“I really want to grow into a recognized player in LG so that I don’t have to be traded again.”
Changwon LG traded Kim Jun-hyung (201 cm, F) to Anyang Jungkwanjang for Jang Tae-bin (183 cm, G). After Han Sang-hyuk suffered an elbow injury during a practice game and LG needed a guard, the team agreed to the trade with Chung, who was interested in signing Kim Jun-hyung.
Jang was drafted by Seoul SK with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 KBL Rookie Draft, and has since worn the jersey for five different organizations, including Goyang Orion, Incheon E-Land (now Daegu KOGAS), Jung Kwan-jang, and now LG. Except for his military service, Jang has been traded every offseason.
Jang Tae-bin, who flew down to Changwon on May 5, took the court midway through the fourth quarter of a scrimmage against the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines on June 6 at Changwon Gymnasium.
The following is a one-on-one interview with Jang Tae-bin after the scrimmage.
I came down to Changwon.
Coach (Kim Sang-sik) called me out of the blue before the morning shooting drill in Anyang (on the 5th). I’ve had a lot of experience with trades. This time, he was even more abrupt. The basketball I learned from him was a big inspiration. I wanted to learn more from him, and I wanted to be recognized. On the one hand, I’m grateful that he asked for the trade because he was thinking of me. Now that I’m at LG, I’ve learned a lot from Coach Cho and the coaches, and now that I’ve been traded so many times (laughs), I’ve gotten a lot of recognition from LG, so I want to play here.
What was it like coming down to Changwon?
When I said goodbye to Anyang and went to Incheon, my home town, packed my things and drove down for five hours, I had a lot of thoughts. When I was traded, I thought it was a great opportunity, a great opportunity, but in Anyang, my brothers, my trainer brothers, the manager, the coach, they were all so nice, so I felt very sorry for them, but on the 해외 카지노 사이트 other hand, I changed my mind and thought that since I had such a great opportunity, I shouldn’t miss it anymore, and that it was the last chance of my life.
This is the fifth team. How do you think you can settle down?
I want to settle down (laughs). It’s all my fault. If I was recognized by the team and had skills, I wouldn’t have been traded. I thought I wasn’t good enough. Just as I thought it was my last chance when I came down to Changwon, I really want to grow into a player who is recognized by LG so that I won’t be traded again.
What do you think you need to work on to settle in?
In my four years as a pro, I didn’t have my own color. I think the coach gives you a lot of opportunities if you do one thing well, but I didn’t have that. This time, I think my basketball life will be different if I find one specialty and show it to coach Cho Sang-hyun instead of doing everything.
What do you think that one thing is?
First of all, defense. I felt that Coach Cho attaches great importance to defense, and from the outside, he is detailed and delicate. I spoke with Han Sang-hyuk yesterday (the 5th), and he gave me a lot of advice. Defense is the basic thing, so we have to focus on defense.
I played a little bit in a scrimmage with Santo Tomas.
I drove five hours down yesterday and my legs didn’t work (laughs). I didn’t think the coach would give me a chance. I played a little bit in the fourth quarter because Yang Jun-seok and Doo Kyung-min had some fitness issues. I still have a lot to work on, but I think I showed the coach a little bit for the first game.
We need to play a little bit more in the future, including the training camp in the Philippines. What is your current physical condition?
I’ve been training since the June call-up in Anyang, so I don’t have any physical problems. I’ve been playing a little bit in practice, so I don’t have any problems with my stamina or fitness. I’m in great shape.
Which player were you most excited to meet?
Jung In-duk was my senior in elementary, middle and high school (Songlim, Songdo, and Songdo High), so we talked a lot, Choi Jin-soo and Heo Il-young were together in Orion, and I went to college (Korea University) with Park Jung-hyun. I also know a few older brothers. The first person I greeted was Sanghyuk. I greeted him on the phone (laughs). I said goodbye on Messenger, and he called me right away and gave me a lot of advice.
A word of determination
I thought it was a good opportunity, but there was a part of me that was mentally tough, and I have to endure and overcome that as well. Coach Kim Sang-sik and Coach Cho Sang-hyun gave me a good opportunity, so if I can find my own color somehow and show my basic defense and stable leadership as a guard, I think I will play a little more this season than before.