6-7 Cai Chen likes Anthony's game over Yao's

[FEIFEI]

Chen likes Anthony's game over Yao's
By Boyce Garrison
SPECIAL TO THE UNION-TRIBUNE

February 10, 2008

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Maybe the next Yao Ming? Perhaps the next Yi Jianlian?
Chen Cai, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound freshman from China who plays basketball for Maranatha Christian School, would prefer to be the next Carmelo Anthony.

Chen towers above most of his teammates and opponents – and can drill three-pointers. The left-hander said he prefers Anthony over his NBA countrymen because the Denver Nuggets small forward “can shoot and at the same time he's tall enough to post up.”

Sounds a lot like Chen's game.



Advertisement Chen, 14, is from Guangzhou, a port city of more than six million on China's southeastern coast. It's the third-largest metropolitan area in a country of more than 1.3 billion. In other words, much more crowded than San Diego.
Many, including opposing coaches, wonder how Chen made it to the United States and how he ended up at Maranatha, a small school in the 4S Ranch area.

Like Yao, Chen's parents were athletes. His dad, Guangsheng, is a 6-4 former basketball player for the Chinese National Team. His mother, Jing, was a 6-foot handball player who participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“His mom and dad are wonderful people,” said Maranatha coach Rle Nichols, who gained international experience during his years guiding the Athletes in Action and High Five America programs. “They were looking to get their son an American education. They decided they wanted him to be in a small-school environment, with athletics, but a great academic environment, a small student-to-teacher ratio and strong character.”

The roundabout story includes former Mira Mesa High and Stanford football standout Teyo Johnson, who was traveling in China and happened to meet Chen's parents. Nichols said Johnson extolled the virtues of the San Diego area.

Chen jumped through the necessary hoops for entry into the United States. Then came the task of being declared eligible by the California Interscholastic Federation's San Diego Section. Chen wasn't cleared to play until Jan. 14, a delay not uncommon for foreign students whose ages and histories can be difficult to document. In Chen's case, a translator was needed to read his transcripts.

Chen has played nine games for Maranatha Christian. Not coincidentally, the Division V Eagles (16-6) are 8-1 since his emergence and have clinched the Frontier League title. The only loss came against Army-Navy, a powerful Division IV school. Chen scored 21 points against the Warriors and is averaging 23 a game.

“He's an excellent ball-handler, and his best asset is as a passer,” Nichols said. “He's very intelligent, a team player. He's going to be a pretty good basketball player.”

Chen is not totally Americanized yet – he doesn't own an iPod – but he does listen to music, American and Chinese.

Although Chen took some English classes before coming to the United States last year, the transition was not an easy one.

“It was pretty hard,” said Chen, who acknowledged that such a move might be even more difficult for an American high-schooler going to China. “It took me a half-year before I felt comfortable.”

He still chooses his words carefully, thoughtfully.

“It's just incredible to hear him now,” Nichols said. “He was almost embarrassed to speak early on. It's a tough transition. The diet is different, customs are different, but one of the assets of being young is resiliency. He's a very personable, bright kid.

“I've been coaching about 40 years, and from 14-year-old kids, you might not listen to their ideas much, but I listen to him.”

Many visitors getting off the plane for the first time are quick to recognize San Diego's natural beauty, but Chen noticed something different – very little air pollution.

“(In Guangzhou), the air quality is pretty bad,” Chen said. “(San Diego) is not what I thought it would be. It's a lot different, beautiful.”

Chen will be attending camps this summer to showcase his skills for college coaches, though he's not exactly a secret. UCLA already has shown significant interest, Nichols said.

“If you'd call 10 college coaches and ask if they knew who he was, they'd all say yes,” Nichols said.

Chen lives with a family from his church. He said he misses his parents and calls them every week or two, but he's usually not down for long. His eyes light up when the subject of basketball is brought up.

He likes to watch Orlando's Dwight Howard and anyone on the Phoenix Suns. He likes to watch clips of Magic Johnson, his dad's favorite player.

Chen isn't sure how much more he will grow, but he doesn't sound like he wants to follow in the footsteps of Houston Rockets center Yao Ming or Milwaukee Bucks power forward Yi Jianlian.

Said Chen: “I like to play small forward.”

Sounds like the Americanization has begun.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/preps/20080210-9999-1s10p-boyce.html
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[Lebron23]

He seems like a future prospect in the NBA.

[FEIFEI]

He seems like a future prospect in the NBA.
You are so optimistical.
Do you know how is high school team chen in?
and how is the LEAGUE chen's team in?
thanks!

[Phantim3dx]

big boy at 14！ best of luck to him. i can say though that as person who played school ball competition will be much tougher than what it is in china.
and he is doing good so far too with those avergaes. my only concern is his rebonds per game at 7.7
again it depends on what type of scheme the coach uses for this team, but A LOT of teams in high school never play run and gun style in the usa. so this is the only thing that concerns me is his RPG. conditioning also, if and when he gets drafted to the NCAA he will have to hustle more. usually we talk about Asian players needing to gain weight, but I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST time on interbasket of discussing the idea of this guy losing some weight. at 6-7 and 250 lbs
i am looking at my alma mater roster
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/roster/OKST
and im focusing mroe on the G-F spot, rather than the F-C spot and msot of these guys are in the range of 200-230 lbs. 200 i think is a bit light, but personally chen should aim at arund the mid 215-225 range imho.
again the roster sheet of my alma mater are big boys whose lean and uscle built...hey its the big 12 conference and rough play is 2nd nature.
i wish chen the best of luck though.
im sure the asian-americans in california are huggin his nuts right now

[FEIFEI]

big boy at 14！ best of luck to him. i can say though that as person who played school ball competition will be much tougher than what it is in china.
and he is doing good so far too with those avergaes. my only concern is his rebonds per game at 7.7
again it depends on what type of scheme the coach uses for this team, but A LOT of teams in high school never play run and gun style in the usa. so this is the only thing that concerns me is his RPG. conditioning also, if and when he gets drafted to the NCAA he will have to hustle more. usually we talk about Asian players needing to gain weight, but I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST time on interbasket of discussing the idea of this guy losing some weight. at 6-7 and 250 lbs
i am looking at my alma mater roster
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/roster/OKST
and im focusing mroe on the G-F spot, rather than the F-C spot and msot of these guys are in the range of 200-230 lbs. 200 i think is a bit light, but personally chen should aim at arund the mid 215-225 range imho.
again the roster sheet of my alma mater are big boys whose lean and uscle built...hey its the big 12 conference and rough play is 2nd nature.
i wish chen the best of luck though.
im sure the asian-americans in california are huggin his nuts right now
I think chen should losing some weight.
But maby his height will grow up.he just 14 yo.
do you know the Section chen's team in?
What about the Section?
Is there strong team in this Section?

[Phantim3dx]

sorry feifei im not from california, from NY. but NY's traditionally tough sections/region was the NYC/long island region. upstate NY of buffalo/rochester area also came in 2nd. california i dont know though.

[Test]

I think he is the only one of thousant million chinese people who don't want to be Yao. Even Yi want to be like Yao. Every single person including women wants to be like Yao. But he want to be Melo. Strange

[sinobball]

big boy at 14！He averaged 17.8p/11.5r in 4 games in 2005 (when he was 6-7 already) in the Chinese High School League (CHBL). (Chinese high school = 10th grade and up).

This taken from SoCalhoops.com board
: : : Really his moms is on the board? Ok so how old is he cause latest report is that he is 17-18 and they were trying to pass him off as a freshman. Classy

: : Hmmm no answer? I'd like to not believe that rumor but it is pretty big in SD now. 17 or 18 and trying to say he's a freshman what's the deal anyone know the real scoop?

: Hmmmmm Underrated Athletics says his name is Chen Cai interesting anyone have info besides the mom who does not know her kids name, maaybe they changed it wit the birth certificate lol coach Arly man of many tricks. What is this little league world series baseball in the 90'sI don't believe a bit he is 14. Like many kids formerly in CBA junior teams (he was in Guangdong's) his real age is probably 2-3 years older.

http://informationtimes.dayoo.com/img/2005-12/05/xin_4712020513327152920147.jpg
This photo was taken in December 2005, where he (the bigger guy) took part in the Jr. NBA Championship with Guangzhou #7 Middle/High School. His teammates were all listed as being born in 1990, while he, the only one also enrolled in Governmental Sports School, "was born in 1993".

[sinobball]

You are so optimistical.
Do you know how is high school team chen in?
and how is the LEAGUE chen's team in?
thanks!It says in the article it's Division V Boy's Basketball (San Diego), which is worse than Div IV, III, II, I and so forth.

[JET007]

It says in the article it's Division V Boy's Basketball (San Diego), which is worse than Div IV, III, II, I and so forth.
good luck! :D promising talent...

[sinobball]

However old he is, Cai (which BTW is his surname, not Chen) celebrated his birthday with a 28p 28r performance
http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/BoxScores.mxp/AreaID-bab8c451-e991-413d-93ac-ee77067952a3/ContestID-df61c040-8aa2-4549-9eea-771d251590f3/Boys_Varsity_Basketball_Winter_07-08/California

I think he definitely needs to play in a better division to prepare him for NCAA D1.

[FEIFEI]

However old he is, Cai (which BTW is his surname, not Chen) celebrated his birthday with a 28p 28r performance
http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/BoxScores.mxp/AreaID-bab8c451-e991-413d-93ac-ee77067952a3/ContestID-df61c040-8aa2-4549-9eea-771d251590f3/Boys_Varsity_Basketball_Winter_07-08/California

I think he definitely needs to play in a better division to prepare him for NCAA D1.
Do you konw how old are Cai chen's team-mate in Maranatha Christian ?

[sinobball]

Do you konw how old are Cai chen's team-mate in Maranatha Christian ?
Seniors= Grade 12 usually ~18
Juniors= Grade 11 usually ~17
Sophomores= Grade 10 usually ~16
Freshmen (like Cai) = Grade 9 usually ~15

[jxuusa]

Can this league be considered better than the league Xu Yong was playing in up in Seattle? If I remember correctly the one that Xu was in was one of the worst divisions, and he only tore it up like 2 or 3 times.

But if this kid keeps up the pace and lose a couple pounds, he could be something. Hopefully he won't be like Jeremy Lin and go to a Ivy league school, though Lin ain't doing that bad. He ought to consider transferring to a D1 school, though knowing Asian parents, he's there for the academics and basketball is just a side sport.

[DarknessFalls]

I think he is the only one of thousant million chinese people who don't want to be Yao. Even Yi want to be like Yao. Every single person including women wants to be like Yao. But he want to be Melo. Strange

what's wrong with him not wanting to be like Yao? Basketball is growing in China, there are tons of T-mac and Kobe fans, and I'm sure Lebron fans now.

Plus Cai Chen is in the U.S. now, it's not that strange to hear that his idol is Melo. Yao Ming is 7'6, not many players are of that height to begin with.

[FEIFEI]

Seniors= Grade 12 usually ~18
Juniors= Grade 11 usually ~17
Sophomores= Grade 10 usually ~16
Freshmen (like Cai) = Grade 9 usually ~15
Really?
Is that mean Cai play with the players has the same age with him?
Even if Cai is 2or3 older than 14.

[Phantim3dx]

yes, generally speaking. its seldom that a person will be playing with the Varsity team (mostly 18 yr old..maybe some 17 yr olds) that is 16, 15..let alone 14. even on a bad division or section of that state, its rare to have a 14 yr old play in the varsity team unless you are 1. big and huge(physically) and/or you are so gifted the varsity coach asks you to go up to the varsity team.

im going to agains econd sinoball on the fact cai chen is probably older than his actual age. would it be an accomplishment, yeah i would say so, but i think it's more though on the fact of his size than skill. i dont want tot ake anything away from the kid, but his skill is based solely on his size in relation to the league. remember a few yrs ago(i think its a yearly tournament in canada) the number 1 high school team (i dont think it was college) came to play in this tournament against canadian top teams as well as 2 teams from california. The Chinese team did win but by 3 points and it was against a USA team that was not even ranked nationally in the top 10, top teams from California yes, but top teas nationally i dont think it was. so yes competition in the higher division is a lot tougher. somebody search that thread ajaxballer wrote on it also!

best of luck again to him, i wish i could be his size! and jxuusa yeah the academics thing i hear u man...that's why you go to UR haha!


Really?
Is that mean Cai play with the players has the same age with him?
Even if Cai is 2or3 older than 14.

[sinobball]

So according to Chinese reports, Cai came to US in late 2005, and now lives in Rancho Penasquitos. He didn't play the first year due to eligibility issues and spent the entire year studying English.

Cai's father Cai Guang Sheng (193cm) was a basketball player who had once played for the NT. His mother Chen Jing (180cm) represented China in the 1984 Olympics as a handball player. He was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang but moved to Guangzhou, Guangdong at a young age.

[FEIFEI]

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[avolbert]

He averaged 17.8p/11.5r in 4 games in 2005 (when he was 6-7 already) in the Chinese High School League (CHBL). (Chinese high school = 10th grade and up).

This taken from SoCalhoops.com board I don't believe a bit he is 14. Like many kids formerly in CBA junior teams (he was in Guangdong's) his real age is probably 2-3 years older.

This photo was taken in December 2005, where he (the bigger guy) took part in the Jr. NBA Championship with Guangzhou #7 Middle/High School. His teammates were all listed as being born in 1990, while he, the only one also enrolled in Governmental Sports School, "was born in 1993".

The bottom line is that Cai Chen was 6-7 in 2005, so he has almost certainly stopped growing. It also suggests that 1990 is a more likely birth date for Cai than 1993. At 6-7, with his build, Cai is an undersized power forward. He might make it in the CBA -- the next Tian Yu -- but is unlikely to be anything more than a decent CBA player.

[dumdumdeedum]

he definatley is 15 now; birthday is feb. 13, 1993. and he's not chubby at all.

[sinobball]

he definatley is 15 ON PAPER now; LISTED birthday is feb. 13, 1993. Corrected for you. Are you his coach? I have nothing against the kid, I wish him well. But like I said before, I have good reasons to believe he's older than 15. You just can't dominate 16-18 year old kids, no matter how tall you are, when you are only 11.

[TheShot]

Corrected for you. Are you his coach? I have nothing against the kid, I wish him well. But like I said before, I have good reasons to believe he's older than 15. You just can't dominate 16-18 year old kids, no matter how tall you are, when you are only 11.

When those 16-18 kids are Chinese kids, yes you can dominate them. Face it, you dont have more proof about him being over age than what is currently presented. Even if he is 6'7, with his girth and strength, he can be very effective in the CBA. When you have a Tang Zheng Dong dominating, this Cai kid can dominate too.

[avolbert]

When those 16-18 kids are Chinese kids, yes you can dominate them. Face it, you dont have more proof about him being over age than what is currently presented. Even if he is 6'7, with his girth and strength, he can be very effective in the CBA. When you have a Tang Zheng Dong dominating, this Cai kid can dominate too.

The problem is that he hasn't grown in two years, whatever his age. At 6-7 he is an undersized power forward. He may indeed be very effective in the CBA one day but it is highly unlikely that he will make the NBA or the National Team.

[Phantim3dx]

he might not have anymore concrete solid proof, but generally speaking i'm inclined to lean as well as sino is left to incline on his facts because of his past posts. although not a direct correlation it has been stated by sino before that in the past incidents chinese players were actually listed to be younger origin.

the past events have proved this also with the latest drama focusing on Yi JianLian, albeit it has died down, for quite sometime people were wondering what his true age was. if things like this occured in the past and occured frequently, then it would only be natural to infer that these things still go on although at a lesser extent.

on another point, i'm not too convinced in terms of dominance 16-18 r old chinese kids. slowly things have improved here in china for bball, my biggest complaint so far is the lack of physicality and aggressiveness coupled with the fact the slightest touch and everyone is calling foul in the playgrounds here in Beijing. Other than that, there are some pretty good players in china i must admit; Rome wasn't built in a day


When those 16-18 kids are Chinese kids, yes you can dominate them. Face it, you dont have more proof about him being over age than what is currently presented. Even if he is 6'7, with his girth and strength, he can be very effective in the CBA. When you have a Tang Zheng Dong dominating, this Cai kid can dominate too.

[crouchingtiger]

FeiFei, How's Cai Cheng's BB skills compare to the U18 rosters of China now? From the fact that the chinese government just let him walk out that easily.....does this mean he is actually not that good?

[Shin_Dong_Pa]

You are so optimistical.
Do you know how is high school team chen in?
and how is the LEAGUE chen's team in?
thanks!

therefore his team and league is lousy :D
thank you for being honest

[Khalid80]

It would be nice to see a big (that's if he keeps growing) Chinese player who's strong under the basket. I remember when Yao joined the NBA he was very skinny and physically weak for the NBA, but after he hit the gym and gained muscle he really started becoming a force from inside.

[Shin_Dong_Pa]

Corrected for you. Are you his coach? I have nothing against the kid, I wish him well. But like I said before, I have good reasons to believe he's older than 15. You just can't dominate 16-18 year old kids, no matter how tall you are, when you are only 11.

You are right!


see this:
http://forums.interbasket.net/showthread.php?t=7941

Good luck to him though