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The guard is changing in Chinese basketball, with a fresh generation of young players looking to ascend to the international stage and drive China forward to an exciting new era of basketball for the country.

After bringing out a veteran core of players for the 2013 Sino-Australia Challenge, led by five-time Olympian Zhizhi Wang, Team China will bring a 15-man squad sporting some of the best young players in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Under the direction of Luming Gong, the new-look Team China brings a host of players out to make a name for themselves, with guard Xiaoyu Liu the oldest member of the touring party at 25.

Gong has taken charge of the national team for the second time in his coaching career, after serving as Head Coach between 1995 and 1996, including the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games – leading China to the quarter finals for the first time.

It has been a long affiliation with the national team for Gong, first making his name as a player in the national team between 1986 and 1990, before taking his place on the bench as an Assistant Coach between 1990 and 1995.

Three players from last year’s squad return to Perth (Liu, Peng Zhou and Xiaoxu Li), with the focus on developing young CBA talent clearly evident. One such talent is 18-year-old centre Qi Zhou, who stands at 217cm tall and plays his club basketball with Liaoning.

Those in the world basketball circles are well aware of this talented young centre, after impressive displays at the 2012 FIBA Under 17 World Championships and the 2013 FIBA Under 19 World Championships in the past two years.

Now in his sixth season as a starter for the Zhejiang Cyclones and third year in the national team program, Dayu Zhang is one the stars of the new generation of Chinese basketballers coming on to the world stage.

The 23-year-old 214cm centre has played nearly 200 CBA games and is coming off the best season of his young career, averaging more than 11 points, 5 rebounds and a block a game.

Despite the relative youth of the team – sporting an average age of 22 – the Chinese team still sport plenty of club and junior international tournament experience among their players.

This is the beginning of an exciting new era for Chinese men’s basketball and this young squad will be out to make a splash against the Australian Boomers in the 2014 Sino-Australia Challenge.

Tickets for the two game series are selling now through Ticketmaster. Game one is at Challenge Stadium on Thursday 29 May at 8:30pm, with game two also at Challenge Stadium on Saturday 31 May at 6:30pm. Games three and four will take place in China.

Single game tickets start at $15ea for children & $20ea for adults with two game passes available from just $14 for children & $28 for adults. Corporate packages are also available for both games.

Click here for game one tickets
Click here for game two tickets

Chinese National Team Sino-Australia Challenge Squad

Peng Zhou
Height: 206cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 11 October 1989
Current Club: Guangdong (China)

Xiaoyu Liu
Height: 191cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 14 March 1989
Current Club: Guangdong (China)

Xiaoxu Li
Height: 207cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 5 June 1990
Current Club: Liaoning (China)

Zhonghao Xu
Height: 212cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 30 November 1990
Current Club: Bayi (China)

Yuhang Dingyan
Height: 200cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 24 March 1993
Current Club:  Shandong (China)

Hanlin Tao
Height: 208cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 4 June 1991
Current Club: Shandong (China)

Dayu Zhang
Height: 214cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 18 January 1991
Current Club: Zhejiang (China)

Jianpeng Duan
Height: 197cn
Position: Forward
DOB: 11 September 1990
Current Club: Shanxi (China)

Qi Zhou
Height: 217cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 16 January 1996
Current Club: Liaoning (China)

Quan Gu
Height: 200cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 2 April 1992
Current Club: DongGuan (China)

Fei Cao
Height: 193cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 4 May 1991
Current Club: Zhejiang (China)

Xiaochuan Zhai
Height: 204cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 24 March 1993
Current Club: Beijing (China)

Muhao Li
Height: 216cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 2 June 1992
Current Club: DongGuan (China)

Tonglin Sun
Height: 206cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 23 December 1992
Current Club: DongGuan (China)

Kelanbaike Make
Height: 198cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 27 September 1990
Current Club: Xinjiang (China)

Head Coach – Luming Gong
Assistant Coach – Ioannis Christopoulos
Assistant Coach – Nan Li
Assistant Coach – Xuefeng Hu
Analyst – Lizheng Feng

Team Leader – Guohua Hao
Doctor – Anmin Luo
Interpreter – Cheng Zheng