CHN - Yi ready to join up with National Team

BEIJING (FIBA Asia Championship) - Coach Bob Donewald Jr’s training plans with the China National Team received a boost with the announcement that Washington Wizards’ power forward Yi Jianlian will join the team for the Continental Cup tournament to be played in Haining and Guangzhou from 1-9 August.

Defending champions Australia, Russia and Angola, as well as China will take part in the Haining leg from Aug 1 to 4.  New Zealand will replace Australia to join Russia, Angola and the hosts play in Guangzhou from Aug 6-9.

Both legs will feature a round-robin format first with the top two teams playing the final, and the other two playing the 3rd place play-off.

Yi will join the Chinese squad following the completion of the second leg of a four-nation tournament to be held in Yongcheng, Henan province, on Sunday.

“He is going to Ningbo for a training camp and then play the Continental Cup with his teammates,” Hu Jiashi, vice president of the Chinese Basketball Association, told a news conference.

“It will be the last and the most important warm-up for China,” Hu added.

The Continental Cup is a part of China’s preparations for the FIBA Asia Championship, which they host in Wuhan from 15-25 September.

In Wuhan, China face the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Group D of the Preliminary Round.

The winners of the FIBA Asia Championship will qualify directly for the 2012 London Olympics. The second and third placed teams earn a place at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament.

FIBA Asia