The 2007 draft mentioned in the last episode is being talked about as the golden draft enough to be evaluated as ‘the best ever’. That momentum continued in 2008 as well. It is evaluated that the weight of the 1st to 4th ranks was equal to or higher than that of 2007 in terms of the overall player class. This was largely influenced by Korea’s first NBA leaguer, ‘Victor Pan’ Ha Seung-jin (37‧221.6cm).
It didn’t matter how technically perfect Ha Seung-jin was as a player. Being able to stand and move on the court with a player with tremendous hardware that Seo Jang-hoon, “Goliath” had to look up to, was an unconditional first place guarantee. Even if all the first ranks were gathered, he boasted an overwhelming presence to compete for the first rank again.
2nd place ‘Argentina Express’ Kim Min-soo (41‧200cm), 3rd place ‘Little Kim Joo-seong’ Yun Ho-young (38‧195.6cm), 4th place ‘Penny Kang’ Byung-hyun Kang (38‧194cm)… , if it was a decent draft, they were all players who could be ranked first. As if confirming this value, Ha Seung-jin and Kim Min-soo, who were nominated in the first and second place, finished their careers at KCC and SK, where they were nominated.
In the case of Yoon Ho-young, he is still active, but since he has been active in the DB throughout his career and has been loved, there is a high chance that he will retire in Wonju if there are no big variables. As a result, all of the 1st to 3rd ranks left their names as one-club men. I feel sorry for Kang Byung-hyun, who is still remembered as ‘the heart of Jeonju’ even though he played for KCC for a short time. It is said that there is no “if” in basketball, but if Kang Byung-hyun had not been traded, the current history of KCC might have changed significantly.
Since 2003, it has been Yonsei University that has led the top picks in the rookie draft. 2003 (Kim Dong-woo), 2005 (Bang Seong-yoon), 2006 (Jeon Jeong-gyu), 2007 (Kim Tae-sul), and 2008 (Ha Seung-jin) produced the first rank. The only time between 2003 and 2008 when he failed to make the first pick was the 2004 draft, and Lee Jeong-seok was unfortunately (?) nominated as the second pick after competing with Yang Dong-geun.
If Lee Jeong-seok had been nominated first even at this time, an unprecedented record would have been made by being ranked first in a specific university for 6 consecutive years. Unlike Yonsei University, which swept the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd picks in the previous draft and produced 4 people in the 1st round only, in 2008, only 1 person in the 1st round, 1 person in the 2nd round, and 1 person in the 3rd round. However, it is said that the regret about the number was not very meaningful in that one person nominated in the first round was ranked first.
In the case of Chung-Ang University, the 3rd and 4th ranks in the 1st round, 1 person in the 2nd round, and 1 person in the 3rd round paid for their face. What impressed me was Dongguk University. Dongguk University, which belonged to the weaker class in the college league, did not show much impressive appearance in the draft for generations. At least, it was the biggest harvest in 2001 when Kim Seung-hyun was produced in third place.
In 2008, they showed off their spirit by producing as many as four people in the first round (3 people) and the second round (1 person). It wasn’t just filling in numbers. Jaehong Jeong in the 6th place, Seungho Ki in the 9th place, and Daehyun Chun in the 10th place did not reach the level of star players, but they left their names by taking their careers above average. It is no exaggeration to say that it was the brightest school except for the lottery pick.
Korea University’s retreat continued. In 2001, Korea University did not have a lottery pick designated player last time (2nd place). Rivals Yonsei University and Chung-Ang University are doing well, but other schools that are evaluated as inferior to Hanyang University, Sungkyunkwan University, Kyunghee University, and Konkuk University also produced lottery rookies, but Korea University remained silent. It was fortunate that Cha Jae-young (38‧193 cm) was nominated in the 5th place after Kang Byung-hyun.
Ha Seung-jin, the ‘rare ace’, can a player like this come out again?
Recently, in the basketball world, as the size of players increases and the level of technical perfection increases, unique players that were difficult to find in the past are increasing. In particular, the performance of players who are active in positions other than the big man is dazzling even though they are over 2m tall. Foreigners Lee Hyun-joong and Yeo Jun-seok are representative examples. Lee Hyun-joong (202cm) is the tallest shooter ever in Korea, and Yeo Jun-seok (203cm) is surprising people around him by showing off his great athleticism in addition to his good looks.
KBL is also not easy.스포츠토토 Song Gyo-chang (201.3cm), who is famous for his tremendous speed compared to his height, is not only fast, but can chase and defend even a moderate number of guards from the outskirts. The final winner of the domestic version of this part is Choi Jun-yong (200.2cm). As a tall swingman, he not only has the ability to match, but also has the field of vision and passing ability to become a point guard.
However, it is highly likely that Ha Seung-jin (38‧221.6cm) will be the most difficult player to come out of as the ‘second 000’. In terms of technology, it may be mediocre. There is no particularly great secret weapon. But more than anything else, what made Ha Seung-jin special was his amazing body as it is. There are not a few people who criticize him for ‘playing basketball with his height’, but he doesn’t have that much talent in basketball, where size is more important than anything else.
It’s not just a decent center level, it’s the tallest ever. A player with a height of around 2m and even skill is surprising, but it is impossible to predict when a player with overwhelming physical condition comparable to Ha Seung-jin will be able to come out again. Not only was he tall, but he also had a good physique, so even foreign big men had a hard time competing. The scene in which the large black center loses balance after a physical struggle with Ha Seung-jin is a scene that will be hard to see in the future, as it has been in the past.
Although he failed to make a long run because his prime ended early due to frequent injuries, those who remember his play agree that ‘Healthy Seung-Jin Ha’ is more powerful than any big man ever, including foreign players. In fact, in the first year of his debut, he won the Rookie of the Year award, giving his team their first championship, and presented a total of two final championships to his team, KCC. Even after that, KCC was always considered as a favorite for the championship, just because Ha Seung-jin was there while they continued to take playing time.
Ha Seung-jin’s exciting day during the game was a disaster for the opposing team. He often changed the atmosphere of the game by raising the morale of his teammates through various reactions as well as his unique drive. His weaknesses, such as his mobility and lack of skill, were obvious, but he also had strengths to offset them. There is an evaluation that if Shaquille O’Neal appears in the current NBA, he will bring a storm to the league regardless of the trend. The same goes for Ha Seung-jin at KBL. He has enough power to make a variable a constant if he’s that much of an overpowering big man. In his prime, Ha Seung-jin was just a foreign big man, and the only problem was whether or not he was injured.
◆ Ha Seung-jin’s regular league record ☞ Total average of 11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, 1.1 blocked shots
in February 26, 2015 Seoul SK match = 7 / Steel ☞ February 1, 2015 Ulsan Mobis match = 3 / Block shot ☞ March 17, 2019 Changwon LG match = 5