‘Happy for him.’ Gonzaga transfer Junseok Yeo returns to Kennel in expanded role for WCC foe Seattle U
During WCC media day interviews last October, Junseok Yeo’s new teammates at Seattle U provided a description of the forward that lined up almost exactly with the one Mark Few gave of his former player Tuesday night anticipating Friday’s matchup against the Redhawks at McCarthey Athletic Center.
Hard worker, great teammate, dynamic athlete.
Seattle U’s returners started getting to know Yeo on a personal level when the former Gonzaga forward transferred in April. It’s possible they weren’t fully aware of his athleticism until a closed-door scrimmage against Montana.
During one offensive possession, Yeo was making a back-door cut to the basket when he received a pass mid-air. The sensible next step would’ve been to lay the ball off the window and into the basket. Yeo went in a different direction.
“He went back door and caught the ball off vert and just reverse dunked it, one hand,” Redhawks guard Brayden Maldonado said. “I thought he was just going to lay it up, he caught it, reverse dunked it and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ That was crazy. But yeah, he’s an athlete for sure.”
An athlete and also the third-leading scorer for a Seattle U team that’s won 12 of its first 15 games and is traveling to Spokane this week for the first of two regular-season meetings between Yeo’s current and former teams.
In 15 starts, Yeo’s averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 45.7% from the field, 29.7% from the 3-point line and 65.9% from the free throw line. He’s also averaging 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
“Jun’s a great kid, great kid,” Few said on Tuesday. “We loved him here and he was just a phenomenal teammate and I’m happy for him.”
Yeo was a surprise mid-year addition to Gonzaga’s 2022-23 roster, but the Seoul, South Korea, native didn’t suit up for Few’s team until the following season. He made 25 appearances and one start in 2023-24, but only played 6.9 minutes per game, competing for a rotation role with Anton Watson, Ben Gregg and Braden Huff. Facing a similar logjam last season, Yeo only made 14 appearances and averaged 4.1 mpg in a reduced role. He entered the transfer portal days after GU’s NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss to top-seeded Houston.
The forward didn’t have to move far to find the opportunity he was seeking.
“I think the first thing, he’s very skilled and experienced really,” Seattle’s Maleek Arington said of Yeo. “Bringing over an experienced guy like that who was at Gonzaga for a little bit is big for us, especially going into the WCC. But yeah, he’s a talented scorer, his size, I feel like he can guard the 3, 4. His experience is a big part but yeah, he’s a skilled scorer so that’ll be a big part.”
Beyond his frame and natural abilities, Yeo’s brought a set of intangible qualities to Seattle that have elevated the Redhawks during their best start to a season in the modern era.
“The thing that stood out to me was, man, his effort,” Maldonado said. “He plays so hard, he’s such a great teammate, he’s always positive in the huddles and everything. I think for us, a guy coming over with that type of experience, with that type of caliber, his effort, the way he attacks the game, the way he approaches the game and how good of a teammate he is, man, it means a lot. Especially for the program and he’s such a good guy.”
Yeo was on coach Chris Victor’s radar long before the forward signed at Gonzaga. The Seattle U coach was aware of the forward when he played for the NBA Global Academy in Australia and also watched him compete for various South Korea national teams.
“Obviously playing for Gonzaga, it’s tough to crack that top eight or top nine to get on the court,” Victor said. “… I think he was kind of on the fringe most of his career and we want to give him a chance to play and see what he can do.”