Jo Soo-ah reflects on last season
After making his debut in the 2020-2021 season, Jo Soo-ah (170 cm, G) made last season one of the best seasons of his career. Since his rookie season, he’s been given opportunities but hasn’t been able to fully capitalize on them. However, last season was a bit different, as he stepped into the shoes of key players who were out with injuries.
Notably, Jo Soo-ah averaged 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in Round 5, earning him the Round MIP. Furthermore, his seasonal average points, seasonal average assists, and seasonal average rebounds were also the highest since his debut. He also set new career highs in points, rebounds, and assists.
When asked how he views his last season, he said, “Actually, I hadn’t played that much before. When I didn’t play much, I played in situations where my body was stiff. It’s not easy to make a single shot then. I would go back to the bench until I warmed up. (Laughs) But last year was different. I knew I had to do something to make sure that the sick players didn’t feel the gap, so I started playing more actively.”
“Actually, the beginning of last year was tough. I played a lot of games and got punished and lost my mind. (Laughs) But I think it’s better to play than to watch from the bench. It was hard, but I definitely grew.”
Samsung Life ended its season on March 14, losing to Busan BNK in the second leg of the quarterfinal playoffs. After a break, the team started training in earnest on March 15.
When asked about the off-season, Jo Soo-ah said, “It was a vacation period, but I couldn’t just rest. We had to go to Japan, so we did some reinforcement training.”안전놀이터
“During my vacation, I focused on strength and didn’t do much ball training. But after I came back, I trained at a high intensity and my body improved quickly. I think I’m at about 80 percent now,” he said of his current physical condition.
Afterward, Cho emphasized positivity. “I want to make up for my proactivity this off-season. I’ve been told that I’m not active enough compared to what I have. I thought I should help my sisters. But I also need to do my part to distribute physical strength. I want to take the initiative in the future,” she said.
She added, “When our sisters come back from injury, they won’t be at full strength. So we have to make sure we do our part. I think it will be my role to make it easier for my sisters to adapt without any pressure, and to do that, I need to be proactive in training from now on,” she concluded the interview with a determination.