NAGANO (EABA Championship 2017) - Lee JongHyun has been a mainstay for Korea's national team since debuting in 2013, and now he has been given the mantle of leadership at the EABA Championship 2017.

He and Kang SangJae are the only ones in the current Korea roster who are holdovers from their team in the FIBA Asia Championship 2015, and JongHyun is the only one with experience at the senior world level. Having lost one game already, it seems Korea miss many of their seasoned veterans, but JongHyun relishes in his role as this young team's leader.

Not surprisingly, JongHyun has been one of Korea's most efficient players so far in Nagano, averaging 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 block per game. His 2.06m frame has been quite imposing for Korea, and he will need every bit of it as they face China in the next round.

Win or lose, though, Korea have officially qualified to the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers. JongHyun is hopeful he will be part of the teams that will plunge into action in both of those competitions, but he is aware that Korea will likely make some changes in the future.

"There may be some changes in our team before getting called up again for the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, which is a more important tournament," he shared.

Korea have won all three past editions of the EABA Championship, but their chances of continuing their dominance hangs in the balance here, especially with the undefeated Chinese clicking on all cylinders. JongHyun acknowledges that they will probably be underdogs in their next couple of games, but he takes all these in stride, knowing that their experience here will benefit the national team's development in the long run.

"Our young players are strong, but we are now in a shift in generations," he explained. "Even if we are not so strong now, I believe that sometime soon we will be stronger than any other teams in Asia."

That's a bold statement given the dominance of the Chinese, Iranians and even the Filipinos to some extent, but JongHyun is aware they have the talent to stand toe to toe with any team in Asia. One particular teammate who has impressed Lee in this competition so far is Lee DaeSung, who, despite being in his late 20s, is playing for the senior team for only the first time in his career.

"Lee Daesung has been very impressive, and for a long time, he has been good enough to play in the senior team," he said. "Even if he is older than me, it is the first time for him to be included in the senior national team. I am really happy that I can see him in this competition and playing great."

For Korea to defy the odds and upend China in the next round, JongHyun knows that he, DaeSung and the rest of their team need nothing short of their A-game. Given China's size and athleticism, Korea will have a very challenging time notching their 2nd win of the tournament. In spite of such a seemingly daunting task, however, Korea can surely count on JongHyun to spearhead their charge and leave everything on the floor.

FIBA