Korean women's basketball, dreaming of a return to the top of Asia, is in a state of emergency.

The women's basketball national team, led by head coach Park Soo-ho, will participate in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025, which will kick off on July 13 in Shenzhen, China. Korea is grouped in Group A with host nation China, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

The winning team of the tournament will earn a direct spot in the finals of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, in September next year. The teams finishing 2nd to 6th will advance to the final qualifiers for the Women's Basketball World Cup in March next year.

Ahead of the tournament, head coach Park Soo-ho expressed strong confidence, noting, "We could either win or finish as runners-up." Korea will play New Zealand, a pivotal match in the tournament, on the 14th.

A significant variable has emerged. The rival, China, which already enjoys the advantage of being the host nation, has vastly strengthened its lineup. The 220 cm tall center Zhang Ziyu (18), the tallest in the world for women's basketball, is expected to make her debut in international competitions.

The Chinese women's basketball national team defeated the Bosnia women's basketball team 101-55 in a warm-up match held on the 14th at the Beijing Lin Yi Olympic Park. This match was to synchronize Zhang Ziyu with the existing players. In her debut with the senior national team, Zhang Ziyu showcased tremendous power with 18 points and 7 rebounds despite limited playing time.

Zhang Ziyu's extraordinary height of 220 cm is difficult to counter even in men's professional basketball. Not to mention in women's basketball, where a player over 190 cm is already considered tall; she is close to being a "disaster."

Last year, while playing for China in the U18 Asia Cup, Zhang Ziyu was named the MVP after averaging 35 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. She poured in 34 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists against Korea in the semifinals. Even with 181 cm Song Yoon-ha trying to guard her, it was akin to an elementary student trying to block a college student.

Korea's national treasure center Park Ji-soo (27, KB Stars) is 193 cm tall, making her the tallest in Korea, but she is 27 cm shorter than Zhang Ziyu. Realistically, it is impossible to defend against Zhang Ziyu one-on-one. Moreover, China's starting center Han Xu (26) is also a giant at 211 cm.

Of course, saying that one should give up before even facing China is not the point. Zhang Ziyu is not invincible. Due to her height of 220 cm, she has the disadvantage of slow transition on both offense and defense. China often has Zhang Ziyu give up on fast breaks and focus solely on protecting the basket.

Zhang Ziyu's China lost to Australia 79-96 in the final of the U18 Asia Cup last year. Despite Zhang Ziyu scoring 42 points and grabbing 14 rebounds by herself, they could not overcome Australia's wall.

Australia has players from guard to center all exceeding 185 cm, combining speed, power, and long-range shooting, which helped bring China down. Saffron Shields, a 188 cm swingman, shone in the final, scoring 31 points. With a shallow player pool, Korea is expected to struggle greatly against China.

[OSEN]