7-3 teenage player in China: Zhang Ziyu

[bballnut90]

Name to keep an eye on and track her development. I think she surpasses Margo Dydek (RIP) as the tallest women's basketball player ever and at 7-3, it would put Ziyu as the second tallest woman in the world living today according to Wikipedia.

 

[oldhusky]

Name to keep an eye on and track her development. I think she surpasses Margo Dydek (RIP) as the tallest women's basketball player ever and at 7-3, it would put Ziyu as the second tallest woman in the world living today according to Wikipedia.

It will be interesting to see China against Australia and if Somfai and others have an answer against her.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

It will be interesting to see China against Australia and if Somfai and others have an answer against her.

Yea...it will. Run when she's in the game...slow down when she's not?

 

[oldhusky]

Yea...it will. Run when she's in the game...slow down when she's not?

I don't know how you plan a defense against her. She simply moves to a spot a couple of feet away from the basket and they just pass it up high. Don't need an angle, she doesn't have to clear space with her body, I think the only hope would be to front her with your tallest player/leaper and hope that they could get high enough to make that pass more difficult.

Against the competition so far she usually doesn't even need to jump, her defenders with a well timed leap generally can't get as high as her reaching up flat footed. Maybe someone within a foot or so of her height that has some spring can deny that pass, I don't know. curious if Somfai on Australia could challenge her at all.

 

[Kaizen]

Zhang Ziyu is not only tall. She is also very flexible.
Geno should recruit her and UConn will be the next 4 NCs.

 

[Woof 101]

I like Z Z as her nick name should she become a Huskie.

 

[yhun89]

Wouldn’t she earn more playing in China? There’s no reason for her to go to the US unless she wants a college career before playing for the Chinese team, but a 7’3 center is hard to not sign immediately to a professional team.

 

[yhun89]

I don't know how you plan a defense against her. She simply moves to a spot a couple of feet away from the basket and they just pass it up high. Don't need an angle, she doesn't have to clear space with her body, I think the only hope would be to front her with your tallest player/leaper and hope that they could get high enough to make that pass more difficult.

Against the competition so far she usually doesn't even need to jump, her defenders with a well timed leap generally can't get as high as her reaching up flat footed. Maybe someone within a foot or so of her height that has some spring can deny that pass, I don't know. curious if Somfai on Australia could challenge her at all.

There’s no one who could get high enough to defend her. So to plan a defense around her is practically futile.

Instead you do what UCONN did to Purdue: Let the center score her points, and render everyone else useless. That’s how you beat that team I would think.

 

[Forego]

Well, it appears that she has stopped growing. Read an article about her three years ago when she was reported to be 7’4”or 7’5”. Mentioned her in a post back on July 21, 2021 on the UConn board. I misspelled her first name as Shang.