KCC’s starters have left one after another… Last round of ‘Spring Basketball’ competition

As professional basketball enters the second half of the regular league in the 2022-23 season, the ‘final race’ in the playoffs (PO) is also intensifying. Suwon KT and Wonju DB in 7th and 8th place are closely chasing Jeonju KCC in 6th place, where key players have left one after another.

As of the 15th, KCC’s three main members were out of power. First of all, Lee Seung-hyun, the pillar of the team, was diagnosed with an elbow injury on the 24th of last month in the match against Korea Gas Corporation in Daegu for 4 weeks. He is expected to return to Enacourt later this month at the earliest. In addition, even ace Heo Ung suffered an injury in which the lateral ligament of the ankle was ruptured in the match against Hyundai Mobis in Ulsan on the 9th. It is out of the regular league season that ends on the 29th of next month after an 8-week absence is confirmed.

To make matters worse, Ronde Hollis Jefferson, a foreign mercenary, was expelled from the club on the 11th. Jefferson received expectations from the team and fans with his splendid career as a former NBA player, but ended up leaving the Korean basketball court due to his insincere attitude. In particular, in the two games immediately before the expulsion, he did not even attempt a single field goal, showing a close to slowdown.

KT broke into the cluttered atmosphere of KCC. In the confrontation on the 12th, when Jefferson’s expulsion was officially announced, Ha Yun-ki (20 points, 5 rebounds), Yang Hong-seok (20 points, 10 rebounds), and Jared Jones (11 points, 10 rebounds) led the way to a 86-73 victory, and for a while, finished 6th. Recaptured. Although it was defeated by Seoul SK on the 14th and fell back to 7th place, it is only 0.5 game away from KCC. 안전놀이터

Yoongi Ha is averaging 15 points and 6.4 rebounds, and the ‘2nd year jinx’ is showing a colorless performance, and Jones, who joined during the season, is adapting to the team with an average of 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds. situation is possible.

The 8th place DB is also not letting go of the string of hope to advance to PO. Former head coach Lee Sang-beom resigned during the season and the team atmosphere subsided, but franchise star Kim Joo-seong, acting coach, is trying to rebound at the end of the season by taking care of the team. The gap with KCC is 1.5 games.

Although DB has been sluggish with 1 win and 4 losses in the last 5 games, if Doo Kyung-min and Kang Sang-jae, who are injured, return during this month, they can rekindle the ‘spring basketball’ spark. Acting Kim said, “I definitely want to go up to the 6th round” before the confrontation with Seoul Samsung on the 13th. “There are 12 games in March. After Kang Sang-jae and Doo Kyung-min join, we will see the match.”