Coach Kim Sang-sik of professional basketball team Anyang Jeonggwanjang said that the moment has come to say goodbye to foreign player Daryl Monroe, who has been with the team since 2021.
Coach Kim responded to reporters' questions about Monroe's future ahead of the 2023-2024 Jeong Kwan-Jang professional basketball away game against Goyang Sono held at Goyang Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 17th, saying, "I think the time has come to make a decision."
Coach Kim said, “I want to wait, but there is no guarantee that he will return in a month,” and added, “I think we have to make an important decision for the sake of the domestic players.”
Monroe, who joined CheongKwanJang in 2021, has been loved by the club's fans for his unique smart play and veteran-like leadership.
However, he was out of his power last month after complaining of hamstring (back of the thigh) pain.
Monroe, who returned to the court in the East Asian Super League away game on the 10th, also appeared in front of fans in the professional basketball all-star game held on the 14th. He wore a referee uniform instead of a uniform and blew the whistle for about a minute, causing laughter.
Monroe, who seemed like he would return and provide vitality to the team, suffered a recurrence of the injury during team training the day after the All-Star Game.
Coach Kim said, "I was training to stretch and attack and defend under the goal, but suddenly my body felt strange. I went to the hospital and was diagnosed that it would take another 3 to 4 weeks to return," and "After 4 weeks, the season will end. “There is only one month left until then,” he said.
He continued, "He said he would treat me well, so I waited for him to return. Afterwards, when this situation happened during the first training, I couldn't express my feelings in words."
Coach Kim added, “They say that all you need to do is find a foreign player who can play for three weeks, but if you ask them to play for just three weeks at this time and then leave, who will come?”
Cheong Kwan-Jang, who rose to second place with 9 wins and 4 losses at the beginning of the season, fell to 7th place (11 wins, 20 losses) due to injuries to key players.
Forward Jeong Hyo-geun, who was ambitiously recruited before the opening season, injured his ankle, and Kim Gyeong-won, who was in charge of the goal, also injured his knee, so it is not certain that he will return within the season.
As Cheong Kwan-Jang, more than anything, he regrets the absence of Filipino player Lens Abando.
In the Sono match held at the Goyang Gymnasium on the 28th of last month, Abando, who lost his balance in the air after being pushed by the arm of Chinanu Onuaku and fell, broke two bones in his back, and was also diagnosed with a sprain of his wrist ligaments and a concussion.
“I don’t know how there is a season like this,” said Coach Kim, who expressed regret. “It is impossible to guarantee when Abando will return. Although he was diagnosed for 4 weeks, it will take 4 weeks for him to move to some extent, so he is not in a condition to play again. “I don’t know how long it will take for this to happen,” he said.
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