China

Liu's return a boost to Yao's Sharks

By Ma Zhenhuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-26 09:24

SHANGHAI: "Welcome back!"

With a big smile on his face, American Bob Donewald Jr, the new head coach of the Shanghai Sharks basketball club, gave a huge hug to guard Liu Wei, the captain of the team, thus ending the saga of Liu transferring to another club.

The storm, which had started at the end of last month, was finally settled last week. Liu, also the Chinese national team captain, decided to stay with the Shanghai club after long, jaw-aching talks over salary for the coming season. NBA seven-time All-Star Yao Ming, Liu's long-time teammate and close friend, is the owner of the club now, which made Liu's decision of national interest.

"We are very glad that the issue finally got solved. Looking forward, I hope Liu, as the core of the team, will lead it to better things," said Zhang Mingji, head of Team Yao and also executive director of the Shanghai Sharks, on the sideline of the first day of Liu's comeback to the court at the team's Meilong training base.

Liu is regarded as the soul of the team and that has not been lost on his new coach, Donewald, who replaced Li Qiuping, mentor of Yao and Liu with the Sharks.

"Liu is the captain of the team. He is here to provide experience and leadership. He is also a talent that can help us win some basketball games," said Donewald.

For Zhang, who heads the management group behind NBA seven-time All-Star Yao Ming, this is just a small step toward his and Yao's dream to get in the crumbling Shanghai club back on track and heading towards the China Basketball Association (CBA) crown.

Since Team Yao's purchase of the Shanghai club in July, with a first-batch investment of 20 million yuan (US$2.93 million), Zhang has been trying to give the Sharks, who have performed poorly since Yao joined the NBA in 2002, a facelift. He has promised general pay increases of 55 percent for the players and has introduced professional NBA coaches and fitness and tactics experts.

The club, a former powerhouse in the CBA, has failed to make it to the playoffs for six straight seasons and has shown the steepest decline in attendance of all CBA clubs despite lowering its ticket price to 2 yuan (30 cents) last year.

The Sharks' plight came to light recently when US President Barack Obama expressed interest in watching a Shanghai game during a town hall talk with the city's college students.

"Yao Ming is just one signal of our shared love of basketball I'm only sorry that I won't be able to see a Shanghai Sharks game while I'm visiting," said Obama.

Despite the challenges and difficulties ahead, Zhang knows the value of the club lies not only in its players and performance but also in the spirit of teamwork and brotherhood.

"We definitely want to bring the CBA championship back to Shanghai and make the Sharks the strongest team in China," Zhang told China Daily.

However, in his eyes, basketball is more than a sport; it is a symbol of the metropolis's landscape, something with deep connotations.

He said it is his hope that through Team Yao, the youngsters of Shanghai will get to know more about basketball and that the players will set good examples for them to follow.

"We hope our team will reflect the robust urban spirit of Shanghai," he said while also referring the basketball as a "spiritual product".

A MBA graduate from Chicago University, Zhang and Team Yao are trying to introduce a modern business model to the club and also inject NBA expertise into the on-court product.

"I think the key lies in the perfection of our product," said Zhang. "Our product is not merely the result or a single match. It's our players' influence on the public; their image and the spirit they incarnate." Zhang, who is well-traveled, said he has seen many foreign basketball clubs around the world who have performed poorly but were still supported by their local fans due to the players' dedication and courage.

"As long as the players try their best, our fans will still accept them, even if they lose," he said.

While Zhang's zeal to recapture the club's past glory and lift it out of the doldrums is still a work in progress, more and more locals are expressing an interest in the club since Yao's takeover.

"The club used to be the place to be when Shanghai was winning CBA championships but those days went after Yao left. Maybe Yao's move now will help us to get more sponsors," said 24-year-old Qing Hao, a sales manager at a foreign company in Shanghai.

"The only thing I can recall about the Shanghai team is Yao Ming when he was playing for it long ago. I would prefer to watch NBA games on TV as I am not really into Chinese basketball," said Zheng Yue, an employee with a local film company.

There may be no overnight miracles but changes are already happening.

The Shanghai Sharks announced that they have received approval to host the opening game of the CBA season on Dec 19, when the team will play Zhejiang Guangxia. It has also been reported that Yao may fly back to Shanghai to show his support.

"We hope to get off to a good to the new season," said the club's general manager, Lu Hao.

The team has also relocated to the Yuanshen Stadium in Pudong to ensure better facilities and seating.

"We won't set specific goals for this year but hopefully we can at least make it to the playoffs," said Zhang.