CLARK CITY (Philippines) - Lee HyunJung had his hands in his head in disbelief almost instantly as he saw the shot go in.

The Korean sharpshooter was all the way on the other side of the court, focused on his own defensive assignment. If Lee could, he would have teleported over to the other side to help on defense. Unfortunately (for all of us really), Lee is not a superhero with the powers of teleportation and was unable to add any more pressure on SJ Belangel's prayer of game-winner three-pointer for the Philippines.

"It was a tough loss because they made a tough shot," Lee said of the game.

If that shot didn't go in, this might have been a different story.

Merely 2.9 seconds before Belangel's shot, Lee had just calmly pump-faked into a made three-pointer in transition to tie the game. It certainly lifted the spirits of Korea and might have given them the momentum that they would need if the game went to an extra period.

If the following play didn't unravel as it had, we might be absorbing content after content about how a 20-year-old swingman became a hero in his national team debut by making the game-tying shot to send the game to overtime.

Belangel's shot did eventually go in for the Philippines, but that doesn't change the fact that Lee Hyunjung is a 20-year-old swingman who played so well in his first game ever for his senior national team that he almost made the biggest shot in the game.

"It's my first time to represent my country in the senior national team so I'm just trying to learn," said Lee.

He emphasized the fact that since he's so young, he doesn't have as much experience on defense. He says has to get better at closing out, rotations, communication, being a leader, etc.

Lee mentions a lot of things he has to improve on, but the main focus was something he kept repeating.

"I'm trying to learn as much as I can."

That should be a scary thought for all Asia Cup opponents, now that Korea has officially claimed their tickets to the main event in Jakarta later this year.

This "kid" who was still a teenager a year ago, has averaged 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks so far in the Qualifiers.

Through only his first two games playing at the senior national team level, Lee is shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from downtown.

And he's still trying to learn as much as he can.

Lee's first major lesson from his senior national team debut was to have a short memory.

After the loss to the Philippines, Lee and the Korea had less than 24 hours up until their next game against Indonesia.

"Our team captain said let's forget about it," Lee said. "Let's enjoy and prepare for the next game."

"And that worked very well."

Korea's budding star picked up right where he left off and finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds on 7-10 shooting from the field. He dazzled with just how smoothly he glided around on the floor, whether it was in transition or in motion as he wound up from another three-pointer.

It's similar to what fans have seen from Lee throughout the years in a national team jersey, albeit at the youth level. He starred at the U16 Asian Championship back in 2015, leading Korea to their first ever gold medal in the competition. He shined even brighter at the U18 Asian Championship 2018 when he led all players in scoring, assists, and steals.

Even after experiencing all of that at such a young age, Lee was quick to admit that he had a lot of adjusting to do at the senior men's level especially after bumping into big bodies like Lester Prosper and Ange Kuoame.

"I'd say physicality [is what I've had to adjust to the most]. There's a big difference like all the teams are really physical, they have a lot of tough guys."

"Also I think I played like a [kid] when I was young, so I have to fix that and I have to be more physical. I just want to help the team win."

"Look out for HyunJung."

Korea's star Ra GunA warned during the team's photoshoot before the games were played.

That warning rang true for anyone who might not have been aware of the what the former youth national team star would be capable of in his first run with the big boys.

It could still be a warning for any defender in a game caught back-pedaling as the agile Lee closes in across the halfcourt. Will he pull up for three or will he carve his way in for a layup? Pick your poison.

And it will be an alert for any opponent up ahead, that in the future will face the challenge of competing with the rising young talent who is still hungry to learn and to win.

Look out for HyunJung. You have been warned.

Don't forget to download the FIBA Asia Cup application from the Apple App Store or Google Play to stay on top of all the action.

FIBA