Chinese men's basketball team departed for Germany on Wednesday to start their seven-day European training tour.

 

The players, led by this year's NBA draft center Yi Jianlian, all expected high for the tour.

 

"We've kept non-stop training since the Stankovic Cup last month, and I feel good now on the court," said Yi, who topped the statistic rankings in points, rebounds and blocks at the Stankovic Cup continental event.

 

Jonas Kazlauskas' team, with China's top star Yao Ming skipping the tour due to injury, will play two friendlies with Germany on Saturday and Sunday before leaving for Turkey for the eight-nation invitational tournament starting on August 22.

 

Foreseeing the games against the German team led by NBA star center Dirk Nowitzki, the 20-year-old said he's prepared well.

 

"I'd better press him more on defence and give him no chance to score," said the 2.12-meter center, who will likely start his first NBA season this summer.

 

"We had bad results in our latest games against the Germans, but we hope something different this time," said the regular starting guard Zhu Fangyu.

 

"Nowitzki played last year's Stankovic Cup, and we've all seen that he's too much better than anyone of us. He's apparently the one to be watched."

 

"For the Turkey tournament, we've studied a lot and our target for the event is beyond the knock-out stage," added Zhu.

 

China was beaten to second by Slovenia in last month's Stankovic Cup, which also featured the United States NBA Development League Ambassadors team, Angola, New Zealand and Venezuela.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2007)