ONE of Korea's rising stars is raring to test his mettle against Filipino prodigy Kai Sotto.
Lee Hyun Jung, one of the youngest members of the Korean team at 20, said one of the biggest reasons why he's looking ahead to the Wednesday game between Gilas Pilipinas and Korea is the 7-foot-3 wunderkind.
"I'm looking forward to playing against [the Philippines], especially against Kai Sotto. He’s also a star and I just want to play against him," he said.
"I just saw him sign with an NBL team. He’s a great player, tall player. He has pretty good, high basketball IQ, and he can play in the next level."
Sotto's seniors debut is certainly one of the most sought after storylines in the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark.
But Lee himself also carries the same level of hype.
The 6-foot-7 forward is currently a sophomore at Davidson College - the same school which produced two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry - and Lee is definitely looked at as one of the top young prospects in Korea today.
"There's a great basketball program [in Davidson], so I’m preparing for my career after college. And this is one of the great opportunities to show my skills in getting to the next level," he said.
Lee has already brought glory to the Korea in the youth level, helping it win the 2015 Fiba Asia Under-16 Championship in Jakarta.
But the seniors level is a new beast on its own. It's a big reason why Korea brought in a younger team to immerse them at this level early on to carry the torch in the succeeding tournaments.
"Our team is young, but we have great leaders. So we just have to play basketball as usual, got to play my style. I just have to play hard and just have fun. They just said no pressure, just have fun and get energy on and off the court. I’m just trying my best."
Gilas Pilipinas presents the first hurdle for Lee and the Koreans as they aim to finish in the top two of Group A and book their spot in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup in Indonesia come August.
"I feel that the Philippines has always been a good team. They’re great with one-on-one and has good team basketball, so I’m really excited about it," he said. "I just want to compete with everyone, besides Kai Sotto. I want to compete with all the good players."
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