by Chen Hui Jing
The Home United Basketball Club from Singapore is undoubtedly the team with the most interesting mix of players, from various nationalities as well as age-groups.
What most people do not know is that Xiu Lijuan, wearing the jersey number 17, is no ordinary 50-year-old. She is a former-member of the China National Women's Basketball team, who helped team China win the bronze medal in the 1983 World Basketball Championship for Women. She is also an Olympic-medalist, playing in the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, USA. And most importantly, she is the mother of Home United stand-out, Yao Xiuxiu.
The original plan was simply to pay a visit to Xiuxiu, who is currently studying in Singapore. However, as the Home United team was under-manned for this tournament, Coach Tan Yee Nee jokingly suggested that she suit up for them as well. Both mother and daughter felt this was a wonderful idea and here they are now, playing on the same court for this edition of the Malaysia International Basketball Championship.
When asked how she felt about playing with her daughter, Xiu Li juan said, "I'm really happy to see that my daughter plays with a lot of heart. To see her perform well on court gives me a peace of mind, that all her sacrifices were not in vain. My only qualm is that she shies away from body contact and is not tough enough yet. I hope that she will continue to develop and improve on her skills in the years to come."
"I was looking forward to this competition as I had never got the chance to play on the same team as my mum before. There wasn't much pressure or anything before the game either. I'm really proud to see my mother still being able to play and score, I think she still has it in her," said Xiuxiu, when asked about how she felt playing with her mother.
It is not often we get to see a mother-daughter combination on the basketball court, but evidently, both Xiu Lijuan and her daughter, Yao Xiuxiu, share a special bond both on and off the court. |
