There are no two tears.

The Korean men’s basketball team is playing again. The first and second rounds of the qualifying round for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup are set to be held. The team will play against Australia in Bendigo, Australia, on Tuesday, and face Thailand in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Saturday. The team is not an easy match from the first game, but it is determined that it will advance to the finals.

A total of 16 countries will participate in the Asia Cup, which will take place in Saudi Arabia. The preliminary rounds will be divided into six groups of four countries. The top two teams in each group will win a ticket to the finals. Four of the six countries that rank third also get a chance. Korea, which is ranked 51st in FIBA, is in Group A of the preliminary rounds. It will compete with Australia ranked fourth, Indonesia ranked 74th and Thailand 91st. It will play a total of six matches through February next year in Home & Away style. With Australia highly likely to rank No. 1 in the group, other teams are aiming for No. 2.

The team urgently needs to recover its reputation. At the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, the Korean national basketball team ranked seventh, the lowest ever. It humbled its pride properly. Coach Choo Seung-il, who took the helm at the time, was unable to function properly due to consecutive injuries to key players. He continued to play poorly. The matchup was twisted as Japan, which dispatched its second-tier team to the final round, lost to the Japanese team in the quarterfinals. He completely defeated China, the favorite country, in the final round. All he had to do was avenge Japan, which had lost consecutive games in the ranking match, and met again in the final round. 안전놀이터

Amid the crisis, the Korea Basketball Association appointed a new coach Ahn Jun-ho in January. He will work with coach Seo Dong-cheol. Ahn is a veteran. He served as coach of Korean men’s professional basketball team from Kolon to men’s professional basketball team SK and Samsung. After 13 years since 2011, Ahn returned to the field as a leader. He emphasized “One Team” and expressed his will to change. He is committed to complete innovation by running the team from a long-term perspective. He is expected to put speed basketball ahead of others by converting to offense and defense in a fast manner. The team has convened training sessions since Wednesday.

We seek a generational change. Compared to the Hangzhou AG, things have changed a lot. Heo Hoon KT, Choi Joon-yong KCC, and Jeon Sung-hyun Sono were all rejected due to injury. Instead, young players such as Han Hee-won KT, Oh Jae-hyun SK, and Park Moo-bin Hyundai Mobis were selected for the first time. Kim Jong-kyu DB, Ha Yoon-ki KT, Song Kyo-chang, and Ra Gun-ah currently KCC will remain in their positions. The “captain” armband will be kicked by Ra Gun-ah. Ra Gun-ah said, “Thank you for trusting me and making the captain. I am receiving a lot of trust.”