It wasn’t as good a squad as I had hoped.
Nevertheless, the die has been cast and now it is time to prove it at the Asian Games.
The Korea Basketball Association confirmed the final entry for the men’s basketball team for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou on Oct. 11. The final 12-man roster for the national team to be led by head coach Choo Il-seung includes Kim Sun-hyung (Seoul SK),
Lee Woo-seok (Ulsan Hyundai Mobis), Lee Jung-hyun, Jeon Sung-hyun (Lee Sang-so)
Moon Sung-gon, Ha Yoon-ki (Lee Suwon KT)
Heo Hoon, Song Kyo-chang (Lee Sang-mu)
Ra Gun-ah, Lee Seung-hyun (Lee Jeonju KCC)
Kim Jong-kyu (Wonju DB) and Moon Jung-hyun (Korea University).
Choi Cham was born in 1988 and is 35 years old. Kim Sun-hyung and Kim Jong-kyu were the only members of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games winning team to be named to the national team.
This is their third consecutive Asian Games appearance, following their bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.
In addition, for the senior line of Kim Sun-hyung and Kim Jong-gyu, along with naturalized athlete Ra Gun-ah, who has already hinted at retiring from the national team at the end of the Asian Games
it is likely that the Hangzhou Games will be the “Last Dance” with the Taegeuk mark.
The youngest is 22-year-old Moon Jung-hyun, born in 2001.
Moon Jung-hyun, a student at Korea University
will be named as the only amateur college student member of the national team.
The average age of Choo Il Seung-ho is 28.5 years old, and the average height is 194.8cm.
Overall, it can be said that this is the final list that leaves much to be desired.
Experienced veterans and tall forwards who were expected to bring a big boost to the national team were dropped in droves.
Roh Jang Oh Se-geun, who is considered the best local big man in Korea
has been ruled out due to injury.
Along with Kim Sun-hyung and Kim Jong-gyu, Oh Se-geun was also a member of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games winning team.
Ahead of the 2023-2024 season
he moved to Seoul SK after gaining FA status
where he got to eat a pot of rice with Kim Sun-hyung. 카지노
Oh Se-geun, who has a lot of experience and consistently performed well in international competitions
was expected to be the center of the national team’s big man team if he joined
but he was unable to improve his form in the end.
Prospects such as Yeo Jun-seok, Lee Hyun-joong, and Yang Jae-min
who were included in the preliminary list for the Asian Games
were also excluded from the final entry for one reason or another.
They all have one thing in common: they are playing overseas.
Yeo Jun-seok plays in the NCAA in the United States
Yang Jae-min plays in the Japanese Pro League
and Lee Hyun-joong is about to enter the Australian League.
If you win a gold medal at the Asian Games
you will also be given military service benefits
so it is more regrettable that the young guns will not be able to join.
In addition to the three forwards Young-gun
‘point forward’ Choi Jun-yong (SK)
who has a lot of experience with the national team, Ahn Young-joon (SK)
who has excellent ability to digest team tactics
Yang Hong-seok (LG) and Lee Dae-heon (Gas Corporation)
who are rebounding and athletic, are all missing.
Coach Choo Il-seung is a leader who prefers to play “forward basketball” using versatile tall swingmen.
The national team has also proved its potential by using big forwards with height and athleticism and showing off various tactical combinations. However
at the Asian Games in Hangzhou
for one reason or another
it was not possible to fully utilize the forward resources that coach Chu wanted.
The forward resources of this national team are Moon Sung-gon
Moon Jung-hyun
Song Kyo-chang and Jeon Sung-hyun. Among them
Jeon Sung-hyun is a three-point shooter who is more of a shooting guard in international competitions
Moon Sung-gon is a more specialist specializing in defense
and Moon Jung-hyun still lacks international experience.
In fact
there is only one resource left in the national team
which can be said to be a tall swingman who has both offense and height
Song Kyo-chang (201 cm).
Naturally
it is evaluated that the importance of Ha Yoon-ki and Song Kyo-chang has increased in this national team.
At 204 cm
Ha Yoon-gi is the next big man resource of the Korean national team
who is considered to be the “post-Oh Se-geun” due to his strength and height. With the ace of the national team
Laguna, aging and less in control of the net than before
Ha Yoon-ki is currently the most likely partner to do the job.
In addition
the No. 3.5 type Song Kyo-chang can cover a wide area when defending with attacking power that crosses the inner and outer perimeter
so he can replace the role of Choi Jun-yong and Yeo Jun-seok. Both players have shown great improvement in their skills in recent years.
In the two evaluation matches against Japan in July
he also showed good performances throughout his playing time and offense, proving that he is the core of the team.
The men’s basketball team has participated in the Asian Games a total of 17 times and won the championship four times (1970, 1982, 2002, 2014).
Since the 1962 Jakarta Games
the team has been strong enough to win at least one bronze medal (six silver medals, five bronze medals) in all but one of the last 15 editions (Doha 2006, quarter-finals).
The team with the most Asian Games wins is China, who have won gold medals seven times.
The Asian Games will also be held in China again after the 2010 Guangzhou Games
and they are considered the favourites to win the tournament because they have home advantage. In addition
the power of Iran and Japan is also assessed as a threat.
Realistically
many people believe that Korea’s prospects of winning this tournament are not easy.
However
for the Korean National Basketball Team
which has not performed well on the international stage since winning the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games on home
the Hangzhou Asian Games is an important stage for the restoration of honor and resurgence.
The national team will convene at the Jincheon Athletes’ Village on the 13th to begin preparations for the Asian Games in earnest.
On the 15th and 16th, they will hold a practice match with Korea Gas Corporation.