Hong Yoo-soon (19, 179 cm, forward), the No. 1 pick of the 2024 WKBL Rookie Draft by Incheon Shinhan Bank, has been on a roll.
Hong Yoo-soon, who played in the last game against Kesey Life, also played in the second game against Kesey Life at the Shinhan Bank Practice Gymnasium in Yongin on the 28th.
On this day, she also played to her strengths and lived up to the expectations around her. She finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He also contributed a lot of unseen contributions, 안전놀이터 such as trailers on fast breaks.
Before the game, Coach Gunadan said, “It’s more than expected. We’ll use him in the Park Shinja Cup. I think he can be utilized in the regular league as well.”
He first entered the game in the middle of the first quarter. She had the right body type to play basketball, especially her balance. He had a presence throughout the offense. In the offense, he showed determination with his active movements and two-man game. Looked better in the second quarter, playing over five minutes. He was more visible on offense. It didn’t even feel like a rookie.
Let’s dust off Suba. His activity and energy level stood out. What stood out the most was his speed. His speed for his height seemed to be the best in the class. In attack, he was just as active. He played the 4 and 5, dutifully executing the screens and role plays that are expected of him at that position, using his strength for spacing, but also for pump fakes against bigger players.
His transition skills also stood out. He showed a strong focus, chasing the ball all the way to the basket and always included himself in transition situations. The best part was his fundamentals and passion. It’s one of the common traits of Japanese players. Hong Yoo-soon was no different.
Hong was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WKBL Rookie Draft. She put on a Shinhan Bank jersey last week. At the time, she said, “I have a dream to play for the Korean national team,” and then added, “I’m grateful to be selected and will train hard to play every minute. The facilities are good and I’m happy to be in a team where my sisters help me a lot.”
“I want to be a player like Choi Yi-sam,” Hong Yoo-soon said, ”She has a great skill to attack immediately when there is a slight gap in the defense. Compared to Japan, Korean basketball seems to require more physicality, so I will adapt to Korean basketball by building my body quickly and improving my shooting ability.”
After the game, Hong Yoo-soon said, “This is my second game. My sisters tell me a lot of things in the game. It’s the same in offense and defense. I don’t have to worry if I’m out of breath,” she said.
Hong Yusun started playing basketball late. I wondered why. “Both my parents and my brother played amateur basketball. I started when I was in the first grade of middle school. There was no place to play in elementary school. I went to Higashi Osaka Joseon Junior High School,” she said.
“Speed is my advantage. I’m good in transition and I’m good at layups. My physicality is weak. My finish is weak. I am confident in one-on-one defense. We need to improve our rotation defense. Japan is more about speed and Korea is more about physicality. I think that’s the difference so far.” ”Personally, I’ve been working on my core a lot. It’s to prevent injuries,” he said, explaining the reason behind his strong core.
“As a freshman, I want to be an active player and raise my energy level,” he concluded, explaining his goals for this year.