Courting Olympic success

With the new Olympic qualifying campaign just around the corner, China's celebrated women's 3x3 basketball program is preparing for a busy international schedule as a slew of promising young guns join the ranks.

Despite enjoying major success on the global stage to date, the squad is refusing to rest on its laurels and is shooting for higher goals, beginning with this year's qualifying events for Paris 2024.

"No matter where we've been and where we started, our goal is always to fight for the best result we can, but we should do it with our feet on the ground and our minds ready for the grind," head coach Xu Jiamin said after an open training session in Beijing last month.

Under Xu's guidance the team claimed three straight podium finishes at major international events — gold at the 2019 World Cup, bronze medal at the half-court game's Olympic debut in Tokyo, and another third-place finish at last year's World Cup.

The team begins its Olympic qualifying campaign in Wuhan this weekend with a FIBA Women's 3x3 Series event. Xu has been overseeing a training camp featuring over 20 players since March 10, with the aim of developing multiple squads capable of representing China at events that offer Paris 2024 qualification points.

The all-out approach is an attempt to maximize governing body FIBA's new qualification system, which ranks member associations by the individual world ranking points of their top 25 players. The top three associations by Nov 1 will be awarded direct tickets to Paris 2024.

The remaining five spots at the Olympics will be decided by three qualifying tournaments next year, with exact dates and venues to be confirmed. The same format applies to the men's competition.

Team China, which is currently ranked fifth in the association standings, wants to secure its Paris quota as early as possible and plans to dispatch two teams to play all 20 stops of the 3x3 Women's Series over the next five months.

After missing out on international drills during the pandemic, Team China is embracing the hectic schedule as an opportunity to toughen up for the Paris challenge.

"The intense international schedule will put our players through tough physical and mental tests, help us build more chemistry and allow our youngsters to gain more experience," said Xu.

"We need a stronger presence in the FIBA ranking system to bolster our qualification chances for Paris.

"We need more players to develop their all-around games, because this is a sport that tests a player's abilities on both the offensive and defensive ends."

The 2023 Women's World Cup, which takes places in Austrian capital Vienna from May 30-June 4, is also a priority for Xu, who will use the tournament to evaluate players against major Paris 2024 rivals.

Drawn in Group D with Lithuania, Romania, Italy and a qualifier, Team China is expected to at least finish on the podium.

"It will be a crucial season for us as a new team with a lot of young guns joining in and adapting to the format of the 3x3 game," said veteran guard Wang Lili, the most reliable scorer on Xu's first-choice roster over the past four years.

"The biggest difference from the five-a-side game, and perhaps the biggest challenge for the youngsters to overcome, is that we are playing at a much quicker pace and with higher intensity over multiple games each day," said the 30-year-old sharpshooter.

"Physicality is what makes the difference on the international stage."

Inspired by street hoops, 3x3 basketball is often played on an outdoor half court at iconic urban locations, with the fast-paced action usually accompanied by booming urban music soundtracks.

The game features a 12-second shot clock, half the time used in regular five-a-side games.

Shots made outside the traditional 3-point line earn two points, and those inside count for one point. Teams switch from defense to offense straight after scoring or after clearing the ball to outside the arc following a rebound.

The lightning-quick transitions in 3x3 quickly expose any weaknesses in a player's game.

"After competing for years on the international stage, I've learned that you have to be able to do everything on the court to prevail," said forward Wan Jiyuan.

"As a traditional post player, I will work on my ability to create shots off dribbles and improve my 3-point shooting percentage this season to complement the team's offensive strength," added Wan, who was voted the five-a-side WCBA league's 2022-23 season MVP in February after averaging 22.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists for Zhejiang.