"Now I will try to win the unified championship."
It's a new feeling to decide the championship by winning."
Kim Joo-sung (45), manager of Wonju DB in professional basketball, smiled naturally. As he took the helm of his former team and secured his dream of winning the regular league title, it could have been understandable.
"I was very nervous, but I'm very happy," Kim told reporters after clinching the victory by 107-103 at a home game against Suwon KT in the 2023-2024 professional basketball league held at Wonju Gymnasium on Tuesday. "I feel very emotional because I secured the championship with my victory. He led a coach who lacked players really well."
DB, which recorded 38 wins (10 losses) on the day, confirmed its regular league title regardless of the results of the remaining six games.
Only five players, including Lee, have ranked atop in the regular season league in KBL history. It is the second time that Lee has ever won such honor in his former team.
"When I came to Wonju for the first time, I didn't expect to stay for more than 20 years," Kim said. "This is why I think the fans are rooting for me more," he added. "I jumped up and down when I was a player. If I win the combined title, I will play even more."
Even manager Kim did not expect DB, which ranked seventh out of 10 teams last season, to win the regular league. Compared to the two-tier structure of Busan KCC and Seoul SK, which were spotlighted as candidates for the championship before the opening of the season, the team was comparable to its performance.
Coach Kim, who recalled the time, said, "The upside-down turning point was that I played a disappointing game in the opening KBL Cup," and laughed, "The day after I returned from the tournament, I had a video meeting for four to five hours, and I had intense training until the opening." "It was effective to give tension to the players as if they were gaslighting them every time they played the game," he stressed.
Coach Kim also cited three players who contributed to this season's championship as captain Kang Sang-jae, foreign players Didric Lawson, and Lee Sun Albano.
"The captain of this season, Kang Sang-jae, led the seniors and juniors well. It was a great help in that his skills were in full bloom this year," Kim said. "Even Lawson is an excellent player who can't describe his contribution to Korean players. Thanks to this player, he was able to maintain his performance to some extent. Albano has also improved in many ways." "Coach Han Sang-min and coach Lee Kwang-jae also helped him a lot in areas that the coach could not do alone. Even my friends who have a passion for basketball spent the season learning from each other."
With this victory, DB will be able to advance directly to the semifinal playoff and see how it spends the rest of its time. This is also an important part of the team's overall win, which is the remaining task. "We need to discuss this with coaching staff," Kim said. "We need to plan well as we have so many more games to play. Major players will prepare by allocating their playing time."