INQUIRER Sports

BEIJING - China's sporting press on Thursday rounded on the country's basketball association for sticking with troubled national team coach Guo Shiqiang after a string of embarrassing losses.

The decision came after a review of China's embarrassing 70-52 loss to Iran in the Asian Basketball Championship final last month, despite the presence of New Jersey Net Yi Jianlian and former NBA players Wang Zhizhi and Sun Yue.

China also lost last week to both Australia and Turkey in an international tournament.

NBA All Star centre Yao Ming did not play in any of the games due to injury.

"If all the problems could be settled by changing the coach, we would consider it," China Basketball Association (CBA) director Xin Lancheng said in a statement following a meeting on Guo's fate Wednesday.

"We should give him more time to develop himself... but the period of time depends on how you are doing in your job."

The CBA issued an unprecedented public apology after the matches, which were screened on national television.

"The open apology from the CBA has not placated the fans, but instead has resulted in a louder chorus of insults and complaints," the Liaoshen Evening News said in a commentary.

The paper said that if Guo were forced to step down, Xin should also resign for hiring the 34-year-old, China's youngest-ever national team head coach.

"How is it that in the short space of one year our team has gone from heaven to hell?" the leading Titan Sports Weekly said, referring to China's eighth place finish at last year's Beijing Olympics.

"As far as the national team head coach, no matter who it is, it should not be someone who is seeking to bolster his experience."

Despite the loss to Iran, China still qualified for the World Basketball Championships in Turkey next year, giving them nearly a year to make further preparations and possibly sack Guo, other press reports said.

Earlier this week the China Daily said former Australian national team coach Brian Goorjian would be the likely front-runner to replace Guo should he be sacked in the coming months.

Goorjian has served as a consultant to Team China since earlier this year.

China's national team will not play again until December when they attend the East Asian Games in Hong Kong.