Bang Qualifes as NBA Shooter
When Coach Choi said that he had come from Korea, an official of the NBDL gladly welcomed him, issued an ID card for Coach Choi, and provided dinner. It was very proud to think that this hospitability was all the result of Bang Sung-yoon and Ha Seung-jins advance to American basketball.
Bang Sung-yoon, who used to be Chois student at Yonsei University, and who was also a junior to Choi in Huimoon High School, participated in showcase games watched by 40 NBA scouts for two days. After watching a game against the Huntsville Flight, Choi said Bang Sung-yoons skill has significantly developed in last few months.
Choi said Bang is now practicing effective offense, restraining his three-pointers, which he used to shoot a lot, and that his defense has developed because his posture has been lowered. Also, Choi said that he was elated to hear commendations of Bang from NBDL officials and scouts.
Coach Michael Brown of the Fayetteville Patriots, who played with the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, said, Bang has the ideal physique for a shooter. When our team plays against his team, I put a player to guard him man to man.
A scout from the NBA said, Since there not many specialized shooters in NBA, Bang Sung-yoon will be valuable. However, he will have be required to strengthen his defense and will have to develop speed and moves like a spin move to create more scoring chances. On the game, Bang helped his team to a 113-110 win by scoring nine points in the 17 minutes he played.
After the game, Choi took Bang to a Japanese restaurant. Bang Sung-yoon, who has not eaten Asian food for a long time, ate up his meal in no time at all. Hearing his students words, Riding the bus for several hours, its difficult to eat food at the right time. I eat hamburgers most of the time, Choi was moved to tears. Bang says that he usually keeps his cellular phone off to save money.
Choi said, Before, I thought playing basketball in America was impossible. However, now I think its a dream that anyone can challenge for. I learned that as a coach, its very important to help young players have great dreams.
The National Basketball Development League (NBDL) is a league focused on developing future NBA players with potential, and it was established in November 2001 as the lower league of NBA. A total of 32 players, including four this season, have entered the dream NBA league through NBDL up until now. There are six teams in the league, including the Roanoke Dazzle, which is the team Bang plays with. The season started last November, and the season, in which each team plays 48 games, will continue until April 10.
Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com
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