On October 13, the American Basketball Association (ABA)
announced in Indiana, USA, that the Beijing Aoshen basketball team
will join its league and play in the Red Conference in Southern
California. The regular season tips off in November.
Some of Aoshen's younger players are training and studying at the
University of the West in Los Angeles. Upon graduation, they have
the option of remaining in the US for a further two to four years
for more training and studies.
As one of the top leagues in the US, the ABA with some 60 teams
on its list distinguished itself from its older counterpart, the
National Basketball Association (NBA), with a more open style of
offensive play as well as some differences in rules.
"We've been working on this project for months. The ownership
and team are outstanding and will make a great addition to our
league," commented Joe Newman, ABA CEO.
George Pickering, Aoshen's spokesperson, said: "We are very
pleased and proud to be a part of the ABA. We are hoping to be one
of the premiere teams in the league."
While other Aoshen players are adapting to their new
environment, Sun Yue, Aoshen's only player on the Chinese national
team, is still in China and will play in the East Asian Games in
Macao from October 29 to November 6.
The gifted point guard was once used as a bargaining chip in a
dispute between the Beijing club and China's basketball
administration center (CBA).
Aoshen was established in 1997. It is a privately
owned?first-class professional basketball team. It applies for
admission to play in the league annually, but the center cannot
interfere with contracts between the club and its players.
The CBA has called Sun up for the national team twice since
2004. But the club's refusal to release Sun led to their suspension
from
first division games. This year, Sun was allowed to play for
the national team, but Aoshen withdrew its application to take part
in the new league season.
Aoshen officials explained that their move was to get the
players ready for the 2008
Beijing Olympics, regardless of the investment.
"It is an individual action from the club, but as long as they
can train talent for the country via high-level competitions, it
would be valuable," the basketball administration center said.
Although both Aoshen and ABA are optimistic about their
cooperation, some Chinese basketball experts worry about the future
of the club. From their point of view, Aoshen might be alienated in
the US on and off the court. If that happens, it will be unable to
develop its market, in which case it will probably return to the
CBA.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiao October 21, 2005)
