(Photo: Chinadaily.com.cn)

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BEIJING, Sept. 25 -- China's national team guard Liu Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat when he was invited to the opening ceremony of the KFC National Youth 3-on-3 Basketball Championships held on the weekend in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province.

The then 15-year-old won the championships three years ago as a member of the Jinlin Rongyao Team and defended the title the following year.

His starring role in the championships caught the attention of Li Qun, head coach of three-time Chinese Basketball League champion Guangdong Hongyuan, who recruited him as a member of the team.

A year later he was standing on court alongside national icons Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian as a member of the national team.

So when he was surrounded by thousands of budding Chinese hoop stars dreaming only of emulating him, he was deeply touched.

"This is a dream opportunity for all of you," he told the enthusiastic young players.

"The tournament gives you a chance to pursue the dream. Also, it gives you a wonderful time to enjoy basketball."

The fourth installment of the tournament attracted record participation levels - a stunning 126,000 basketball lovers from 21,000 teams from 369 cities around China entered, almost three times the inaugural event in 2004.

The rapid growth of the 3-on-3 game reflects basketball's ever growing popularity.

"A new record, well, what can I say," said Hu Jiashi, vice-president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

"It just shows how much Chinese love basketball."

As usual, the eyes of many basketball coaches will firmly be fixed on the tournament, hoping to unearth new talents like Liu Xiaoyu.

"China is never short of good basketball talent, in particular in Guangzhou. I am looking forward to finding more Liu Xiaoyu here," coach Li said.

However, Liu was overshadowed by another heavyweight guest at the opening ceremony - teammate and Houston Rockets center Yao Ming.

As soon as the superstar stepped from his car, fans went crazy and chanted Yao's name loudly.

"It's a thrill to see so many young people loving basketball," Yao said.

"Just enjoy it and have great fun."

He teased he was interested in joining the tournament because he seldom played the 3-on-3 basketball.

"I think it is a Hutong sport," he said.

"I would like to have a try, but only after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games."

To encourage the players, Yao and his national teammates donated an autographed jersey to be presented to the championship-winning team.

The tournament, organized by KFC and CBA, starts with a two-month regular season. After that, a total of 30 teams plus a team from Hong Kong will take part in the finals held in Guangdong in December.

The winning team will also get a free tour to the United States.

(Source: China Daily)