Can foreign players play an active part in the Asian Games?
On the 10th, the Korea Basketball Association announced the men’s and women’s national team preliminary list to participate in the ‘2022 19th Hangzhou Asian Games’. The Hangzhou Asian Games, which were postponed for a year due to the Corona 19 issue, are scheduled to be held in September.
One thing to pay attention to in the men’s national team was the selection of three foreign players: Lee Hyeon-joong (23, Santa Cruz), Yang Jae-min (24, Utsunomiya), and Yeo Jun-seok (22, Gonzaga University). Coach Il-seung Choo of the men’s national basketball team brought in three foreign players in addition to the main players in the KBL.
Since it is still a preliminary list of 35 players, it is unclear whether they will actually be able to play in the Asian Games. Later, the Performance Improvement Committee will select the preliminary 24 players and the final list. For now, it can be assumed that all possible players are included.
There are many variables. Lee Hyun-joong spent a year in rehabilitation after dropping out of the NBA draft last year due to a foot injury. After joining the G-League Santa Cruz, Lee Hyeon-joong worked as a professional player for about a month. He is scheduled to participate in the NBA Summer League this summer. It is the first time since Ha Seung-jin that a professional player playing in the United States is selected for an international competition in the history of Korean basketball. This is a part that requires close cooperation between the Basketball Association and the Santa Cruz club.
Yeo Jun-seok, who played at Korea University, transferred to Gonzaga University, a prestigious American basketball team. Yeo Jun-seok, who is a red shirt right now, can play from the 2023-2024 season. He is not firmly established in the United States. When the Asian Games are held, the US academic calendar has already begun. It is unknown whether Yeo Jun-seok can actually join. We are more cautious because of the case of Choi Jin-soo, in which the Basketball Association neglected the school schedule and recruited players to block the path ahead. 토스카지노
Yeo Jun-seok also has a history of leaving the national team without permission to advance to the United States ahead of the Asian Cup selection last year. It was a sudden action that did not have enough sympathy with director Choo Il-seung in advance. Director Chu also supported Yeo Jun-seok’s study in the United States, but expressed regret over his process.
Yang Jae-min, a pioneer of Japanese professional basketball, has a strong will to join the national team. In an interview with a reporter in Japan, Yang Jae-min showed a strong will, saying, “If given the opportunity, I would like to wear the Taegeuk mark.” Director Choo Il-seung is also showing interest enough to fly to Japan and personally check Jae-min Yang’s skills.
The problem is that Yang Jae-min has not been able to play as much since the middle of the season as he has been pushed back from his team’s main competition. Among the players playing in the KBL, competition for the same position is fierce, with Moon Seong-gon, Yang Hong-seok, Song Gyo-chang, Choi Jun-yong, and Kang Sang-jae. There is no advantage that Yang Jae-min can say is far ahead of them.