Korea's Yang wants to be one of world’s best

TEHRAN (2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship) - Yang Jae Min has big plans for the immediate future in a huge move for Korean basketball. But before that, the talented forward wants to make history at the 2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship - and be remembered by 1 year olds at the same time.

Yang has been tagged as one of Korea's biggest talents for years and he will soon get a chance to prove himself outside the country as he will soon become the first Korean to move to Europe with a planned signing in Spain. 

"I have heard that I will be the first case to go and play in Europe. It is really honour to be the first," said Yang, who has not yet announced which Spanish club he will join after the championship. "It is simple. I want to learn something that I could not learn in Korea. I want to play with players who I could not meet in Korea."

The Seoul native, who will be the first Korean basketball player to play in a foreign league team since Ha Seung-jin made his NBA debut in 2004, definitely has high aspirations: "I want to be one of greatest players in world."

"I have heard that I will be the first case to go and play in Europe. It is really honour to be the first. It is simple. I want to learn something that I could not learn in Korea. I want to play with players who I could not meet in Korea." - Yang

He continued: "I know that this kind of chance would not come again. That is why I am so focused now and getting ready so I am not behind the players there when I arrive."

But before that, Yang has another major goal - to win the FIBA Asia U18 Championship. 

"I strongly want to win this championship before my new career in Spain starts. To achieve this goal, my teammates and I have to be in a good harmony and trust each other," said Yang, who is averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in Tehran. 

"I knew that it would be really hard to play against Iran, China, Lebanon, but there is no option. We have to play against them and beat them," the 1.98m forward said. "Since I was called to the U18 Team, I have been imaging hoisting the trophy before I go to Spain."

Yang collected 9 points, 3 assists and 2 blocks as Korea knocked off Philippines 93-85 to reach the Semi-Finals - and a match-up against the winner between China and Iran. Either will be a tough opponent as Iran are hosts and China are the reigning champions and only undefeated team in the Group Phase. The Koreans did play Iran in Group B play, winning 86-83. 

"Every game in the Group Phase was tough, especially the ones against Lebanon and Iran," Yang said. "The group games were helpful for our team to get accustomed to the gym and away conditions. There were so many Iranian fans in the game against the hosts."

Yang has a successful history against China. Last summer he helped Korea beat the Chinese in the Semi-Finals of the 2015 FIBA Asia U16 Championship en route to winning the crown. And then Korea beat China in the Round of 16 at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship for their first-ever spot in the Quarter-Finals. But this China team is very different to the one Yang faced in Indonesia last summer and Zaragoza earlier this summer.

"There are so many big men like giants," said Yang, who averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the U17 Worlds. "But me and rest of the players on our team thought that China is a team we have to beat anyway to win this event. It is going to be a tough game and we will enjoy it."

Beating China or Iran would leave Korea just two steps from their fourth FIBA Asia U18 title - and their first since 2000, when Yang was just a 1 year old.

"I don't really know what happened when I was 1 year old. But I want to win this championship so that all the 1 year olds in Korea can hear that we won."

FIBA