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Second-year pros forward Kim Min-soo, left, and center Ha Seung-jin will be key players in Korea’s bid to bring the Asian championship back for the first time since 1997 against host China and Middle East rivals. / Korea Times File |
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
The Korean national basketball team is set to begin its quest for its first International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship in 12 years.
The tournament opens Thursday in Tianjin China, with Korea taking on archrival Japan at 3 p.m.
``Our goal is of course, to be the champion. Though we also have weakness we can overcome them for a victory,'' Korean coach Hur Jae told YTN.
Hur, coach of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) champion KCC Egis, has already led his boys to the champion at the FIBA East Asian Championship in June in Japan, where the Koreans did not suffer a single defeat.
At the William Jones Cup last month, however, Korea did not fair as well. Hur was not in attendance as the team won its first three games but then lost three to Jordan, Lebanon and Taiwan A. Hur was attending a KBL foreign player tryout.
China has long been the dominant force in Asian basketball, with Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines following behind the behemoth. But Middle Eastern countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and Iran are also threats.
Lebanon has Fadi El Khatib, who has been dubbed the ``Michael Jordan of Asia,'' and he has been reinforced with Rasheim Ali Abd Wright and Enver Soobzokov naturalized citizens from the United States.
Iran, the 2007 Asian champions, have Hamed Haddadi, a massive 2.18-meter center who played 19 games with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA this past season.
``We should be able to cruise in the first and second round. But we may have a tough game in the quarterfinals, because there's a good possibility that we will meet Jordan or Lebanon,'' Hur said.
``To earn a ticket to the FIBA World Championship, which is given to only the top three Asian teams, we will have to overcome the Middle Eastern storm,'' added Hur.
The Korean side will hope to keep pace by adding KBL rookie of the year Ha Seung-jin of the Egis and Bang Sung-yoon of the SK Knights.
Ha, a 2.21-meter center, and Bang, an accurate perimeter shooter, will be a boost for the team by providing them with the big man and threatening shooter they clearly lacked at the William Jones Cup.
``I saw Middle Eastern guys performances. If I do well, we can grab the victory because we are better,'' Ha said.
China will have a few NBA players in its lineup even though Yao Ming is sidelined with an injury. Yi Jianlian of the Milwaukee Bucks, Sun Yue of the Los Angeles Lakers and former NBA player Wang Zhizhi will try to give China its fifth title in the past six tournaments.
If Korea hopes to win its first title since 1997, they will not only need to withstand a powerful group of Middle Eastern teams but also breakthrough the Great Wall of China.
yc@koreatimes.co.kr
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[단독] 르노삼성, 본사 모델로 한국 공략
