Park Ji-hoon, the head coach of the professional basketball team Anyang Jungkwan, says Daryl Monroe and Duvan Maxwell are playing just as well as Seoul Samsung’s “monster center” Kofi Coburn, despite their underperformance.
The Jungkwanjang defeated the Samsung 81-63 on Thursday in an away game of the 2023-2024 Jungkwanjang Professional Basketball League regular season at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul.토토사이트
Coburn, a 210-centimeter center, led the way with 32 points and 18 rebounds, but he was unable to overcome the barrier set by Park Ji-hoon (16 points), Choi Sung-won (12 points), and Lee Jong-hyun (11 points).
Jung’s foreign player Monroe was limited to seven points and three rebounds on the night. Maxwell had nine points and three rebounds.
The two combined for 16 points and six rebounds, less than half of Coburn’s total.
However, Park emphasized to the media after the game that you can’t put a price on the “behind-the-scenes work” of the two players.
“Their individual records may be down, but the contributions they make to the team are huge,” Park said. “Their defense and communication (with domestic players) are really good. I don’t think they are inferior to (Coburn) at all.”
In fact, this season, Monroe hasn’t just been focused on her individual offense, she’s also been involved in the overall game plan.
While his assists don’t count because they aren’t the final pass that leads to a score, he focuses on picking up the ball at the top of the key, choosing the direction of the offense, and opening up the “path” through screens for guards like Park Ji-hoon and Choi Sung-won to focus on the offense.
“In this aspect, we are a team,” Park said. “As a team, we won,” Park said, “and we will continue to play like this as a team, so I don’t really care about (the record).
Park pointed out that the team’s recent five-game winning streak, which moved them into sole possession of second place in the standings (7-3), has created a sense of “solidity” within the team.
“We’re all communicating together now. We’re all saying, ‘Let’s do this,’” he said, adding, “Coach (Kim Sang-sik) creates a comfortable atmosphere. Thanks to him, we communicate comfortably, and I think that’s why it’s working out so well.”
The atmosphere is also one of the reasons why the team is winning despite the departure of big forwards Yang Hee-jong (retired), Oh Se-geun (SK), and Moon Sung-gon (KT), who have all supported the team in recent years.
“With Heejong’s departure, I thought there was a big leadership gap, but captain Jung Jun-won and Monroe are doing a good job,” Park said. “The whole team has a lot of willpower. I want to say thank you to all of them.”