On November 4th, Coach Nikolajs Mazurs announced the 12-player roster for the upcoming 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers against Taiwan and Japan at the Olympic Hall in Seoul. This marks the first national team selection under Mazurs' leadership.
Despite Heo Ung's impressive performance on November 2nd, where he scored 51 points, including 14 three-pointers, ranking third in KBL's single-game scoring history, he was not selected for the national team. Heo has not been called up since the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in July 2022. His personal life has been under scrutiny since 2024 due to legal disputes involving allegations of blackmail and threats with his girlfriend.
Coach Mazurs explained the decision, stating, "We needed players with better physical attributes and athleticism, which is why we chose the current 12." When asked if off-court issues influenced the decision, he responded, "We considered both on-court performance and off-court behavior."
Reported by Yeji Ryu, TenAsia ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr