The Great Wall of China was high. Lee Hyun-joong shed tears and was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the Golden Generation. I will not be afraid of any challenge
Aug 15, 2025
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South Korea's men's basketball A team, led by head coach Ahn Joon-ho, lost 71-79 to China in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Asia Cup at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 14th (Korea time).
China had the upper hand in terms of objective power. South Korea is 53rd in the FIBA rankings, while China is 30th. In the previous record, South Korea was inferior with 5 wins and 10 losses. I didn't mean to back down though. In the early days of the game, Korea continued its tight trend with Lee Hyun-joong (Nagasaki) and Ha Yoon-ki (kt). In the second quarter, he had difficulty in the opponent's height, but he chased fiercely with active movements. However, it did not finally cross the wall in China. On this day, South Korea threw 24 3-pointers and scored only three. The success rate was only 12.5 percent. After the defeat, Lee Hyun-joong could not hide his regret, shedding tears.
After the game, coach Ahn said, "(He gave up the right to provide to China's tall wall, so he couldn't bring about the flow of the game. It should have increased the shooting success rate, but it was blocked by the switch defense of the opponent's tall players, and three points were low"We can be competitive with any team if we have big men and tall players. If you had a big man to dominate the backboard, you could be even more extraordinary in Asia. It stopped here, but the players did their best in the spirit of 'One Team Korea'. I've done 100% of the mission on the court."
South Korea had two friendly matches with Japan and Qatar ahead of the tournament. On this stage, he recorded 2-1 wins and 1 loss in Group A of the group stage. Ranked second in the group after Australia (3 wins). survived the so-called Joe of Death. In the round of 12, they advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Guam, the third place in Group B. In the process, young players such as Lee Hyun-joong and Yeo Jun-seok (Seattle University) performed very well. Some described them as the emergence of the `golden generation.'
Director Ahn said, `I will not be afraid of any challenges in the future. I'm going to do my best and fly. Fans are the main players for Korean men's basketball to continue its power and vitality. We will continue to live up to our fans' voices, listen to them, and do our best to repay them."
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-kyu, who was born in 1991, played a lot of time for the main (junior) players. In that sense, I should have shown more on the field, but we couldn't, so it was hard for us. I don't think it's going to be easy (the next Asia Cup). This is not a place where you can come because you want to, or you can't come because you don't want to. I prepared this thinking this is the last time. Korean basketball is undergoing a generational change. With good players as the main players, you will be able to see a different level of Korean basketball than ever before."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
