“It’s a day like this for me.”
That’s what head coach Kim Do-wan said after leading Bucheon Hana OneQ to its first win in 1031 days.
Hana One Q, led by Kim, defeated Incheon Shinhan Bank Esbud 78-51 in their home game of the Woori Bank WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League regular season at Bucheon Indoor Gymnasium 텍사스홀덤 on Saturday. With the victory, Hana OneQ, which won its first game in 1031 days since the 2020-2021 season, improved to 4-6 and moved up one spot from joint fourth place with Busan BNK Thunder (3-6) to sole possession of fourth place.
Jung Yerim (20 points, 6 rebounds) was the star of the show, knocking down a whopping six three-pointers to lead Hana OneQ‘s offense. Shin Ji-hyun (21 points, 7 assists), Yang In-young (13 points), and Kim Jong-un (13 points) also provided solid support.
Speaking after the game, head coach Kim Do-wan said, “The three-pointers we wanted went in, and when (Jung) Yerim came alive, the team came alive. The players played with a really tough handicap, so there’s nothing to talk about. On a day like today, what more can I say, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a winning streak. It’s a day like this for me,” he said.
Kim added, “(Chung) Yerimyi had a good shot last year, but she got injured in the off-season and was selected for the 3-on-3 team for the (Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games), so her balance was very shaky. “Yesterday, we talked a lot, and I wanted to catch it, but I couldn’t catch it easily. The coaches also worked hard. Today, my confidence was good and my posture was well balanced. He did a good job defending and doing bad things.” He gave a thumbs up.
“If (Shin) Ji-hyun, (Yang) In-young, and (Kim) Jung can score evenly, we can be a strong team,” Kim continued, expressing his satisfaction.
Prior to this season, Hana OneQ was actually synonymous with underdogs in the women’s professional basketball league. They finished last in the 2021-2022 season with a record of 5 wins and 25 losses, and in the 2022-2023 season, they finished last with a record of 6 wins and 24 losses.
But this season has been different. Ten games in, the team has already picked up four wins and is hovering around the mid-table. One of the reasons for Hana WonQ’s success is the presence of veteran Kim Jong-kyu, who was acquired before the season.
“On the court, (Kim) Jung-eun gives us a good center,” said Kim. He can be bitter with (Shin) Ji-hyun and (Yang) In-young, but he can also tell good stories and praise them. I think the biggest thing is that (Kim) plays a central role,” he said. “She knows how to organize team meetings, feedback, and how to prepare for the next game. He just naturally sets the tone and leads the way. I think that’s where the strength of our players comes from.”
He also expressed his gratitude to the club for the state-of-the-art catapult equipment and the appointment of coach Kim Ik-gyeom, who is known as one of the best in physical training.
“Coach Kim Ik-gyeom is conducting physical training systematically, analyzing data with the equipment and adjusting the intensity. I don’t know if that’s the cause, but there was a time when we might have collapsed, but now we seem to have created a certain average.” “The players have the will to overcome, and they also received the power of management. The equipment is expensive, so not many teams in the basketball world have adopted it, but I am very grateful that the club secretary and head coach understood and supported us.”
Kim continued, “(The Catapult) was originally used by soccer teams. I didn’t know much about it, but the secretary general had experience with soccer teams, so I thought I’d give it a try, and it works well. We played a practice game with just a heart rate monitor, and it worked,” he said, adding, “I thought it would be more helpful to be able to analyze it in detail. The head coach and the group accepted it well.”
In conclusion, Kim said, “It’s a situation where (the players) can be greedy, but I know the fatigue and things like that, so I try to empathize with them a lot. I also try to praise them as much as possible. I think the players understood that. I think I have a lot more faith in them, and even when I’m trailing, they’re more confident enough to say that they can do it,” she said, adding, “Winning is a factor, but I think it’s a lot better to be positive and have the mindset to go one step further even when you’re tired.” She left the court.