Exclusive interview with Chinese men s basketball player Wang Junjie: Next time, we will win this point back

In the ending Asian Cup final of the men's basketball team, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to Australia by one point and won the runner-up. "When the award presentation, Brother Qiu (Hu Jinqiu) told me: 'This point will be regained by you in the future. This is a heritage of the Chinese men's basketball team.'" Chinese men's basketball player Wang Junjie said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency recently, "This point means that we must continue to motivate ourselves more in the future, work harder and more desperately in training. This is the prerequisite for us to defeat the world's strong team."

One point, we fought hard

This men's basketball Asian Cup, after breaking through the group stage, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated the South Korean team in the quarter-finals and the New Zealand team in the semi-finals. What impressed people was that Wang Junjie always had a bright smile on his face, whether he was interviewed by the media or in the team.

defeated Australia in one point in the final. After the game, Wang Junjie was selected for the best team. When he stood in the center of the field, he no longer had his former smile and tears flowed down.

"This game was really difficult. Australia advanced to the finals with a winning 30 or 40 points in each game. Every game we advanced to win was single digits. It can be said that we fought with our lives and reached the finals step by step." Wang Junjie said.

The silver medal this time is the best result of the Chinese men's basketball team in this competition in the past decade. What is our winning weapon? Wang Junjie said affirmatively: "We went on the court to play with them and to 'bite' them." He recalled the mobilization meeting before the game, "Before the final, coach Guo (Shiqiang) instructed that the confrontation between the two armies depends on morale and mentality. No matter how panicked you are, you cannot show it now. We put ourselves in a lower posture, and we are not afraid of wearing shoes barefoot, but we are fighting."

One point is the final chapter of regret and the prologue of hope. Recalling the final, Wang Junjie had a complicated emotion in his eyes: "This point is the hard work of everyone. This point has many regrets and many reluctances. No one wants to win the gold medal more than us."

"We just lose with one point. I still feel that if we can do it further and handle the small details well, this point may be able to be recovered." Wang Junjie did not fall into regret for the past. "This point proves that we have the capital to fight against a strong team, and this point also gives everyone a hope. In the future, we will work harder and harder in training, and grasp the details well. We may not be unable to defeat them."

Victory is a time and time

In this Asian Cup, Wang Junjie showed his qualities of not being afraid of confrontation and being able to grab rebounds, as well as excellent shooting and three-point shooting ability. He was nicknamed "the strongest summer vacation worker" by netizens and was selected into the best team of this men's basketball team in the Asian Cup for his outstanding performance.

As the only national team player in the Chinese men's basketball team that has not been trained in the traditional professional youth training system and has completely emerged from the basic education campus in the past 20 years, Wang Junjie was only 20 years old at this time. In January this year, head coach Guo Shiqiang fell in love with him when he went to the United States to inspect players.

Behind his accumulation of strength, his experience in overseas play is inseparable from his experience in overseas play. In 2019, Wang Junjie was selected for the NBA (US Vocational Basketball) Global Elite Program and went to the Australian NBA Academy for training. In 2023, he was selected for the NBA 2023 Basketball Frontier Training Camp. In the same year, Wang Junjie announced his joining the University of San Francisco in the first-tier league of the NCAA (American College Students' Athletic Association).

"The experience of studying abroad is continuous nirvana again and again." Wang Junjie admitted frankly, "In China, I played relatively easily and without pressure, but when I really went out and arrived in Australia, I fell directly from that powerful person to the end."

During my days in Australia, Wang Junjie "worked hard day by day and finally got to the starter." "When I went to San Francisco University with confidence and hope, I found that my level was still the same as dust. I became the person at the end of the bench again, so I could only hit it little by little." Wang Junjie said.

"The process is very painful, and I don't want to experience it again, but only by burying my head in this way can I reach the end." After experiencing ups and downs, facing success or failure, what Wang Junjie remains unchanged is his love for basketball. "I think I must be unable to live without it. Basketball has actually been printed in my own genes. If everyone gave up (easily), our Chinese men's basketball team would not be able to fight to this day step by step."

The future, with lofty heart

"This point is also an explanation for the majority of fans. Everyone unites and fights on the court. In the future, we will win more goals." When mentioning this point again, Wang Junjie's tone became more determined to the future.

He recalled Guo Shiqiang's instructions to them: "When young players have a chance, you have to work hard. You have to seize it so that you can show yourself. Always believe that miracles are created by people."

"For me, the best team is brought to me by the entire team. If our entire team has not fought hard and has no competition to the final, I will never be able to enter the best team." This achievement also gave With more motivation, looking forward to next season, Wang Junjie said, "This can also give me a kind of affirmation, which makes me confident that the NCAA will compete with them again in the next season."

"The Chinese men's basketball team has fought to this day, and the Asian Cup is just a starting point. Every time we hold a summary meeting, we say that we must be lofty. What will really test us later is the World Cup, whether we can return to the Olympics." Wang Junjie has set higher goals for the future.