The move to put former China Olympic basketball squad players Du Feng and Li Nan in the hot seat as coaches of the national team reflects a different approach to previously disappointing appointments of foreign coaches. China Basketball Association (CBA) Chairman Yao Ming hopes the duo can turn things around for the PRC's national team, and inspire the players before the 2019 World Cup.

Competition leads to growth. That's the belief of basketball legend Yao Ming, who, as the new CBA chairman, will soon kick start his new dynasty with a new system of two national training teams. China will now introduce Du Feng and Li Nan into the mix, after their wealth of experience in the Chinese league as coaches, and as players in the international arena.

Yao said "both Li and Du were excellent athletes for our country and have been coaching for years. They have rich experience in coaching."

The two teams led by Du and Li will hope to cultivate a competitive edge between each other in the two and a half years before China hosts the 2019 World Cup.

"Our top goal now is to play well at the 2019 World Cup. I hope we can achieve something as hosts. To reach that goal, we not only need to have a new generation of young players but also cultivate coaches. Under the current circumstances, we hope the coaches are given chances to foster their team," said Yao.

The team that stands out the most will represent China in the run-up to the World Cup, before the two teams are eventually combined for the 2019 tournament. Yao, the rest of the CBA and Team China fans will hope that their performances will heavily reflect the styles implemented by the two new coaches.

Sports commentator Xu Jicheng said, "I think these two coaches have obvious advantages. China began employing foreign coaches around 2003. Du and Li were the first generation of players to have played in the Olympics under foreign coaches. Both of them have gone through some tough games with Yao. So, the three know and trust each other. As we all know, there won't be improvement if all the best players are on the same team. Dividing them into two will help them improve. The level of your opponents to some extent decides your abilities."

More players will be given the opportunity to show if they have what it takes. With automatic qualification as hosts for the 2019 tournament, this system is expected to fill in game time as China starts its journey towards basketball reform.