The Korean men’s basketball team will begin its Asian Cup challenge.
South Korea, led by head coach Ahn Joon-ho, will face Australia in Group A of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 5 p.m. on August 6 (Korean time).
South Korea is far behind Australia in objective power. You can tell by looking at the FIBA ranking. South Korea is 53rd in the FIBA rankings. Australia is the world’s seventh-largest powerhouse.
사진 확대 Photograph by Lee Hyun-joong (Las Vegas, USA) = Correspondent Kim Jae-ho
사진 확대 Lee Hyun-joong. Photograph = Courtesy of the Korea Basketball Association
사진 확대 Lee Hyun-joong. Photograph = Courtesy of the Korea Basketball Association
South Korea also has one win and eight losses in nine previous showdowns with Australia.
There is no giving up.
Korean “Ace” Lee Hyun-joong vowed to do well through the Korea Basketball Association (KBA).
“I think Australia, the first opponent of the game, is mostly an overwhelming team, but we have to run to know the game,” Lee Hyun-joong said. “We will prepare well with the players and focus more on our team.”
“I’m going to tell the team a lot of information and tactics about Australian players. I think I should keep studying. It’s not just me, it’s the same for all the players. We will do our best to prepare for the rest of the year,” he said.
Lee Hyun-joong has played for the Illawarra Hawks in the Australian League. I know Australia better than anyone else.
사진 확대 Lee Hyun-joong. Photo = Illawarra Hawks official SNS
After the match against Australia, Korea will play Qatar (8th) and Lebanon (11th).
Sixteen countries will participate in the tournament and will be divided into four groups for the group stage. The first place in each group will go straight to the quarterfinals, and the second and third places will determine the teams that advance to the tournament through the quarterfinals.
South Korea left for Saudi Arabia on the 1st and is concentrating on preparing for the first group match against Australia.
Lee Hyun-joong said, “All the players seem to have adjusted well to the time difference,” adding, “It was very good to do weight training on the first day of arriving in Saudi Arabia.”
Lee Hyun-joong continued, “I think I slept better because I moved my body while weight training rather than staying in the room.”
사진 확대 Lee Hyun-joong. Photo = Courtesy of Yonhap News
Regarding the first court training, Lee Hyun-joong said, “At the beginning of the training, I came out first and ran a lot to increase my energy. Other players followed well. He said, “It was a time where we could meet the shortcomings through communication.”
[Lee Geunseung, MK Sports Reporter]