“It was a special experience for me and all the players. It gave me an opportunity to learn.”
The Korean Women’s Basketball League (WKBL) Rising Stars, coached by coach Jeon Joo-won (Woori Bank), successfully completed the ‘W League All-Star 2022-2023 in Ariake’ event schedule held at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan from the 28th to the 30th. .
The preparation period was tight. The WKBL Rising Star Team, which consists of 12 young players under the age of 25, was convened at Hanawon Q Cheongna Gymnasium in Incheon on the afternoon of the 27th. After training once, he entered Tokyo, Japan on the 28th. I started training right away. It was not enough time to get the hands and feet in sync, as well as to improve the players’ condition. Coach Jeon Joo-won also expressed concern, saying, “I am most concerned about players’ injuries.”ㅋㅋㅋ벳
On the 29th, the WKBL Rising Star team faced off against the W League All-Stars, and showed performance that exceeded expectations. She made a bold play against Lamu Tokashiki (ENEOS) from the US Women’s Professional Basketball Association (WNBA) and the silver medalists of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In the first quarter, they took a big 31-18 lead. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to victory. The WKBL Rising Star team was defeated 84-89. However, there was no regret to be found on the faces of the players.
Director Jeon Joo-won also expressed satisfaction. Coach Jeon Joo-won, who met at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on the 30th, said, “I was most concerned about injuries. It’s good that no one was injured. The players had fun playing the game. It’s good because it seems to have finished well,” he said. We think it was okay enough with that alone,” he smiled.
It was a tough and busy schedule. Still, the faces of the players were full of smiles. Director Jeon Joo-won’s expression was also bright. Coach Jeon Joo-won said, “I felt a sense of satisfaction when I saw the players’ expressions of joy. He said, ‘I heard that the W League All-Star players also enjoyed it. However, he got along very well with the Korean and Japanese players. It was like a team that was together in the All-Star Game without any sense of difference,” he said.
It is not common to participate in an event match that takes place overseas. Coach Jeon Joo-won, who emphasized ‘experience’, said, “I think it will be a good experience for the players just to come abroad and play on a stage like this and digest the event schedule. Although it was a very short time, I competed on the court while bumping into good players from Japan. He showed a good appearance without being intimidated,” he said. “Young players learned how to not be intimidated even on overseas stages. I think what I learned from this Korea-Japan exchange match will be a valuable experience for the players.”
Director Jeon Joo-won expressed his anticipation for the ongoing exchange between Korea and Japan. He said, “I hope that both WKBL and the Japanese Women’s Basketball League (WJBL) will continue this exchange game for a long time. I think this competition has become a cornerstone for developing into a bigger festival. You have now taken the first step. I hope that the exchange exhibition will become bigger and better and have a good influence on both Korea and Japan.”
Coach Jeon Joo-won is now returning to the position of Woori Bank coach. With the special experience gained in Japan, we start preparing for the 2023-2024 season with the Woori Bank team. He said, “It was a short time, but the players listened to me well and trained really hard. I also felt a lot of fun in that aspect,” he said. “It was a good experience for me as a leader. It was an opportunity to learn the atmosphere of overseas gyms, how games are conducted, and the style of events.”