Scouting Report: Korea

Enzo Flojo

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Get to know more about the Korea team participating in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships.

Moniker: Taeguk Warriors

Qualification: Clinched the championship in the 2013 EABA Tournament, beating Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and China.

Last FIBA Asia Appearance: 2011 – 7 wins & 2 losses – Beat Malaysia, Lebanon, India, Uzbekistan, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, but lost to Iran and China.

Roster:

Name, Age, Height, Position

Kim Joo-Sung, 34, 6’9″, Center

Lee Seung-Jun, 35, 6’9″, Forward/Center

Cho Sung-Min, 30, 6’3″, Guard/Forward

Kim Sun-Hyung, 25, 6’2″, Guard

Yang Dong-Geun, 32, 5’11″, Guard

Kim Jong-Kyu, 22, 6’10″, Center

Lee Jong-Hyun, 19, 6’9″, Center/Forward

Yoon Ho-Young, 29, 6’6″, Forward

Kim Min-Goo, 22, 6’3″, Guard

Kim Tae-Sool, 29, 5’11″, Guard

Moon Seong-Gon, 20, 6’4″, Forward

Choi Jun-Yong, 19, 6’7″, Forward


Key Players:

1. Kim Sun-Hyung – Sun-Hyung is a bit of a strange talent in South Korea. Like the prototypical Korean guard, he is cat-quick, but unlike most of them, he is not particularly known for his outside shot. Yes, he will shoot the trey when open and he is pretty streaky, but what Sun-Hyung is really known for is his ability to slash through defenses and penetrate to the basket. The closest peg among our local players would probably have to be Jayson Castro. Yes, that’s right. Korea has its own version of our Jayson Castro.

2. Yang Dong-Geun – If Gilas has someone like Jimmy Alapag, then Korea has Yang. The 32-year old floor general has been one of the Taeguk Warriors’ top playmakers since 2001, and he can still run with the best of ‘em. In the 2011 tournament, Yang was saddled in some games by a leg injury, but now he’s healthier and probably hungrier, too. Look for him to be the primary playmaker while Kim Tae-Sool backs him up.

3. Kim Joo-Sung – At 34, Joo-Sung is definitely one of the oldest guys in the competition, but don’t let that fool you. This guy can still teach a lot of the younger set more than a thing or two about low post play, and that’s one of the reasons coach Yoo Jae-Hak actually chose him, so he can mentor the young frontliners in the next part of this post (see below, yes, just right below).

 

Points of Interest:

The Future Is Now – Unlike a good number of the contenders in this tournament, the Koreans have more than a handful of young ‘uns on their roster. Sure, Joo-Sung, Lee Seung-Jun, Cho Sung-Min, and Yang Dong-Geun are all in their 30s, but they also have six (6) guys who are 25 or younger, including two 19-year olds. Five (5) of those young players will probably play off the bench, but they should still see significant burn time, especially guys like 6’10 Kim Jong-Kyu and 6’3 Kim Min-Goo. Both were members of Korea’s Youth Team, while Jong-Kyu actually played for the seniors in the 2011 Wuhan edition. When asked why he chose so many youngsters over other more seasoned players, coach Yoo simply said that the future is now.

Tournament Outlook:

The Koreans have always been, and will always be, contenders. They pulled the rug from under Gilas in the 2011 battle for the bronze, and they have finished in the tournament’s top 4 in every edition except 2009, where they ended up 7th. Even with the prospect of facing both China and Iran in the first round, the Koreans should still do extremely well. I expect them to be among the top 3 teams in Group F and win in the quarterfinals no matter whom they face, unless it’s Gilas, of course. Suffice to say that anything less than a top 4 finish would be extremely surprising. – Rappler.com

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