The COVID-19 woes of the Korea Men’s National Basketball Team continued during the first day of its training camp in Goyang.
In a report by Korean basketball Twitter account Heoball, the Korea Basketball Association has been forced to break up its bubble after one player tested positive for COVID-19.
Early Friday, the player was asked to leave camp and isolate. However, four more players have shown symptoms, forcing Cho Sanghyun and his staff to stop the camp.
The identities of the players were not revealed.
4 members of the 15 KNT players are now showing symptoms. Camp is disbanded and everyone is tested with PCR and isolate again.
— Heoball (@heoball) February 18, 2022
All the players are now considered close contacts.
“It is difficult to even form a twelve-man team due to the latest infections,” said Cho.
“I am just hoping there will be no more infections.“
It was just on Thursday when the KBA replaced seven players from its 14-man pool as Moon Seonggon, Lee Seonghyun, Heo Hoon, Lee Woosuk, Kim Jongkyu, and Ricardo Ratliffe contracted the virus.
Choi Junyong, meanwhile, suffered a sprained ankle last weekend.
Replacing them were Doo Kyungmin of Daegu, Byeon Junhyeong of Anyang, Lee Jaedo of Changwon, Lee Junghyun of Jeonju, An Youngjun of Seoul, Lee Kwanhee of Seoul, Lee Seunghyun of Goyang, Kang Sangjae of Wonju, and Jang Jaeseok of Ulsan in the expanded pool.
With just four days before their scheduled flight to the Philippines, them skipping the Quezon City window is now in play.
The cagers from the Far East are set to collide with Gilas twice, first on February 24 and then on the 28th.
They also face the Tall Blacks on the 25th, followed by a meeting with Indians on the 27th. They will play four games in five days.
