KGC head coach Kim Sang-sik emphasises ‘health’ at Jones Cup

“We can’t afford to get injured”

Anyang KGC will take part in the 42nd William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan, from the 12th of this month.

KGC finished last season on a high note. Although they didn’t win the Cup, they won the regular season wire-to-wire, never losing the lead from start to finish.

It wasn’t just the regular season that went well. They also won the EASL title and were the story of the season in the championship finals, where they defeated Seoul SK in a thrilling seven-game series.

카지노사이트But in the off-season, KGC faced a major crisis. The retirement of Yang Hee-jong (196cm, F) was a foregone conclusion, but the team lost both Oh Se-geun (200cm, C) and Moon Sung-gon (196cm, F). Their starting guard Byun Joon-hyung (187cm, G) also left for Sangmu. Although the team brought in Choi Sung-won (184cm, G) and Jung Hyo-geun (202cm, F), they were unable to completely stem the decline.

Nevertheless, KGC coach Kim Sang-sik said, “The players who played well before left. But the new players have a lot of determination. The same goes for the players who played well before. In the past, there was a clear starter, but now they are competing with each other. There is a good synergy in the process.”

Meanwhile, KGC will depart for the Jones Cup on the 11th. “I haven’t really touched the ball yet,” said Kim, who is preparing for the Jones Cup. But there will be no better opportunity than this. It’s not a practice match, it’s a tournament. We can test the players’ skills and do what we want to do in practice. Of course, we need to perform well, but we want to use it as a time to get the players fit and work as a team, and then the results will follow.”

“The most important thing is not to get injured. You don’t want to be struggling with injuries before the season. We did well last season because we didn’t have any major injuries. We need to have an injury-free season this time around.”

When asked about his strategy for the Jones Cup, Kim said, “It will be similar to before. We have some new players, but the framework won’t change. They all have experience, so they are integrating into the team quickly. (Choi) Sung-won is in very good form. (Jung) Hyo-geun is in perfect shape, and (Lee) Jong-hyun and (Kim) Sang-kyu are very determined. I’m looking forward to it,” he said of his new players.

KGC will be without Daryl Monroe (198cm, F) and Omari Spellman (206cm, F) for the Jones Cup. Instead, they signed Duvon Maxwell (201cm, F) and Brian Griffin (203cm, F).

“I wanted a similar type of style to both of them, but it wasn’t easy to find (laughs), but I found players who are as similar as possible. Maxwell is a great scorer. He can score like Spellman. Griffin is young and plays well. He’s a centre-style player. Hopefully, they can integrate into the team quickly and do a good job.”