Feature: Chinese teenagers wrap up 2-month-long professional basketball training in Lithuania

Nine Chinese professional teenager players wrapped up a two-month-long basketball training in the Baltic country on Saturday.

It's the first time that Chinese professionals were sent to Lithuania for training. They trained two hours in the morning, one and a half in the evening, and five days a week. The training lasted as long as two months.

The nine young men aged from 16 to 18 from CBA's Foshan Long Lions club in Foshan, a city in southern part of China, were excited about this training in Lithuania, a country famous for its high level of basketball in the international arena.

"The opportunity is very valuable and meaningful for us," said player Fan Ziming, echoed by his teammates.

"At the beginning of the training, we were not used to it due to culture difference and language barrier, but gradually we are improving in understanding the Lithuanian coach and reading the games," the players agreed.

Being the only player to be in Lithuania for the second time, Luo Yongxuan told Xinhua: "The training is different and impressive. It's shorter than what we do every day in China, but it has very good quality and more intensive."

Besides the professional training, the Chinese players also had matches with local clubs and teams during their stay.

Hu Ronghao, another player, said to Xinhua that: "We noticed the gaps between us and the local players. They are doing better on defense and team work. After the matches, we always analyze our problems and we are making progress these days."

"They are talented and have good skills," said the Lithuanian coach Saulius Stombergas, referring to the Chinese players.

Stombergas was a famous Lithuanian player. He once played basketball in China and enjoyed a good reputation. He now coaches the Lithuanian national youth team.

During the training, Stombergas and Kavaliauskas Sigitas, athletic coach of Lithuania's national basketball team, worked together for the Chinese players.

"We are trying to give them our best, such as our knowledge and our experiences, so they can improve for their future," said Stombergas.

The training program for the Chinese players is different from that for local players, according to Stombergas, due to different basketball philosophy and physical conditions.

After two months of intensive training, the players have improved physically and mentally, "and they are improving in reading the games," said Stombergas.

"They can feel the difference between themselves and the Lithuanian players, and now they understand better how to help each other," he said.

Defense and team work are the two things that have been always stressed during the training.

According to the Chinese coach Li Ke, this training offered a good opportunity for the players to experience different basketball culture, different styles of coaches, and different techniques. The process helped a lot in improving their adaptability.

"I'm also impressed by the basketball philosophy in Lithuania, and that they put much more focus on team work," he said.

The matches with local players also supplied chances for the team to find out their problems, "and it will help lay a solid foundation for our work in the future," Li added.

During the matches with local players of similar ages, Li was shocked by local players' desire to win the game and their power on the court.

"Maybe the local players are not excellent individually, but they can make good results through team work and everyone can play his role," he said.

Lithuanian basketball is pragmatically-orientated, with an eye on skills and techniques. It also has a solid foundation of professional training, starting with kids around 7 years old.

They started to get professional training at an early age, and formed very good communication and understanding with teammates and coaches, which helped a lot build their ideas of team work.

Lithuanian people say that the top three popular games in the country are basketball, basketball and basketball. And basketball is regarded as a religion of the Baltic country.

"It's in their blood," said Li.

"It's very hard to describe the power of basketball when you see in a stadium capable of accommodating 15,000 people that all the audience sing the national anthem before the game," Li said.

"Basketball is important and also special to Lithuanian people. It's a life style, not only local people's hobby."

"Hope that the two sides can continue the cooperation on training and create more chances for Chinese teenagers," Li said.

Stombergas also expressed his wish that the two countries will send more players to each other for matches.

"We are here to learn from Lithuanian counterparts," said Li, and for the players, what they did was to learn as much as possible during their stay. Endit