Byun Joon-hyung has a bruised knee, but he has fired up his will to play in the second game.
The South Korean men’s basketball team, where Byun Joon-hyung took the center stage of the team, won 85-84 against the Japanese national team at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on the 5th.
Byun played 22 minutes and 42 seconds, scoring 12 points and three rebounds, including two three-point shots, contributing significantly to his team’s victory. Unlike Byun’s performances so far, his volume stat itself was not that high. However, Byun united the team by taking the initiative by boldly throwing himself toward the loose ball as his team’s captain.
“All the players were so good. They did a better job than we prepared,” Byun said after the training session on Sunday afternoon. “I told them to win no matter what, but I think I was able to win because the players did a good job with the same heart as me.”
When asked about the situation in which he showed hustle play, Byun said, “Actually, I had the will and commitment to the ball since I was appointed as a president. I don’t think I was able to see much of my defense capability because there are so many players with good defense in the team including (Yang) Hee-jong and (Moon) Sung-gon. Originally, I was a good defense player,” smiling.
When Byun showed a defense that he did not spare, his juniors Oh Jae-hyun, Moon Jung-hyun, Lee Woo-suk, and Yang Jae-min showed tremendous energy and were able to win the away game in Japan. How will Byun Jun-hyung, the oldest player in the team, feel before the warm-up match.
In response, he said, “I would be lying if I said I had no responsibility. My teammates are young and energetic, and I think if we all take a friendly atmosphere rather than a hard one, I will be able to communicate a lot at games and have witty and sparkling plays. I think that worked well. There is also a lot of atmosphere where players train autonomously.”
There was also a dizzying scene. In the fourth quarter of the game on Saturday, Byun limped off to the bench after a collision with an opponent. 동행복권파워볼
When asked about his current physical condition, he said, “I got bruised on my knee while bumping into the opponent. Actually, even before that, I had pain around my calf. Coach and coach asked me about my physical condition, and I told them that I was okay. I don’t feel any pain because I don’t train much, but I might get sick again tomorrow. However, as I have a responsibility, I want to play with the players and if I can play even for 10 minutes, I will play in the court.”