With emphasis on teamwork, details and intensity setting the tone, new head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic has kicked off his rebuild of the national basketball team aiming high for this summer's World Cup challenge.

With the shoes squeaking, balls pounding and instructions shouted out loud from the sidelines, the intense gym ambience during Team China's recent training sessions has made a clear statement on the national program's resolve under the helm of Djordjevic — to fight its way back into international prowess at whatever the cost.

Appointed in November by the Chinese Basketball Association, Serbian coach Djordjevic is overseeing the first training camp of an 18-player national roster, handpicked by him, at a facility in Shanghai, with two qualifying games next week for the 2023 FIBA World Cup proving a critical test for his tutelage.

"It's not our job to do conclusion right now. It's a start of a process" Djordjevic said after an opening training session in Shanghai on Saturday.

"There was a lot of professionalism that I appreciate a lot and great response from the players on the floor," Djordjevic said of his first impression of the Chinese squad. "They are very professional and have a lot of desire to play. Now you have to transfer that into a great thinking with the call of the game of basketball."

The training camp was a tune-up for Team China before two qualifiers — against Kazakhstan on Feb 23 and Iran three days later in Hong Kong — although China has already advanced into the World Cup finals from earlier qualifying rounds.

As a proven success in international basketball, Djordjevic's appointment by the CBA was considered a desperate move amid high expectations across the country to change the fortunes of the Chinese program in time for the ultimate test this summer — the quadrennial FIBA flagship tournament. Team China will vie with Asian neighbors for the only direct qualification spot for next year's Paris Olympics.

Despite his rich experience and international expertise, Djordjevic doesn't have time on his side with only half a year to remodel Team China with his input before the Cup tips off in August.

Yet, he's not going to lower the ambition whatsoever.

"My biggest goal is to make everybody feel that we can play against each and every team in the World Cup," said the 55-year-old former Serbian national team guard.

"Be assured that every game we're going to go and play is to win. Going with 100 percent even if we're not going to win all the games."

After retiring in 2005, Djordjevic continued his winning momentum on the sideline as he coached Serbia to silver medals at the inaugural edition of World Cup in 2014 (formerly the world championships), the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2017 EuroBasket.

Djordjevic's rigorous coaching style that focuses on discipline, defensive rotation, details and intelligence has impressed Chinese players called up by him at the training camp this week.

"Serbia as a world powerhouse in basketball has a very advanced training system. The coach brought it in so we should pay very close attention to each and every detail so that we could keep up with the world's best," said Wang Zhelin, Team China's All-Star center with CBA club Shanghai Sharks.

Zhou Peng, a veteran forward who's represented China for over a decade, described Djordjevic's training project as strict and demanding.

"It's quite a high-intensity program that really took a toll on my legs as a veteran," Zhou joked about the training. "But it's helpful and I feel like I am young again."

"Coach is quite strict on the control of mistakes. If something wrong happens in a play, we work through it again and you are not allowed to make the same mistake again."

Djordjevic's coaching crew includes two assistants he brought from Serbia and two renowned Chinese staff members — former national team guards Guo Shiqiang and Liu Wei, who were both instrumental members on the Chinese team that finished eighth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"The game of international basketball evolves fast and it's time for us to stay connected with the world again after relying on domestic coaches for a while," said Liu.

After missing out on the Olympics for the first time at Tokyo 2020 due to its poor 2019 Cup performance, Team China is left facing a do-or-die campaign to secure a ticket to Paris, otherwise, a back-to-back absence from the Olympics would be a huge blow to the program's profile.

Djordjevic said he understands the urgency and magnitude of the mission, but insists on taking one step at a time

"When you climb up a mountain, you don't look at the peak," he said. "We have to take the best out of this practice, and then the next one, then the friendly games …don't rush.

"I understand expectations and anxiety, and we all want to play. But you have to fill the tank of the car in order for it to run. That's what we are doing."

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