Preview of China Basketball Summit 2015 (Ⅱ)：Wang Fei's basketball dream

Former Chinese international basketballer Wang Fei is renowned for his high-profile career.  Mr. Wang started his career with Bayi Basketball Club’s youth team in 1979 and was called up by China’s national youth team three years later and then by the national team in 1985. He has achieved so much success in his career, having both a winner’s medal from the Asian Games and the FIBA Asian Championships to go with a ninth place in the FIBA World Championship. 

Wang Fei was not only an outstanding athlete but also an outstanding coach. When the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) was first established in 1994, Wang Fei, who was then 31, was named the head coach of Bayi. The young coach, as he was then, led the likes of Liu Yudong, Li Nan and Wang Zhizhi to build a dynasty in China’s top tier basketball league.

Wang had a saying “I would humiliated if someone said I win because I have a strong squad”.

Wang’s remarkable coaching achievements then came to the attention of the Chinese national teams, which led to him coaching the national youth team from 1996-1998 and progressing to the national team a year after that. Unfortunately, his intensive coaching obligations led to illness and this forced him to call a time-out as the head coach of both China’s national basketball team and Bayi. However, during a trip to the United States, Wang managed to update himself on the most advanced knowledge and theories in the sport, which has in turn helped him to take a more innovative approach and improve his working methods.

In 2002, Wang Fei finally retired as head coach of China’s national team.  The generational change and lack of talents in the team gave him the idea of focusing on youth training. In an interview, Wang clearly expressed his wish “to do some work at the grass-roots level”.

Accordingly, Wangfei Basketball Academy was launched in November 2003 with Wang himself acting as the head coach. Since then Wang has given a lot of time to the academy despite the fact that he has also been coaching two CBA teams and acts as a part-time commentator at CCTV 5.

Apart from the well-established coaching system and solid achievements, the valuable on-court experience, coaching experience and advanced philosophy all contribute to the academy’s competitive advantage.

Just as Wang Fei puts it, “those kids, they love basketball. So do I. They want to learn and I am happy to teach them. ”

Some of those youngsters have developed into stars because of his patient and kindly guidance. For example, Luo Yuhang, the then trainee in Wang Fei’s academy, was selected as a member of the Nike Asia Basketball Academy in 2004 and the following year was admitted to the Beijing Union University, making him the Academy’s first CUBA player. In 2005, Sui Ran joined Wang’s basketball academy and was selected for the Shandong Gold Basketball Club youth team. He became the first trainee from Wang’s academy to play for a professional basketball league club.

The best known player from Wang’s academy is Ding Yan Yuhang who did remarkably well in this year’s FIBA Asia Championship. Wang Fei launched his first basketball summer camp in Xiangjiang in 2005 and Ding Yan Yuhang was among the first batch of trainees in the camp. In the following year, Ding officially joined Wang’s academy and two years later he was promoted to the Shandong Youth Team. In 2011, Ding made his debut in the CBA league. In 2013, he was called up by the Chinese men’s national basketball team. His good on-court performance has also been recognized by Chinese basketball fans during the game held in Shangsha.

But Ding’s case is not the norm. How to find a way to progress the majority of the trainees is still a tough nut to crack for sports training institutions. After all, it’s about whether parents are willing to send their child to these basketball academies. In this regard, Wang Fei has a deep understanding of the issues involved and offers his own solution.
Wang Fei initiated a combination of basketball training and general education courses in his training academy 12 years ago. This combination enables graduates to have a selection of career choices in the likes of sports agencies, sports organization management, sports media, sports intermediaries and sports marketing.

In fact, Wang Fei’s educational philosophy has contributed to his students’ careers in professional basketball teams and higher education institutions. You can visit the youth basketball teams of Bayi, Dongguan New Century Leopards, Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, and Shanghai Sharks and you are liable to come across a graduate from Wang’s training academy. Likewise if you go to universities such as East China Jiaotong University, the Beijing Sport University, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, the Capital University of Economics and Business or Guangdong University of Technology.

Over the last decade, over 90% of Wang’s students have enrolled in top-tier universities while 98% have been admitted to above second-tiers in China. The academy has been training many professional players as well as adding new blood to the Chinese University Basketball Super League. Wang’s graduates are not only achieving in the arena, but also in many other areas. For example, Tang Xiaotian, one of Wang’s students, is now a Chinese super model.

At the China Basketball Summit 2015 to be held next month, Wang Fei will share his insights on the relationship between youth training and the development of Chinese basketball, unresolved questions re youth training as well as the acceleration of youth training in China and the modus operandi of his basketball camps. In addition, the summit will bring together basketball professionals from the Americas and Europe to discuss the difficulties that China faces in its existing basketball operation e.g. the commercial operation of professional clubs.

Youth training is fundamental to any sport. Accordingly, without youth training, China would see few breakthroughs on the international stage. At present, 12 years after the founding of Wang Fei’s basketball training camps, what new ideas does Wang wish to share about basketball youth training in China? Please follow Yutang Sports to hear more!
About the China Basketball Summit 2015

After Beijing’s successful bid for the rights to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, China was awarded the rights to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup after defeating the Philippines on Aug.7, 2015. This good news makes the whole country jubilant.  At the same time, the General Administration of Chinese Sport deepened the reform of sports management systems in response to the reform plan drawn up by the State Council. The China Basketball Summit 2015 has been launched under these conditions.

The China Basketball Summit 2015, organized by Pioneer Sports, will be held in Shanghai from December 10th to 11th. The summit will be a combination of Chinese basketball professionals along with marketers and experts from America, Europe and other parts of the world. The summit will also serves as a perfect platform for those professionals and experts to tap into the tremendous business opportunities within the industry. They can exchange views on the commercial operation of professional clubs, youth basketball training and other issues that need to be addressed urgently in the current Chinese basketball market with the aim of addressing the weaknesses in Chinese basketball and making a big leap forward.

Pioneer Sports is committed to building a long-term professional platform for the exchange between Chinese basketball and international basketball. At the same time they would aim to provide a consulting service and expertise for clubs and public institutions on basketball-related strategy, organisation, operations and technology. Saipao 360, an online ticket-selling company and Yutang Sports, a premium sports marketing company in China, will serve as the co-organisers of the summit and so provide their considerable support.

Yutang will also bring you the most compelling topics and cutting-edge insights from the front as well some exclusive interviews with distinguished guests!

http://www.pioneersports.cn/Contactus.html

Distinguished Guests

David Yang

Senior Vice President

NBA China

As Senior Vice President of Business Affairs for NBA China, David Yang oversees NBA's youth and basketball development efforts and directs the league's government affairs, branded destinations business, NBA Global Games, communications and social responsibility operations in China.

Under his leadership, NBA China and the Chinese Ministry of Education established a groundbreaking partnership that aims to further youth development through basketball in elementary, middle and high schools across China.  Since October 2014, NBA China and the Ministry of Education have jointly launched a series of initiatives including the Jr. NBA High School League in Beijing, the development of NBA style basketball curriculum that aims to provide enhanced basketball training to at least three million students, basketball exchange programs and a RMB 10 million (US $1.6 million) pledge in a joint effort to build and refurbish public basketball courts across China. 

Han Lifeng

Han Lifeng, currently serves as General Manager of Bloomage International (Beijing) Wukesong Arena Management Co., Ltd .He manage the group of   venues including MasterCard Center, Huiyuan space, Hi-Park , Wukesong Cultural&Sports Plaza.

Han Lifeng is a domestic specialist in the sports and cultural venues’ commercialized operation. The MasterCard Center which led by him has the profitability of the strongest and highest space-utilization. He spearheaded the creation of five-into-one service system, venue security procedures, which provides a textbook-class theory for commercial venues operation mode.

Tom McCarthy

Chairman

Beijing International Group (BIG)

BIG Lifestyle Development Limited (BLDL)

Positive image limited (PIL)

McCarthy has served Asia & China in the fields of sports, education, corporate consultancy & services, and lifestyle development since 1987. Prior to creating the present group of companies, his wide experience as a former global corporate basketball marketing senior executive, multi-level coach, & player, contributed to providing him a unique perspective into global basketball development. In China, McCarthy has participated for over 20 years in every area and level of basketball from event organizer, coach/player clinician & author, university lecturer, Olympic consultant, and philanthropist working with 4 national sports associations as well as creating a unique pyramid (local-international) model for sport development, and implementing cutting edge corporate/client care programs to maximize sports rights & benefits.

Zheng Wen

Mr. Zheng Wen has worked as President for InfrontChina,Managing Director Greater China for Octagon and Marketing & LicensingManager for IMG U.S. H/Q. Mr. Zheng is the first Chinese heading the China business for major international sports marketing companies. Mr. Zheng is one of the senior executives in the sports marketing area, who has combined 20 years working experience, international perspective, overseas and local management expertise as well as the insights in the New Economy.

Shoto ZHU, Founder and CEO, OCEANS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT INC

Working in sports industry at his 18th year, Shoto ZHU has become one of the key opinion leaders in sport marketing in Asia. After providing his services to the J.League, FIFA Marketing, Dentsu Sports and China Football Association in the early years, Shoto founded the company OCEANS Sports & Entertainment Inc which then grow into a key market player in the Chinese booming sport industry in recent years. Listed in Chinese Stock Exchange Market at Jan 2014, OCEANS is now providing its services to Federations, Clubs, Brands and Media companies for sport management, sponsorship consultancy and media rights acquisition/sales, as well as investing in growing sport properties all over Asia.