Today, as the Energen RP Youth U-16 National Team departed for Nha Trang, Vietnam, I remember telling my brother something, "Remember, your playing against 7-footers possibly headed to the NBA". Yes, potential NBA prospects are very much present in this competition but I will be highlighting two centers who could and can potentially post problems for us presently and for the years to come (since we are most definitely rooting for the Philippines).
Zhou Qi - China
Height: 215 cm (Approx: 7'1")
Age: 15
Birthday: 16/01/1996 (Day/Month/Year)
Already dubbed "The Next Yao Ming", a lot of weight lies on the shoulders of Zhou Qi to lead China to its "rightful" place in Asian basketball, the top. Zhou is most known for his dominating performances in the semi-final and championship game in an U-16 tournament where he became an overnight sensation. He posted a dominating triple-double performance of 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 15 blocks against Germany and followed it up with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 blocks in the finals against Turkey where he led China to the Gold and earning the MVP in the process. In NBADraft.net, they already have Zhou as the #1 ranked prospect in the class of 2015 or 2016 and some scouts even consider him to be better than Yao Ming at his age. As you can see in the video above, Zhou is a fundamentally sound player who can finish with both hands. He has a very lanky frame which makes him a longer player but a much weaker player (he is only listed 190 pounds). He also has the ability to step-away from the basket and shoot mid-range jumpers. He still has to develop his athleticism and his strength but he has the quickness to make up for it as of the moment. Zhou also has the ability to block shots but he swats in-play and allows his teammates to get it and start a fastbreak. His listed birth year is 1996 and has not changed since. (But we all assume he is older than that)
Satnam Singh Bhamara - India
Height: 204 cm
Age: 15
Birthday: 12/10/1995 (Day/Month/Year)
If Zhou Qi is "The Next Yao Ming", then Satnam Singh Bhamara is "India's Yao Ming". Hailing from a small town in Northern India, Satnam Singh is a young kid trapped in a structured and chiseled body of a man. Satnam is a legitimate post player with a feathery outside touch. For the past year, he has been attending the IMF Basketball Academy in Florida, where he was given a 4-year scholarship. I remembered Satnam as a very slow player but played with a lot of intensity. He had weak legs but made up for it with his wide and broad body. Based on the video, we can see that Satnam has continued to develop his low post game. He can now finish comfortably with both his left and right hand. He also is now comfortable dunking the ball rather than shooting very awkward scoop shots. Satnam already now knows how to run down the floor and does it with a purpose. His outside shot is still silky smooth allowing the opposing bigs to step away from the shaded area. He is also a force to be reckoned with on defense and he swats away a ton of shots while altering a lot more in the process.
On a side note, China and India will play against each other on October 18, 2011 at 2100 in the 2nd FIBA Asia U-16 tournament held in Nha Trang, Vietnam. We'll see who has a better game when the giants clash.
