The Chinese women's national basketball team will assemble at the end of March to prepare for the FIBA Women's Asian Cup and the Asian Games, the team's head coach Zheng Wei revealed in an interview with Xinhua News Agency this week.

"We will play the Asian Cup in June, but some of the players who were in last year's World Cup may not join the team because they have contracts with the WNBA teams. So, the mission will be tough for us," Zheng said. 

She said four or five players had contact with the WNBA, and it has been their dream to play overseas. Zheng hopes that the women can refine themselves in a more competitive league and return to perform better for the national team.

Zheng told Xinhua that the Asian Cup and the Asian Games are China's short-term goal. Their long-term goal is the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. 

"We need to combine our preparations with the two goals," she said in the interview. "We may recruit more young players who can compete in international events. They are eager to play for the national team. We want to observe them and help them grow. This time, we can add one backup to every position. The national list will include 16 to 18 players this time."

China were the runners-up in the World Cup last year. It matched the team's best record in the tournament. The last time they did so was in 1994, and Zheng was a player on the team back then.

"We had regrets when we were the runners-up in 1994 because we had never been that close to world championship," Zheng said. "We beat Australia; Brazil defeated USA. We had never lost to Brazil back then, so we thought we were the world champions before playing the final game. We were not ready mentally. We wanted to win so badly that we weren't performing in the best way we could. It's a pity."

Zheng believes that China's victory over France in last year's World Cup quarterfinals boosted the players' confidence because they beat the best-performing France. 

"It's like something clicked for the team, and then we became unstoppable. Our players could perform in their best way on the court, both in skills and their mindset. This time, we had no regrets," Zheng told Xinhua.

However, Zheng has not gotten carried away by China's success in the World Cup. She believes a real powerhouse remains on top every time they participate in the tournament. 

"Like Australia, Spain, France, Serbia and Canada, they are the real strong teams because they have always been between No. 2 and No. 6, not to mention USA. We were only fifth or sixth previously. We must prove that we are a real strong team," Zheng said.

Zheng has been paying close attention to the development of women's basketball. 

"You know how it changes when you watch how American players work," she told Xinhua. "Women are playing more and more like men. Games are more physical. Positions are growing less and less clear. Defense is getting tougher and tougher; players' individual skills are becoming more and more important. That's what today's basketball is like. We need to follow this trend."

Zheng is convinced that the Chinese national team is on the right track of development, which can be seen in their efforts and performances over the past four years.