KOREA will go into its match against Gilas Pilipinas on Wednesday with little preparation as the two rivals collide at the resumption of the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Pampanga.
Filipino fans will be seeing new faces in the Korean team, with former PBA import Ricardo Ratliffe leading a young crew for the qualifiers where they will face the Philippines twice.
Head coach Cho Sang Hyun, in an interview with jumpball.co.kr, expressed concern over the fitness level of the team, having not played a single tune-up match due to quarantine restrictions in Korea.
“I think the first match against the Philippines will be difficult,” said Cho as quoted by jumpball.co.kr.
Korea is looking to clinch a seat in the Fiba Asia Cup in the Clark bubble. With three matches left in the qualifiers, Korea is in second place with a 2-0 card behind the Philippines, which owns a 3-0 slate.
Among the Korean players to watch is Lee Hyun Jung, who played with Davidson in the NCAA Division I.
Yeo Jun-seok is also among those expected to deliver, his credentials including an MVP award in the 2019 Basketball Without Borders Asia.
Of course, Ratliffe, who now known as Ra Gun-Ah, is no stranger to Gilas, having played for Korea starting in 2018. The former Star Hotshots import also went up against Gilas in the Asian Games three years ago in Jakarta.
Ratliffe also suited up for Korea in the 2019 Fiba Basketball World Cup.
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