SHENZHEN (China) - Caylee Koesnadi never thought of how big the height difference between her and Zhang Ziyu was until she saw the photo.
"I didn’t realize how big the height difference was," the 17-year-old said, "so seeing the picture and seeing how big the difference was shocking, for sure!"
She and Indonesia opened their FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup campaign last June 24 against China, a game that proved to be Zhang's introduction to the world as she made her national youth team debut.
It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
As soon as she was subbed in at the 4:19-mark of the first quarter, cheers and adoration, of course, filled the Longhua Cultural and Sports Center.
It wasn't just those in the venue that were left in awe but the fans online, too, most especially when her game photos came out and were picked up by news outlets.
But none of those images circulated and went viral so quick than the one showing the 1.74 M (5'9") Koesnadi standing beside Zhang, who's towering at 2.20 M.
"I’ve never seen or guarded anyone that tall, so just being able to guard her was unreal," reflected the Indonesian forward on that matchup.
That very picture captured as well how big of a difference was Zhang in that game. She finished with 19 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the field, alongside 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks to lead Team China to the 109-50 win.
Soon, the 17-year-old wunderkind would light up the competition, dropping 36 and 13 against New Zealand before unleashing a historic 44-point, 14-rebound showing versus Japan the following night to sweep their way into the Semi-Finals.
Zhang has undeniably become the star of the show and Koesnadi couldn't be any more blessed to have fought against Team China's next big thing, believing that it will only be beneficial for her and the whole Indonesian squad.
"It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said. "It will help in gaining experience, and it has made me think a little smarter about guarding someone that tall. This will definitely help in the future whenever I'm guarding taller players."
FIBA