Guangdong Makes Announcement as New Head Coach Criticizes Players; Three Players Depart for Asian Games

On September 7 Beijing time, Guangdong Southern Tigers finally secured their first preseason victory on the previous night, defeating Shenzhen 86-80, with Yang Yi scoring a team-high 19 points. Guangdong officially released highlights of the game late at night, saying: “Build chemistry, adjust rotations, and calibrate the lineup!” New head coach Yakovlevich also publicly delivered his first stern criticism of players with Huang Mingyi and Zhang Haojia involved. Some fans commented that even a composed coach like him would express dissatisfaction when facing the performances of young players at Guangdong. Meanwhile, Guangdong players Hu Mingxuan, Jiao Boqiao and Cui Yongxi have officially departed for Japan with the national team to participate in the Nagoya Asian Games.

Guangdong’s new head coach Yakovlevich is actually a coach who mainly emphasizes encouragement. When players make mistakes, his first reaction is to point them out, allowing players to recognize the problem before correcting and encouraging them. However, when emotions rise, he can also deliver strong criticism. This is similar to what Du Feng previously said: if players continue making mistakes after being told once or twice, and still do not change after three or four times, coaches will naturally lose patience and begin criticizing them.

Huang Mingyi’s situation last night was a typical example. Near the end of the third quarter, Shenzhen’s offense failed and Huang grabbed the rebound. Normally, he should have passed the ball to a guard to advance it up the court, but whether due to a lapse in focus or another reason, he did not immediately pass to Yang Yi in the backcourt. Instead, he tried to continue dribbling himself after bringing the ball down, only to have it stolen by the opponent and turned into a fast-break score. Yakovlevich became very angry after seeing the play and directly criticized Huang during the break between quarters, marking the first time since joining the team that he had shown such obvious frustration. However, after expressing his anger, Yakovlevich continued giving Huang opportunities. Huang repaid his trust in the fourth quarter by repeatedly stopping Shenzhen’s attacks in the closing moments, showing that the criticism had an effect.

After the preseason game ended, Guangdong officially released the highlights video late at night, stating that the team was working on rotation adjustments and lineup calibration. After two preseason games, Guangdong’s 12-man roster now appears relatively clear.

Three national team players and three foreign players are included, while Xu Jie, Wang Hongze, Chen Jiazheng and Zhou Peng have entered the rotation. The remaining two spots will be contested by Zhang Haojia, Zhang Wengyi, Yang Yi, Huang Mingyi and Yang Tengfei. Zhang Hao is temporarily unable to return to the court because of injury. Objectively speaking, Zhang Wengyi deserves a roster spot, as he may currently be the most consistent and accurate three-point shooter on the team. In addition, considering that Yakovlevich has started Huang Mingyi in both recent games, Huang should also be able to make the 12-man roster. Of course, after the regular season begins, adjustments will certainly be made based on injuries and opponents’ lineup characteristics.

Three Guangdong players were selected to the 12-man Chinese men’s basketball roster for the Asian Games: Cui Yongxi, Jiao Boqiao and Hu Mingxuan. Hu Mingxuan has also replaced Zhao Jiwei as the captain of the men’s basketball team for this Asian Games. The three players have already departed with the team and will soon arrive in Nagoya, Japan, for pre-tournament preparations. The three players have had almost no rest this summer, and they will have to return to play in the CBA after the Asian Games, making their workload very demanding.