‘Player and coach win simultaneously’ DB coach Kim Joo-seong “Wonju’s first hometown, we will be jumping for the combined win”

Professional basketball coach Wonju DB Kim Joo-seong smiled brightly at the early win in the regular season. Coach Kim, the club’s legend, expressed his thoughts, saying, “I will be excited to achieve a comprehensive victory.”

Coach Kim said at a press conference after confirming the regular season championship early with a 107-103 win against Suwon KT in the 2023-2024 professional basketball season home game held at Wonju Stadium on the 14th, “Honestly, when I started my career as a player in Wonju, it was here. “I didn’t know I would be there for over 20 years,” he said. “I thought it was a far away place at first, but it has become the place I have lived the longest in my life.” It is my first hometown. I am grateful to the fans for their continued support and encouragement. “I’m so happy that we won the league at home,” he said.

Coach Kim is a legend who won five regular league titles during his time as a player. He is the 5th KBL head coach in history to win the championship as a coach as well. He said, “I’m happy for both of them. “When I was a player, I was jumping up and down and felt good, but today as a coach, I couldn’t do that,” he said. “I will be jumping up and down and happy because we won the overall championship. “I am happy that the players trusted the coach who was lacking and made them better,” he said.

Coach Kim feels special for ‘captain’ forward Kang Sang-jae this season. Coach Kim said, “I led the team well as captain. “He plays a good role as a middleman between the seniors and juniors on the team,” he said. “I am even more proud that his original skills have fully blossomed this year.”

The turning point was the cup competition, which showed disappointing performance before the start of the regular season. Director Kim said, “I was very angry when I was eliminated and returned to the bus. “He watched videos for hours and had meetings with the players,” he said. “Although there were 4 to 5 days left before the opening, he trained intensely. “That made a big difference,” he recalled.

On this day, in DB, Didrick Lawson bombarded KT with a personal score of 47 points. Coach Kim said, “Lawson is an indescribably great player,” and added, “I think we have maintained our ranking to a certain degree because of this player. He has such a big presence. “Of course, I think he should receive the regular league foreign player MVP award,” he praised.

This season, DB is also competing with its domestic MVP player. Lee Seon Albano, Kang Sang-jae, and Kim Jong-gyu are competing on one team. Albano, who is in the Asian quota, is classified as a domestic player and can receive the award. Coach Kim said, “Albano is excellent in both shooting and assisting. “The defense has also improved, and he fully deserves it,” he said. “I know that Kang Sang-jae has the highest contribution indicator. “He thinks those stats are ‘outstanding,’” he said.

Now DB is setting its sights on the championship match. DB, which went straight to the semifinal playoffs (PO), awaits the winner of the semifinal PO played by the 4th and 5th place teams in the league. DB’s last championship victory was during the 2007-2008 season, when Coach Kim played well and won the MVP during his time in the East. Coach Kim said, “We will discuss the remaining regular league schedule with the coaches,” and added, “We will prepare by distributing the time of the main players. “I definitely want to win the championship and enjoy the joy,” he said.

Wonju = Reporter Jang Han-seo [email protected]

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