I read some posts here, and it looks like people are hungry for inside informations.
Just so you know, there are articles about the Monarchs camp in Chinese newspapers every day. So i thought some may be of interest to you, here are my crude translations
PS: a bilingual website by Sacramento Chinese-Americans (mentioned in the sacbee article) has some photos from the camp:
www.feifeimiaomiao.com
So does this Chinese website
http://sports.sohu.com/1/0304/87/subject219408713.shtml
Also, Sui and Miao are their last names (not Feifei and Lijie, though it seems that Feifei and Miaomiao have become the names prefered by the coaches)
Just so you know, there are articles about the Monarchs camp in Chinese newspapers every day. So i thought some may be of interest to you, here are my crude translations
April 28: An interview of John Whisenant by Chinese reporter Li Chenji
LC: Have you recovered from you illness?
JW: Yes, thank you. At the end of last season I was diagnosed with lung hemorrhage(?). I was very afraid, but after some treatment I'm all right now. But now I have another illness--headache. I have to pick 12 out of 20 players, and this is just a painful thing. I was unable to sleep for a few days.
LC: Can you tell us something about the camp? What position caused the headache?
JW: We have 17 players here today. Yolanda and Walker are still in Europe, they are not finished with their seasons yet; and we have another player coming in. They all play centers, which is what we lack right now. So when they report to the camp our lineup will be more complete. Yolanda is our MVP and Walker is a key to our team, so I'm not worried about those two positions. But I'm very worried about the other 3, especially our perimeter players. Last year we finished last in the league in 3-point shot, and this has to change.
LC: How are Feifei and Miaomiao's 3's? Did they make an impression on you?
JW: Miaomiao's endurance and passion is outstanding; of course so is Feifei's. They are both good at hitting outside jumpers. .... They showed their styles in our camp. Even though it's only the third day, they, like all the others, are playing their best. The problem is, we have too few veterans here, only 5 played for us last season, so there aren't many veterans to help them. So these Chinese girls, like the other rookies are all trying to adapt.
LC: Do you think the language barrier will be a big problem?
JW: Feifei's English is very good, she talks with me, at least I know she likes steaks, I went out and had steaks with her and her agent the other day. Miaomiao doesn't speak much, but I'm positive that she understands more English than she is able to express, because on the court she usually can understand my demands. Basketball is a language in itself, so I don't think they have a language barrier on the court.
LC: Can you tell us the possibility of them making the team?
JW: Please excuse me but I can't answer that question, it's not fair. Training camp has just started so let's wait patiently for the decisions. It's too early. But I want to say these two players are the best from Asia, they need to be confident.
LC: Have you recovered from you illness?
JW: Yes, thank you. At the end of last season I was diagnosed with lung hemorrhage(?). I was very afraid, but after some treatment I'm all right now. But now I have another illness--headache. I have to pick 12 out of 20 players, and this is just a painful thing. I was unable to sleep for a few days.
LC: Can you tell us something about the camp? What position caused the headache?
JW: We have 17 players here today. Yolanda and Walker are still in Europe, they are not finished with their seasons yet; and we have another player coming in. They all play centers, which is what we lack right now. So when they report to the camp our lineup will be more complete. Yolanda is our MVP and Walker is a key to our team, so I'm not worried about those two positions. But I'm very worried about the other 3, especially our perimeter players. Last year we finished last in the league in 3-point shot, and this has to change.
LC: How are Feifei and Miaomiao's 3's? Did they make an impression on you?
JW: Miaomiao's endurance and passion is outstanding; of course so is Feifei's. They are both good at hitting outside jumpers. .... They showed their styles in our camp. Even though it's only the third day, they, like all the others, are playing their best. The problem is, we have too few veterans here, only 5 played for us last season, so there aren't many veterans to help them. So these Chinese girls, like the other rookies are all trying to adapt.
LC: Do you think the language barrier will be a big problem?
JW: Feifei's English is very good, she talks with me, at least I know she likes steaks, I went out and had steaks with her and her agent the other day. Miaomiao doesn't speak much, but I'm positive that she understands more English than she is able to express, because on the court she usually can understand my demands. Basketball is a language in itself, so I don't think they have a language barrier on the court.
LC: Can you tell us the possibility of them making the team?
JW: Please excuse me but I can't answer that question, it's not fair. Training camp has just started so let's wait patiently for the decisions. It's too early. But I want to say these two players are the best from Asia, they need to be confident.
www.feifeimiaomiao.com
So does this Chinese website
http://sports.sohu.com/1/0304/87/subject219408713.shtml
Also, Sui and Miao are their last names (not Feifei and Lijie, though it seems that Feifei and Miaomiao have become the names prefered by the coaches)