Men’s national basketball team head coach Choo Il-seung has submitted the final 12-man roster for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in September, but he said he may pull out a replacement card in the future.

The men’s basketball team, led by Choo Il-seung, defeated Japan 76?69 in the KB Kookmin Bank 2023 Men’s National Team Trial at Jamsil Student Gymnasium on Feb. 22.

It was the first time in five years that the team has played Japan in an exhibition game as they prepare for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the World Cup next month.

“It’s been a long time since we played an A-match, and it wasn’t very good,” said Choo. But I think we were able to take the lead because of our good rebounding. Jeon Sung-hyun’s shots from the outside were also a big factor in maintaining our advantage.”

The biggest goal for Choo Il-seung-ho is the Hangzhou Asian Games, which has been pushed back a year. It will be held in September.

“The final 12 have already been submitted, but I personally don’t think it means much. “We can replace them through internal competition,” he said. “If they show good skills and competitiveness, we will replace them.

Prior to the Hangzhou Asian Games, the basketball team will compete in the Asian Qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Syria from June 12-20.

“I think we will (finalize) the roster after the Olympic qualifiers are over,” Choo said. “If Kim Sun-hyung, Oh Se-geun (SK) and Ragan-ah (KCC), who didn’t play today, are fit as planned, there is no problem, but if not, I think they should be replaced.”

Kim Sun-hyung, Oh Se-geun, and Ragan-ah missed the game due to minor injuries. According to the rules, they can be replaced.

“The players who are in the best shape, the players who have good skills, should wear the flag,” Choo said. Just because they have a name doesn’t mean they should go.”

Recently, the national team played a practice match against the Summer Universiade team at the Jincheon Athletic Village. The team lost to the juniors, who were considered inferior, and their pride was bruised.

“We played for two days, and on the first day we lost by more than 10 points, and on the second day we won by more than 30 points,” says Choo. “I was caught off guard,” he said, “but on the other hand, I felt good because Lee Jung-hyun (Sono) played well. It’s important to be consistent in your performance. It was a good lesson learned.”

Lee Jung-hyun (Sono), who was redundantly selected to the Universiade squad, is a favorite to make the final roster for the Asian Games.

As for Ha Yoon-ki (KT), who stood out with his rebounds and dunks under the basket, he said, “I played with him last year, but he came back with a great performance. I was surprised,” he said, adding, “I think he’s the only player who can protect our defense. I think that’s a good thing.”

Regarding their opponents, Japan, he said, “They utilize space well and have a lot of long players with shooting. “We gave them a little bit of space early on, but in the end, my philosophy is to protect the basket. I thought our guys played good defense.”

Game 2 will be played at 2 p.m. on Nov. 23 at the same venue. 스포츠토토