2012.1.13 Weekend Picks

WKBL

* All-Star Game
* Bucheon Gymnasium, Bucheon, Gyeonggi
* Sunday, 3 p.m.

A total of 24 top players will perform in the All-Star Game which will be divided into the West and East teams. Twenty players were selected by fans and reporters, while four players made the roster through coaches’ recommendations.

Players from the Cheongju KB Stars swept the top five positions in the East’s squad, including guard Beon Yeon-ha, who topped this season’s All-Star Game vote with 20,114. The West is dominated by Guri KDB Life Insurance Winnus players except for one slot in the top five that went to Ansan Shinhan Bank S-birds forward Kim Dan-bi.

There will be plenty of entertainment including an exhibition game between a team comprised of entertainers and retired WKBL legends before the main game. At halftime, there will be a 3-point contest and a performance by the W-Band, a group comprised of seven current WKBL players.

V-League

* Gumi LIG Insurance Greaters (4-14) at Seongnam Sangmu Shinhyup (2-17)
* Seongnam Gymnasium, Seongnam, Gyeonggi
* Sunday 2 p.m.

Two bottom feeders of the V-League will square off, hoping to get a good grip on the second half of the season.

The Greaters are having a difficult season after Bosnian international Milan Pepic and veteran Lee Kyung-soo suffered injuries. The team will have to rely on its attack, namely Kim Yo-han - the MVP of last Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Libero Bu Yong-chan, who is considered a strong contender for Rookie of the Year, will be a pillar in the Greaters’ defense. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the league in defensive contributions. Sangmu, the military team, has the league’s worst offense with a 45 percent attacking success rate.

Skiing

* Fila Cup FIS Yongpyong International Alpine Ski Games
* Yongpyong Resort, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
* Friday, 9 a.m.

The tournament started yesterday, but this is the only ski tournament in Korea that is certified and hosted by the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Entering its 22nd edition, only skiers who have under 100 FIS points will participate. In Alpine skiing, those who have fewer points have a higher rank.

Kim Sun-joo, who was the champion of the women’s downhill and super giant slalom at the Asian Winter Games last year, will compete. Some 150 skiers from Japan, Russia and China will also participate.