Bae Jae Go finished the qualifiers at the top of the group.
Bae Jae-go won 92-50 against Cheongju Shinshung High School in the Group H qualifying game of the 61st Spring National Boys and Girls Basketball Federation Championship Haenam on Tuesday at Usul Dongbaek Gymnasium in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Jeolla Province, and advanced to the finals as the top team in the group.
Bae Jae-go took the lead from the first quarter. They had fun on defense by pressuring their opponents, and on offense, they scored easily with organic movement. Joel (183 cm, G.F) was at the center of it all.
Joel started and finished with a triple-double of 10 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists, including two 3-pointers, in 37 minutes and 29 seconds.
“My passes were falling early in the game, so I just played a passing game,” Joel said. I checked my stats after the game, and I didn’t expect a triple-double,” Joel said. “I’m thankful and happy for my teammates.”
Compared to last year, Bae Jae-go’s height was lowered. To this end, the team has been organized to play fast basketball since winter training, especially with the help of coach Kim Jun-sung, who was promoted from A-coach to full-time coach.
“He’s the same coach at the guard position, so he really teaches us the little things, and he’s good at creating patterns based on the situation, which is fun when it works in a game,” Joel says. “Most of all, he emphasizes basketball and the attitude that you have on and off the court. He emphasizes the mindset and attitude that a basketball player should have on and off the court, and that we should always work hard regardless of our physical condition.”
“The team has a lower height than last year, so we practiced a lot of fast-paced, three-point basketball. During the winter training, the team atmosphere was good, especially our organization. Every player on our team has good individual skills, so we have a lot of offense that comes from that.”
As captain, Joel also bragged about his team: “We’re not big, but we all know basketball. So we don’t have any worries on offense and defense, and we trust and rely on each other. We have the confidence to win against any team,” he said.
Finally, the team is looking forward to the round of 16 finals against Masango on Nov. 12.
“It’s against Masango,” Joel said. “I’ve seen their qualifying games, and they’re a fast, athletic, hard-working team. They play a similar style of basketball to us.” “I think it’s important to play fast breaks and backcourt battles for the atmosphere. We hope to prepare well and reach the top four, which was our goal before the tournament.”