China Red have begun training in preparation for the Asian Qualifiers third window

BEIJING (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - China's Red national team has been identified as the country's representatives as they plunge into action in the Asian Qualifiers' third window.

The 27-man pool for the China Red national team is composed of nearly all of players who saw action in the first window of the Asian Qualifiers, with the exception of shooting guard Mugedaer Xirelijiang. Leading the way is CBA superstar Ding Yanyuhang along with breakout player Sun Minghui and big men Wang Zhelin and Abudushalamu Abudurexiti.

Sun and Ding are probably the ones to really watch for on this team, since they were among China's top performers in November 2017. Sun averaged 16.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in that window, while Ding put up 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 triples per contest. Needless to say, they will be relied upon as China Red's main offensive weapons against their next foes - the Koreans and the Tall Blacks.

There are notable members of the pool who weren't able to play in the first window, though, and seeing them on the floor in the third window would certainly boost China's cause. Foremost among these is Houston Rockets center Zhou Qi, who could potentially be available in the third window and would then form a truly imposing frontline when paired with Wang. Two other marquee names are Zhai Xiaochuan and Zou Yuchen - two national team mainstays who haven't seen a lick of action yet in the Asian Qualifiers. If they suit up in the third window, things will get even more troublesome for Korea and New Zealand.

China Red have actually begun training on 15 May at the Beijing Sports University. Head coach Li Nan conducted the training and focused on footwork, strength, conditioning, half-court offense and defense and scrimmages. Only fourteen players from the pool have joined the training so far, including center Wang Zhelin and team captain Fang Shuo. National team mainstay Xiaochuan is sitting the training out for now as he is still recovering from a foot injury.

Coach Li's main concern at this point is that there are many players in the pool who have never played at the senior level before, and potentially seeing action at the third window and at the Asian Games will be significant tests for them.

On 8 June, China Red are set to begin a three-game tune-up series against Australia before tipping off their third window campaign on 28 June against visiting Korea. That will be followed by a crucial road game against New Zealand in Auckland on 1 July. In addition to this, China Red are also tasked to play in the coming Jakarta Asian Games 2018.

FIBA