Red Boosters look to continue roll as KBL returns Saturday

Basketball

Published: 19 Oct. 2023, 14:02 Updated: 19 Oct. 2023, 21:29

Red Boosters look to continue roll as KBL returns Saturday

The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters, then Anyang KGC, celebrate after winning the 2022-23 KBL championship at Anyang Gymnasium in Anyang, Gyeonggi on May 7. [YONHAP]

The 2023-24 KBL season tips off Saturday as 10 teams return to the court for a five-month competition.

The competition this season will be about seeing which team can stop the newly-dubbed Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters — formerly known as the snappier Anyang KGC.

Anyang KGC beat Seoul SK Knights to win KBL championship

The Red Boosters not only claimed the league title with a wire-to-wire run and went on to win the championship last season, but also became inaugural champions of the East Asian Super League (EASL) — a tournament in which eight countries compete from across Asia.

But it may not be smooth sailing for the Red Boosters this year. Three key players from last season — point guard Byun Joon-hyung, power forward Oh Se-keun and small forward Moon Seong-gon — have all left the team during the offseason.

The three were some of the best players in the league and whether their absence will be visible will depend on how much new additions like power forward Jeong Hyo-geun, point guard Choi Sung-won and center Lee Jong-hyun can make up for that deficit.

The squad, however, did not look like the best team in the league at the KBL Cup last week, as they failed to reach the semifinals.

Head coach Kim Sang-sik will have to reinforce his influence and form a different strategy to repeat last season’s glory, now that it is his second year in charge. He said during a media day event on Monday that he focused on forming good cohesion among the already existing players and new signees during the off-season.

One of the Red Boosters’ biggest competitors will be last season’s championship runners-up, the Seoul SK Knights.

The Knights not only faced the Red Boosters in the championship last season, but also in the EASL final that turned out to be an all-Korean affair.

With the team’s ace Jameel Warney returning and former Red Booster’s key player Oh joining the squad this season, the Knights will likely challenge the Anyang side again.

Both the Knights and Red Boosters will also have to watch out for Busan KCC Egis, which seven out of 10 KBL head coaches said is the favorite to win the league this season.

Busan KCC, renamed after the team relocated from Jeonju, North Jeolla to Busan this summer, reinforced their squad with former NBA player Alize Johnson and small forward Choi Jun-yong.

Busan KCC Egis's Alize Johnson, left, in action during a KBL Cup game against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus at Gunsan Wolmyeng Gymnasium in Gunsan, North Jeolla on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Those signings have already proved to be effective, with the team winning the KBL Cup for the first time ever and Johnson being named MVP of the tournament.

This season may be a chance for them to win the league title for the first time in three years.

The Changwon LG Sakers are another contender. The Sakers got off to a slow start last season, but bounced back to finish in second.

The addition of small forward Yang Hong-seok will bring more versatility to the team and head coach Cho Sang-hyun said during a media day event that Yang will be an important player this season, indicating that he will be the player around which the head coach forms his tactics.

The rebranded Goyang Sky Gunners, on the other hand, will have a much easier season finance-wise thanks to their new asset-rich parent company Sono International — a hotel company.

Formerly known as the Goyang Carrot Jumpers, the team struggled throughout last season due to former parent company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s financial trouble, with the players having to spend months going unpaid.

With that struggle out of the way, the players can solely focus on games and show their best performance. The addition of former NBA power forward Deyonta Davis will also reinforce the team’s attack.

Daegu Kogas Pegasus, Wonju DB Promy, Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus and Suwon KT Sonicboom will also be keen to prove how much they can do better this season with their eyes on reaching the postseason.

The Red Boosters will first face the Knights at Anyang Gymnasium in Anyang, Gyeonggi on Saturday, the same time the Sakers play the Sonicboom at Changwon Gymnasium in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis will then take on Pegasus at Ulsan Dongchun Gymnasium in Ulsan.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]