South Korea hit by COVID-19 ahead of Fiba qualifiers

FILE – South Korea before its game against the Philippines in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark, Pampanga. Photo from Fiba

MANILA, Philippines—Korea could end up sending just 10 men in the February window of the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers after COVID-19 swept across the team.

The team could also play without head coach Cho Sang-hyun after he was considered as a close-contact person.

As per Korean publication Jumpball, three players tested positive for COVID-19 and three more were considered close-contacts putting the roster to 10 men.

Naturalized center Ra Gun-A, who was born Ricardo Ratliffe, and 2020 Korean Basketball League MVP Heo Hoon are among the players who tested positive for COVID-19.

The Korea Basketball Association is hoping that Fiba would allow it to make late adjustments to the roster. Korea plays on the first day of the window on Thursday against the Philippines at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

While the COVID-19 situation within the team is already a problem, the players also lack practice time as they failed to start training sessions in Goyang last week due to the infections.

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