Women’s professional basketball teams, Shinhan Bank and KB Stars, both suffered defeats on the first day of their training camp in Japan against local Japanese professional teams.
On the 15th, KB Stars played against Yamagata Queens at Takasaki Arena in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, during the ‘W-League Summer Camp 2023 in Takasaki,’ and lost with a score of 56-70.
KB Stars started the game strong, dominating the inside and finishing the first quarter with a lead of 11-7. However, they made a total of 24 turnovers and struggled to cope with Yamagata’s fast-paced attacks, leading to their defeat.
Facing Yamagata, who ranked 12th out of 14 teams in the Japan W-League last season with a record of 5 wins and 21 losses, Kang Yi-seul scored 18 points and 7 rebounds, including 3 three-pointers, while Park Ji-soo recorded a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t prevent the team’s loss.
KB’s coach, Kim Wan-soo, commented, “It was the first game after Kang Yi-seul and Park Ji-soo joined the team, so I somewhat expected the defeat. I wish we had focused more on synchronization, but we were lacking in that aspect.” He also expressed disappointment, saying, “Our young players seemed to lose confidence as they couldn’t push through in tie situations.”
Kim Ye-jin added, “We made unnecessary fouls on defense, which is regrettable. Our team, not known for its agility, had a hard time keeping up with the fast-paced Japanese team.”
Kim Ye-jin, who said, “I was curious about how well we could defend against the Japanese players,” smiled and commented, “The Japanese players had good footwork, and we were caught off guard a few times, but they didn’t break through our defense in one go. It was better than I expected.”
On the 16th, KB Stars will face Eneos Sunflowers, who finished fourth (20 wins, 6 losses) in the last season of the W-League.
Shinhan Bank also suffered a 68-77 defeat against Himeji Eaglets.
Shinhan Bank finished the first half with a close score of 52-53, demonstrating a competitive performance, but they couldn’t overcome the gap that widened during the third quarter.
Facing Himeji, who ranked 13th (4 wins, 22 losses) in the last season of the W-League, Shinhan Bank committed 28 turnovers.
Kim Ah-reum scored 27 points and 7 rebounds, while Kim Jin-young contributed with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Coach Go Na-dan of Shinhan Bank said, “We managed the game to allow our young players to perform well in crucial situations,” and added, “We were prepared by anticipating the opponent’s rotation style and speed, which made it easier for us to adapt.”
Regarding the many turnovers, the coach said, “We had only 14 turnovers in the first half, but it seems like we became impatient and lost composure. It’s regrettable and disappointing, but we are training a lot to improve.”
Kim Ah-reum mentioned that participating in the summer camp itself is not a common occurrence, so it felt unfamiliar and daunting. She also expressed, “In Japan, not only players 1, 2, and 3 but also 4 and 5 are all fast, so trying to defend against them feels like doing endurance training.”
On that day, she successfully made 5 out of 8 three-point shots and commented, “Today was a day when shots went in well. It seems like I had good luck.” She further added, “In the upcoming season, I want to receive praise for my defense. I want to show the coach my performance on defense in every game.”
Shinhan Bank will face Tokyo Hachioji Bee Trickers on the 16th, who finished 11th (7 wins, 19 losses) in the last season of the W-League. 파워볼사이트
