KOREA could be headed to the Philippines without one of its main weapons.
Naturalized center Ra Gun-A, whose American name is Ricardo Ratliffe, tested positive for COVID-19 and is unlikely to join the national team training which will only start on Friday.
It's a tough blow for the Korean side which is already facing a lot of problems in its buildup for the February window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Ra has been one of the main cogs for Korea, posting 18.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in his four games in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.
Ricardo Ratliffe and several other Korea basketball players are out due to COVID-19.
The case for the Anyang KGC center is just the latest setback as the Korean Basketball League (KBL) continues to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19 within the league and has since suspended its games from Feb. 16 to 20.
Aside from Ra, also testing positive are Kim Jong Kyu of Wonju DB Promy and Lee Woo Seok of Ulsan Mobis Phoebus, pushing up the number of doubtful players for the Korean national team to three.
It's yet to be determined if the Korean Basketball Association (KBA) will make replacements for these players in their 14-man pool as they begin their training bubble in Goyang.
The Korean team is expected to arrive in Manila on Tuesday next week before playing Gilas Pilipinas on Feb. 24, New Zealand on Feb. 25, India on Feb. 27, and the Philippines anew on Feb. 28.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph