MIES (Switzerland) - There's more to the upcoming bout between Chinese Taipei and Korea in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers' second window than being a clash between long-time rivals.
Yes, it's going to be a match between an unbeaten team and a side hoping to break through, but another thing that should be watched out for is the looming meeting between two old foes in Lee Hyunjung and Benson Lin.
Old foes, you wonder? That's because these two stars were at the center of their respective squads that faced off in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup Final back in 2015, and have since been carving out solid careers for themselves.
Take a look at this longitudinal piece from that one night in Jakarta, Indonesia up to when their paths cross once more this Window 2, specifically on February 26 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
How have they progressed? Let's dive in.
Starting Point
FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2015
FIBA U16 Asia Cup Final |
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Stats | MIN | PTS | FG% | 3PM | REB | AST | STL | BLK | EFF |
Benson Lin | 35:10 | 19 | 40.0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Lee Hyunjung | 40:00 | 17 | 41.2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
We can't really begin without looking at that particular U16 Asia Cup 11 years ago. The two were quick to become stars of that tournament, with the both of them delivering for their teams with commendable numbers.
Lin, for instance, put up 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, while Lee posted norms of 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists as they played key roles in their units' eventual trips to the Big Dance.
They almost matched one another come the Final by tallying those numbers you can see in the table above but Lee had the better all-around showing - and had the last laugh as they won, 78-69, to take home the gold.
Established Youngsters
FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016
FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016 |
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Stats | PPG | RPG | APG | EFFPG |
Benson Lin | 21.3 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 12.6 |
Lee Hyunjung | 11.7 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 11.4 |
By reaching the U16 Final, the two would continue their solid play in a far grander stage as both Korea and Chinese Taipei formed part of the three-team Asian cast to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup the next year.
A look at the stats would tell that Lin had himself a run individually, although Lee and his crew went into a deeper run into the meet, having gone all the way to the Quarter-Finals before settling for an 8th-place finish.
And Lee would carry that confidence over in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in 2018. There, he finished as the tourney's top scorer and led the assists department as well with 26.0 and 6.0 dimes as Korea finished 8th as well.
It was, however, a 'what-if' moment, as Lin wasn't with the Chinese Taipei youth team in 2018. Chances are, they could have slugged it out once more as the two teams met during the Group Phase.
The Koreans won, 97-86, with Lee showing the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
Different Paths
From shining in the FIBA youth level, the two embarked on different journeys outside of their own homeland, with the both of them committing to universities that have been competing in Division 1 of the US NCAA.
Lin, after attending St. Andrew's School in Rhode Island, committed and played for the Bryant University Bulldogs, a stint highlighted by an All-Rookie Team citation in the Northeast Conference back in 2020.
Lee, meanwhile, spent some time in Australia before heading to Davidson College, and would go on to earn a spot in the 2020 Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team and then an All-Atlantic-10 First Team honor two years later.
Senior debuts
FIBA Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers
FIBA Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers |
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Stats | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | EFFPG |
Benson Lin | 2 | 25.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 22.5 |
Lee Hyunjung | 4 | 17.3 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 23.3 |
Inevitably, both would be called up by their men's programs. They debuted in the senior level during the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers, where they helped the traditional contenders reach the event proper in Jakarta.
Lee himself showed signs of becoming a future leader of Team Korea, with Lin playing a part in Chinese Taipei's dramatic road to the Asia Cup in which they caught the last bus by beating Guam to keep the streak alive.
It was quite a bummer that Lee wasn't around in the Indonesian capital because of prior commitments. But Lin himself made good use of such a big stage, delivering nicely to help his side get past the Final Phase.
There, he averaged 17.0 points alongside 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in four outings. If only Chinese Taipei didn't fall to Jordan and Freddy Ibrahim's miraculous buzzer-beater in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals.
National Team Stars
FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers + Asia Cup 2025
FIBA Asia Cup 2025 |
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Stats | GP | PTS | RPG | APG | EFFPG |
Lee Hyunjung | 5 | 19.8 | 7.6 | 3.0 | 20.6 |
Benson Lin | 5 | 14.8 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 11.2 |
The aforementioned senior debuts proved to be the start of what have been remarkable men's team campaigns for themselves thus far, with the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia serving as a strong evidence.
Both teams actually bowed out of the Quarter-Finals against fellow continental contenders but there's no denying how good they were most especially Lee, showing how much he's grown since turning pro in 2022.
Currently with the Nagasaki Velca of Japan's B.League, Lee was without a doubt one of the event's stars with impressive averages of 19.8 points on 41.7-percent shooting, on top 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
His best game of the contest happened in their 97-86 win over Lebanon to reach the Qualification to Quarter-Finals, where he finished with 28 points on 7 triples, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Lee finished the tourney as the Koreans' leading scorer and ditto with Lin, who's evolved into a better leader thanks to his experiences with the Tianjin Pioneers of the CBA, in which he's been playing at since 2020.
Ascending Superstars?
FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers |
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Stats | GP | PPG | RPG | APG |
Lee Hyunjung | 2 | 26.5 | 10.0 | 2.0 |
Benson Lin | 2 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
Now we're here and about to head into another window of the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers, and these two are continuing to become pieces heavily relied on by their teams in realizing their dream of going to Qatar.
Lee, for one, starred for Korea back in Window 1 with the impressive numbers he put up to banner their surprising upset of China not once but twice, thus their position as the no. 1 team in Group B with a 2-0 record.
Chinese Taipei, on the other hand, got blanked by Yuta Watanabe and Japan in the two times they faced each other, although Lin served as one of their few bright spots in a tough window with 11.0 points to his name.
But again, it's another window, and that also means a fresh opportunity especially for Lin and his team to do much better in an attempt to, of course, barge into the win column and breathe new life to their World Cup hopes.
They will have to do so, though, against a rejuvenated opponent headed by Lee given the gravity of what they achieved in the opening window. So, who's going to come out triumphant once the final buzzer sounds?
Or better yet, which star will shine brighter when the dust settles?
FIBA