Yonsei University won 62-51 against Kyung Hee University in the Group B preliminary round of the 39th MBC Varsity National Collegiate Basketball Resident Tournament at the new Resident Indoor Gymnasium on Wednesday.
Yonsei has been struggling with a series of injuries. With Lee Ju-young and Lee Chae-hyung out for the season, Yoo Yoo-sang, Lee Kyu-tae, and Kim Bo-bae have also been injured.
Yonsei went into the match with seven players, but the gums were able to secure the victory. In particular, freshman Kang Ji-hoon (15 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots) stepped up in the absence of Lee Kyu-tae and Kim Bo-bae.
“I’m really happy to win,” said Kang. I’m grateful to my teammates for playing hard even though we didn’t have many players available like we did at the end of the regular season.”
One thing that stood out about Kang’s performance was his active communication with his teammates during the game. When the team looked like they were faltering, he would shout out, “We’re not done yet,” and try to get them to focus.
“I try to talk a lot,” Kang said. We need to talk about basketball, but we also need to talk about things outside of basketball, and my dad emphasizes that as well, so I tried to do that, and it worked out well.”
With seven players, the physical demands are definitely greater than before.
“We worked out with seven people,” said Kang. Personally, I don’t think there’s any physical pressure at the end. But for the sake of the team, I think it’s a player’s duty to go the extra mile, and I’m going to do my best,” he said.
Kang also had a rare experience on the day. In the fourth quarter, the ball that he hit while defending went straight into the rim, resulting in an own goal. He panicked, but quickly recovered and scored on the ensuing possession.
“I thought to myself, ‘Why did I hit the ball?’ (Laughs) But it wasn’t over, so I tried to refocus, so I went straight to the basket and scored,” he recalls.
Many fans travel to MBC Varsity events to cheer on the players from afar. Even after the game is over, fans and players continue to hang out for a long time. Kang Ji-hoon is also faithful to fan service and spends meaningful time with fans.
“Even during the regular season, there were people who came from far away. Just coming to the stadium gives me a lot of strength and I’m grateful. Those who traveled down to Sangju also traveled a long way, so it’s a player’s job to repay them with a good game, and I’m grateful for the fact that they like me because I have fans,” he said.
In conclusion, Kang Ji Hoon said, “I prepared hard for the MBC Varsity as well as the regular season. I want to play well in the remaining matches and make a good result.” He revealed his intention for the remaining matches 메이저사이트.