Feature: From university to pro, WCBA top draft Fang comes into spotlight

Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-04 14:31:25|Editor: huaxia

CHENGDU, China, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- After an all-around performance in her first Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) game, Fang Min thought she has a lot to improve to better fit into the professional league.

"I need to improve my physical condition and experience," she told Xinhua, after finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against Shanxi.

A star in China University Basketball Association (CUBA) league, Fang got to fame when she scored a jaw-dropping 72 points representing Central South University on May 16, 2019, refreshing CUBA's scoring record in a single game.

The glittering play in the university basketball league earned Fang an overall WBCA top draft pick by Henan in 2020.

Judging through her stats, it seemed that Fang has undergone a seamless connection from university to the professional league. Still, the hopeful had something to say about the vast difference between the two leagues.

"I feel that physical contention is not at the same level. The opponents played tough on both ends. As for the game experience, I'm not at the same level with teammates and opponents either," she noted.

"I'm sure that I can make many layups on the university basketball court, but here, when opponents inflicted huge pressure on me, my chance of doing that will be much lower."

Shanxi captain Wu Tongtong was pleased to witness her former teammate's progress as both graduated from Changsha Changjun High School in central China's Hunan province and teamed up for the school in national high school tournaments.

"I feel pretty happy for her. She played great today, and we didn't restrain her quite well. Witnessing her performance today, I feel that she has a bright future," Wu explained.

In her WCBA debut, Fang displayed impressive speed and sharpness on the offensive end, but due to a lack of experience, she was called two offensive fouls in a row when the two sides were involved in jigsaw-like contention in the third quarter.

"I have to improve my control of the game in crunch time," Fang admitted. "It requires time, and I cannot worry about it too much. For every game, I have to prepare well beforehand and draw some experience after it to march forward, step by step."

"She had a remarkable performance coming off the bench but failed to convert some layups due to a physical slump. She still needs to go through some tests game after game. Hopefully, she can progress deep into the season," said Henan coach Li Jianxin.

"Speed is her advantage. We hope she can improve her vision on the court and shooting ability," added the former head coach of China's women's junior national team. Enditem

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