This is Cheong Gwan-jang, who overcame his inferiority in height through speed.
Anyang Jeonggwanjang won 98-77 over Taipei Fubon Braves in the 2023-2024 EASL (East Asian Super League) Group A preliminary game held at Anyang Gymnasium on the 25th.
Cheong Kwan Jang is one of the teams that had the biggest change in power this off-season. Last season, we achieved the great goal of winning the combined championship. However, many of the team’s key players left the team.
Oh Se-geun (200cm, C) left for Seoul SK, Moon Seong-gon (196cm, F) left for Suwon KT, and Byun Jun-hyung (187cm, G) left for Sangmu. Yang Hee-jong (196cm, F), who is a symbol of the team, has decided to retire. To make matters worse, Omari Spellman (206cm, F), who is supposed to play the role of ace, also missed the beginning of the season due to injury.
The player base has become thinner. However, ‘defending champion’ Jeong Kwan-Jang had to play in the EASL (East Asian Super League) and KBL leagues simultaneously.
Cheong Kwan-Jang’s first opponent in the EASL was the Taipei Fubon Braves. The Fubon Braves are a team with an advantage in height. Ace Chris Johnson (211cm, F) is a player with great skills enough to be selected for the NBA D-League first team. Ihor Zaitsev (211cm, C) is also a tall player who is good at scoring under the goal.
The two foreign players in Cheong Gwan-jang, who had to block the two players, were not tall. Daryl Monroe (198cm, F) and Dubon Maxwell (201cm, C) both had strengths in outside play rather than under the goal. The two players smartly focused on outside play. Provided wide space under the goal to his teammates.
In addition, Cheong Kwan-jang showed off fast basketball. After successful defense, we ran quickly. From Monroe to Park Ji-hoon, he was involved in the fast attack.
Then, many opportunities went to Bae Byung-jun (191cm, F) and Lenz Abando (188cm, G). Bae Byung-jun scored 12 points, including 4 3-pointers, in the first quarter alone, and Abando also took advantage of his speed to score 8 points. This is why Cheong Kwan-Jang was able to take the lead from the first quarter. They made a 20-4 run in the first 5 minutes of the game. Afterwards, Cheong Gwan-jang took advantage of his speed and scored easily. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 31-17.
Jeong Kwan-Jang, who set the tone with a quick attack in the first quarter, continued to push forward. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, we started adjusting the pace. Taking advantage of his fast speed, Cheong Kwan-jang scored 29 points in the second quarter. He showed off his hot basketball, scoring 60 points in the first half alone.
In the 3rd and 4th quarters, Jeong Kwan-Jang struggled somewhat, unable to control his opponent’s height. 3 minutes and 21 seconds into the fourth quarter, the score gap narrowed to 10 points. However, this time, Cheong Kwan-jang broke the opponent’s flow through speed. Monroe and Jihoon Park led the attack. In particular, Park Ji-hoon completely broke the opponent’s pursuit with a breakaway score and a transition 3-point shot.
A quick attack was approved. Bae Byung-jun, who was selected as the Distinguished Player, also said, “The transition was good when the opponent’s attack failed. “I think that’s why our basketball came out well,” he said, expressing satisfaction with the transition attack. 안전놀이터