In the Paris Olympics, the overall performance of the Chinese women's basketball team was not satisfactory, and the poor performance of the team undoubtedly made head coach Zheng Wei the first person responsible. Although in the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup, Zheng Wei led the Chinese women's basketball team to create history, the overall performance of the Chinese women's basketball team has declined seriously in recent years. Zheng Wei has been criticized for being too rigid and outdated in her tactical concepts, with overly simplistic tactics and poor adaptability. Her on-site command also fails to keep up with the rhythm.
In terms of player selection, Zheng Wei appears overly conservative, unwilling to make changes to replace players who are in a low state, failing to adjust her selection strategies and standards in time, leading to problems in the team's personnel configuration. Additionally, Zheng Wei's on-site command is also under scrutiny, as she is unable to quickly respond to situations on the court. Therefore, her coaching ability has been widely criticized, and calls for her dismissal grew louder after the Paris Olympics.
Although Zheng Wei did not resign voluntarily after the Paris Olympics, and the basketball association did not ask her to step down, it seems unlikely that she will continue to coach the Chinese women's basketball team given the current situation. So, after Zheng Wei's departure, who would be more suitable to take over the Chinese women's basketball team as the new head coach has become a focus of attention for fans. Previously, many fans called for the Chinese women's basketball team to seek cooperation with foreign coaches, believing that our skills and tactics could truly align with international standards. However, past experiences have shown that working with foreign coaches generally yields average results, as they do not fully understand what the Chinese women's basketball team needs. Therefore, domestic coaches are more suitable for the Chinese women's basketball team.
Through recent U15 competitions, a suitable candidate for the new head coach of the Chinese women's basketball team in the new cycle may have been identified. She is Song Xiaobo, a veteran of Chinese women's basketball. Born in Beijing in 1958, Song Xiaobo joined the national team at the age of 17, won the national women's basketball league championship three times, helped the Chinese women's basketball team win the Asian Championship in 1976, and during her career, she also led the Chinese women's basketball team to win bronze medals in the World Championships and Olympics as captain.
After retiring, Song Xiaobo served as an assistant coach for the Chinese women's basketball team. However, feeling that her experience was insufficient, she proactively resigned from her position as assistant coach for the Chinese women's basketball team. In 1988, Song Xiaobo even went to Australia to coach, and after returning home, she founded the Song Xiaobo Basketball Club. In recent years, Song Xiaobo has never left the basketball field, and in 2022, she was included in the list of nominees for the Chinese Basketball Hall of Fame.
Song Xiaobo's tactics are aligned with international standards, and she has rich coaching experience. She emphasizes the coaching spirit and sports ethics of the players in her coaching, and her coaching style is deeply loved and respected by the players. Not only does she possess excellent tactical skills, but she can also communicate well with young players, helping them grow rapidly. Additionally, Song Xiaobo has long been engaged in youth training work, and these advantages make her one of the hot candidates for the current head coach of the Chinese women's basketball team. Perhaps the Chinese Basketball Association should seriously consider Song Xiaobo. Instead of paying high salaries to foreign coaches, it would be better to give this opportunity to Song Xiaobo.