Anosike decides to stay in Korea for a while even though KBL ended early

KCC’s basketball player Oderah Anosike has decided to stay in South Korea for a while even though the league has ended. As the number of COVID-19 cases rapidly increased in New York, his hometown, he decided to stay at KCC’s residence in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province until early April.

Club houses and gyms of professional basketball teams are mostly empty as the Korean Basketball League has ended the season early due to the spread of the virus. Most foreign players went home or plan to return to home within this week including KCC’s Charles Rhodes who left the country on Friday. Anyang KGC’s Denzel Bowles who arrived in Korea on Tuesday after a vacation left again on Friday after the season ended early. But Anosike decided to stay in South Korea for some time as the number of those who tested positive for the virus has exceeded 40,000 in New York as of Friday. It is the opposite of KT’s Allen Durham and Orion’s Byron Mullens who left South Korea last month.

Anosike would remember this season for a long time. He never experienced a season like this. He played in just one game at KCC. His only record is 18 points and 10 rebounds when he played in a match against KT for 22 minutes and five seconds on Feb. 29 after he joined KCC to replace injured Ricardo Ratliffe. It was the first time that he played without audience. “It was awkward to play without audience,” he said. “It was a little disappointing because I didn’t get to meet the fans in my first match in South Korea.”

“For me, it’s not that hard to stay inside because I don’t really get around much. I wanted to do more in Korea, but the season ended after one game,” he said. “I’ve been talking with my family in the U.S. I have seven siblings living in New York and some of them are doctors and nurses. They taught me the quarantine principles. I hope the situation gets better soon.”


yesbro@donga.com