“Beating KU gave us confidence that we could beat other teams.”
Sangmyung University finished 11th in the KU Basketball League last year with a 3-11 record. However, it won two more games than its 1-13 record in 2022. The two wins came against Kyung Hee University and Korea University.
Sangmyung won its last game against KU 68-67 on July 4 last year. Even KU, which was missing a key player, 토토사이트 was able to put the brakes on the sweep.
Sangmyung has been training in Japan since July 15.
“We went in thinking we were going to lose,” said Choi Jun-hwan (195 cm, F/C) in Japan. We played with a clear mind and just did what we had to do, and it worked out well. We scored one by one and then defended. It was good that we did the basics like that, rebounding and boxing out.” “Beating KU gave us the confidence that we can beat any team. This year, no matter who we play, we have to be prepared and try to beat them. If we can rebound, we can beat any team,” he reflected on the KU game.
Choi Jun-hwan, who had 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks against KU, said, “It was a valuable time to experience the college league once. “After injuring my ankle, my playing time was reduced, so I definitely lost my sense of the game and became passive. It was a shame I didn’t play more for fear of re-injuring it. I don’t feel like I’ve gotten any better, I need to get better at following through,” he said, reflecting on his last year of college.
When asked about the training camp in Japan, Choi said, “I hadn’t been here (in Japan) for a while, and I had a hard time with my body. I sometimes get fat when I eat a lot of fatty foods, but that happened this time. I don’t usually have good digestion,” he said, adding, “The Japanese players are short, so they are definitely fast and have good shots. It’s hard, but I’m trying to help the team in my own way with my height, and I’m trying to make a lot of plays in the post. Once I get used to the speed of the Japanese team, I think I’ll be able to react a little faster when I go to Korea because it will feel relatively slow.”
Last year, there were games where he played the full 40 minutes because he had to protect the basket by himself. This year, with the addition of freshman Choi Jeong-hwan, he can play alongside him and sometimes rest on the bench.
“He’s not quite there yet, but he keeps showing me that he’s working hard and he’s going to keep doing it,” Choi said. “If he gets better, it will definitely take some pressure off the height and help with rebounding. “Don’t worry about anything else, just do what you’re supposed to do, and if it doesn’t work out, just focus on defense and rebounding, and you’ll be fine,” he said.
He reunited with Park In-seop, a junior at Hwayang High School in Yeosu, after a year apart. “I had a good relationship with Choi Jun-hwan, and now that we’re back here, I think we can play better. We played well together in the 2-on-2 pick-and-roll,” Park said, adding, “It’s great that Junghwan‘s brother is playing and getting attention since his freshman year of college, so I thought he was my brother (laughs).” Choi welcomed the reunion.
“I’m very happy to see him too, and if he’s struggling a lot, I try to help him and give him strength,” Choi Jun-hwan said, “I’m still adjusting to college. I’ll do better as time goes by,” he said.
“I think if you listen to the coach’s words neatly, take them to heart, and play the game, it will work out,” Choi said. “I want to go to the playoffs, and (the team I want to beat) is Hwayang High School’s Kim Jung-hyun, who is a freshman at KU, and I want to beat KU.”