New Star Emerges in Women`s Korean Basketball League

“If the entertainment industry has singer Sohn Dam-bee, we have Kim Dan-bee,” said Yim Dal-sik, head coach of the Shinhan Bank Ansan S-Birds of the Women’s Korean Basketball League after winning this year’s Future’s League yesterday.

The 20-year-old rookie Kim has shown significant progress since joining the team last year. Kim has topped three categories with averages of 23.8 points, 2.9 steals and 2.3 blocked shots in eight games.

She was also chosen MVP and an all-league selection.

Standing 180 meters (5-feet-11) tall, Kim showed her strong resilience and sharp offensive power against the Shinsegae Bucheon Coolcats Monday by scoring 42 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter. Due to her good looks, Kim also enjoys growing popularity among netizens.

“Though I had few opportunities to join the game, what I learned from fellow players helped me a lot. I gained confidence through the games,” Kim said smiling.

After graduating from Myungshin Girls’ High School in Incheon, Kim was drafted first overall by the Kumho Life Redwings last year and traded to Shinhan. Seeing her superb performance, a Kumho source reportedly lamented losing her.

Kim played center in high school but switched to forward. She then suffered a slump that almost led to her giving up her hoops career. She persevered, however, and her strenuous efforts finally paid off.

Kim is considered a rarity in a league where old players are rarely replaced with young ones. She and a host of promising players were recognized at the 2009 Future’s League, including Shinhan’s Kim Yoon-ah and Shinsegae’s Bae Hye-yoon and Yeom Yoon-ah.

kjs0123@donga.com