Guangdong Express: Guangdong Officially Speaks Out, New Head Coach Shows Rare Anger, Xu Jie Struggles

On September 6 Beijing time, Guangdong Hongyuan secured their first victory of this summer's warm-up games by defeating Shenzhen 86-80. Hongyuan's leading guard Xu Jie struggled badly in this game, missing shots repeatedly and scoring only seven points. New head coach Yakovlevich also showed rare anger, as the usually composed coach strongly criticized Zhang Haojia and Huang Mingyi after their mistakes and expressed great dissatisfaction with their performances. However, after calming down, he patiently pointed out their problems and continued to let both players stay on the court. Guangdong officially announced that three of its players had been selected for China's 12-man men's basketball roster for the Asian Games, expressing hopes that they would compete for their country and contribute their efforts.

Hongyuan's new head coach Yakovlevich is an encouraging coach, but that does not mean he lacks passion or that he never gets angry. If a coach remains indifferent after seeing players make basic mistakes, it would show that the coach does not care about the players or the team.

The right approach is to still patiently point out players' problems after expressing anger, provide solutions, and give players opportunities to prove themselves again. Coach Ya did that well tonight. Huang Mingyi, for example, played several good stretches at the start of the game, but near the end of the third quarter he lost focus. After grabbing a defensive rebound, he failed to secure the ball, allowing the opponent to steal it and score a fast-break basket. Yakovlevich saw this from the sideline and became extremely angry, pulling Huang Mingyi aside during the break between quarters and severely criticizing him. It may have been the first time many people saw the coach so angry. However, after the criticism, Yakovlevich still gave Huang another chance to play. In the final moments of the game, Huang made several key defensive plays and protected rebounds, helping Guangdong secure the victory. It is normal for head coaches to criticize players, but it should not involve insulting players' family members, nor should a player be permanently benched after being criticized.

Xu Jie was in poor form in this game, scoring only seven points. It is unclear whether he was too nervous playing in front of people from his hometown.

He could not make his shots, repeatedly missed three-pointers, and even failed to convert some very simple layups. Because Xu Jie is the team's star player and one of the league's top guards, expectations for him are naturally higher. However, this was only a warm-up game, and fluctuations in player form are normal. The most important thing is to make adjustments before the regular season, and we believe Xu Jie has the ability to do so. Keep going, Xu!

Three Guangdong players were selected for the national men's basketball team this summer. Hu Mingxuan and Jiao Boqiao represented the team in the World Cup qualifiers, and the Chinese Basketball Association recently announced the Asian Games men's basketball roster, with Hu Mingxuan, Jiao Boqiao, and Cui Yongxi included on the 12-man list. Hongyuan immediately made an official announcement expressing its support. Hu Mingxuan and the other two players have had a very demanding summer, with almost no time to rest. Hongyuan's announcement also represents the club's position and attitude. Hongyuan players have always responded when called upon and competed whenever needed. Since they have been selected for the national team roster, they will give their full effort in representing the country.