2.25-meter Tall Yao Ming Replaced by Senegal's Forward

Senegal's Abdou Diame will replace Chinese center Yao Ming in the International Select Team that will meet the USA Junior Basketball Team at the 2000 NABC/ Nike Hoop Summit on April 2.

The 19-year-old forward, standing 2.06 (6-9 feet) tall, has only been playing organized basketball for three years, but impressed experts with his shot blocking, shooting touch and range. Yao Ming, standing at 2.25-meter (7-5 feet) tall, skipped the Hoop Summit after the 19-year-old is required to practice in a pre- Olympics training camp of the Chinese national side starting from April 1. Yao helped China win last August's Asian Championship and gained the solo spot in Asia to compete at the Sydney Olympic Games.

Yao, with the Shanghai Sharks of the CBA Chinese Basketball Association league, is considered one of the top centers in China and a potential pick for the NBA draft. He averaged 5.3 blocks and 14.9 rebounds to capture the blocking and rebounding titles of the CBA, the best pro-league in Asia.

Diame, who is currently playing at Oak Hill Academy, in Virginia of the United States, rose to national prominence during the 1998-1999 season when he helped Oak Hill become the top-ranked high school basketball team in the USA Today ratings. The sixth annual Hoop Summit benefits the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Mass, the birthplace of basketball.

It is the only international game of its kind and brings together 12 of the top junior players in the world to compete against the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team, a squad comprised of the top high school senior boy hoopsters in the United States.

USA basketball team leads the Hoop Summit series 3-2 that began in 1995.

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