Net gains

Despite Chinese basketball being a bit of a mixed bag last year, the sport and its fans still found reasons to be cheerful

Marked by success in the women's game and the struggles of its men's program, Chinese basketball has capped an eventful year, albeit with mixed feelings, while the sport's governing body says that it is determined to keep growing the game on all fronts.

Twenty-eight years after its historic second-place finish at the world championships, China's women's national team once again did the country proud when it repeated the feat by winning silver at the FIBA Women's World Cup in October, giving Chinese fans something to cheer about following the turbulent summer endured by the men's squad.

Despite losing to 11-time winner, the United States, in the final, the Chinese women's team earned respect at home and abroad for its tenacity, resilience and unselfish team play in Sydney, wowing fans on China's National Day holiday.

Team China's star forward Li Meng was voted women's Player of the Year in Asia by fans for her performances, in which she averaged 16 points a game during the tournament, FIBA announced last month.

The General Administration of Sport of China, the country's top sporting governing body, hailed the team as an inspiration for the whole country, which shone at the right time.

"Your excellent performance and record-tying results were testament to the aspirational and confident image of Chinese youth, and contributed to the building of a sporting power, while sending a perfect birthday gift to the country," read a congratulatory statement from the GASC.

The silver medal run in Sydney proved a critical learning curve for the young team that will only grow stronger, said head coach Zheng Wei.

"We showed our game, our style and our fighting spirit to the world at this tournament. We overcame some mental challenges to take down some international powerhouses and gained a lot of valuable experience," said Zheng, who was a player on the last silver-winning team at the 1994 world championship, also held in Australia.

With highlights, such as guard Wang Siyu's game-winning free throws in the semifinal against Australia and Li's step-back 3s going viral online, Team China's World Cup journey garnered massive attention on social media.

NBA legend Pau Gasol, a FIBA ambassador for the women's World Cup, turned into a new fan of the Chinese team.

"It's been fun to watch Team China," said Gasol, a two-time NBA championship winner with the Los Angeles Lakers and a three-time Olympic medalist representing Spain.

"They've been playing really good basketball throughout the tournament. You can tell there is chemistry, there is belief and there is a good amount of talent."