Sleeping giants China and Mexico just can’t get it right; other FIBA and national federation news
By ALAN WALLS
China. Mexico. Philippines. Caribbean. Ireland. Rwanda. Morocco. Peru.
China just cannot get it right under CBA president Yao Ming. I give him a lot credit for thinking outside-the-box and trying new things, but they have backfired leading to China’s embarrassing 24th place finish out of 32 teams at last year’s World Cup played on their home soil.
China hosting the WC was supposed to be a boom for the sport in the Middle Kingdom and boost the national team’s standing globally. #1 was a success. #2 was a disaster.
Yao implemented a two-team system in the years leading up to WC with the teams preparing and practicing separately with one team playing in certain competitions and preparation games and the second in others. Then prior to the event the best players from the two teams were merged into one.
The idea was to create a high level of competition between the two teams and players competing for spots on the national team. Big mistake! They lost years of time to gel and mesh as one unit while they prepared separately as two under different coaching staffs.
This “one country, two systems” approach is failing politically with Hong Kong and did not work in basketball either.
Now China is left with the insurmountable task of competing against Canada, Greece, Uruguay, Turkey and the Czech Republic in an Olympic Qualifying tournament for ONE, yes one, spot in the 2020, check 2021, Summer Games.
Mission Impossible. And I would not be surprised if China finishes dead last.
One good reform the CBA in implementing starting next season in their CBA pro league is that of limiting the import players to only one – down from two – on the court at a time. This will obviously lead to more playing time and therefore development for their own players. However, these dividends won’t start to pay out until 3+ years from now.
Yao and the CBA also recently signed agreements to work with the high school and university sports federations to grow the sport, improve coaching and better identify talent. This will hopefully provide some long-term reform and growth.
You want real reform? Get the top players and coaches out of China!
Eat, breathe, sleep and train basketball in a country like Serbia or Lithuania training under their coaches for a two-year period. Split them up amongst teams in the domestic pro league(s) under a special agreement between the two or three federations. They need to learn how to compete with and beat European teams, not just to maintain dominance over their fellow East Asian nations.
Import American and European coaches to work at the state-run basketball academies and schools where the real talent comes from and make major changes and improvements within those institutions. There are already many of these coaches at private high-end and expensive academies, I know because I was one of them, but the true basketball talent there is very few and far between.
China needs to change the way it trains, practices, coaches and plays drastically. A complete 180. No more youth teams running the same drill for 30-45 minutes straight while the coach sits on a chair and smokes a cigarette. No more CBA junior teams practicing eight hours a day, 50 weeks a year while playing just a handful of games.
Trust me, I have seen it!
And if you think China has problems, Mexico just can’t get their act together and has been suspended yet AGAIN by FIBA. This is becoming a pattern for the tri-color federation. They were again suspended February 10th and the suspension was maintained by the Central Board in late March as the federation has not fulfilled the requirements set at the last Executive Committee meeting.
The men's national team will still be allowed to play qualifiers for the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup however, with FIBA saying it does not wish to punish players.
I understand not wanting to punish the players, but when and how is the federation ever going to take the suspensions seriously and make the necessary changes if the national teams are still allowed to play and the federation allowed to host events?
Unfortunately, this is simply a product of Mexico’s corrupt national culture of doing business and running sport. Everyone is out for themselves and very few, if any, truly care about development through long-term thinking, planning and execution.
I witnessed it first hand coaching for two seasons in the late-2000’s in the top-flight professional league, LNBP, and heard of incredible stories from current and former players of acts of corruption, mismanagement, misspending and straight-out stealing; including that of a federation board member back in the day paying the national team head coach straight cash, thousands of US dollars, at the airport to put his son on the team as they waited to board its flight to compete in a AmeriCup. The coach accepted and a player was sent back home on the spot in order to make room for the new addition.
Like I said, incredible!
In order to protect the guilty, I won’t mention names or the year here.
Federation executives need to be removed if they cannot comply by FIBA’s rules and standards. If FIBA cannot do that, then they need to put pressure on the country’s sporting entities that oversee the federations, if they themselves are not corrupt.
Mexico is the third largest country in the Americas with 128 million sports-mad people, yet the men are ranked 8th in the current FIBA Americas ranking and 25th in the world, while the women are 9th and 43rd respectively.
Mexico has a very complex and competitive national school and university sports program but there is a disconnect when it comes to the federation. In the past, top players such as former NBAer Eduardo Najera declined to play for the national team in protest of the mismanagement and corruption within the federation.
They SHOULD be consistently going toe-to-toe with Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Canada for second place behind the US in the region. Even more so when you take into account how many Mexican-Americans raised and developed in the US play on the Mexican national teams.
Mexico has the talent necessary having won the 2013 AmeriCup. Those running the sport just need to get out of the players’ way. Mexico is too big and important a market for basketball and FIBA.
Here are some articles regarding the above as well as news from other federations. Enjoy!
Yao's new-school thinking targets next gen
CBA chief says measures to improve campus hoops will feed into pro game
A major exponent of physical education on campus, China's basketball chief Yao Ming is counting on teamwork with the country's school athletic system to boost the game's profile from bottom up.
Click here to read more.
Yao concedes China "lagging behind" opposition a year ahead of Olympic qualifier
China's men's team have not missed an Olympics since 1980 when they withdrew from the competition but are at risk of not qualifying for Tokyo 2020.
With a tough qualifying group ahead, China will look to make amends for an underwhelming performance at the 2019 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup.
Click here to read more.
CBA reforms offer plenty of hope
In a tumultuous year for Chinese hoops, Wukesong Arena has witnessed the historic lows and, more recently, the hope-inducing highs that point to brighter days for the nation's basketball fans.
The western Beijing stadium was the scene of Team China's miserable defeats to Poland and Venezuela which precipitated the country's worst ever performance at an international event－a 24th-place finish among 32 teams which saw China lose Asia's only direct Olympic qualification berth to Iran.
Click here to read more.
FIBA suspends Mexican Basketball Federation
The decision was made by FIBA's Executive Committee.
A FIBA statement read: "Despite repeated requests and direction, ADEMEBA has failed to register Approved Statutes with the relevant authorities.
"Consequently, ADEMA does not comply with its obligations as a National Member Federation under the applicable FIBA General Statutes and is suspended with immediate effect."
Click here to read more.
Mark Dickel says Gilas program in good hands with Tab Baldwin
EVEN though Gilas Pilipinas has yet to name a permanent head coach, Mark Dickel said the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is headed in the right direction after installing a program headed by Tab Baldwin.
Click here to read more.
CBC basketball officially over for 2020
All tournaments planned for this year by the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) have been blown off until 2021.
President of CBC, Glyne Clarke, said that the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has mandated that all championships this year including those hosted by the CBC be suspended.
Click here to read more.
Basketball Ireland announces closure of 2020 international season
Basketball Ireland has announced the closure of its international season for 2020.
It means the 10 international programmes at U16, U17, U18, U20 and Senior for Men and Women have seen their seasons prematurely ended, with the different squads at various stages in their preparations for 2020 Summer tournaments when the sport suspended its on-court activities in mid-March.
Click here to read more.
Rwanda’s basketball culture is surging but development challenges remain
Ahead of inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) that is set to take place beginning March 2020, Rwanda is developing its own Basketball culture for a sport that still suffers from limited sponsorship and lack of modern infrastructures to boost its development across the country.
Click here to read more.
Morocco Moves to Revive Basketball Leagues, Reform National Team
Rabat – After a two-year pause, the provisional committee in charge of the management of the Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation (FRMBB) is set to carry out an emergency plan to put basketball back on track in Morocco.
The committee, established in April 2019, is coordinating with the FRMBB supervisory ministry to focus on resuming several priority projects after the COVID-19 crisis in Morocco wanes.
Click here to read more.
Basketball en el Perú: un salto hacia el cambio
Alternativa. Ante una federación acéfala y desafiliada de la FIBA, se formó la nueva Liga Peruana de Basketball, torneo privado que busca el resurgimiento de dicho deporte.
Click here to read more.
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Author Alan Walls is an American international basketball coach and administrator with over 25 years of experience on the youth, high school, NCAA, professional and national team levels in 16 countries and on five continents. Walls has worked with the national federations of Turkey, Romania, Palestine, Mongolia, Kenya and El Salvador as well as coached or conducted camps and clinics throughout the United States – including his native Hawai’i – Mexico, Argentina, China, Hong Kong and Israel. Walls is the founder and General-Secretary of the United Nations of Basketball (2020 launch).
I understand not wanting to punish the players, but when and how is the federation ever going to take the suspensions seriously and make the necessary changes if the national teams are still allowed to play and the federation allowed to host events?
Unfortunately, this is simply a product of Mexico’s corrupt national culture of doing business and running sport. Everyone is out for themselves and very few, if any, truly care about development through long-term thinking, planning and execution.
I witnessed it first hand coaching for two seasons in the late-2000’s in the top-flight professional league, LNBP, and heard of incredible stories from current and former players of acts of corruption, mismanagement, misspending and straight-out stealing; including that of a federation board member back in the day paying the national team head coach straight cash, thousands of US dollars, at the airport to put his son on the team as they waited to board its flight to compete in a AmeriCup. The coach accepted and a player was sent back home on the spot in order to make room for the new addition.
Like I said, incredible!
In order to protect the guilty, I won’t mention names or the year here.
Federation executives need to be removed if they cannot comply by FIBA’s rules and standards. If FIBA cannot do that, then they need to put pressure on the country’s sporting entities that oversee the federations, if they themselves are not corrupt.
Mexico is the third largest country in the Americas with 128 million sports-mad people, yet the men are ranked 8th in the current FIBA Americas ranking and 25th in the world, while the women are 9th and 43rd respectively.
Mexico has a very complex and competitive national school and university sports program but there is a disconnect when it comes to the federation. In the past, top players such as former NBAer Eduardo Najera declined to play for the national team in protest of the mismanagement and corruption within the federation.
They SHOULD be consistently going toe-to-toe with Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Canada for second place behind the US in the region. Even more so when you take into account how many Mexican-Americans raised and developed in the US play on the Mexican national teams.
Mexico has the talent necessary having won the 2013 AmeriCup. Those running the sport just need to get out of the players’ way. Mexico is too big and important a market for basketball and FIBA.
Here are some articles regarding the above as well as news from other federations. Enjoy!
Yao's new-school thinking targets next gen
CBA chief says measures to improve campus hoops will feed into pro game
A major exponent of physical education on campus, China's basketball chief Yao Ming is counting on teamwork with the country's school athletic system to boost the game's profile from bottom up.
Click here to read more.
Yao concedes China "lagging behind" opposition a year ahead of Olympic qualifier
China's men's team have not missed an Olympics since 1980 when they withdrew from the competition but are at risk of not qualifying for Tokyo 2020.
With a tough qualifying group ahead, China will look to make amends for an underwhelming performance at the 2019 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup.
Click here to read more.
CBA reforms offer plenty of hope
In a tumultuous year for Chinese hoops, Wukesong Arena has witnessed the historic lows and, more recently, the hope-inducing highs that point to brighter days for the nation's basketball fans.
The western Beijing stadium was the scene of Team China's miserable defeats to Poland and Venezuela which precipitated the country's worst ever performance at an international event－a 24th-place finish among 32 teams which saw China lose Asia's only direct Olympic qualification berth to Iran.
Click here to read more.
FIBA suspends Mexican Basketball Federation
The decision was made by FIBA's Executive Committee.
A FIBA statement read: "Despite repeated requests and direction, ADEMEBA has failed to register Approved Statutes with the relevant authorities.
"Consequently, ADEMA does not comply with its obligations as a National Member Federation under the applicable FIBA General Statutes and is suspended with immediate effect."
Click here to read more.
Mark Dickel says Gilas program in good hands with Tab Baldwin
EVEN though Gilas Pilipinas has yet to name a permanent head coach, Mark Dickel said the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is headed in the right direction after installing a program headed by Tab Baldwin.
Click here to read more.
CBC basketball officially over for 2020
All tournaments planned for this year by the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) have been blown off until 2021.
President of CBC, Glyne Clarke, said that the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has mandated that all championships this year including those hosted by the CBC be suspended.
Click here to read more.
Basketball Ireland announces closure of 2020 international season
Basketball Ireland has announced the closure of its international season for 2020.
It means the 10 international programmes at U16, U17, U18, U20 and Senior for Men and Women have seen their seasons prematurely ended, with the different squads at various stages in their preparations for 2020 Summer tournaments when the sport suspended its on-court activities in mid-March.
Click here to read more.
Rwanda’s basketball culture is surging but development challenges remain
Ahead of inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) that is set to take place beginning March 2020, Rwanda is developing its own Basketball culture for a sport that still suffers from limited sponsorship and lack of modern infrastructures to boost its development across the country.
Click here to read more.
Morocco Moves to Revive Basketball Leagues, Reform National Team
Rabat – After a two-year pause, the provisional committee in charge of the management of the Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation (FRMBB) is set to carry out an emergency plan to put basketball back on track in Morocco.
The committee, established in April 2019, is coordinating with the FRMBB supervisory ministry to focus on resuming several priority projects after the COVID-19 crisis in Morocco wanes.
Click here to read more.
Basketball en el Perú: un salto hacia el cambio
Alternativa. Ante una federación acéfala y desafiliada de la FIBA, se formó la nueva Liga Peruana de Basketball, torneo privado que busca el resurgimiento de dicho deporte.
Click here to read more.
-------------
Author Alan Walls is an American international basketball coach and administrator with over 25 years of experience on the youth, high school, NCAA, professional and national team levels in 16 countries and on five continents. Walls has worked with the national federations of Turkey, Romania, Palestine, Mongolia, Kenya and El Salvador as well as coached or conducted camps and clinics throughout the United States – including his native Hawai’i – Mexico, Argentina, China, Hong Kong and Israel. Walls is the founder and General-Secretary of the United Nations of Basketball (2020 launch).
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