Fiba Basketball World Cup: China to ‘travel the globe’ to prepare for tournament, head coach Dordevic says
- Team to play 9 games, including SuperCup in Germany and match at home against medal hopefuls Serbia
- Star player Zhou Qi targeting automatic qualification for 2024 Paris Olympics at sport’s showcase event this summer
China’s men will travel the globe in preparation for the basketball World Cup this summer, including taking on medal hopefuls Serbia just six days before the two sides clash in Group B in Quezno City.
Head coach Aleksandar Dordevic said the game against the country of his birth would be played in China, and would be the last of a nine-game burst, that also includes taking part in the SuperCup in Hamburg, alongside Canada, New Zealand and the hosts in mid-August.
The month-long warm-up will culminate in the clash with Serbia on August 20, less than a week before the side makes its 10th appearance at the World Cup, where they will also face off against Puerto Rico and South Sudan, who have qualified for the first time.
“We are the team that has to prove our quality but that can be a big motivation,” Dordevic said.
“Like I always say, no one is better than you until they beat you on the floor. It is a tough group for us and Serbia is a medal contender in my opinion, so it is going to be a great experience for us.”
While the 55-year-old, who led his country to silver medals at the 2014 World Cup, and the 2016 Rio Olympics, said reaching the second round was “a definite goal”, he also sounded a note of caution.
“Before you run, you have to walk,” he said. “We have to first prepare ourselves for the World Cup, and be ready.
“I hope the injuries will not be present in our squad because that is the biggest fear one coach can have, and we just have to prepare ourselves both mentally and physically.”
