The W League, a Japanese women’s professional basketball league, hosted the ‘W League All-Star 2022-3 in Ariake’ at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on the 29th from 2:00 pm. Starting with the All-Star Game for Japanese rookie players, various events are held.
12 WKBL Rising Stars (WKBL) were also invited. It faced 14 W-League All-Stars (hereinafter referred to as the W-League), including Lamu Tokashiki and Yuki Miyazawa. The result was an 84-89 defeat.
However, WKBL showed potential even at the beginning of the game. Park Ji-hyun showed off a wide range of offense and shooting skills. In particular, he led the early atmosphere of WKBL by driving 4 3 points in the first 5 minutes of the game. She recorded 2 assists for 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals in the first half alone.
After that, he played various roles such as defense, rebounding, and ball delivery. He tried not to be pushed back in the fight with the main big men of the W League, such as Lamu Tokashiki (JX-ENEOS) and Yuki Miyazawa (FUSITSU). With 25 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists, he monopolized the most points, most rebounds, and most steals among players on both teams.
After the game, Park Ji-hyun said, “I came as a young player, but I have experienced a lot of international stages since I was young. He has also played with many Japanese players. So he was not unfamiliar with Japanese players. He also arranged a good event in Japan and created a good atmosphere. So he played more fun,” he said, looking back at the W League All-Star Game and the game.
“Nanako Todo, who was chosen as the MVP, put in a lot of shots. He impressed me because it was a shot that changed the atmosphere. In addition to Todo, the shooting of outside resources was generally good. And good defense. Our players who were with us this time should learn that,” adding what he felt from the W League players.
Continued “Even though it was an event match, both the WKBL players and the W League players played seriously. So I think he had a better experience. I think he will serve as a good turning point for young players,” he said, looking forward to continued exchanges with the W League.
Lee Hae-ran also played a big role. At the beginning of the game, Tokashiki Ramu was blocked 1-1, and defense, rebound, and fast attack were all involved. In the set offense, he crossed the bottom of the goal and the outside.
Like Ji-Hyun Park, he focused on the chase in the second half. He threatened W-League players with quick attacks and breakthroughs. He finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 1 steal. ㅋㅋㅋ벳
After the game, Lee Hae-ran said, “At the beginning of the game, we came together tightly. However, his stamina ran out in the second half. Because I was tired, I didn’t even shoot. It’s a pity that we didn’t win, but it was a good experience,” he said, evaluating the confrontation with the W League All-Star Game.
After that, he said, “I learned a lot from the older sisters I played with and the W League players I played with. Also, he received a lot of advice from the coaches of the six clubs. Now I have to figure out what I need to do on my own. To become a better player, you have to do that,” he explained what he felt at this All-Star Game.
“I couldn’t show my abilities in this All-Star Game. Attacked timidly. If we meet again in the future, I want to prepare better and have a good match.”
Due to the nature of the relationship between Korea and Japan, the most important value would be competition. However, there is a more important value for the growing WKBL rising stars. It is ‘experience’. Park Ji-hyun and Lee Hae-ran also focused more on the value of ‘experience’. So I valued the confrontation with the W-League All-Star Game.