“I have the mindset of ‘I have to make every shot I get'”
Lee Geun-hwi (187 cm, G) joined Jeonju KCC with the 8th overall pick in the 2020 KBL Domestic Rookie Draft. His weaknesses are obvious, but his strengths can offset them. In particular, explosive shooting can boost team morale.
That’s why KCC head coach Jeon Chang-jin gave Lee a lot of credit. During the 2021 Taebaek training camp, he said, “(Lee) has good cross-country performance. It means that his lower body strength is good. It also means that he has good basic physical conditions as a shooter.” He spoke highly of Lee’s natural potential.
Lee played all 54 regular season games in the 2022-2023 season. In 17 minutes and 12 seconds per game, he scored 4.7 points and made 1.3 three-pointers per game. He also shot 38.9% from three-point range. Lee’s explosiveness was impressive considering the team relied heavily on the offense of Heo Woong (185 cm, G), Lee Seung-hyun (197 cm, F), and Ragan-ah (199 cm, C).
“It was my personal goal to play in every game of the regular season. I was happy to achieve my goal, but the team’s performance was disappointing, and I personally didn’t do much in the playoffs. There were many regrets,” he said, reflecting on the 2022-2023 season.
Lee joined the offseason training later than the other players. It wasn’t because he wasn’t feeling well. He wanted to be ready for the Chengdu Universiade in August.
Playing with his peers and juniors gave him more confidence. With so many younger players relying on him, he had to show more confidence. This was the driving force behind his nine three-pointers against the United States in the quarterfinals. 바카라사이트
“I tried to do my best every game,” Lee said. It was the same with the USA. They were a very strong team, but we all said, ‘Let’s give it a shot’ before we went in, and we tried to have fun together. I was confident from the moment I got the ball. I had a good shooting touch,” he said of his performance against the Americans.
But he has to forget about the Universiade now. We have to focus on ‘KCC Lee Geun-hwi’. To improve their chances for the 2022-2023 season, they need to work on their athleticism.
“I always pay attention to my defense,” Lee said. On offense, I need to reduce my three-point shooting fluctuations. (Lee received ball-handling training from skill trainer Tyler Ralph in the U.S., along with Heo Woong and Song Dong-hoon), and I’m working on combining my dribbling skills and shooting,” Lee said of his offseason focus.
Meanwhile, KCC has an ultra-luxury lineup of Choi Jun-yong (200 cm, F), Heo Woong (185 cm, G), Song Kyo-chang (199 cm, F), Lee Seung-hyun (197 cm, F), and Ragan-ah (199 cm, C), but they can’t play 54 games with only their starters. Lee Geun-hwi also needs to contribute to the super-luxury lineup.
“We need to be able to put pressure on the opponent with our defense. I’ve always aimed for a three-point shooting percentage of over 40%. We have to play with the mindset that we can make every shot we get,” he said. He had the mindset of a teammate and the mindset of a shooter.