SEOUL (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Korea star player Oh SeKeun has set a lofty goal for his team in the second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.

"Our goal is 2-0 in window 2," he said. "It's our big chance to get closer to the World Cup."

The 6ft 7in (2.01m) power forward is hoping he and his teammates can get better results in February when they return to Asian Qualifiers action compared to when they split their games last November in the first window.

"HOME FANS GIVE ME MORE CONFIDENCE AND A STRONG MENTALITY AND WINNING WILL DEFINITELY BRING SYNERGY TO THE FANS AND PLAYERS"

"Against New Zealand, we performed well as we were really prepared," he explained. "But against China, due to the long flight and tight schedule, we were not in good shape even if it was our home game."

The loss to China stung hard for Korea, and especially for Oh, who badly wanted to give the home fans something to cheer about.

"Playing at home is an effective way to bring more attention to the game," he shared. "I think if our team had performed well, more fans will come to cheer us now."

Oh knows that staging international basketball games in Korea doesn't come very often, so he wants the national team to make sure they deliver the best result when they play in front of their own fans.

"We had such a limited chance to have home games in Korea," he said. "I felt it before in the Asian Games 2014 and also in the Qualifiers' first window. Home fans give me more confidence and a strong mentality, and winning will definitely bring synergy to the fans and players."

"PLAYING AT HOME IS AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO BRING MORE ATTENTION TO THE GAME" OhOh

Winning, of course, will be easier said than done. They first square off against winless Hong Kong on 23 February before returning to the Jamsil Arena on 26 February to once again face the Tall Blacks, who are aching for payback after losing to Korea thrice in 2017.

Oh knows sweeping the second window won't be a walk in the park, but he believes that as long as Korea are able to stick to their strengths, then they should be in a good position to win.

"We need to play fast," he said. "As everybody knows, height is our problem, so we need to improve our speed and strength."

FIBA