They met as foes in the championship match, but
were selected as WKBL Rising All-Stars and
played against Japan All-Stars in Tokyo.
Yesterday’s enemies met as comrades. Park Ji-hyun (23, Woori Bank) and Lee So-hee (23, BNK), who faced off in the women’s professional basketball (WKBL) 2022-2023 championship match in March, became a team as a WKBL Rising All-Star team composed of players under the age of 25, In Tokyo, Japan, she played against the Japan Women’s Professional Basketball (WJBL) all-star team.크크크벳
In the confrontation that day, the Rising All-Star team lost 84-89, but Park Ji-hyun made a big success with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists, the highest score among both teams, and received the Skill Development Award (MIP). Lee So-hee contributed to the Rising All-Star team’s promotion with 9 points and 3 assists.
Born in 2000, they are the same age, and even at a young age, they played an ace role in each team and formed a rivalry throughout the season. How do you feel about playing in the same team?
Prior to the match between WJBL all-star teams held at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on the 30th, the two participated in events such as a 3-point shooting contest and a dance performance, and showed off their special relationship by making hearts with each other.
Regarding the all-star Korea-Japan match the previous day, Lee So-hee said, “Ji-hyeon plays a lot in the national team (as a starter), so she has her own role, but I am the youngest line (guard) and I didn’t have much time to play together.” It’s new and strange,” he laughed.
Park Ji-hyun said, “Since I was a child, I have always been with So Hee-rang in the national team for each age group, so it’s just comfortable for me.”
“Representatives by age always stick together, so it’s comfortable. We
decided on the slogan ‘U-19 Forever’, so
let’s fly together at the Asian Cup in June.”
-19 It is a comrade who led the best result ever with ninth place in the Women’s Basketball World Cup. The U-19 national team drew attention by defeating Hungary, then ranked second in European U-19 women’s basketball at the time, in the ranking match.
A good memory at the time is the string that ties the two together. Park Ji-hyun recalled that time, saying, “I can’t forget that time because the grades were good and the atmosphere was good.” He said, “In fact, the day before I was called up to the Rising All-Star team, I went to play and played games because the players who played then, the coach, and the coach were there.” Then, he smiled broadly, saying, “We also decided on the slogan, U-19 Forever.”
Still, both shook their heads when asked if they felt a sense of rivalry as players on the opposing team, who fought a bloody battle until the end of the season. Lee So-hee said, “There are a lot of things to learn, but I don’t think I have to do well because I’m stimulated or a rival,” adding, “We have very different positions.” Lee So-hee and Park Ji-hyun are classified as guards, but their actual roles are shooters and all-weather forwards, respectively, and the way they play the game is different.
Park Ji-hyun said, “I think it’s a really unnecessary emotion to be stimulated by others doing well. I thought I wanted to applaud Sohee when she was doing well, so she even sent me a text message after the championship game.”
Lee So-hee said, “She only replied briefly with a ‘thank you’, but at that time, she was actually really grateful.” Lee So-hee’s team, BNK, reached her first championship match after her founding, but she failed to win a single match and had to watch Woori Bank become the unified championship champion.
All of them agreed that it is more important than anything to overcome one’s weaknesses in order to develop one step further. Park Ji-hyun said that she wanted to learn the detailed play of Kim Dan-bi, who was a team senior and won MVP in the regular league and championship match. He said, “My sister has a good ability to take away the pass when the opponent’s defense comes in, and I think I can play better if I do this well.” Lee So-hee pointed out, “To steal the timing of the opponent’s defense, you have to pretend to break through and then stop and increase the success rate of the jumper.”
Park Ji-hyun and Lee So-hee, who are expected to become the main players of the national team in the future, were also named in the final 12 entries for the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Australia in June. Park Ji-hyun said, “We have to do more on the international stage so that the popularity of women’s basketball will increase.”