Rising star Zhang selected for China's FIBA Women's Asia Cup campaign

China's basketball prodigy Zhang Ziyu is set to make her international debut in senior major tournaments as China announced a 12-player roster for the FIBA Women's Asia Cup on Saturday.

Standing 2.26 meters tall, Zhang, 18, starred at last year's FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup with an average of 35 points and 12.8 rebounds, helping China advance to the final and being awarded the MVP of the tournament.

Zhang is joined by Han Xu, MVP of the previous Women's Asia Cup in 2023, on the center position.

The other players included are Wang Siyu, Li Yuan, Yang Liwei, Yang Shuyu, Zhang Ru, Luo Xinyu, Jia Saiqi, Huang Sijing, Pan Zhenqi and Zhai Ruoyun.

The FIBA Women's Asia Cup will be held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province from July 13 to 20.

China is placed in Group A along with South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia, and will kick off its title defense against Indonesia on Sunday.