Ra Gun-ah is unlikely to be seen in the Korea-Japan exhibition game.
The South Korean men’s national basketball team will play two exhibition games against their arch-rivals Japan on July 22 and 23 at Jamsil Student Gymnasium. It will be the first time in five years since 2018 that the two teams will meet.
Head coach Chu Il-seung and the team recently held a preliminary meeting to check their physical condition. With the team set to arrive at the Jincheon Athletes’ Training Center on June 21, Chu received some disappointing news. Ra Gun-ah had submitted a medical certificate.
Ra Gun-ah is unlikely to play in the Korea-Japan exhibition game. Photo courtesy of the Korea Basketball Association메이저사이트
In a phone interview with MK Sports, Chu said, “(Ra) Gun-ah submitted a medical certificate. He said his knee is not good and he won’t be able to play in the Korea-Japan trial. He said he would be ready for the Asian Games, so I told him I would give him time.”
The Korean team will likely not be able to field its best players against Japan. Kim Sun-hyung and Oh Se-geun will be looking to improve their form for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, while Lee Jung-hyun will be competing at the Universiade. Add to that the absence of Lagunar, and the power leakage is significant.
Chu also has a lot on his mind. He has until July 29 to submit his 12-man roster for the Asian Games to the Korean Sports Ministry and July 15 to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.
He wants to test the young players as much as possible, but he has to finalize the roster before the Korea-Japan exhibition game. In effect, the roster we submit to the KOC on the 29th will be the final version. After that, it will be a complicated process to replace players.
Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok are still unavailable. They have expressed that it will not be easy for them to join the national team. Chu was also cautious, saying, “Everything is unclear at this point.”
Of course, it is possible to call up new players from the reserve roster before the Korea-Japan trial and give them a chance to play. However, Chu is keen to see the potential of the new players. “We could call up Choi Jun-yong and other players. It’s not out of the question. But I don’t think they’ve proven it because they didn’t play at the end of the season. I want to check the quality of the young players for the same purpose as when I first selected them, and I already know the quality of Choi Jun-yong and other players.”