South Korean forward Jun Seok Yeo joins Gonzaga basketball team; will be eligible to play in 2023-24

Jan. 16—Jun Seok Yeo, a forward from South Korea and the leading scorer at the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup that featured ex-Zag Chet Holmgren and projected top NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama, has joined the Bulldogs' basketball program, the school announced Monday.

The 20-year-old who most recently played at Korea University in Seoul, , is enrolled in classes at Gonzaga and will practice with the Bulldogs for the remainder of the season but won't be eligible to suit up for the team until 2023-24.

Yeo, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward who was born in March 2002, will be a 21-year-old sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining this fall.

"This is a really big opportunity for me," Yeo said in a school news release. "I'm really happy to be a part of this program and family at Gonzaga."

Reports of Yeo's arrival in Spokane surfaced Saturday when 2024 recruit Zoom Diallo — who was taking an official visit to Gonzaga — posted a photo on his Instagram story from a practice/workout at McCarthey Athletic Center earlier that day.

Diallo's photo showed Yeo working out with the team in Gonzaga's practice apparel, with assistant coaches Brian Michaelson and Roger Powell standing nearby.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few was asked on Saturday about the photo, and whether the Bulldogs had added anyone to the roster, following the team's 115-75 win over Portland.

"I haven't seen anything, I don't follow social media," Few said. "Wasn't at practice or wasn't at shootaround. We'll be adding, figuring out our roster here with the semester coming up on Tuesday or Wednesday or whenever that is."

Yeo, who's been listed as a small forward, could help the Zags fill holes in the frontcourt next season, especially if junior wing Julian Strawther and senior forwards Drew Timme and Anton Watson leave Gonzaga for professional basketball.

During the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup, Yeo averaged a tournament-best 25.6 points per game, finished second in the event with 10.6 rebounds per game and led all players in minutes played with 36.4 per game.

He made 67 of 151 (44%) shots from the field, including 16 of 55 (29%) from the 3-point line, and went 29 of 40 (72%) from the free-throw line.

Yeo scored 21 points against Holmgren and the United States in a 132-60 loss and had 12 points with eight rebounds in South Korea's 117-48 loss to Wembanyama and France.

Other notable NBA and college players who finished in the top 20 of event scoring included Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat), Azuolas Tubelis (University of Arizona), Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers), Zach Edey (Purdue) and Ryan Nembhard (Creighton).

In South Korea's final games at the tournament — a 99-89 loss to Puerto Rico and 95-92 victory over Japan — Yeo scored 31 and 36 points, respectively.

At 19 years old, Yeo made multiple appearances for South Korea's senior national team, averaging 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds to help his country qualify for the 2021 FIBA Asian Cup.

Yeo has spent time at the NBA Global Academy in Australia; he graduated from Yongsan High School in Seoul. Alex Toohey, a forward committed to Gonzaga in the 2023 class, is currently training at the Global Academy.

Yeo becomes the second Asian player to join the Bulldogs program, following Japan's Rui Hachimura, who is in his third season with the NBA's Washington Wizards. Gonzaga received a commitment from Fanbo Zheng in 2020, but the Chinese forward instead elected to join the G-League Ignite.