WITH five players being sidelined by COVID-19 and injuries, Korea is set to recalibrate its plans and will announce a new 14-man pool for the February window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.
The Korean Basketball Associaton (KBA) will unveil a new list on Thursday as the national team begins its practices on Friday in Goyang.
Naturalized player Ra Gun-A, also known as Ricardo Ratliffe, tested positive for the virus and will not be present for the training camp for the series of games next week.
Also testing positive for the virus is 2020 Korean Basketball League (KBL) MVP Heo Hoon, as well as returning national team players Kim Jong Kyu and Lee Woo Seok.
Choi Jun Young, meanwhile, is dealing with an ankle sprain after the Seoul SK Knights' game against the Ulsan Mobin Phoebus on Tuesday.
Veterans in the clear
Veterans Kim Sun Hyung and Yang Hong Seok, on the other hand, were cleared and are expected to rejoin the training pool.
They will be reunited with Lee Seong Hyun, Jeon Seong Hyen, Lee Dae Sung, Moon Seong Gon, and 19-year-old center Yeo Jun Seok as coach Cho Sang Hyun begins his preparations for the February window.
Korea will fly for Manila on Feb. 22 before playing a brutal four games-in-five days schedule.
Awaiting them are Gilas Pilipinas on Feb. 24, New Zealand on Feb. 25, India on Feb. 27, and the Philippines anew on Feb. 28 at Smart Araneta Coliseum as they begin their bid to once again qualify for the global hoops conclave.
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