JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - At only 24, Lee Hyunjung is already taking the initiative to hone his leadership skills further as he finds himself being the middle child of sorts for Korea in the ongoing FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
This year's continental tourney is actually his first ever but he has been assuming a significant role for the proud program since making the jump to the seniors, especially for a team that's in the midst of a 'process.'
"We still have experience, but I think for me it's really important to put all the guys together - the oldest guys and then the youngest guy. I'm kinda in the middle," the former Davidson College standout reflected.
Coach Ahn Joonho built a team that featured youth and experience - from veterans such as 34-year-old bruising center Kim Jongkyu to guys like Yeo Junseok, who at 23 is the youngest of this particular batch.
And this is all part of the plan to hone Team Korea that's been moving on from the departure of Ra Gunah or popularly known as Ricardo Ratliffe, who retired from national team duties back in February of last year.
I've been through all situations like this, so I think I can really help this team get through this process.
They've been playing with an all-local lineup since the second window of the 2025 Asia Cup Qualifiers last November but the Jeddah meet marks their first major FIBA competition without the star big man.
Lee won't deny that they miss the presence of Ra, who represented the country in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and in the 2022 Asia Cup. But he also sees it as a chance to grow and become a voice.
"Without Ra Gun-ah it's gonna be tough," admitted the Seongnam-native, who plays in the B.League. "But I'm trying to be a vocal leader and also on-court, try to talk as much as I can and put this team together."
But leading by example is indeed a strong suit of his, and that was evident on Friday when he took over and steered the Koreans to a 97-83 win over Brandon Goodwin and Qatar to barge into the win column.
There, Lee scored eight of their last 11 points, including two three-point play conversions to power the solid closeout after the opposition chopped down a lead as big as 21 points to just five, 85-80.
He went on to conclude his clutch showing by going 2-for-2 from the foul line with 29.9 seconds remaining, all but sealing the deal to help themselves get a W after receiving a harsh beatdown from Australia last Wednesday.
Lee finished with 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers, together with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block for a full line in 28 minutes, netting an efficiency of 27.
Now at 1-1, Team Korea could bolster their bid of advancing when they take on Lebanon in the final day of the Group Phase on Sunday, and the sweet-shooting winger is surely expected to deliver again.
"I've been through all situations like this, so I think I can really help this team get through this process," he said.
No doubt he could.
FIBA