New KBL Season to Tip Off Friday

KCC Egis rookie Ha Seung-jin, left, will form a strong inside tandem with veteran Seo Jang-hoon this season. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

Staff Reporter

The Korean Basketball League (KBL) tips off Thursday with the defending champion Dongbu Promy facing the KT&G Kites.

Thanks to a deep draft, which produced immediate threats, such as former NBA player Ha Seung-jin of the KCC Egis and Kyunghee University standout Kim Min-soo, selected as the second pick by the SK Knights, this season is expected to provide excitement.

Ha, who stands 2.21 meters tall, teams up with 2.07-meter Seo Jang-hoon, who is looking to reach the 10,000-point mark for his career, to form a strong inside tandem.

Kim adds speed and height to the Knights, a Seoul-based team which lost scorer Bang Sung-yoon to the NBA Development League (D-League).

In addition to those two high draft picks, Promy forward Yoon Ho-young, labeled as the ``next Kim Joo-sung,'' and ET Land BlackSlammers towering guard Kang Byung-hyun, both from Chung-Ang University which is known for its prestigious basketball program, are also competitive young players.

Promy Still Top Contender

The reigning champion, which has an advantage in height over the league's other teams, is gunning for its fourth KBL title.

Forward Kim Joo-sung, selected as last season's MVP for the regular season, championship series and All-Star Game, is still in his prime and Nigerian-born center Reggie Okosa remains in the post.

Better, the addition of 1.98-meter rookie Yoon has solidified the frontcourt.

The Egis, also three-time champions, are considered the rival with the best chance of stopping the Promy because of their No. 1 draft pick, Ha.

Ha, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers for two years, played in a preseason game against the KTF MagicWings and took advantage of his height to produce 13 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

In addition, the Jeonju-based team added 2.07-meter Micah Brand and 2.03-meter Brian Harper, so it can boast a lineup with four starters taller than 2 meters.

Powell Leads Foreign Group

BlackSlammer forward Ricardo Powell has taken center stage among imported players.

The 25-year-old, who graduated from the University of South Carolina, was a leading scorer in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia in the 2006-2007 season.

Terrence Shannon, the reigning foreign player MVP, moved to the Knights, and Brandon Crump, who played for the Egis last season, will play for the LG Sakers.

Steve Thomas, picked by the MagicWings, is a former leading rebounder in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the United States.