What KB Stars second-year Ahn Jung-hyeon wants to show

This interview was conducted in mid-to-late July and was published in the August 2023 issue of the Basket Korea webzine. ( Link to purchase Basket Korea webzine )

Cheongju KB Stars Ahn Jung-hyun is sweating hard every day in off-season training, which is his first time experiencing it. He said that the grueling (?) training brought him to tears, and he introduced his off-season schedule and strengthened his resolve for the next season.

“I’m going to focus on the basics first. If I get the chance to go on the court, I want to do the best I can to fulfill the role the coach wants me to play. ‘Get the rebound. He wants to become a player who can be trusted by faithfully carrying out instructions such as ‘play good defense and come back’. “I will become a player who can work hard from the bad days and bring energy to the team.”

First, I want to talk about vacation. How did you send it?
He met family and friends he had not seen while resting. I went to Sunil Girls’ High School (my alma mater) and played sports with her younger siblings.

This is his first off-season training since turning professional.
After being called up, I did physical training for about two weeks. I cried once after my first circuit training (laughter). It was really hard, and I think it was because I was frustrated and upset because things didn’t work out the way I wanted. The intensity of the interval training was also really high. However, I was able to persevere because I changed my mindset to ‘let’s do it’. I think he overcame it well considering he was scared beforehand.

What schedule did you have in May?
In early May, I went to a workshop and had time to get closer to my team members and improve teamwork. Afterwards, I started the main workout with a practice game, and also went to Taiwan for 10 days of training starting on the 22nd. In Taiwan, I played practice games and ball exercises with (Taiwan women’s basketball team) Kesey Life.

On June 24th, I also participated in Triple Jam.
We lost the first match against the Thai team Shoot It Dragons (runners-up in the competition), and won the second match against Samsung Saengmyeon. All of the Group B teams we were in had 1 win and 1 loss, but failed to advance to the tournament due to being pushed out of the multiple goals rule.

Is this your first time playing a 3v3 competition?
yes. It was my first time playing 3v3. It was definitely different from 5v5. In the first game, I didn’t know where to be and I got lost a lot. After the game, I talked to my sisters and said, “Let’s try this. Let’s try that.” Thanks to that, I think I did okay in the next game. There were a lot of spectators, and it was a unique experience.

After Triple Jam, I went to ‘W League Summer Camp 2023 in Takasaki’.
After the competition, I played practice games and main workouts in Cheonan and left the country on the 13th. After summer camp, we moved around the region and played practice games with Japanese teams such as Chanson and Aisin. On days when there were no games, I did ball exercises and weight training.

What are you mainly training for this off-season?
I’m practicing defense a lot. A variety of defenses that can be used in pick games, etc. In the beginning of the workout, I focus on defense and then adjust the attack accordingly.

Is there anything you often hear from managers and coaches?
Tell them to start with the basics, such as defense, rebounding, and boxing out. Also, please explain in detail your actions and posture when defending. In a 2-on-2 situation, he told me to actively talk because I look at defense first.

I’m also curious about your thoughts on the 2022-2023 season, which was your first year of debut.
It was amazing to go from watching professional games only in the stands to becoming a professional athlete. I also thought that I wanted to run. The most memorable moment is the last home game of the regular season. Before, I couldn’t score a shot even during garbage time, but that day I got a chance. I was thinking, ‘It would be nice to include it since it’s the last home game.’ Yang Ji-su, who went in with me, said to me, “Once you catch the ball, do whatever you want with confidence.” When the ball came, I remembered what my sister said, broke through, and shot a jumper, which became her debut score. She was able to do well with confidence because her older sister said a lot of good things about her.

The high school and professional stages are different. In what way did you notice the biggest difference?
First of all, the strength is different. At first, I just thought, ‘Wow, he’s really strong.’ The physical fight is the same, and the defense is tight. It was different in every way, including how organized we were when defending. (What about offense?) In high school, if one person got the ball, we often played 1-on-1, but in the pros, we often played 2-on-2. There are a lot of movements without the ball. The difference was that we moved organically as a team rather than playing separately.

This is my first time living in a dorm.
I was very worried because it was my first time doing everything. I thought, ‘Will I be able to handle it?’, but my sisters made me feel comfortable, so I adapted quickly. My roommate (Lee) Hye-ju also helped me a lot in adjusting.

Since I repeated my grade, I guess I’m friends with Lee Hye-joo. I also share a close relationship with Seong Hye-kyung, a classmate at Sunil Girls’ High School, in the professional world. Did you give each other some strength?
yes. Since we know each other best, we have a lot of willpower. By the time we finished adjusting, we said, “We’re holding up better than we thought” (laughter).

I heard that the pitching power is relatively short. When did you start playing basketball?
My older brother (Ahn Jeong-wook, Goyang Sono), who is three years older than me, was playing basketball first. At first, I had no interest in basketball, but I became interested in it after watching my mom and brother play. So she told her mom that I would also play basketball, but she was very much against it. (Why?) She said her mom also played sports until college. She said she didn’t want to do it because she knew it would be hard. She said it was harder than she thought.

So how did you get into basketball?
My mom and brother were both against it, so I decided against it, but by chance I took the test. Her older brother’s classmate’s younger sister was Jeong Ye-rim (Bucheon Hana One Q), and at that time, Ye-rim was playing basketball at Sungui Girls’ Middle School. Her older brother’s classmate’s father said, “How about her daughter take the (enlistment) test, too?” and said, “It’s a test, so let’s go,” so I went with her mom. She asked me to come the next day too, so I went, and it just became natural to her (laughs). She was in her second year of middle school at the time.

Did you transfer schools?
yes. I attended Taereung Middle School and then transferred to Sungui Girls’ Middle School in the summer of my second year of middle school. She was (how tall was she at the time?) She was about 173-4 cm.

After graduating from Sungui Girls’ Middle School, I went on to Seonil Girls’ High School. Let’s take a quick look back at our high school days.
I started playing basketball late, so I lacked a lot of basic skills. Coach Minhye Park, who was there when I was a freshman, recommended I repeat a grade. I also thought about the future, discussed with my family, and decided to repeat a grade. Since I didn’t go to school, my mornings were empty, and Coach Park Min-hye came out every day in the morning when there was no team training and taught me one-on-one. I learned the basics thoroughly, from hanging a screen to pivoting.

When you were in your third year, you were coached by coach Oh Chung-yeol, right?
yes. In fact, I had so-called low-quality physical strength until Coach Oh Chung-yeol came. If I played just a little bit, I got tired quickly. My physical strength, which I thought was at its limit, improved with the coach’s training (laughter). And thanks to my coach, I gained a lot of confidence. The coach said, “You’re good, why are you doing this? Don’t be nervous, have confidence.” I also saw my skills improving as I played more games. Coach Park Min-hye and Oh Chung-yeol are both people I am grateful to.

Please also introduce the strengths of Ahn Jung-hyeon.
I don’t think the mid-range jumper is bad. He’s looking closer to the 5 position right now, and he also has the advantage of being able to hit an outside shot. (So ​​he’s confident about his shooting overall?) That’s because he practices shooting a lot.스포츠토토

What are you trying to improve?
When I post up, pushing with force is still not enough. I feel like I have to face it in real life to improve, so I’m looking for ways to push myself effectively during practice. I’m also working harder on weight training. And when it comes to rotational defense, if even one player has a hole, it doesn’t work out as a whole. It seems better than before, but it’s still immature. I think we need to improve in defense as well.

If you had to pick one senior on the team you would like to emulate, who would it be?
(Kim) Minjeong. The movement is really nice when you watch it during the season or while exercising. I also want to learn how to be skilled in various situations.

The 2023-2024 season will begin soon. What do you want to show in the next season?
I’m going to focus on the basics first. If I get the chance to go on the court, I want to do the best I can to fulfill the role the coach wants me to play. ‘Get the rebound. I want to become a player who can be trusted by faithfully carrying out instructions such as ‘come back with good defense’.

I will support Ahn Jung-hyun. Lastly, a word of determination.
I plan to make up for the shortcomings in the remaining off-season and prepare for the Park Shin-ja Cup. I will become a player who can start with difficult tasks such as rebounding and bring vitality to the team.