Exciting Steals and Marvelous Three Pointers

The Women’s Korean Basketball League (WKBL), characterized by swishing three-pointers, starts its 2005 summer league today.

Beginning with the opening game between the Woori Bank Hansae, the last winter league champion, and the Shinhan Bank Sbirds, the title sponsor of the summer league, each team will play 20 games in four rounds until September 4.

Best-of-five series playoff games start from September 7, followed by best-of-seven Championship series beginning September 14.

The WKBL, which has continued its day-game basis since the league started in 1998, will play 15 games not scheduled for broadcast at 7:00 p.m., out of 60 games.

The first night-game will be between Woori Bank Hansae and Shinsegae Coolcat on July 13 at Hoban Stadium in Chuncheon, Gangwon province.

Kim Won-kil, the president of the WKBL, emphasized the league`s strong competitiveness, saying that WKBL games would be more appealing night time events for sports fans compared to baseball or soccer games, since they are played indoors with air conditioning.

Various marketing measures among six teams will heat up as the Samsung Life Insurance Bichumi and the Kumho Life Insurance Falcons moved their home to Yong-in and Guri, Gyeonggi province, and as the KB Savers (Cheonan, North Chungcheong province) and the Woori Bank Hansae (Chuncheon, Gangwon province), who secured the management rights for their home games for the first time, are now preparing various marketing events.

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com