Qi Zhou started his path to NBA at U16 Asian Championship 2011

BEIRUT (FIBA U16 Asian Championship) - China came into the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2011 as the favorites to win the title and repeat their inaugural crown from two years earlier. And China did just that in easy fashion - thanks in large part to a breakout performance by Qi Zhou.

China eased to their nine victories in nine games by an average winning margin of 42.3 points - their closest game being two 31-point wins. They beat Japan by 39 points in the Semi-Finals and then downed Korea by 40 points in the Final.

Much of that was due to Qi, who was a rail-thin 7ft 1in (2.17m) 15-year-old who would not turn 16 until January 2012.

Despite being it his first international tournament, Qi did not start in shy fashion, picking up 13 points against India in 17 minutes off the bench. More impressive than his point total was that of the opposing center, India's Bharama Satnam, who scored just 5 points in 33 minutes. This is the same Satnam who was playing in his second FIBA U16 Asian Championship and would later in the tournament go on to score 41 points against Korea.

Qi followed that up with 24 points on 8-of-8 shots and 8-of-9 free throws in 21 minutes against Chinese Taipei and then had 16 points in 11 minutes of China's 61-point win over Malaysia. The big man tallied 11 points in 19 minutes against Iraq in the first game of the Second Round action and then had 16 points against Lebanon.

Next up was a big showdown with Korea, who would likely be China's main challenger for the title. Korea scored just five points in the second quarter and that was the game - with Qi collecting 19 points and seven blocks.

The knockout stage started with Qi spending much of the time on the bench as China blasted past Saudi Arabia 100-19, leading 32-5 after 10 minutes. Qi scored just four points. The Henan native was much more a part of the game in the Semi-Finals against Japan with 15 points.

And then came the Final versus Korea - the coronation of Qi as China's next big up-and-coming talent as he collected 43 points, 19 rebounds and 12 blocks in a 92-52 victory over Korea.

The 43 points are still a record as the most in a single game in FIBA U16 Asian Championship history. And Qi has gone on to great things, both for the Chinese national team system and now playing in the NBA.

Nha Trang City, Vietnam will always hold a special place in Qi Zhou's heart - as the place he broke out on the international landscape at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2011.

FIBA