Windermere Prep’s big man to represent China

Windermere Preparatory School sophomore basketball star Sinan Huan spent his last few weeks of summer training at the Chinese National Team training camp in Beijing, China. 

“I (worked) on shooting, ball-handling and (on trying) to speed up every move to be more competitive,” he said. 

During the 20 days Sinan spent training in China, he and the other 15 players who qualified for the U16 category also participated in tryouts to determine if they would be representing China at the FIBA U16 Asian Junior Championship 2023. That competition is scheduled to take place from Sept. 17 to 24 at the Al Gharafa Sports Club Hall in Qatar. 

Sinan was one of the 12 players to make it. He will travel to represent China against teams such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. 

“I’m (excited) to go to another country with my friends and play basketball,” he said. 

Part of the training also involved scrimmage games, which paired the U16 team with the U19 team. 

“The guys were stronger than us and more talented,” Sinan said. “It was pretty fun to play against them, because you needed to be super smart when playing against them.”

Sinan’s twin brother, Sifeng Huan, also was among the players who trained in Beijing at the camp. He, unfortunately, did not make the U16 team.

Sinan, 16, began playing basketball when he was 6 years old. He tried myriad sports, including tennis, football, golf and soccer, but he didn’t enjoy any of those as much as basketball.

“My parents — Chengqing Ma, who was on the Chinese national team at the 1996 Olympics, and Yu Huan — played basketball so they taught me,” he said. “Every day, (my twin brother and I) would go out and play basketball together.” 

Training with his brother in their hometown this summer was a fun moment for Sinan, as they have the ability to complement each other well on the court. 

“When we play together, we don’t need to talk a lot,” he said. “When we make eye contact, he just knows what to do so. He’s a super good teammate for me.” 

As an athlete, Sinan  — who plays power forward and center — has grown exponentially from his first high school season as a starter for the Lakers boys varsity basketball team. Hopefully, this will show on the court for the 2023-24 basketball season. 

“I saw him in AAU this spring … he was getting more vocal, becoming more of a leader and starting to demand the ball,” Windermere Prep head basketball coach Brian Hoff said. “Those are all traits that, for a big guy, are awesome to see in his development, so I’m very excited to see how he’s going to be this season. … He is a very talented young man, he’s 7-foot-0, he’s long, he’s athletic, and he’s got a good feel — and a good touch — around the rim. … He is developing, so the sky is the limit for Sinan.”