BEIJING - China's under-19 basketball men's team coach, Fan Bin, has regained leadership of the squad after a two-week suspension for scolding and insulting teenage players during training sessions.

The governing body confirmed Fan's reinstatement on Friday, saying, "he has deeply understood the fault, sincerely apologized to the players and vowed to amend his behavior".

The statement said the 41-year-old Fan, who took over the team in 2008 after coaching the Bayi Rockets women's team, would "adjust his coaching style, respect the youngsters both physically and mentally and communicate more with the players in the future".

On April 1, the U-19 players handed a joint letter marked by their scarlet fingerprints to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) calling for their "bad-tempered" coach to be fired. The governing body confirmed that Fan had used ill-mannered coaching methods and announced it had temporarily dismissed him on April 11.

Meanwhile, CBA vice-president, Li Jinsheng, also criticized the players' "impulsive move" to release the letter directly to the media, rather than reporting their demands to the team leader.

After a break while the U-19 team played practice games in the United States early this month and Fan helped out at the senior team's training sessions in Beijing, the two sides had cooled down and eventually agreed to forgive each other's faults at face-to-face discussions after the team returned from the US on Tuesday.

Although the ice seems to have melted, the governing body said Fan's post will not be guaranteed until he goes through an assessment period, which will last until the end of the U-19 world championships in July. During that time there must not be any "conflict with the players".

The team's stunning performances during Fan's tenure, which include a history-making seventh place at last year's U-17 worlds and winning the 2009 Asian junior championships, are believed to be the reason for the CBA's decision to retain him. As well, Fan's three-year bond with the teenage squad has built a solid technical and emotional foundation for its development in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

The unprecedented mutiny also highlighted the controversial clash between the traditional parenting way and the greater self-awareness of the post-1990s generation.

"The old strict, rough way cannot be used to guide these players and we need to develop a new model that is more flexible and humanized to fit these young guys," Fan said.