SEOUL (2015 FIBA U19 World Championship) - Jeon Hyun-Woo knows a thing or two about major continental competitions. And his previous experience at two youth world championships will help his Korea teammates at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

The small forward played at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship as a 16-year-old and then appeared at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship the next summer.

That experience of playing against the best of the best throughout the world aided Jeon in being a leader at the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championship, where Korea finished third to qualify for the 2015 FIBA U19 Worlds.

"Jeon's experience in international games will help to make him and his teammates more composed," said Korea head coach Kim Seung Gi.

Sharing his experiences with other teammates will bring some confidence into the team. - Kim Seung Gi

After averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds at the 2012 U17 Worlds and 0.7 points and 0.3 assists at the 2013 U19 Worlds, Jeon led the Koreans at the FIBA Asia U18s with averages of 16.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.  

"Jeon is expected to lead the team defensively and offensively. He will be asked to be a key man in terms of mental stabilisation of the team and we will pattern plays for him during the game," the coach went on.

The coach expects Jeon to play good defense in Greece, where the Asians have been drawn into Group D with Dominican Republic, Greece and Serbia.

But Kim thinks his leader might have problems with being shorter and weaker than his European and North American counterparts. 

However, Jeon won't be the only experienced player the coach will rely upon this summer. Kim Kyung-Won averaged 12.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals at the FIBA Asia U18s and is expected to set the tone. 

"Kim not only has good technical basketball skills, but his diligence and work ethic will also have a positive influence on his teammate," the coach said of the 2.02m big man.

"He will contribute tremendously to the team as a blue collar worker rather than an eye-catching player."

The other Korean player returning for a second U19 Worlds tour of duty will be Byeon Jun-Hyeong, who served as the team's main point guard last summer at the U18 level. But he struggled in the Semi-Final against Iran and Third Place Game versus Chinese Taipei - turning the ball over nine times in each game.

"He's been stepping up his game by learning from the mistakes that he made. He's been steadily improving in the Korean league," Kim said of Byeon, who made one free-throw and grabbed one rebound in eight minutes over four games at the 2013 U19 Worlds, where the Koreans beat Czech Republic and Ivory Coast. 

Even though neither Jeon nor Byeon played major roles at the last U19 Worlds, Kim believes that experience will play a role in Greece.

"Experience is important. However, it's not the only factor to obtain a win. A player's experience can maximise a team's performance the most when he fits perfectly in the team with creative plays," added Kim.

FIBA