Guo Ailun, China's ace guard of the country's national basketball team, shared his views in an interview with FIBA this week about the upcoming Basketball World Cup. Guo considers playing the tournament on home soil "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I have been thinking about it for many months now, and I had dreams about playing in this competition, being cheered and with plenty of support from our fans. Who wouldn't want to play in a FIBA World Cup at home, on your home soil and try to make your fellow compatriots proud? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we all want to have a great tournament," said the 25-year-old.
China missed the last World Cup in Spain in 2014 because the team failed to make the semi-finals at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in the Philippines. This time as the host, China have a good opportunity to leave a good record as they are in a relatively easy group (Group A) with Poland, Venezuela and Côte d'Ivoire.
Players of the Chinese national basketball team pose to take photo before the warm-up game against Puerto Rico, August 12, 2019. /VCG Photo
"It's a very good group, and I really like it, to be honest. We are going to play against teams that play different kinds of basketball…Venezuela won the FIBA Americas a couple of years ago, Poland have some players that compete in the best leagues in Europe and Cote d'Ivoire are a very solid team. We are going to take it one game at a time, and we have to start the first round the best way."
China haven't decided their final roster for the World Cup yet, though the team have already launched multiple training camps and played many warm-up games. Guo believes that all these are necessary efforts in the team's preparation. "We are ambitious and very motivated to be in the best physical and mental mindset for the start of the competition."
Though the final list is not announced yet, Guo is expected to secure a spot on it as one of China's best players. This time, he will meet some of the world's best basketball players at home and sounds excited.
Rudy Gobert (L) of France, Giannis Antetokounmpo (C) of Greece and Nikola Jokic of Serbia (R) will all play at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. /VCG Photo
"I am so looking forward to playing against guys that I have never faced before, and to show what I can do. When I see that guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova are going to play in China for this tournament, that is so great. … It's a fantastic opportunity to be able to compete at this level," said Guo.
Guo also believes that hosting the World Cup will help promote development of the sport in the country. First, Chinese fans can watch their national team compete with the world's best teams; second, when young players see their compatriots do well at the World Cup, it will inspire them, helping them believe that hard work and passion can bring success.
"Hosting a tournament like the FIBA Basketball World Cup is a booster for basketball in every country, and China's love for this sport is very good. It’s going to keep basketball growing in our country."
China will play another warm-up game with Brazil on Friday night in Guangzhou. When asked about the final roster, head coach Li Nan said he will make the decision when they are back in Beijing.