Andrew Nicholson (34, 206 cm) praised his teammates.
Daegu KOGAS won the first regular season game of the 2024-2025 KCC Pro Basketball League against Wonju DB 92-62 on Thursday at Wonju General Gymnasium.
KOGAS had lost its opening game, 67-70, away to Changwon LG. Ahead of the game against DB, head coach Kang Hyuk recalled the opening game against LG and expressed his excitement for the return of his key players on 토토사이트 모음 offense.
Indeed, Andrew Nicholson scored 14 points in 25:58 in the first game, but his field goal percentage of 35.7% was not good. Coach Kang Hyuk was eager to see Nicholson’s performance after his relatively poor showing.
For Nicholson, the first game was just a warm-up. Just as Kang Hyuk had hoped, Nicholson came out flying in the first quarter against DB and led the team’s offense.
Nicholson cooked his mark man, Kang Sang-jae, from the start of the game and scored in quick succession. With 13 points in the first quarter alone, Nicholson was in fine form in the second quarter, scoring with ease.
Nicholson’s one-man show combined with strong performances from the bench allowed KOGAS to take an early lead. Nicholson also took an early break to the bench to inspire his teammates on the court.
Nicholson finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.
After the game, Nicholson said, “Everyone stepped up and filled in perfectly where we were lacking, especially in rebounding, which we emphasized before the game. I’d like to especially thank Jaehyuk Yang for his contribution to the win.”
Nicholson thanked Yang Jae-hyuk. Yang was a surprise starter in the starting lineup against DB, scoring seven points, grabbing three rebounds, and dishing out three assists. While his stats are impressive, he was all over the court, bringing positive energy and fighting spirit to the team.
Nicholson said, “Jae-hyuk Yang’s hustle and physical play was great. The rules on calls allow for a lot of physicality, and he did a good job of showing that,” Nicholson said.
“If I evaluate myself, I think I did well today. This is my normal form, so I need to have more games like today (laughs),” he added.
Most teams added power to their bench depth in the offseason in air-conditioned leagues. With the overall upgrade in power, there is no team to underestimate this season. KOGAS is one of the dark horses.
Nicholson, who has been playing with KOGAS for the past two seasons, explains what he sees as the biggest difference.
“We have a lot of new players who can show their strengths on defense. Our defense is much improved. Overall, the future of the team is really bright. There’s a lot of good energy from the players and it’s contagious.”