“We won’t use him as a garbage member.” When will rookie Ko Hyun-ji (18, 182 cm), who joined the KB Stars with the No. 1 overall pick, debut?
The Cheongju KB Stars are cruising in the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League. Led by the play of Park Ji-soo, the Stars have won their opening two games and are tied for first place with Asan Woori Bank. Both wins were by 15 points or more, and the team has also utilized its bench extensively, including using 14 players in its home opener against Samsung Life in Yongin on Nov. 11.
The only player not on the roster against Samsung Life was rookie Ko Hyun-ji. Ko is a forward from Supia Girls’ High School who was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023-2024 recruitment. She has been described as a “downgraded version of Lee Hae-ran” due to her ability to play multiple positions.
With so much talent, Kim Wan-soo has high hopes for Ko Hyun-ji. However, he does not plan to rush the process. “The rookies are being fiercely trained by the coaches. Their performance is not bad. In particular, (Go) Hyun-ji has a good ability to learn. He has a high level of understanding and is adapting well, but there is a risk of injury if we rush him in, so we are thinking carefully.”
Kim Wan-soo continued, “Hyun-ji has the advantage of being able to play from 1 to 4. He is very versatile and has good mobility for his height,” Kim added.
So when will Ko make his debut, and what does he need to work on? For Kim, it’s defense. “He needs to learn team defense. I’m training intensively on this. I don’t have a time frame. It will come when he understands team defense. I don’t plan to use him as a garbage man.” Kim Wan-soo’s decision not to use Ko Hyun-ji after two consecutive games of garbage time was based on two factors.레모나토토 주소
On the other hand, it also means that he has a lot of faith in the bench members who worked hard in the offseason. After failing to make the playoffs last season and suffering a blow to their pride, KB Stars convened their roster early and had a longer offseason than ever before. The team focused on improving the performance of their backups, which allowed them to enter the season prepared for injuries to their main players.
Coach Kim Wan-soo said, “The bench members, including (Lee) Yoon-mi and (Lee) Chae-eun, worked really hard in the offseason. It would be demoralizing to use local players without them. For the sake of local motivation, I think it’s better to go through a preparation period than to put them in right away. We will give the existing members more chances,” he said of the blueprint.