ZHEJIANG - When the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 rosters were announced, coach Li Nan's China was criticized for lacking star power and experience, especially in the absence of China's more established stars. With an average age of only 23, China found themselves on the short end of the stick when faced with more seasoned foes like India and Iraq. China eventually missed the podium, finishing the championship in 5th position, but one silver lining was the emergence of young center Hu Jinqiu, who has become a dominant big man for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.

Now with senior national team experience under his belt, Hu has become the epitome of improvement, bettering his numbers in all aspects and becoming a reliable starter for the Lions this 2016-2017 season in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). In fact, his playing minutes have increased from just 15.1mpg last season to 31.1 mpg in the current campaign. 

Standing at 2.11m, the 19-year-old has been averaging 15.9 points and 9.0 rebounds after 12 rounds of play in the CBA. His best game so far was against the Golden Bulls, a club team also based in Zhejiang province. Hu imposed his will in that contest, recording 26 points on 12-of-13 field goal shooting to go along with 9 rebounds and 1 steal. The Lions prevailed in that encounter, 130-102.

Hu Jinqiu has not been doing it alone, though. He has combined with Liu Cheng, Eli Holman and Courtney Fortson to form a bona fide super power that has managed to keep the Guangsha Lions on top of the league table thus far with 11 wins and only 1 loss.

Of course, leading a team considered to be a title contender isn’t something new for Hu. Back in 2013, he was a leading member of the Chinese youth team that clinched first place in the FIBA Asia U16 Championship. They went on to sweep that tournament and earn for themselves a spot in the FIBA U17 World Championship 2014. In that competition, Hu impressed anew, putting up around 17 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block per game while making more than 56% of his field goals. China's U17 squad finished 7th on the world stage in 2014, but Hu turned a lot of heads with his fierce and productive display. His exploits led him to participate in the FIBA U19 World Championship 2015 as well, and despite finishing 15th in that tournament, Hu gained the experience that has helped make him one of the most prominent frontliners right now in the CBA.

It remains to be seen if Hu and his club can sustain this momentum moving forward. The CBA season, of course, still has a long way to go. The Lions play each team twice throughout the regular season before the top eight clubs qualify for the playoffs. As of this writing, Hu and his teammates have yet to play 26 more games before they can even dream of fighting for the 2017 championship. Should Hu achieve consistency with his heavy production, though, Guangsha may just retain their place among the CBA's elite, and perhaps Hu may translate his blossoming game to the Chinese national team, too, as they prepare for the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.

FIBA