US coach takes over China's Xinjiang squad

BEIJING — China's national basketball coach Robert Donewald has accepted an offer to lead the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, saying he is eager to win a championship with the Chinese professional league squad.The 41-year-old American, who once served as an assistant coach with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, last month left his post with the Shanghai Sharks, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team owned by NBA superstar Yao Ming."In this business, the opportunity to win a championship becomes smaller and smaller. This is the opportunity to take one more step to win the championship," Donewald said in comments carried Friday by the China Daily."I am not taking the job to finish second. I am taking it to win the championship."Xinjiang finished second in the league last season, losing to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the final. Shanghai failed to make the play-offs with a disappointing 12-20 record.Local media reported that Donewald had been offered $1 million to coach in Xinjiang, but the coach refused to comment on his contract details.He instead was content to sing the praises of his new team."Xinjiang is a pretty competitive team. They play defence very well. They are disciplined. But I will put my stamp on them and try to win the title. I like the challenge," Donewald said.Xinjiang have extended the contract of star guard Quincy Douby, a New Yorker who played briefly in the NBA and has said he hopes to hone his game while in China before making another run at the US pro game, for another season."I am a big fan of Quincy Douby. But I am a big believer that the champion team wins not only with foreign players, but also with domestic talent," Donewald said.During the 2009-2010 season, Donewald led the Shanghai Sharks to a 25-7 win-loss record, turning around a dismal 6-44 performance from the previous campaign.The dramatic turnaround led to his being named as head coach to China's national team, which he led to the title in the 2010 Asian Games in November.He has said the national side must and will win the

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