Comment on the performance of the Chinese team at the U16 Asian Championships: Can the youth storm sweep across Asia

When the Chinese young player showed his potential with a net win of 130 points, and Australia showed his strength with a big victory of 94 points, can this young army cross the Asian youth training gap and take a step further on the stage of the World Youth Championship? This team, whose average age is less than 16 years old, has performed with 58 points in defeating Mongolia, 56 points in crushing Malaysia, and 16 points in a shocking reversal of South Korea. But when Australia beat Bahrain with 94 points at the same time, is our team a rewriter or a short-lived dark horse?

Growth answer sheet from crazy victory to reversal

On August 31, 2025, the Chinese team kicked off the massacre with a 24-0 attack. The Mongolian team made 36 mistakes in the whole game, and all 12 players scored and showed their "everyone is a soldier" characteristics. Zhang Yi and Zhao Jie scored 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in 22 minutes, becoming the most dazzling star. This 103-45 victory not only set a new record for the event, but also allowed young players to establish a confidence threshold of "beating everything with team basketball".

Malaysian game: 56-point crushing team basketball template

The match on September 1 became a team basketball textbook - a wonderful comparison between 28 assists and the opponent's total score of 44 points, interpreting the basketball philosophy of "1+1>2". Lu Feiyan, who came on the bench, contributed 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, including buzzer-beating three-pointers in the second quarter and continuous long shots in the third quarter, directly driving the climax of the 16-0 offensive. Zhang Ziyi built a no-fly zone in the interior with 11 points and 11 rebounds, helping the team achieve a rebounding dominance of 58-28.

Korean Battle: The resilience test of 16-point reversal

This China-South Korea showdown, known as the "group final", staged the most exciting reversal scene of this event. The Chinese team went from being 8 points behind at most to a net victory of 15 points in the third quarter, and finally won 16 points 97-81. Zhang Zi scored a large double-double with 21 points and 20 rebounds, and 6 frontcourt rebounds were directly converted into a second attack; Zhang Chunzhi made a "three-pointer rain" outside the three-point line, making 5 three-pointers in a single game and scoring 25 points, becoming a hero of the reversal. Technical statistics show that the team's assists soared from 12 in the first half to 21 in the second half, and the improvement in tactical execution can be seen from the naked eye.

In this offensive and defensive feast, forward Zhang Yi and Zhao Jie became the most dazzling star. He only took 22 minutes to hand in a quasi-four-double with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, with a shooting percentage of up to 75% (9 of 12 shots). Whether it is a breakout and pass with the ball, a tomahawk dunk in a fast break, or a steal counterattack at critical moments, he has shown maturity beyond his age. It is worth noting that his 4 steals and direct contacts made 8 points and fast breaks, becoming the main pusher of the 24-0 attack wave.

This Sino-Korea showdown, known as the "group final", has gone from being behind at most 8 points to a final victory of 16 points. In the first half of the game, the "suppression script" that the South Korean team is good at. At the beginning of the first quarter, the Chinese team fell into a passive situation of 1-5 and 8-14. Although they were only 3 points behind at 22-25 in the final, the South Korean team once widened the gap to 8 points in the second quarter with Park Tae-joon's sharp breakthrough (27 points, 9 assists and 6 steals in the whole game) and outside firepower (Park Bon-yun made 3 three-pointers). The 1-point difference of 44-45 at the end of the half is behind the tactical imbalance of the Chinese team's excessive reliance on outside shooting - you should know that the South Korean team's average three-point shooting percentage in this game is already higher than the 32% of the Chinese team's team. The head-on appearance of the outside showdown obviously falls into the opponent's rhythm. Even in the comment section, why do you have to make three points? The

turning point appeared in the tactical awakening in the second half. In the third quarter, the Chinese team suddenly switched to the "internal and external dual-core" mode: Zhang Ziyi turned on the "rebound harvester" mode in the penalty area. In the whole game, 21 points and 20 rebounds, 6 frontcourt rebounds directly converted into a second offensive opportunity, and 4 blocks completely blocked the Korean team's route to hit the basket; at the same time, Zhang Chunzhi set off a "three-point rain" outside the three-point line, hitting 3 consecutive three-pointers in a single quarter, helping the team to achieve a 27-12 offensive climax, with a net victory of 15 points in a single quarter, reversing the score from 1 point behind to 14 points (71-57)

From the Asian champion to the world powerhouse, it has never been a simple copy and paste. This team has an expected team basketball system (55% shooting percentage in Malaysia, 28 assists), deep rotation lineup, and resilience when reversed the South Korean team, but the gap with European and American teams in terms of technical and tactical delicacy and psychological quality of key battles still needs to be polished through actual combat. When the youth storm meets the world stage, can this Chinese U16 let the world see new possibilities for Asian basketball? The answer may be hidden in the next confrontation with a strong enemy, in the focus of every offensive and defensive transition