The 2023 KOVO Men’s Asian Quarter Draft was held at the Sun Hotel in Jeju City, Jeju Island on the 27th. During the draw period, 7 colored balls were filled with 10 balls for each team. The first ball that came out in the hot eyes at the exit of the spinning machine was blue. In a corner, cheers erupted from the table where the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance coaching staff and front desk were seated and held each other’s hands.
Last season, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the lowest ranked player, took the first place in the Asian Quarter Draft, which was held for the first time. On stage, Samsung Fire & Marine Manager Kim Sang-woo called Eddie (24), a middle blocker from Mongolia. It was the moment when Eddy’s dream of moving to Korea six years ago and advancing to the V-League came true. Eddie, who attended Sungkyunkwan University, was a promising star in the V-League early on, and familiarity with Korean volleyball, culture, and language was also cited as a strength.
After wearing the Samsung Fire & Marine uniform, Eddie said, “I am so happy. I’ve been waiting for this day for the past 6 years,” and smiled broadly, saying, “I think blue suits me well.” Manager Kim Sang-woo said, “We were very thirsty to strengthen our offense. I am happy that I picked Eddie, whom I considered my number one priority.” Director Kim Sang-woo, who had a relationship with Eddy at Sungkyunkwan University, said, “There is also a disciple, but I know that college life has not been easy until now. He is a player who is attached to him through the process. I will help you do better,” he said. “I will try to match the combination with foreign players for the position.”
As expected, KEPCO selected Ryohei Iga (29) as a libero who played in the Japanese commercial arena after holding the second pick in his hand. KEPCO has said, “You just need to appoint a person ahead of Korean Air.” In this draft, KEPCO and Korean Air were greedy for Iga as they were greedy for reinforcing the libero, but KEPCO enjoyed the luck of taking the nomination right before Korean Air.
Korean Air coach Tommy Tilikhanen, who won the combined championship for three consecutive seasons, made a surprise decision. Philippine outside hitter Mark Espejo (26) was selected. Contrary to expectations, Korean Air selected Espeho, and the 4th OK Financial Group selected Mongolian middle blocker Bayar Saihan (25), who was considered the 1st candidate along with Eddie.
Among the tryout applicants, the tallest (204 cm) Taiwanese middle blocker Chai Pei-chang (22) wore a Hyundai Capital uniform. KB Insurance in the 6th place and Woori Card in the 7th place selected Liu Hong-min (30), a Taiwanese outside hitter, 먹튀검증 and Issey Ohtake (28), an apogee from Japan, respectively.
Of the 24 applicants for the draft, 7 will make their debut in the V-League next season as each team exercises their right to pick them all without giving up. Each nominated player receives an annual salary of $100,000 (approximately 133 million won, including tax) for the next season.