Young ster named national hoops coach

Guo Shiqiang, a teammate of NBA all-star center Yao Ming just four years ago during the Athens Olympics, was appointed head coach of the national team by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) yesterday, making him the youngest national hoops coach in the nation's history.

The former 1.92m guard beat a number of much more experienced candidates to take over the post vacated by Lithuania's Jonas Kazlauskas after the Beijing Games, where the team finished eighth and Guo was an assistant.

After playing for the national team for just six years between 1999 and 2005, he shrugged off concerns over his entitlement to the post when other players boast more national team experience.