"I hope the players don't feel pressured."
Bucheon Hana One Q coach Kim Do-wan, who is trying to solidify the fourth place, emphasized that the players should be relaxed.
Hana One Q, led by head coach Kim, will play an away game of the regular league against Incheon Shinhan Bank's S-Bird and Woori Bank's Woori WON 2023-2024 women's professional basketball at Dowon Gymnasium in Incheon on the 24th.
The game is very important for Hana One Q, which currently ranks fourth, the spring basketball Maginot Line, with 7 wins and 12 losses. If it wins, it can widen the gap with Shinhan Bank (4 wins and 15 losses), which ranks fifth, to four games, but if it loses, it will allow pursuit up to two games.
"This is an important game. When it comes to individual players, Shinhan Bank is not a team that lags behind. I hope the players will play with the mindset that they will fight to the end rather than win," coach Kim Do-wan said before the game. "I expect the opponent to come out strong. I hope the team will play with the feeling of going back rather than rushing when it doesn't work."
Then, the coach was wary of Kim Tae-yeon, the opponent team's center who recently returned from injury. "When (Kim) Tae-yeon came in, I gained strength to endure inside fights such as inside and rebound. Players who are capable of shooting outside seem to be taking movements comfortably," Kim said. "When Kim Tae-yeon joins the team, it is important to prevent the two-man game against Lee. It seems to be a battle between how well she blocks Tae-yeon from scoring outside and outside."
Coach Kim Do-wan continued, "I think we will have a good game if we fight for rebounds against each other," and wished for a good performance, saying, "I hope the players don't get nervous because of the pressure to win."
Meanwhile, Jihyun Shin and Kim Jong-un, who had recently suffered from nasal and ankle injuries, will play on the day. "It was good for Jihyun Shin to fix it. I have to do it again after the season ends. I trained with a mask yesterday, but I told him to send me an autograph if the situation was bad," Kim said. "But he still wants to run. I hope he doesn't overdo it."
Coach Kim Do-wan then said of Kim Jong-un, "I still have some pain, but I will judge and try to control it. I think I need to control it, but there are many times when it doesn't work out," adding, "Kim Jong-un has been holding out well. The rest of the schedule is really important, but I think it will be an interesting game if Jung-eun holds out safely."