Gonzaga's Jun Seok Yeo adds scoring depth for 2023-24 Bulldogs
After months of watching the Gonzaga men's basketball team from the bench, Korean forward Jun Seok Yeo is set to finally make his Bulldogs debut in the 2023-24 season.
The 6-foot-8 sophomore who transferred from Korea University in January will have three years of eligibility at Gonzaga, and for as long as he sticks around in Spokane, he should be an impactful player on the offensive end.
Competing for quality minutes off the bench won't be easy, though Yeo's experience on the international stage against professional players arguably makes him more mentally and physically mature than most 21-year-olds in college basketball. From the Olympic Games to Eurobasket, he's proven himself as a legitimate three-level scorer at just about every level of competition.
At the 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup, which featured NBA talents Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Nikola Jovic, Yeo led the stacked field in scoring with 25.6 points while grabbing 10.6 rebounds per outing. He was a double-double machine for the South Korean team, including 26 points and 12 rebounds against Spain and a 27-point, 13-rebound night against Argentina. He also dropped 31- and 36-point performances against Puerto Rico and Japan.
Playing against older competition didn't faze him at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship in 2018 when he averaged 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks despite being two years younger than the rest of the field. He also participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp and played with the Australian Centre of Excellence at the NBA Academy Games in 2019.
Yeo's gaudy stats can be partially attributed to the lack of scoring talent surrounding him on the South Korean national teams, as he attempted 21.6 shots per game and shot 44.4% from the field. He won't find that kind of volume at Gonzaga, though there's no denying his ability to create and knock down difficult shots from multiple areas on the floor adds another element to Mark Few's offense.
At 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Yeo's comfortable playing on the perimeter where he can either come off a screen for a catch-and-shoot opportunity or call for a pick-and-roll to create his own shot. With a tight handle, he's able to elevate and get off a clean jump shot over just about anyone off the dribble, making him a difficult guard in space on the perimeter. Yeo doesn't have the explosive speed to beat any defender to the rim, though he does excel filling the lane and playing in transition.
Yeo shot 29.1% from 3-point range at the junior FIBA event, but he'll likely be much more efficient in college where he won't have to attempt 7.9 per game like he did with South Korea.
Also look for Few to use him sparingly in the post, as Yeo has the strength to create separation to get off his fadeaway jumper over a similar-sized forward. His footwork and control around the rim stand out, as he'll often utilize an effective pump-fake against taller rim protectors.
Defensively, Yeo's anticipation and knack for the ball help him read passing lanes and contest shots at the rim, though it remains to be seen if he has the athleticism and quickness to be an elite on-ball defender at the Division I level. Either way, it likely won't matter, as Gonzaga's defensive schemes revolve around a collective effort rather than individual skill in 1-on-1 situations.
But playing defense is a way to earn minutes at Few's program, and for Yeo, he'll likely compete for playing time off the bench with redshirt freshman Braden Huff and junior Ben Gregg at the forward position. Newcomers Luka Krajnovic and Dusty Stromer are also set to play a role in their first seasons. Few has often gone to eight-man rotations in the past, though there's always a possibility that could change in the 2023-24 season.
