The daughter of an Asian Games gold medal-winning mother has been selected No. 1 overall by KB.
KB called the name of forward Ko Hyun-ji 토스카지노(Supia Girls High School) first with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023-2024 Korean Women’s Basketball League (WKBL) Draft on Thursday at Cheongju Gymnasium in Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea.
KB exercised its right to the No. 1 pick in the lottery for the first time in four years after the 2019-2020 season. KB won the No. 1 pick in the 50% chance ranking lottery, which is given to the fifth- and sixth-place teams that missed the playoffs last season. Busan BNK took the second pick.
The 6-foot-5 Ko was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the girls’ high school division of the 2022 KHSAA Weekend League Wangjoong Wangjeon. She also competed at the FIBA U-17 Women’s Basketball World Cup and FIBA U-18 Asian Women’s Basketball Championship.
Ko is the daughter of former Sungshin Women’s University head coach Cho Moon-ju, who represented Korea in the 1980s. Cho played center for KB Kookmin Bank and won a gold medal at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. This is the first time a mother and daughter have worn the same uniform.
BNK traded Kim Sion to Bucheon Hana OneQ immediately after the draft, receiving a first-round pick in the 2023-2024 draft and a first-round pick in the 2025-2026 draft the following year.
[Photo]Courtesy of WKBL
BNK selected forward Kim Jong-yeon (Hyosung Women’s High School), while Shinhan Bank selected guard Heo Yoo-jung (Bundang Business School), who represented the country at the U-17 World Cup last year, Samsung SDI selected forward Lee Yena (Cheongju Women’s High School) and Hana OneQ selected forward Park Da-won (Bundang Business School) and Woori Bank selected center Byun Ha-jung (Bundang Business School) in a first-round pick trade.
Meanwhile, Shinhan Bank selected Katie Timmerman (USA), the first foreign national to enter the draft, with the second pick in the second round. Hana OneQ selected forward Shin Tae-hee (Sangju Girls’ High School) with the fifth pick of the second round. A total of 29 players applied for the draft, but one withdrew, 28 participated, and 12 were selected.
[2023-2024 WKBL Rookie Draft Results].
▲Round 1
1 Cheongju KB Stars: Ko Hyun-ji (Sufia High School)
2 Busan BNK Thumb: Kim Jong-yeon (Hyosung Girls’ High School)
3 Incheon Shinhan Bank : Heo Yoo-jung (Bundang Business School)
4 Yongin Samsung Life Insurance: Lee Yena (Cheongju Girls’ High School)
- Busan BNK Thumb : Park Da-won (Bundang Business School)
- Asan Woori Bank : Byun Ha-jung (Bundang Business School)
Round 2
7 Asan Woori Bank : Kim Sol (Hwabong High School)
8 Incheon Shinhan Bank : Katie Timmerman (Concordia University)
9 Yongin Samsung Life Insurance : Sooyin Kim (Sungwoo Girls’ High School)
10 Incheon Shinhan Bank : Seo Jin-young (Sunil Girls’ High School)
11 Bucheon Hana OneQ : Shin Tae-hee (Sangju Girls’ High School)
12 Cheongju KB Stars : Sung Su-yeon (Chuncheon Girls High School)