China in the past, whether in the youth or senior level, comes from size and with someone as big as Ziyu in their lineup, one can't help but wonder: How will they utilize such a presence to their advantage?
5. Can Chinese Taipei write history again?
Chinese Taipei were one of the four teams that booked their ticket to the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup after reaching the Semi-Finals of the 2022 U18 Women's Asian Championship, yet it wasn't the only thing that made them the darlings of the meet.
With plenty of stars leading the team including the force that was Hsiao Yu Wen, her batch wrote history by taking down China through a come-from-behind 74-61 win.
It was their first win over the Chinese at the youth level in 20 years, back when the competition was still called the Asian Championship for Junior Women.
Furthermore, it was only the second time ever at the youth level for both men’s and women’s that Chinese Taipei has beaten the mighty China.
Will they write history anew? Chinese Taipei have stood on the podium many times in the past - they have bagged home three silvers and four bronzes, to be exact - but the gold medal continues to elude the program. Will this be their year?
6. Who will punch their tickets to the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup?
There's more to winning the title in the U18 Women's Asia Cup. The four Semi-Finalists will qualify for the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
Last time, the quartet of Australia, China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei booked their tickets to the U19 Women's World Cup in Spain. Will these same teams make up the envoy for this year's edition in Mexico, or will there be surprise entrants?
7. "Class of" 2010s
As mentioned multiple times in the past, FIBA youth events always serve as a window of what the future holds for national team programs. And so, the addition of players aged below the level they will be partaking in has long been a practice.
For this year, some players born in the 2010s and beyond have been included in rosters. Maldives, for one, have three 2010-born players (Sarah Zakariya, Mariyam Sifan, and Lyra Firash) and one born in 2011 (Zahara Shiram).
Another Division B competitor in the Philippines have one in their squad, too, in Tiffany Reyes, a second-generation player who was born in 2010.
8. How will debutants Malaysia fare?
Malaysia went on an unlikely run to the top of the 2022 FIBA U18 Women's Asian Championship Division B to earn the coveted Division A promotion.
The Southeast Asian side came from behind to beat Mongolia in the Final, 64-53, and that was representative of how their whole campaign went.
After going 1-2 in the Group Phase, the Malaysians outlasted two of their regional rivals on the way to the Big Dance. First was Thailand, 57-54, in the Qualification to Semi-Finals, and then a 66-65 shocker against the Philippines in the Semis.
Now they're pooled in Group A together with contenders and that should very well serve as solid tests to see where they are as a team - and as a program.
9. Who will get the Division A promotion?
Who will follow Malaysia's foot steps? Seven teams are competing in this year's Division B. Split into two pools, Group A consists of Hong Kong, China; Iran, Samoa, and Kyrgyzstan, while the Philippines, Lebanon, and Maldives comprise Group B.
FIBA