KOREA veteran Lee Seoung Hyun acknowledged that the height of Gilas Pilipinas in the just-concluded Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers was the biggest difference from the previous Philippine teams he had faced.
The 29-year-old Lee played against the Philippine squad in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon. Korea won, 118-86, in the contest.
This time, Korea suffered two defeats against Gilas Pilipinas, and incidentally, it was Lee who challenged SJ Belangel's buzzer-beater in their opening match.
“Comparing the two generations of the Philippine national team, the previous ones, their guards were their strong points,” said Lee through an interpreter.
“But in this generation, for example, Kai Sotto, they have great big men in the roster. They put us in a hard position to play against them,” said Lee.
Lee had eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists on Sunday, but his efforts failed to translate into a victory as Korea suffered an 82-77 defeat to the Philippines.
As one of the veterans in the squad, Lee hopes for a better result the next time Korea faces the Philippines in international play as they now move on to prepare for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament to be held in Lithuania.
“We had tough games. Tough losses against them. I feel sorry for the Korean fans out there in Korea. But I accept the result. Hopefully, we will be better next time,” said Lee.
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