6-foot-3 Chinese cager nahugot ng RP women's team

DOHA, Qatar--Bago pa ang Smart Gilas Pilipinas, mas nauna pang nakahanap ng kanilang ‘naturalization candidate’ ang na­tional women’s team.

Nakuha na ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) ang lahat ng dokumento upang makuha ang serbisyo ni 6-foot-3 Chinese forward Zheng Xiao Jing.

Isusumite ng SBP, nasa ilalim ng pangulo nitong si Manny V. Pangilinan, sa darating na 15th Congress sa Hulyo ang mga kaukulang papeles para sa ‘naturalization’ ni Zheng.

“We actually only received her papers from China recently but since there is a recess in Congress, we couldn’t file it right away so we might as well submit it along with our naturalization candidate for Smart Gilas,” wika ni SBP executive director Noli Eala.

Ang Fujian native ang ina­a­sahang makakatulong ng na­tional women’s team sa paghahanda para sa Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Championship sa Oktubre.

Si Zheng, sa isa mga pambato ng isang Fujian club team na nagtapos bilang eight-placer sa women’s Chinese Basketball Association noong 2008, ay na­kikipag-ensayo na sa mga Filipina cagers noong pang na­karaang taon.

Mismong si RP women’s head coach Haydee Ong ang na­kadiskubre kay Zheng sa China sa kanilang training camp noong 2004.

“She’s quite good, she’s what we need, a big player who could play defense and get the rebounds,” sabi ni Eala. “She has a little problem with agility but she’s with the team for a long time now, she’s already used to the team.”

“Coach Heidi also speaks very high of her so we’re supporting her,” dagdag pa ng SBP official sa Chinese dribbler.