SEOUL (FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016) - Four players with previous FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship experience have been included in Korea’s preliminary roster for the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.

In the World U17 tournament earlier this year, Korea head coach Kim Younghyun opted to put faith in last year's U16 team that finished third in Medan, Indonesia. He brought back all 12 players from that Championship, but it didn't work out well in the end as the team failed to register a single win in six games and finished rock bottom (15th place).

In contrast, continental rivals Japan and China were impressive, the latter even reached the Semi-Finals only to lose to the mighty Italians.

The only positive to take out of the 2016 FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship for Korea was the impressive performances of Park Jihyun. The 16-year-old Seomgnam native led the team in all departments (16 PPG 7.7 RPG & 2.8 APG).

For her impressive displays in Spain, Park has been rewarded with the chance to represent the U18 team in Bangkok. She’s in the team’s preliminary roster and is expected to make the final cut.

Joining her on the list are Park Inah, Lee Sohee and Kim Min Jung, all three were also part of the team in Zaragoza.

Park Jisu, who's already an established member of the women's national team, is also named in the preliminary roster. Despite only being 18 years old, she is considered a veteran and her inclusion in the final roster will be a major advantage for the Koreans.

The Koreans are the second most successful team in this Championship after East Asian rivals China with a total of 20 medals, including 7 Gold medals.

The 23^rd FIBA Asia Championship for women is the qualifying event for the 2017 FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship, set to take place in Cairo, Egypt next year. The top three teams from the 23^rd FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women will represent Asia at the 2017 FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship.

FIBA