“Thanks to the players…first place credit goes to Kang Sang-jae”
Wonju DB head coach Kim Joo-sung singled out Kang Sang-jae as one of the key contributors to the team’s 2023-2024 regular season title.
DB defeated Suwon KT 107-103 in overtime in a home game of the 2023-2024 Jeonggwanjang Professional Basketball League on Thursday at Wonju General Gymnasium in Gangwon Province.
DB clinched the top spot in the regular season regardless of the outcome of the remaining six games.
“I’m very happy,” said Kim Joo-sung, who became DB’s full-time head coach this season and led the team to its first regular-season title in four years after the 2019-2020 season. “I was nervous, but the players played hard until the end, and we clinched the title with the win.
“I’m not a good coach, but I’m grateful that the players played a good season so that I could learn well,” he said.
Kim won the title as a player in the 2011-2012 season as a member of Dongbusan Castle, and 12 years later, he lifted the trophy as DB’s head coach in the 2023-2024 season.
“When I was a player, I played my heart out, but when I became a coach, I realized I couldn’t do that. If I want to win the overall championship, I’ll go first,” he said with a laugh, adding, “In my time in Dongbusan Province, I played defensive basketball, but I don’t think I can hold my teammates to 80 points now.” He said DB seems to be a stronger team this season.
Kim, who led the team to its fourth wire-to-wire title in the KBL with a flawless race that saw them never lose the top spot throughout the season, credits Kang Sang-jae as the main reason for their success.
“As the captain, I think he led the younger players well as a middle-aged player,” Kim praised, adding, “I’m very proud of him as a coach because he has fully realized his natural ability.”
Kim pointed to last October’s cup loss to KT as the biggest turning point.
“I thought we had prepared well, but we played a very disappointing game in the cup,” Kim said, “I was angry with the players and myself. The next day, we had a four- to five-hour video meeting and trained intensely for four days,” he recalls.
“I can’t say enough about Derrick Lawson, who exploded for 47 points on the night. Even when he’s not feeling well, he tries to contribute in other areas.” “He keeps the team 카지노 together to some extent. He’s a big presence,” and supported Lawson’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor as a foreign player.
Kim said he will distribute playing time among his starters in the regular season.
“I’ll discuss with the coaching staff and make a plan,” Kim said, adding, “Coach Han Sang-min and Coach Lee Kwang-jae had heated discussions, sometimes with raised voices. I think they had a lot of fun with each other, not just the coach alone.”
Now, Kim has his eyes set on the overall championship.
“We always thought it was a crisis, and we’ve come this far, and no team has won easily,” Kim said, adding, “I don’t know which teams will be in the playoffs because the race is so close, but we’ll be ready. We’ll pay close attention to the remaining matches.”
Meanwhile, KT coach Song Young-jin said, “I think the result was due to our lack of concentration and fastball handling. We’ll do our best to compete for the top spot,” he said, adding, “Congratulations to coach Kim Joo-sung and the coaching staff. I think they have made a great team with good results.”