SHENZHEN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese men's national basketball team beat Croatia 81-69 in the 2018 Stankovic Continental Cup before off for the Asian Games, and Li Nan, head coach of team China, says he hopes every player in the team can strive for the best results in the Asiad.
In the 2018 Stankovic Continental Cup, China narrowly lost to Tunisia by 5 points in first game, but strong opponents Croatia defeated Tunisia by a margin of nearly 30 points.
Li Nan says he has adjusted the team to be better prepared for the Jakarta Asian Games. Zhou Qi, who played 35 minutes in the game against Tunisia, sat out the match against Croatia so as to leave more opportunities to other players. Ding Yangyuhang scored 17 points, and while he is not 100 percent due to a knee injury, this likely won't be a big problem for him at the Asiad.
Although China's point guard Zhao Jiwei will be out due to injury, Li Nan is still satisfied with the players' defensive efforts. He also believes that the return of Zhou Qi and Ding Yangyuhang will enhance the team's morale.
What matters most to the team is that there's always someone who steps up when team needs it most, Li said.
Li says the team's victory in the Stankovic Cup would help the team to build confidence ahead of the 2018 Asian Games. Difficulties and challenges are certainly ahead, but Li Nan says the team will fight hard and give a strong performance in Indonesia.
