This guy is agile, 7-3, 305 lbs. The amazing thing about him is he's versatility. He's very agile, shoots the outside shot well. and plays D. He isn't soft defensively. He can do the splits, that's how agile he is. He won't make the imediate impact Yao made because he's played against highschool kids in korea mostly. Will Purdue has been working out with this guy in Los Angeles and calls him a serious prospect. I think we can be looking at the twin Asian towers here. I bet we can make a trade to get him in the middle of the 1st round with someone.
Will Perdue??? Agile??? Somehow, the name and the adjective just doesn't make me want to jump up and scream "draft him." theSAGE
http://nbadraft.net/profiles/haseung-jin.asp Ha Sueng-Jin has Yao Ming like qualities, with enormous size, good dexterity and composure. His touch on his shot is good, making Ha another Asian bigman sensation. Plus he has the quickness and size to be a shot blocker and a defensive presence. Ha will be able to break new ground as the first Korean player to ever play in the NBA. Ha has stated that he will declare for the 2004 NBA draft. One very encouraging note is that Ha can play a game all the way through without getting winded. Which is impressive considering his age and enormous size. Possibly most astounding is that X-rays reveal that he is still growing! On Jan 30th SFX group went to South Korea and tested Seung-jin's agility, ball-handling skills and shooting ability over two days. Seung-jin was given rave reviews by the group. Before the change in the NBA's International eligibility rule, Ha was not eligible for the 2003 NBA Draft. He planned to stay in South Korea for another year while he earned his high school degree. After which he would head to the the United States to train. No word on whether Ha's plans have changed due to the change in the rule, however it's likely that Ha will stay with the plan and train for the 2004 draft. If all goes well, Ha Seung-jin will be the first Korean to make it to the NBA. As a sophomore he led his high school team to a 22-0 record, averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has led his team to four championship titles including one at the National Sports Festival in Cheju last November. Basketball in his genes: Ha's father, Dong-ki who is 6-6 tall, was a former member of the Korean National team that placed second at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games. Ha's sister, also an astonishing 6-6, had a successful basketball career. Lee Yun-hwan (Seung-jin's High School coach) on Ha: "Even with such imposing height, he is nimble and shrewd, keying rallies at both ends of the court. He can play a game all the way through without losing his wind." "After building his frame to perfect condition, he will become a competitive player in the U.S. As you can see, he is still growing. He has enormous potential", said Choun Soo-gil, an Internet sports columnist and webmaster for the Korea Basketball Association. Injury concerns: Players of Seung-jin's size are prime candidates for knee and foot injuries. With injuries having ended or limited the careers of countless bigmen including Ralph Sampson, Gheorge Muresan, Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and others. Both Ha's father and sister had successful basketball careers end prematurely due to injury. Staying healthy appears to be the biggest area of concern for him. "Health is the most important thing which my son should keep in mind," said Ha's 6-6 father Dong-ki. Ha on his future: "I will prevail on the court to realize what my father failed to accomplish. It's time for me to concentrate on practicing."
I don't know his development recently, but last year in Asian tournament 2003, I thought that he is far far away behind Yao, even at the same age, he did not reach Yao's level.
i dunno how accurate nbadraft.net, but they have him gonig #32. I haven't heard anything about this guy except that he's been working out. Did he even participate in the Chicago workouts?
The problem is that he probably WILL be availiable in the second round. This kid isn't a great prospect. We already have a center(because this guy certainly isn't going to be a forward). Maybe at #55 we take a flyer but I don't see it being a good situation with Yao's big shadow on the team. Obviously there will be comparisons and pressure on the kid to be the next Asian center, but I think it would be even worse if they were on the same team. Especially if Ha Seung Jin starts racking up the dnp-cds.
He even wears a thing on his wrist like Yao. http://www.detnews.com/2004/pistons/0403/13/pistons-90686.htm Teenager trying to become first Korean in NBA By Ken Peters / Associated Press Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Ha Seung-jin sprints and shoots and muscles his way to the basket -- all under the watchful eye of former Chicago Bulls center Will Perdue. And his father, of course. The 18-year-old from Seoul -- a 7-foot-4, 325-pounder -- is at the gym daily, working on his jumper, free throws and rebounding with one goal in mind: to become the first Korean to play in the NBA. “Before I started working with him, they said 7-4, 325 and you think he’s just a big guy who kind of lumbers along, doesn’t have good footwork or any agility,” Perdue said. “For a big man, he’s impressively agile, and it’s even more impressive considering his size.” Ha and his 6-foot-6 father, Ha Dong-ki -- a former starting center for the South Korean national team -- have been in Los Angeles since December, working on the teenager’s court skills on the campus of UCLA. “I need more power and more conditioning,” Ha said, speaking through an interpreter. “I need to get stronger so I can deal with the physical type of NBA play day in and day out. I’m working hard.” He’s no Yao Ming -- at least not yet -- but he is expected to draw increasing attention as June’s NBA draft nears and may even be a first-round pick if he impresses teams in workouts a couple of months from now. Ha has already signed with a Los Angeles-based sports agency. “He’s big and he’s breathing, so he’s a prospect,” said Ryan Blake, a scout for a service affiliated with the NBA. He laughed and added, “That’s the same thing I said about Yao early on.” But Ha has far less experience than Yao, the Houston Rockets center from China who was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft and already is a two-time NBA All-Star. Ha just graduated from high school in Seoul, where he led his team to three national championships. Under South Korean rules, he was allowed to play for Yonsei University in a tournament last year as an incoming freshman. He averaged 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in seven games and Yonsei won the national college title. While still in high school, Ha went up against Yao in the Asian Championships, though made a quick exit. He scored only 4 points and four fouls in four minutes in South Korea’s 106-96 loss to China in the title game. “He’s a very strong and physical player. That’s about all I know. He needs some time,” Yao said from Houston. “I never knew of him before that but I knew he played well in the Asian Games and in Europe.” Despite Ha’s limited experience, Perdue sees parallels between the teenager and the 7-foot-6, 229-pound Yao, who was part of the recent surge in foreign players to the NBA. “There are a lot of similarities in the way they play, their body type, their ability to get the shot off because of their size,” Perdue said. “Seung-Jin has good movement in the post, and we’re working on his perimeter game.” During a recent three-on-three scrimmage at UCLA, Ha looked relatively mobile for his size and seemed to have a good -- if inconsistent -- shooting touch. Guarding former NBA forward Jelani McCoy, Ha stayed tight on the 6-10 McCoy as he dribbled to his right, whirled to his left and shot. Without leaving his feet, Ha tapped the ball away. A few minutes later, Ha threw up an air ball from 15 feet, then slapped his hands and shook his head in disgust. “Teams are drafting a lot of potential now because there are more and more young players, high school players, entering the draft,” Perdue said. “They may not be the best players right now, but the upside is better. “I think Seung-jin falls into that class. Will he develop into the player they might expect him to be? I’m biased, but I think he will.” Ha Dong-ki, whose 6-foot-7 daughter Eunjoo is playing basketball in Japan, believes his son has improved since coming to the United States. “I see a definite difference,” Ha Dong-ki said, also speaking through an interpreter. “I feel like in two more months, he can take it to another level.” In the meantime, Ha is living life like a typical teenager in many regards: He’s hooked on a wrestling video game, and has a couple of pet turtles. He said he hasn’t had much difficulty adjusting to living in America, though he speaks little English. “The biggest thing for me is that I can go to a store where they have clothes for big and tall men,” Ha said. “In Korea, I had to have everything special-made and it was very expensive.” On the streets of Los Angeles, Ha is frequently mistaken for the Rockets’ center. “Are you Yao Ming? Are you Yao Ming’s brother?” he’s often asked. While Ha admires Yao as a player, another center is his hero. “I’m Shaquille O’Neal’s biggest fan,” Ha said. And asked when it was obvious he was going to be tall enough to be a center himself, the teenager replied: “When I was born. I weighed more than 13 pounds.”
I have seen him playing numerous times.. All the shorter Korean centers eat him like kimchi. He ... doesnt have the game
