KCC championship hero Heo Hoon and Song Gyo-chang (CEO) team sidelined by injury... Moon Jung-hyun and Park Ji-hoon join Majors' squad for first time

*This content was translated by AI.

Heo Hoon (31) and Song Kyu-chang (30), who helped Busan KCC win the championship in the 2025-2026 season, have been excluded from the men's national team training roster due to injuries. Instead, Moon Jung-hyun (25, Suwon KT) and Park Ji-hoon (31, Anyang Jeonggwanjang) were added as replacement players.

The Korea Basketball Association announced on the 27th that it has revised the roster of 16 men's national team training candidates selected in preparation for the 1st round, 5th and 6th matches of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers to be held in July.

As a result, Heo Hoon and Song Kyu-chang, who were previously on the training roster, were excluded due to injuries. The Basketball Association held a Game Performance Improvement Committee meeting based on medical certificates submitted by Heo Hoon and Song Kyu-chang, and selected Moon Jung-hyun and Park Ji-hoon as replacements.

Moon Jung-hyun and Park Ji-hoon, who were selected as replacements, were included in the national team training roster for the first time under coach Nicolas Majors.

KT guard Moon Jung-hyun was selected as the first overall pick in the 2023 rookie draft and made his professional debut with KT. In the 2025-2026 regular season, he appeared in 46 games, averaging 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

He joins the 'Jeonggwanjang Captain' Park Ji-hun-do (CEO) team. Park Ji-hoon played a central role for his team in the 2025-2026 regular season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.

The national team will play the 1st round, 5th and 6th matches of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers in July. The games will be held on July 3 and 6 at Goyang Sono Arena, with South Korea facing Taiwan in the 5th match and Japan in the 6th match.

The national team, including Moon Jung-hyun and Park Ji-hoon, will assemble on the 1st of next month to begin intensive training. Following a technical meeting, the final 12-player roster will be confirmed.

In this 1st round of the Asian qualifiers, the top three teams in each group will advance to the 2nd round. South Korea must reach the 2nd round to maintain its chances of qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup finals, which will be held in Qatar next year. A total of seven tickets for the finals are allocated to the Asia-Oceania region, excluding host nation Qatar.

South Korea currently holds a 2-2 record, sitting in second place in Group B behind Japan (3-1). South Korea won consecutive matches against China in the 1st and 2nd rounds but lost both the 3rd match against Taiwan and the 4th match against Japan under coach Nicolas Majors. In this 5th and 6th round, South Korea aims for revenge against Taiwan and Japan.

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*This content was translated by AI.