Hoop dreams

By Zhang Yiqian Source:Global Times Published: 2012-11-22 19:25:05

 

American basketball star Sophia Young joined WCBA champions Beijing Great Wall during the WNBA off-season, but the team has made a sluggish start to its title defense. Photo: Li Hao/GT
American basketball star Sophia Young joined WCBA champions Beijing Great Wall during the WNBA off-season, but the team has made a sluggish start to its title defense. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Each Monday at 10 am, the court of the Shougang Basketball Center in Shijingshan district comes to life. Pounding sounds of dribbling basketballs and staccato whistles echo throughout the arena as 10 players from the Beijing Great Wall women's basketball team, dressed in red and black jerseys, run through their training drills.

One player, with her 1.86-meter frame, stands tall among the crowd. West Indian-American Sophia Young, 28, wears a faded gray sweatshirt beneath her jersey and immaculate, white basketball shoes. As she receives a pass from her teammate, she effortlessly weaves past her opponent en route to the hoop and fires a delicate layup off the glass.

Queen of the court

Young is one of the marquee foreign stars in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). She joined Beijing Great Wall, which won its maiden WCBA title last season, in October ahead of the 2012-13 season.

Young has been compared in the Chinese media to Stephon Marbury, another American import who plays for reigning champions the Beijing Ducks in the men's competition. Marbury, who had a stellar yet troubled career in the NBA, joined the Ducks last year and has since won over fans with his declared love for Beijing.

Xu Limin, head coach of Beijing Great Wall, has lofty expectations of Young, hoping she can embrace her role as a leader in the youthful team and lead them to back-to-back championships.

Young is one of the team's two foreign stars along with South Korean point guard Kim Yeong-Ok, who joined last year.

Young was born in 1983 on the small Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. She grew up passionate about sport, however basketball wasn't her first choice. She started running track when she was 8, before switching to volleyball and eventually basketball.

At 15, Young moved to the US to attend Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she played basketball for three years. After she graduated, she received a scholarship to play college basketball for Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

"I just happened to pick up basketball for a little bit; it was the one [sport] that kind of stuck. It offered more of a career path than track or volleyball," Young said of her choice. "I enjoy basketball. I love the freedom I have, the stress-free feeling."

In 2006, she was selected in the WNBA draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars, and earlier this year was named as a roster finalist for the US national team for the 2012 London Olympics.

Bona fide team player

For Young, a veteran globetrotter who has also played basketball in Italy, Turkey and the Czech Republic, her reason for coming to China was simple.

"I didn't know much about the team [before coming here]," she said. "I told my agent I wanted to be in China and he found me a team."

Young, a four-time WNBA All-Star, said her main reason for playing in China is that WCBA season is shorter than the Euroleague competition, which spans seven months. Once the WCBA season wraps up in February, Young will still have adequate time to rest before the WNBA season gets underway.

Another reason is to absorb a different style of play and "develop as a ballplayer," she said.

"I think for basketball, it's always a great experience coming to a new country. You get to learn so much [that you can] add to your repertoire and style of play," she said.

Xu said he was attracted by Young's talent when he saw her playing in the US. Now that Young is on his roster, he hopes she can serve as a mentor to her teammates and provide much-needed firepower against other WCBA teams with star foreign players, such as Zhejiang Chouzhou's dunking Australian Liz Cambage and Shanxi Xingrui Flame's Maya Moore, who scored 60 points in a November 10 game against Yunnan Qujing.

"I hope [Young] can bring to the team the talents of an American player, especially speed. I want her to be able to contribute to scoring for our team and create more scoring opportunities through her strong offense and defense abilities," Xu said.

Young, a power forward for the San Antonio Silver Stars, admits she has adopted a more versatile role as a "team player" since joining Beijing.

"I don't play selfishly. If I'm open and somebody else has a better shot, I'll pass the ball to give them [the shot]. For me, it's all about being part of the team and winning at any cost," she said. "It doesn't matter how many points I have, it's just a matter of whether my team wins."

Dealing with pressure

After Monday's training session, Xu called Young aside to talk about her recent performance and share his thoughts about her role in the team.

"I want to help her perform well here, even better than at the WNBA," he said. "I think she has a lot of potential. She can perform even better; the team and her haven't had a long time to get used to each other yet."

But for Young, the most important thing is to contribute her best to the team. She tries not to put too much pressure on herself, regardless of how much pressure mounts on the team. So far, Beijing Great Wall's championship defense has been shaky, winning four and losing four games.

Young recalled how when she was at Baylor, she always strived to live up to her coach's expectations. But her coach vented his anger at her performance after one particular game, which made Young feel at her "lowest of the low." Since then, she has resolved not to let anyone make her feel that way again.

"I feel like there are always expectations of me, no matter where I go. I try not to put too much pressure on myself or live up to anybody's expectations," she said. "I'm happy to set my own expectations and just live up to those."



Posted in: Metro Beijing

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