Only 12 players? Why the WKBL Asia Quarterly Draft was smaller than expected

The inaugural WKBL Asia Quota Draft had 12 participants.

In April, the WKBL decided to introduce an Asian quota system starting with the 2024-2025 season. The Asian Quarter Draft for the 2024-2025 season is open to Japanese nationals, including players from the W-League. The application period was open from May 13 to June 10, and a total of 12 players hoped to play in the WKBL.

The selection method for the Asian Quarter is a draft, with a maximum of two players per club and one player per team. With a maximum of 12 players available, 12 applicants is a very small number. 카지노사이트킴 If each of the six WKBL clubs nominated two players, all 12 players would be able to board a plane to Korea.

There’s a reason why there were fewer players in the draft than expected. The WKBL was late in announcing the introduction of the Asian Quarter, so most of the players were already signed to W-League teams. In addition, it is difficult for players to participate in the WKBL Asia Quarter Draft when their teams have already started training, according to local officials.

A local official familiar with Japanese basketball said, “The WKBL’s announcement of the Asian Quarter came too late. Japanese players have already signed contracts with teams, and some teams have already started training, so it’s too late to hold the draft at this time.”

Two names that stand out among the draft participants are Rika Tanimura and Moeda Nagata. Tanimura has a good height of 185 centimeters and was selected to the Japan Women’s National Basketball Team in 2019 and 2022. Nagata also played in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in 2021. Nagata was invited to the WKBL All-Star Festival this year, where she played for the W-League Rising Stars.

According to local sources, about six of the players could be utilized as immediate contributors. Nine to 10 players are expected to be nominated. This year, the number of applicants was lower than expected, but with the system in place, more than 30 players were expected to apply.

A local official said, “Nine to 10 players are expected to be nominated. Six of them are at the first team level. This year, there were fewer applicants than expected, but it’s a good starting point. Next year, the program can be expanded. I think we will have more than 30 applicants.”

The WKBL Asia Quarterly Draft will be held on March 23 in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to the selection of players, a draft ranking lottery will be held at the WKBL headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea, starting at 10:30 a.m. on the 12th. Based on last season’s performance, teams will be divided into Group 1 and Group 2, with Group 1, the sixth and fifth-ranked teams in the regular season, each having a 50 percent chance of selecting the first pick, and Group 2, the remaining four teams, will select the third through sixth picks.