Yoo Yoo-sang and Park Moo-bin, ‘rivals from high school’… I want to be like KBL seniors Jeon Seong-hyun and Doo Kyung-min.
Korea University was the winner of the 2023 regular basketball competition between Korea and Japan (Yonko vs. Korea in even-numbered years) held on the 8th.
Korea University captain Park Moo-bin roared, and Yonsei University’s ace Yoo Yu-sang bowed his head.
The two, who were filled with joy and sorrow, met again four days later as ‘job seekers’.
At the professional basketball rookie draft combine held at the KBL Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 12th, the two players happened to have their turn numbers next to each other.
Unlike the two who were growling on the court, the two chatted and played the combine and met with reporters and said in unison, “As fellow ‘job seekers,’ we root for each other to achieve good results.”
The two, who were considered top prospects at the shooter and guard positions in high school, happened to go on to Yonsei University and Korea University, and a rivalry naturally formed.
The two have honed their skills in their respective positions and established themselves as the aces of both teams, and are about to advance to the professional ranks.
The two players are competing for the first pick in the rookie draft. These two and Moon Jeong-hyun (Korea University), who was a member of the Hangzhou Asian Games team but did not participate this day at the request of the Korea Basketball Association, are considered one of the ‘Big 3’ in this draft.
In fact, Yoo Yu-sang and Park Moo-bin say they have no desire to be nominated first.
When Yoo Yoo-sang said, “We are both in a situation where we have to work hard. I’m just grateful that you see it that way,” Park Moo-bin also said, “(The ranking) is something that the players cannot choose.
They expressed their gratitude to each other, saying that they were able to grow as basketball players thanks to ‘friendly competition’.
Yoo Yu-sang said, “Moobin has played a lot on the national team for his age group (since high school). He is a very good player, and we learn from him by competing against him a lot in college. I think we are growing together.”
Park Moo-bin also praised him, saying, “I want to benefit from Gigi’s strengths while playing basketball in the future and continue our good relationship until the end.”
The two have completely different positions and play styles.
Yoo Sang-sang, who is 188cm tall, is attracting attention as a large shooter.
His advantage is that he leaps high from behind the three-point line and then throws a high-RBI outside shot, which is a skill not commonly found in domestic players.
On the other hand, Park Moo-bin, who is 184.4 cm tall, is a point guard who holds the ball longer than Yoo Yu-sang, and his strengths are his offensive ability to break through the opponent’s defense and his ability to manage the game.
As such, their role models were clearly different.
Yu Yu-sang said he wanted to be like Jeon Seong-hyeon (Sono), Korea’s best active shooter.
Yoo Yoo-sang said, “Jeon Seong-hyun is the shortest among shooters. He is a person who gives me hope.”
Jeon Seong-hyun, who is less than 190cm tall like Yoo Sang-sang, did not have the physique advantage in the same position, but he won the title of ‘best shooter’ with his outside shots that hit regardless of distance.
Park Moo-bin chose Wonju DB’s offensive guard Doo Gyeong-min.
Park Moo-bin said, “I was a DB youth player, so I was impressed by Doo Kyung-min’s play from a young age. I started playing basketball by imitating his play. He is my role model.”
Park Moo-bin (No. 1) attempting an attack under the goal against Japan
He added, “Also, our school’s coach played professionally for a long time and remains a legend. We must put his teachings into practice in the professional world as well.”안전놀이터
The leader of Park Moo-bin’s team, Korea University, is coach Joo Hee-jung. Coach Joo, who was a point guard like Park Moo-bin, left his mark on the history of Korean professional basketball by setting records for the most appearances (1,029 games), the most assists (5,381), and the most steals (1,505).
The rookie draft will be held at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul at 3 p.m. on the 21st.
In fact, what they can’t take their attention off of is the 2023 college league finals, which will be held ahead of the draft.
The college league finals to be held on the 14th will also be a match between Yonsei University and Korea University.
Yugi-sang, who lost in a regular battle, seeks revenge.
Yoo Yu-sang showed his fighting spirit, saying, “We recently lost to Korea University. Since it is our last game, we will do our best.”
Park Moo-bin said, “Until the last game, we faced our rival and friend, Yonsei University. In our freshman and sophomore years, we kept losing to Yonsei University, but now the situation has changed, but as a rival, I want to finish with a good result as fans expect.”
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