Photo by: draftexpress

Not too long after the start of the 2007-2008 season, the ACC powerhouse University of Maryland men’s varsity basketball team received its first commitment of the class of 2009. His name is Jin Soo Kim. Standing 6-foot-9, weighing 170 pounds, Jin Soo Kim plays the shooting guard or small forward position, depending on the needs of his team. By signing with Maryland, Jin Soo becomes the first Korean player to ever play in the NCAA division one basketball leagues.

Looking back, it was not an easy route that awaited Jin Soo, who first came to America in 2004 as a freshman in high school. After getting recruited at the Adidas All American Camp, Jin Soo’s quest to the promised land began. Despite risking many things, Jin Soo came to the US to achieve his goal of playing in the NBA. But let alone the NBA dream. For a guy who has never lived in the US before, English was a primary problem. Now knowing the language, there was not much Jin Soo could do in the classroom. “The first year was one of the hardest times of my life”, confesses JInsoo who states that he thought about going back to Korea countless times.

As a freshman, Jin Soo was a starting forward for Montclair Prep, a strong basketball school in California. But to fill his needs of playing at the highest level of high school basketball, Jin Soo transfered to South Kent School of Connecticut, one of the best basketball schools in the country. Now, Jin Soo ranks as one of the top 25 class of ‘08 shooting guard prospects and has verbally committed to play with the University of Maryland Terrapins.

“Many elite basketball programs recruited me. Yale University, Stanford University, Duke, University of North Carolina were interested in me. But coach Williams (Coach of Maryland) and the needs of the team seemed to fit me the best,” explains Jin Soo on his decision to attend University of Maryland.

This triumphant victory seems to mean a lot for the Korean basketball fans who have been desperate to see a Korean native in the big leagues. Japan’s had its KJ Matsui, China’s had it’s Derrick Low but Korea has never had a native make it to the promised land. By passing the last obstacle (the University of Maryland SAT cut off score of 650) , Jin Soo is now officially qualified to play in the big leagues, and maybe even more.