I think it shined like this because I had my good partner, Asem Marey. I promised to stay with Marey until I retire (laughs).”
Changwon LG took second place in the regular season, giving them two weeks to prepare for the semifinal playoffs. In order to maintain a sense of the game, they had two practice matches with Korea University and played their own match against Cheongbaek.
LG’s quarterfinal playoff opponent is Seoul SK. LG tied SK with 3 wins and 3 losses in the regular league.
If there is a player who contributed significantly to LG’s second place, it is Jeong Hee-jae.
Jeong Hee-jae, whom we met on the 11th at the Changwon Gymnasium ahead of afternoon training, said, “It’s a pity that (team power) is not 100-100, but I can’t keep missing a player (Asem Marey) who doesn’t exist.” , It will depend on how much the new foreign player Perry does. We are preparing hard,” he said.
Jung Hee-jae, who stood on the playoff stage for the first time in the fourth season after moving to LG, said, “I didn’t know it was so difficult to go to the playoffs.” Because I rest a lot, there is no sagging. This is a worrying part, such as the sense of the game.”
During his time at KCC, he made it to the playoffs three times, and all of them achieved more than the semifinal playoffs. In particular, in the 2015-2016 season, they took first place in the regular league and had direct experience in the playoffs in the quarterfinals.
Jeong Hee-jae said, “At that time (2015-2016 season), I was on the younger side, so I raised the atmosphere as my brothers told me to do, and I brightened up even when training.” A lot has changed since then. If I did it without knowing anything at the time, I have a sense of responsibility now.”
LG had a lot of fun as a second unit in the regular league. Dante Cunningham, Kim Jun-il and Justin Gutang took the place of the key players and energized the team. If Kim Joon-il is Cunningham’s best friend, then Jung Hee-jae is the player who showed a good relationship with Asem Marey.
Jung Hee-jae said, “I am very sorry. He wonders what it would have been like if he had played from the beginning. After looking back at his regular league, he said, “I think it didn’t shine like this because I had a good partner, Asem Marey. I promised to stay with Marey until I retire (laughs). Jokingly asked Marey, ‘Are you going to renew your contract? When I told him to renew the contract, he said to me, ‘Whenever the FA is, if you are there (in LG)’. Next year is FA, and I’m close with Marey to this extent. He jokes around a lot, and I approach him a lot.”
Marey, who is out of the playoffs with a calf injury, is receiving treatment. LG coach Cho Sang-hyun even joked that Marey should be used as a coach for foreign players. Considering Marey’s on-court enthusiasm, it’s likely he’ll be reluctant to accept that he can’t play.
Jung Hee-jae said, “At first, it was really painful. After beating Hyundai Mobis and confirming direct access to the playoffs in the semifinals, in the waiting room (who was injured during the game and went to the hospital), I had a video call with Marey, and I was moved. Marey saw that too. Can’t you see that feeling even if you don’t say anything? If you renew your contract, there will be another season, and this season is not the end. I believe so.”
What role should Jung Hee-jae play in the semi-final playoffs with SK?
After explaining his role, Jeong Hee-jae said, “I think you’ll have a good game if you catch the pulse in defense, give 1-2 3-point shots in attack, and play a good bridge role (between guard and center).” Also, coincidentally (during the 2015-2016 season at KCC), the opponent for the championship match was Orion. Coach Cho Sang-hyun, Lim Jae-hyun, and Park Yu-jin were the Orion coaches and power analysis at that time. We were beaten by that member. It feels strange to be on the same team with that member now, but I felt that he prepared really well at that time. The people who prepared for that are in our team, so it is very reassuring,” he trusted the coaching staff.
The player who has contributed to the recent rise of SK is Choi Bu-kyung.
Jeong Hee-jae said,토토사이트 “Choi Boo-gyeong doesn’t score one-to-one like Kim Jun-il, but rather takes it. He has to watch the part and play defense. He also needs to go well in defense,” he said. “One of the reasons why SK is on the rise is that Bukyung is so good. It’s nice to see, but I’ll try to block it well.”
Jeong Hee-jae said, “As you can see, we are the Sakers (Changwon LG’s Sakers to the End), so we will do it until the end. Even though there is no Marey, if we show you how to play basketball until the end with gum basketball, we will be able to stand at the top in the championship match.”
The playoffs for the quarterfinals between LG and SK will begin on the 14th with a best-of-five system.