Former Samil High School A coach Kim Min-koo (32) is continuing his coaching career at his alma mater Samiljung.
Led by Kim Min-gu, Samiljung won 86-58 against Bae Jae-joong in the 2023 Secondary Basketball Weekend League Regional Tournament in Gwangshin Yego on the 18th.
Samiljung is coached by Kim Min-gu. The former Kyung Hee University guard made his debut with KCC in Jeonju during the 2013-2014 season and went on to play for Wonju DB and Ulsan Hyundai Mobis before retiring from active duty in 2021. He then worked as a skills trainer, Samilgo A coach, and last month, he was named coach of Samiljung.
While the end result was a convincing win, Samiljung struggled in the first half. They gave up 29 points in the first quarter and finished the first half 33-41. Samiljung turned the tide in the third quarter by effectively utilizing fast breaks and penetration, and continued their dominant performance in the fourth quarter, with seven players scoring in double figures.
Hong Woo-chan (25 points, 6 3-pointers, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists) was on fire and even had a triple-double, while Lim Sung-hoon (18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Park Gun-bin (17 points, 3 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) did their part.
Coach Kim Min-koo coached his players passionately. He reprimanded them when they made defensive mistakes, but he also showed his “tsundere” side by stroking their balls when the team was playing well.
“I told the kids before the game that this kind of situation could happen,” Kim said of the first half. However, I encouraged them as the main characters are the players on the court. I asked them to play with responsibility, and fortunately, their performance improved in the third quarter.”
Coach Kim continued, “When I coach kids, I feel bad when they don’t show all their skills, but I can see them gaining confidence. Eventually, as they gain experience, they will gain confidence.”안전놀이터
While middle schoolers are not at the peak of their skills, they are at the peak of their interest in basketball. Coach Kim, who was already considered a complete player when he was in Samil High School, knows from experience what the most important thing is for middle school students to learn basketball.
“Rather than blindly training, we are practicing the game itself. We do a lot of defense training, but I think it’s important to know how to do one-on-one training. I’m just starting out as a coach, so I’m not good enough. Coach Lee Young-hoon is helping me a lot. I want to communicate with the players and lead the team in the future.”