Basketball coach helps develop top local talent

Gong Weiwei's passion for basketball was influenced by his father, a sports enthusiast. Despite not advancing as a player during his college years, Gong set himself another goal: to become an excellent coach.

In 2002, directly after he graduated, he embarked on the path of youth basketball training in Loudi, Hunan province.

"At the time, there was no training club for children at kindergartens or primary schools," he said. "Many talented youngsters would only be discovered in the ninth grade."

In 2012, Gong gained a National Advanced Basketball Coach certificate, and he founded Loudi's first club for youngsters, the New Energy Youth Basketball Club, in 2016.

The standard of youth basketball was poor in Hunan. Gong wanted to change that situation by discovering and nurturing local talent through the club, building a talent pipeline and creating a development system.

The club later cooperated with the city's basketball association and set up a youth training center.

Thanks to years of hard work, the youth training system kept improving, so more and more children began playing basketball, leading to more clubs being founded in Loudi.

In 2018, New Energy won the national championship in the youth division of the China 3x3 Basketball League.

The same year, Loudi launched its own Little Basketball League in response to the "Little Basketball" campaign, initiated by the Chinese Basketball Association and aimed at promoting the sport among children.

"By designing a smaller ball, lowering the basket and reducing the size of the court, the campaign wants children to enjoy the fun of playing basketball," said He Liqiang, secretary-general of the Loudi Basketball Association.

As of 2021, more than 3,000 players in 400 teams from primary schools and basketball clubs had participated in Little Basketball League matches in the city. Loudi also organized other basketball matches for children, igniting their passion for the sport.

"We will promote basketball in all kindergartens, primary and middle schools in Loudi," He said.

Gong said, "I hope New Energy can become a cradle for local and even provincial youth training, just like European clubs with a century-long history. Our higher goal is to nurture national players."