China reduced the recruitment of foreign basketball players to Corona, raising expectations as a series of overseas stars enter Korea.
“Foreign players who could not have been recruited have entered the KBL League.”
SPOTV commentator Choo Il-seung of the KBL brought this up while predicting the league’s landscape in the 2021-2022 season, which will open on the 9th. Choo said, “The inflow from China to Korea is increasing this year without recruiting star-class foreign players due to the influence of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and Miroslav Radulicha (Orion, photo), who has world-class skills, is a representative.”
The proportion of foreign players, who account for more than half of the team’s power this season, is expected to remain. Each team worked harder to recruit top foreign players as KGC, ranked third in the regular league last season, won the championship match thanks to the recruitment of “Snow Professor” Sullinger.
As Choo evaluated, there is a high interest in Radulica, a former member of the Serbia national team and a tall center of 2m, is high. Its strength is its sensible pass ability using height. KBSN commentator Son Dae-beom said, “A white European big man has never come to the KBL League and caused a sensation. “If Radulicha can show his skills in his heyday, it will be a great help to the team,” he explained.
KGC’s Omari Spellman and Korea Gas Corporation’s Andrew Nicholson are also one of the most anticipated players. Spellman, well-known in South Korea for playing for Golden State in the 2019-2020 U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA), has strong power and good outer shooting skills, which can threaten his opponent in various positions. Nicholson was well-known for his natural scoring ability.
Some analysts say that existing foreign players such as Ra Gun-ah (KCC), Jamil Warney (SK), and Leonard Freeman (DB) who have adapted to the league may dominate. SPOTV commentator Lee Sang-yoon said, “I know that none of the new foreign players are ‘sullen low-class’ players,” adding, “New foreign players may have difficulty adapting to Korean basketball, which has a lot of physical fights and fast basketball.” Cho Sang-hyun, head coach of the national basketball team, said, “New foreign players are better in terms of name value,” adding, “In the end, it is a matter of adaptation.” If Radulicha or Nicholson adapt quickly, they will be able to compete properly with Ra Gun-ah and Warney, he said.
