Korean Men’s Basketball Team Faces Setbacks at Hangzhou Asian Games
A series of unfortunate events unfolded for the Korean men’s basketball team during their recent participation in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, China. The team suffered a 77-83 defeat against both Korea and Japan during the group stage, leaving their chances of advancing in jeopardy.
Surprisingly, Japan fielded two representative teams for the Asian Games, neither of which showcased players of exceptional caliber. None of these athletes had participated in the recent Basketball World Cup, nor were any members of the squad present in the previous match against South Korea in Seoul just last July.
Nevertheless, Korea failed to counter Japan’s dynamic basketball tactics. Japan relentlessly attempted an impressive number of 3-point shots, albeit with moderate success.
One noteworthy strategy employed by Japan was their emphasis on executing long-distance 3-point shots, or ‘deep threes’, especially towards the end of the game. These shots proved crucial, with several successful attempts from their side. While such shots may seem audacious, in modern basketball, they are considered legitimate due to extensive practice. Unfortunately, Korea’s defense proved ineffective against this particular offensive technique.
As a result of their loss against Japan, Korea missed the opportunity to proceed directly to the quarter-finals. Instead, they played against the host country, China, in the quarter-finals just two days later, on the afternoon of the 3rd.
The first quarter saw a close game with a score of 13-15 in favor of Korea. However, things took a turn for the worse as China swiftly gained the upper hand, scoring 12 consecutive points and seizing the lead. Korea’s defense was destabilized by Hu Mingsuwan, China’s reserve guard, who showcased quick attacks and outside shots. In the second quarter, Korea suffered a major setback, conceding 14 straight points to China.
By halftime, the score stood at 30-50, effectively sealing Korea’s fate. Ultimately, they lost the match with a final score of 70-84.
Regrettably, La Gun-ah, who had joined the national team through a special naturalization process, proved ineffective against both Japan and China, both of whom relied heavily on gap-oriented basketball strategies. Despite China’s reputation for height advantage, they surprisingly did not attempt any back-up attacks beneath the hoop during this game, instead following the emerging trend of 2-on-2 focused offensive plays.
It is evident that Korean men’s basketball lags behind international trends. Although players like Heo Hoon, Kim Sun-hyung, and Byun Jun-hyung exhibited immense dedication in the backcourt, their efforts were hindered by a lack of coordination under the basket.
This year’s Asian Games marked a significant setback for Korean men’s basketball, as it failed to secure a medal for the first time in 17 years and did not progress to the semi-finals for only the second time in its history. Adding to the disappointment, basketball executives from Korea arrived in Hangzhou, China only on the afternoon of the 3rd. This paints a stark picture of the current state of Korean men’s basketball.
Korean men’s basketball team. Photo = Reporter Hwang Jin-hwan
All tragedies began with the ‘disaster’ during the Korean-Japanese War.
The Korean men’s basketball team lost 77-83 against Korea and Japan in the group stage of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China on the 30th of last month.
Japan sent two representative teams to the Asian Games. If you look at the squad carefully, they are not even good at second level. None of the players took part in the recently concluded Basketball World Cup, nor was there any member of the standing squad that played against South Korea in Seoul last July.
However, Korea did nothing to respond to Japan’s dynamic gap-based basketball. Japan attempted an incredible number of 3-point shots, but none were thrown too hard.
One thing stood out. Japan often attempted long distance 3-point shots called ‘deep threes’ at the end of the game. There were several decisive hits here. In modern basketball, a ‘deep three’ cannot be considered an unreasonable attempt to shoot. It’s all a result of practice. The outer cover to prevent this was loose.
Korea missed the opportunity to advance directly to the quarter-finals due to the loss in the match between Korea and Japan. Two days later, the round of 12 was played, and 14 hours later, on the afternoon of the 3rd, they met the host country, China, in the quarter-finals.
Korea had a close game at 13-15 until the end of the first quarter. After that, they gave up 12 points in a row, losing the lead. In the process, China’s reserve guard Hu Mingsuwan shook the Korean defense with quick attacks and outside shots. Korea collapsed in the middle of the second quarter, giving up 14 consecutive points to China.
30-50 was the score in the first half. Indeed, the game is over. In the end, Korea lost 70-84.
Unfortunately, La Gun-ah, who plays for the national team due to a special naturalization, could not use her strength at all against Japan and China, who mainly play gap basketball. China is known for tall basketball, but on this day they did not attempt any back-up attacks under the goal. We followed the recent trend of developing an attack focused on 2-on-2.
However, Korean men’s basketball was far from global trends. Heo Hoon, Kim Sun-hyung, and Byun Jun-hyung played hard in the backcourt, but were limited by a lack of coordination under the goal.
No medal at the Asian Games for the first time in 17 years, failure to progress to the semi-finals for the second time in history, and what is even more unfortunate is that executives from the Basketball Association will Korea enters Hangzhou, China on the afternoon only. of the 3rd. This is the reality of Korean men’s basketball.
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