"Kyungbok High Twins" Yoon Ji-won and Yoon Ji-hoon, along with "Top Female High School Player" Im Yeon-seo... Korea's Elite Basketball Prospects Challenge for the Highest Honor [2026 Futures Star Awards]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Who will be the brightest star to shine in Korean high school basketball?

Yun Ji-won (18) and Yun Ji-hoon (18), the twin brothers from Gyeongbok High School, and Im Yeon-seo (18, Gwangju Supia Girls' High School), a top prospect representing women's high school basketball, will compete for the Star Award, the highest honor in the basketball category of the "2026 Futures Star Awards."

The award ceremony for the "2026 Futures Star Awards," now in its fifth year, will be held at 3 p.m. on the 26th in the press conference room on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. The event is hosted and organized by StarNews, with support from the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee, the National Sports Promotion Foundation, the Korea Baseball & Softball Federation, the Korea Basketball Association, the Korea Volleyball Federation, and Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd.

All three players had such a brilliant year that it would not be surprising if any of them were to win the Star Award.

First, Yoon Ji-won and Yoon Ji-hoon were the key figures who led Gyeongbok High School to its golden era this year.

Gyeongbok High School achieved a four-peat this season by winning the 63rd Spring National Middle and High School Basketball League Haenam Tournament, the 51st Association President's Cup National Middle and High School Basketball Yeonggwang Tournament, the 2026 Yeon Maeng (Chairman) Cup National Middle and High School Basketball Tongyeong Tournament, and the 56th Fall National Middle and High School Basketball League Sangju Tournament.

The twin brothers also led their team to victory in the final of the Fall Intercollegiate Tournament last September. Against Yongsan High School, Yoon Ji-won recorded a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Yoon Ji-hoon also performed brilliantly with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The overwhelming season of Gyeongbok High School was largely driven by the contributions of two players.

Yoon Ji-won is regarded as a versatile player whose greatest strength lies in his all-around ability to score, rebound, and pass. His challenge for this year's Star Award is particularly special, given that he received the Future Star Award in the basketball category at last year's "2025 Futures Star Awards."

Yoon Ji-won, who was in her second year of high school at the time, set an ambitious goal, saying, "I will work hard to grow even more so that I can receive the Grand Prize next year."

This year, the player has not only made a name for themselves on the domestic stage but also demonstrated their presence at an international tournament featuring top prospects from across Asia and the Pacific region.

Yun Ji-won and Yun Ji-hoon participated in the "NBA Rising Stars Invitational 2026," an event held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for high school prospects in the Asia-Pacific region, last June, helping their team, Gyeongbok High School, secure the championship. In the final, Gyeongbok High defeated Japan's Tottori Johoku High School 82-72 to claim the title.

In particular, Yoon Ji-won erupted for a whopping 36 points and 12 rebounds in the final to be named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the men's final. She firmly established her name by averaging 22.7 points and 7.5 rebounds throughout the tournament.

Yoon Ji-hoon’s performance was equally impressive. In the final, he recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists to lead his team to victory. For the entire tournament, he averaged 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. He was also named to the tournament’s Best Five alongside Yoon Ji-won.

The twin brothers continued their impressive performances even after earning the honor of wearing the national team badge. The two players competed side by side at the 2026 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-18 (U-18) Asian Cup, held in India last August.

In particular, in the group stage matchup against Japan, their "eternal rivals," Yoon Ji-hun led the offense with 27 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Yoon Ji-won also contributed with 12 points and eight rebounds, helping South Korea secure a 67-64 comeback victory.

South Korea advanced to the semifinals of the tournament and also secured a berth in the main round of the 2027 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup. Yoon Ji-hoon was selected for the tournament's Best Five, earning recognition for his competitiveness on the international stage as well.

The two players were also jointly selected as the 26th Kim Hyun-jun Award recipients for this year, and have long been evaluated as promising talents who will lead the future of Korean men's basketball.

If the twins from Gyeongbok High School swept through the boys’ high school basketball scene, then in the girls’ division, Supea Girls’ High School’s “ace guard” Im Yeon-seo delivered a season more intense than anyone else’s.

Lim Yeon-seo led Sophia Girls' High School to victory at the Spring National Middle and High School Basketball League in March. In the final against Sookmyung Girls' High School, she scored 31 points to lead her team to the win.

She also swept the individual awards. Im Yeon-seo claimed five individual titles, including Most Valuable Player (MVP), scoring award, rebounding award, assists award, and defensive award.

Supea Girls' High School subsequently claimed the titles at both the Association Cup National Middle and High School Basketball Tournament and the Korea Middle and High School Basketball Weekend League King of Kings Championship, achieving a triple crown for the season. Im Yeon-seo was named MVP in all three tournaments her team won.

He was evaluated as a versatile guard who possessed not only scoring ability but also passing and rebounding skills that helped his teammates, as well as defensive capabilities.

Her performance on the high school stage also led to a professional selection. Im Yeon-seo was drafted with the second overall pick by Busan BNK in the 2026-2027 Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) rookie draft held last August.

He was the first high school player to be selected in a draft that saw a large number of overseas-born Korean players who had competed in Japan's W League, as well as university players, participate. The assessment of him as the "top high school prospect" translated directly into his draft position.

Im Yeon-seo also proved her worth on the international stage while wearing the national team badge. She served as a key guard for South Korea at the 2026 FIBA U-18 Women's Asian Cup held in Malaysia this month.

In particular, in the decisive match for a semifinal berth against Taiwan, she recorded 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals to lead South Korea to a 67-64 victory. With this win, South Korea advanced to the tournament semifinals while also securing a qualification spot for the 2027 FIBA U-19 Women's World Cup.

This is the first time that both the South Korean men's and women's U-18 national teams have qualified for the U-19 World Cup since Australia and New Zealand joined the Asian stage.

Yun Ji-won, Yun Ji-hoon, and Im Yeon-seo each had their best year on the domestic and international stages. Attention is now focused on which of the three players will be selected as the top star representing Korean high school basketball in 2026.

Last year, at the "2025 Futures Star Awards," Eddie Daniel, who plays for the Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team and Seoul SK, received the Star Award, which is given to the top player across basketball, soccer, and volleyball.

Korea's top amateur basketball star of 2026 will be revealed on the 26th.

■ Date and time: Monday, October 26, 2026, at 3 p.m.

■ Location: 19th Floor Press Conference Room, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong University-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul)

■ Recipients: Baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, golf, skateboarding, and artistic gymnastics — a total of 10 recipients across seven sports (two Grand Prize winners, six Star Award winners, two Future Star Award winners)

■ Award Selection Committee

Former national team manager Kim In-sik (Seon Jeong-wi (Director)), Cha Myung-ju, a staff member of the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) (Gi Ryeok-hyang-sang (Chairman)), Jung Min-hyuk, head of the scouting team for the Hanwha Eagles, and Kwon Do-young, section chief of the scouting team for the Kiwoom Heroes

Han Jun-hee, commentator for Coupang Play; Son Seung-jun, former full-time coach at the Korea Football Association; Kwon Oh-gyu, technical director of Bucheon FC; and Jung Jae-yoon, scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai.

■ Hosted by / Organized by: StarNews

■ Sponsors: Korea Sports and Olympic Committee, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Baseball & Softball Federation, Korea Basketball Association, Korea Volleyball Association, Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., Palseok Mijin

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original