Ko Hyeon-ji: Daughter of Korean legend, eager to shine her own light

AMMAN (Jordan) - Ko Hyeon-ji knew exactly the path that she would want to tread the very first time she picked up a basketball at such a young age.

And her mother definitely played a huge part in it.

"My mom ran basketball class and I followed her around," she recalled. "When I touched a basketball for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it."

The 16-year-old is the daughter of Jo Moon-ju, a name forever etched in South Korean basketball lore with her accomplishments back in the day.

She led the nation to their second gold medal in the 1990 Asian Games, two years after a seventh-place finish in the Summer Olympics held in Seoul.

Ko admitted that she never actually saw her mom play, but was mesmerized with her game after watching clips on YouTube.

"I was most impressed by her play, especially rebounding," she said, as Jo was an undersized center that knew how to get the better of bigger foes.

So upon telling her mom that she would want to play, Jo was fully supportive, so much so that she put her in a place that could harness her talent.

"As soon as I told my mom that I wanted to play basketball, she transferred me to a school with a basketball team," she said.

Now, she's about to do what Jo did: play for flag and country. Ko is part of the Korean team set to play in the FIBA U16 Women's Asian Championship.

She headlines a squad that's out to improve its finish from the previous tilt in 2017 in India, where it only placed fifth in the eight-team Division A.

Ko admitted feeling pressure in making her national team debut in the June 24-30 festivities in Amman, but is nonetheless honored with the opportunity.

"As I get to represent Korea, I will be under a lot of pressure but proud at the same time," said the 1.81M (5'11") cager, who also hopes to reach the WNBA.

"I will try my best and become a good player."

And now that she's embarking on her own journey in basketball, Ko is bringing with her one thing her mom told her -- one that struck the most.

"My mom said that she didn’t want me to be called Jo Mun-ju’s daughter," she shared. "She rather prefers to be called Ko Hyun-ji’s mom."

FIBA