Eonju KCC is one of the candidates for the 2023-2024 professional basketball season and has built strong power by adding Choi Joon-yong, who was recruited through FA contracts, in addition to the league’s best forwards such as Heo Woong, Lee Seung-hyun, Ra Gun-ah and Jung Chang-young.
The problem is the point guard position. KCC desperately needs an authentic point guard who prioritizes passes. Since all the key players are good at attacking, they need the resources to distribute the attack.
KCC worked hard every year through the recruitment of good point guards, and in 2020, Kim Ji-wan and Yoo Byung-hoon were recruited in the free agent (FA) market, but they did not meet expectations. Kim Ji-wan moved to Hyundai Mobis, and Yoo Byung-hun spent more time on the bench than on the court. Calvin Epistola, who was recruited on the Asian quarter system, was only a bench agent. There were many guard position players in the roster, but there was no player to satisfy KCC’s thirst. This year’s free agent (FA) market also recruited Lee Ho-hyun, who played as the main player of Samsung last season.
In the off-season, KCC coaching staff pay as much attention to recruiting foreign players as point guards. Coach Jeon Chang-jin said, “Of course, this is the position I care about the most,” adding, “Lee Ho-hyun, who was recruited as a free agent (FA) during the training, was better than I thought.”
Coach Jeon Chang-jin orders concentration by advising each pass of young guards such as Song Dong-hoon, “If a good pass is given, it is easy for the receiver to attack.”
Coach Kang Yang-taek, who leads off-season training, said, “Guard is a very difficult position. If there is a chance due to the movement of colleagues, the opponent’s defense reacts accordingly only when the pass goes out immediately. “Our young guards are still busy playing their own games, creating opportunities for their teammates and not having time to make good passes,” he said. “We need to improve over and over again as we gain experience.”
Meanwhile, Lee Ho-hyun was unable to participate in team training in Taebaek due to a shoulder injury, and according to KCC officials, he is expected to return to team training in a week or two.
BY: 스포츠토토