The next Yao Ming ... ?

Have the floodgates opened?

From today's NY Times ... see quote at end about Yao.

International Presence at ABCD Camp
By IRA BERKOW

ACKENSACK, N.J., July 8 — At one point during a game at a basketball camp with some 250 of the best high school underclassmen to be found here and abroad, the coach waved to one of the players to draw his attention, got it, and went into a half-crouch and rose up a bit. He then drew a finger across his throat.

The player nodded. It was the signal by the coach, Jason Fawcett, to Yi Jianlian, a 16-year-old from Shenzhen, China, in the only language the two had in common — the universal hand language that meant: "It's not a good idea to do that again."

Yi had jumped while going for a fake — he had reached a good height considering that he is 6 feet 11 inches tall — and when he descended he found that the man he was guarding had vanished toward the basket.

This was in the 17th annual Adidas ABCD camp in the Rothman Center on the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus. The camp is a three-day showcase of games and is attended by numerous pro and college scouts and coaches eager to check out prospects.

Once, pro scouts wouldn't deign to cover high school games. Such an attitude is ancient history.

Alumni of the camp include scores of players who have gone on to make their mark beyond these courts, from Kobe Bryant to Allan Houston to Tracy McGrady, who will be speaking to the players Tuesday morning.

But only recently have players been invited from outside the United States, mirroring college recruitment and the N.B.A. draft.

There were two Chinese players in the N.B.A. this season, both centers, Wang Zhizhi, a 7-footer with Dallas, who was in his second season, and Mengke Bateer, a 6-11 rookie with Denver. There will be another next season — the first pick over all in the recent draft, Yao Ming, a 7-5 center picked by the Houston Rockets.

Before Yi's game, George Felton, a scout for the Indiana Pacers, who had seen him play in games in Mannheim, Germany, a few weeks ago, said he liked what he saw.

"There is a real upside to his game," Felton said. And what does "upside" mean? "That he has the fundamentals, a soft shooting touch, plays hard and has the potential to learn and improve. Right now, he looks to me like down the road he could be a solid Division I player, and beyond."

Yi is only a sophomore while most of the players he played against today were juniors, and most of those he went against around the basket were beefier and stronger. He is not quite as thin as a lamp post, but he's not much thicker either.

In his first game in the camp — there will be a total of four games over two days and then an all-star game involving the top 20 underclassmen — Yi seemed out of place at first.

Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was limited skills against superior competition, perhaps it was the stomach problems he developed after eating American food — pizza, to be specific.

He spent a good part of the morning at a pharmacy, obtaining medicinal help. But he didn't look sick when he was on the court, and later he said he was "O.K." — an American word that is not uncommon in China.

He had problems holding on to the ball and did not seem sure-handed. In a timeout, Fawcett told Yi's translator, who stood in the huddle, how to grasp a rebound. He played the pivot and got moved about. More instruction during the timeout.

But then Yi began to find himself. He tipped in a rebound, he made a pretty drop-set shot righty, a driving hook left-handed and a neat turnaround jump shot. He also blocked a shot that drew raised eyebrows from the scouts seated in the nearby bleachers. And he began to muscle back when muscled inside.

After the game, with his translator at his side, Yi was asked how the game went.

"Very good," he said. He has a nice smile, and an appealing self-assurance.

What did he need to improve?

"Be strong with the ball," he said.

Anything else?

"Stay down when close to the basket. Don't jump when you don't have to."

What are his ambitions?

"To play in the N.B.A. It is a dream. Every player in China dreams that."

What does he think of Wang?

"In China, he played around the basket and was very good," Yi said. "But in the N.B.A. he plays too much outside. Not good."

How will Yao Ming do in the N.B.A.?

"Better than Zhizhi. He is strong, a good rebounder, a good shooter, and will stay around the basket."


His favorite player?

"Nowitzki," he said, referring to Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas forward. "He does everything good, and he came from Germany and made himself prominent and learned English good. English is a very hard language."

What will he do if he doesn't play pro basketball?

"Never think about it," he said.

And where will he eat tonight?

"We are going to try to find Chinatown," he said.