“When you come home and the fans support you like this, it’s exciting to see so many fans sitting down before warming up.”
Busan BNK won its final home game of the season, 71-57, against Asan Woori Bank in the Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League at Busan Sajik Gymnasium on Friday.
BNK lost all five games against Woori this season, but three of them were decided by four points or less. 바카라사이트 Despite the poor results, the games weren’t too close.
Moreover, it was the last home game of the season. More fans (2,126) showed up than ever before. BNK was focused against Woori Bank, who had clinched second place. They took the lead in the first quarter, jumping out to a 21-13 lead. The scoring was led by Ahn Hye-ji and Kim Jong-un.
Kim continued to be at the center of the offense in the second quarter, along with Lee So-hee. She scored 12 points by halftime, her first double-digit point total since her debut.
BNK head coach Park Jeong-jeong said, “From the beginning of the season to now, she has improved a lot in training and playing. “He’s a player I’m looking forward to if he does well in the offseason.” “He started the previous game and this game, but I think it’s not a normal mentality just to play his game without feeling nervous and not feeling pressure (laughs). I will try my best to develop it.” He praised Kim.
Woori Bank head coach Lee Sat-woo also praised Kim Jong-un’s potential, saying, “The more he plays, even though he is still in high school, he has the qualities to become a great player.” “His stamina decreased from the beginning to the end of the game, but he definitely has the ability to score goals,” he said.
Here are some quotes from Kim Jong Un’s press conference after his 12 points and six rebounds in the win.
On the win
Today (Jan. 25) was our last home game. It was good to get a win in front of our fans.
On starting for the second straight game
There was pressure at the beginning. I thought I would just play my best for the first five minutes of the first quarter. The game went well and I was able to play a little longer. When I go into a game, I don’t get nervous. I’ve never been nervous, but yesterday (the 22nd) and today I was nervous without realizing it.
Still scoring goals
Ahn Hye-ji told me, ‘Just do your best’ before I went in. That’s when I put down the pressure and relaxed. I tried to move diligently, so I got opportunities to shoot both inside and outside. I was lacking a little bit on defense, but my sisters picked up the slack, so I made fewer mistakes on defense, which allowed me to play confidently on offense.
Unlike the first half, we didn’t score in the second half.
After scoring in the first half, I thought that the defense would come in the second half. I made a mistake on offense at the beginning of the second half, so I thought I should do the things that coach emphasized first: defense, rebounding, and dirty work. That’s what I tried to do first.
First double-digit scoring and most rebounds
When you come home and the fans are so supportive, it’s exciting to see them sitting down before you warm up. I can’t wait to get out there and feel them screaming. That’s what I think about when I’m warming up.
Do you enjoy the stares?
I don’t feel too much pressure when the fans are watching. If they interrupt me when I’m shooting free throws, I’m more focused.
Have you shown your quality this season?
Every game, I was always lacking on defense. In the beginning, I was just shooting 3-pointers on offense and when the defense came out to block the 3-pointers, I didn’t react fast enough. I tried to work on that a little bit. Yesterday and today, when I cut in, I had a lot of opportunities and was able to score inside and outside.
How to improve your defense
At the beginning of the season, I was thinking to myself that my defense was so bad in training and in games, so I went to coach (Byeon-ha) and asked him to help me with my defense. I would practice defense with my coach in training or before we went out to practice, or I would practice defense on the half court while my sisters were shooting. I spent a little extra time trying to fill in the gaps on defense.
What you want to improve in the offseason
My defense needs to be more complete. I’m still not good enough and I need to get better. On offense, I need to play a lot with my sisters and learn a lot about how to move when I’m in those situations. I’ve heard that the offseason is tough, but I want to get through it and give the fans a better show next season.
Your free throw shooting is accurate (89.5 percent (17-of-19) on 15 or more attempts).
My free throws aren’t always accurate in practice, but in the game, when the other team’s players are saying ‘no, no, no’ or distracting me, I’m more focused. So I can make free throws.