TalkBasket.net Basketball Forums

Quote:The South Korean national basketball team is already dealing with adversity, even though it has yet to play a game.



As if it wasn’t bad enough that projected starting center Ha Seung-jin is out after sustaining an ankle injury in the Korean Basketball League finals, the team said yesterday that Kim Joo-sung - the next player on the depth chart - will miss theKim Joo-sung of the Dongbu Promy on the court against the SK Knights. By Lee Young-mok. upcoming qualifying tournament as well.



Head coach Hur Jae said Kim, of the Dongbu Promy, is suffering from an irregular heartbeat and has been declared ineligible to play for the national team in the FIBA East Asian tournament, which starts June 10 in Nagoya, Japan.



“Kim complained of chest pain after a weight training session nine days ago,” Hur told a group of journalists at the Olympic Parktel in southern Seoul after a team meeting. “Upon completing a medical checkup at a hospital, the report came back stating Kim has an irregular heartbeat. While he is expected to be released from the hospital next week, doctors have ordered Kim to stay away from strenuous activity and therefore it will be very difficult for Kim to participate in the upcoming tournament.”



With the two top centers unavailable, Hur and his assistants must now focus on changing their game plan.



“We are facing some problems,” said Joo Hee-jung, the team’s point guard and the Korean Basketball Association’s most valuable player. Joo plays for the SK Knights.



Ham Ji-hoon of the Mobis Phoebus, the squad’s third-ranked center, is expected to fill the troubled position. The coaching staff said yesterday it also added center Lee Dong-joon of the Daegu Orions to the roster.



Ham expressed confidence in his ability to help the team.



“We have lost some size in the middle, but we will be a quicker team,” Ham said.



The news of Kim’s health problems is deflating for the national team and Korean Basketball Association officials. The upcoming tourney in Nagoya is extremely important. The national team needs to place in the top two in order to advance to the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship in Tinajin, China, in August.



Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan will play in the regional qualifier.