By Ken Marantz
OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 25, 2026: It took gaining Mongolian citizenship and coming to Japan to play in the Asian Games for American-born Amari Robinson to get an upclose encounter with the Great Wall of China.
No, not the centuries-old iconic structure, but 19-year-old phenomenon Zhang Ziyu, the unstoppable 2.24-meter giant aiming to lift China to the gold medal in women’s basketball.
Robinson, no small fry herself at 1.84 meters, was tasked with guarding Zhang during her 13-plus minutes on the court in their quarterfinal game on Thursday at Aichi International Arena, which China won 89-63.
Like all other opponents, Robinson could do little as Zhang received the ball near the basket, raised her arms high above her head and flicked in 10 of 12 shots to finish with 20 points.
“My dad’s 6-10 (2.08 meters), so that’s as close as I get to having faced someone that height, but he’s a man so it’s different,” said Robinson, whose father played high-level college basketball at Notre Dame.
“But she’s a great talent. She has great hands and she knows how to keep the ball high. I was just trying to be as tall as I could with what I had. She’s really a great offensive player.”
Referring to Zhang’s age, Robinson added: “I think she’ll be really good as she continues to grow and improve. She’s going to be a killer.”
Surprisingly, the Mongolians matched the mighty Chinese shot for shot in the first quarter, which ended with China holding a slim 24-23 lead. Zhang made her first appearance with three minutes left and promptly sank four straight shots.
But it all came apart for Mongolia in the second quarter, when the team went as cold as a winter in Ulanbaator and did not score until just over a minute left in the period as China steamed into a 49-28 lead.
“We came out so strong, I think we were blown away ourselves,” said Robinson, who scored 18 points while appearing on the court for all but three minutes of the game. “We were shooting really well.
“This is the team we wanted to showcase to everyone, and obviously it’s not going to be at the top the whole game. When you play teams like China, Japan, Korea, you think, there’s no way we can play, just go out and do your best.
“They might have more talent and skill, but go ahead and play because you never know what’s going to happen and I think the first quarter showed that.”
The 24-year-old Robinson, whose mother also played basketball, starring at Providence College, was a standout at Clemson University, where she also earned All-Academic honors as she worked toward a masters degree in special education.
Robinson was recruited by the Mongolia federation after playing in the nation’s 3x3 league. She received citizenship earlier this month and gained approval from FIBA to play for the national team in the Asian Games.
“I’m really honored to be a part of Mongolia,” she said. “It’s been really special being welcomed and the fan support has been unreal. I feel I made the best decision and I’m just trying to do my best for Mongolia.”
While the national team started preparations for the Asian Games two months ago, Robinson was still playing in the 3x3 league and only joined the squad a week before it departed for Nagoya.
“We scrimmaged a lot and tried to get everything going,” she said with a smile.
Robinson said she has picked up basic Mongolian, but is helped by teammate and top player Khulan Onolbaatar, a forward who speaks English after attending high school in Australia.
“A lot of people are learning to speak English, so it’s helping them, and they teach me, so it’s kind of a little educational system that we have going on there,” Robinson said. “We communicate however we can.”
Onolbaatar, a teammate of Robinson’s on the 3x3 Ulanbaator Amazons, stood out in the China clash, sinking three of the team’s 12 3-pointers and finishing with 13 points.
Robinson cites her and forward Tsatsrai Bayarmaa as two players currently competing on the world level.
“She’s definitely one of the best that I’ve played with,” Robinson said of Onolbaatar, “especially being in a smaller country like Mongolia and then being able to compete on an international level.
“She and No. 5 (Bayarmaa) are so dominant in Mongolia. It’s been such an eye-opener playing next to them.”
