“I thought it would be nice if you could ask me how I felt when I lifted the trophy. I wanted the trophy I lifted today to be a championship trophy. From now on, I will only look at that and run forward so that we can become a team that laughs last.”
Kim Dan-bi, the ace of Asan Woori Bank in women’s professional basketball, answered the question of whether she is greedy for MVP after winning the regular league by winning an away game against BNK Some in Busan on the 13th. He made it clear that he was not satisfied with winning the regular league championship, referring to a reporter asking Park Ji-hyun, a junior member of the team, how he felt about winning the championship.
The first driving force that Woori Bank was able to confirm the regular league championship with 5 games left was a strong desire for a combined championship.
Danbi Kim has already won the regular league championship 11 years ago wearing a Shinhan Bank uniform. He said, “At that time, as the youngest, I was in a position to follow my older sisters, but now it is different in that I have to lead my juniors and colleagues.” Danbi Kim, who played for Shinhan Bank for 15 years after debuting as a pro in 2007, transferred to a free agent (FA) ahead of this season. It was because he had a strong desire to win the championship while leading the team from the front.
Center Park Ji-hyeon, who is now growing as a pillar of the team as a pro in his 5th year, has already won three regular league championships, including this season. However, he could not touch the championship trophy. In the 2019-2020 season, the championship game was not held as the season ended early during the regular league in the aftermath of Corona 19, and in the 2020-2021 season, 4th place Samsung Life Insurance was caught in the playoffs. In last season’s championship match, we had to realize the high wall of KB Stars, which Ji-soo Park, the center of the ‘national team’, was holding on to. Park Ji-hyun said, “When I look back on the path I have come so far, my desire to achieve my goal grows stronger,” and “I am more desperate to win the championship than ever before.”
The strong desire to win the championship drew the players’ dedication. When asked about the difference compared to last season, Park Ji-hyun said, “I think that we should not avoid physical fights and try to play, but I think it was fun because of that.”
Kim Dan-bi gave credit to her colleagues who were considerate of her transfer student so that she could integrate well into the team. In particular, Kim Jong-un, who, like Kim Dan-bi, chose Woori Bank as a free agent from a franchise star of another team (Hana Bank) six years ago, helped a lot. Danbi Kim said, “My sister is not feeling well, but she jumped one step further so that I wouldn’t be overloaded. At the same time, he added, “I also try to take the lead when training so that I can set an example for my juniors,” and added, “I think that is the dignity of a veteran.”
The fear that the top spot could be taken away at any time made Woori Bank stronger. Last season’s champion KB suffered from power loss due to Park Ji-soo’s panic disorder in the first half of the season, but did not let go of the tension. Coach Seong-woo Seong-woo said, “The fact that I thought Park Ji-soo could come back was the factor that allowed me to focus on the game until the end.” Kim Dan-bi emphasized, “Outside people say, ‘Woori Bank has a lot of national players, so of course we’ll win’, but there’s nothing obvious in the world.”
Woori Bank, which confirmed first place in the regular league early, will play a playoff (best of 3 matches) with the 4th place team from the 11th of next month to decide whether to advance to the championship match. 슬롯사이트