China's ongoing search for a caliber point guard threw up a new name yesterday, when head coach Jonas Kazlauskas included 18-year-old Liu Xiaoyu in the summer roster.

Two years ago Liu was an unknown kid with a shaved head playing ball on the streets of Changchun. He worked his way up through the Chinese Highschool Basketball League (CHBL) and training camps hosted by local sponsors.

He was picked up by Guangdong Tigers, former team of NBA prospect Yi Jianlian, and his impressive performances last season persuaded the national team's Lithuanian supremo to give him a shot.

Joining Liu in the summer roster, which will see players audition for spots alongside Yao Ming at next year's Beijing Olympics, are two other international rookies, Wang Lei and Ding Jinhui. Making way are veterans Gong Songlin and Yang Ming, who are struggling with injuries.

All three of the new picks were part of the junior team that embarrassed the Yao-less senior team this month. They also beat Sydney Tigers twice.

"I know people have very high expectations of this team. So do I, and that's why I keep on improving the roster and pushing them so hard," the Lithuanian told media yesterday.

"The three new players have impressed me very much over the past months, they are young and very motivated, I think they will show me something and also tell our veterans that the challenge is there."

"This is not the final roster for the Olympics. I will adjust the line-up a month later after the warm-up matches and I won't stop doing so until I find the right players."

Pure point guard

Now considered the most exciting pure point guard prospect in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), Liu averaged 2.75 points and two assists to help his team Guangdong Tigers to the Playoff Finals.

Next season he is expected to get significantly more minutes, and his playmaking instincts make him particularly attractive for a team that struggles to get the ball to its star big men.

The starting point guard remains Liu Wei, and Liu Xiaoyu will compete for minutes off the bench with Guangdong teammate Chen Jianghua, who has struggled to live up to the hype his addition to the roster last year created.

Zhejiang small forward Ding, 17, has been picked for his scoring potential. He averaged 14.4 points and six boards last season and almost single-handedly took a weak Horses team to the playoffs.

Meanwhile Wang, who is 21 and stands at 2.01m, had 18.6 points and a career-high six assists last season for Shanxi.

"For sure we have the best inside big men in the world - Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian. The team would be an international force if only it could get them the ball," said Kazlauskas.

"Like I said before, everybody will pass the ball to Yao at the Olympics. We play team basketball and everybody is important in offense and defense."

Zhu Fangyu, a key contributor on the team that made the quarterfinals at the world championships last summer, has been sidelined after surgery. Also unable to participate this summer because of injuries are Li Nan and forward Du Feng.

Warm-up series

Yi Jianlian, who is preparing for the 2007 NBA Draft in Los Angeles, Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming also will join the camp later this month with a chance of making the roster for the summer warm-up series that runs from June to September.

The CBA has also set up "Team Two" for the first time this summer, with the aim of providing competition for the first team and the opportunity for talented youngsters to hone their skills.

Hu Jiashi, vice-president of the CBA, said the new system is helping the team gear up for the Olympics.

"We want to create more competition inside the team and give the coach more choices," he said. "If a veteran doesn't play hard, he will be relegated. So in the camp, they have to fight for their positions as they cannot take anything for granted."

China is scheduled to join a four nation invitational later this month in Guangdong, and will then head for Europe in July.

The team will also take on Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic at the NBA China Games in Macao in September.

China's men's team reached the last 16 of the World Championships in Japan in September, losing to eventual runners-up Greece. The team underlined their regional dominance by winning the Asian Games in Doha in December despite being without Yao of the Houston Rockets.

National team roster: Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Mo Ke, Zhang Songtao, Ding Jinhui, Li Xiaoxu, Wang Shipeng, Wang Lei, Li Nan, Zhou Peng, Sun Yue, Huo Nan, Liu Wei, Wang Zhongguang, Chen Jianghua, Zhang Qingpeng, Liu Xiaoyu.

(China Daily May 31, 2007)