Ha Returns For Playoffs
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
The stumbling defending champions KCC Egis finished the regular season in third place ― the same position as last season ― winning against SK Knights in Seoul in its last game of the season in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), Saturday.
They may be back on track for the playoffs as their center, Ha Seung-jin, is likely to return to the court for the first round, scheduled to begin March 11, when they will take on the sixth-ranked Samsung Thunders - last season's runner-up.
After Terrence Leather joined the Egis from the Thunders, another import, Ivan Johnson, rounded out the potent Jeonju-based team, which also features domestic players Jun Tae-poong, Ha, Kang Byung-hyun and Choo Seung-kyun.
They previously occupied the top spot of the KBL standings with a .707 winning percentage. However after losing the 2.21 meter center Ha to a thigh injury during the All-Star rookie challenge, the team collapsed.
During the last five weeks their winning percentage fell to 46.2 percent and they barely snatched third place, failing to earn a first-round bye, which is only offered to the top two teams.
Ha, who was initially instructed to rest for six weeks, was permitted to return to the court by a doctor Wednesday and will rejoin the team's practice sessions. Ha started running Wednesday and has been cycling as well.
"As the Thunders have a lot of smart players, such as Lee Sang-min, Lee jung-suk and Kang Hyuk, it will be a tough match to win," Egis head coach Hur Jae said.
"Though we have regained Ha for the playoffs, he hasn't played for more than a month. So it is hard to expect him to show his typical performance.
"But if we overcome the Thunders, the next round could be easier for us because by then we will have regained our form," added Hur.
Ha averaged 14.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 41 games this season.