Sports Briefs

BASKETBALL

Ulsan Mobis Phoebus wins first pick in rookie draft

Ulsan Mobis Phoebus of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) will draw first pick at this year’s KBL rookie draft and tryouts.

On Monday in Jamsil, southeast of Seoul, the KBL hosted its 2016 KBL draft lottery to determine the order at this year’s rookie draft. During the event, eight teams that failed to advance to the finals of the last season were given a 12.5-percent chance to take the first pick. At the end of the event, it was Phoebus that came out with the first pick. When it was announced that Phoebus will get the first pick at this year’s rookie draft, head coach Yoo Jae-hak jumped out of his seat and celebrated the result with coach Kim Jae-hoon as well as players Yang Dong-geun and Ham Ji-hoon, who were also present at the lottery pick.

The Seoul SK Knights were given second pick and the Incheon ET-Land Elephants were given third pick. The Jeonju KCC Egis, the defending KBL regular season winner, will get the ninth pick and the Goyang Orion Orions, the defending champion of the KBL Championship, will get last pick.

This year’s KBL rookie draft has garnered attention early on with big names such as Lee Jong-hyun and Kang Sang-jae of Korea University and Choi Jun-yong of Yonsei University expected to make their pro debut.

FOOTBALL

Son Heung-min named player of the month

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur was named the WhoScored Premier League player of the month for September.

WhoScored.com, a London-based website specializing in in-depth analysis of football data, announced on Monday, local time, that Son was selected as the English Premier League (EPL) player of the month.

Son received the highest rating among football players in Europe, 8.1 on average, from three matches in the month. He registered two goals and one assist in September, being selected as the man of the match three times against Stoke City, Sunderlands and Middlesbrough.

“Son, 24, didn’t appear to have a future at Tottenham over the summer after struggling to make an impact during his debut season,” said the report by WhoScored.com. “However, the former Bayer Leverkusen forward rejected the chance to return to Germany and instead worked hard on forcing his way into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, which he has now done… September was a sensational month for Son.”

By Choi Hyung-jo