Shin Seung-min struggled to keep Lee Jung-hyun at bay, but gave his all to help his team win.
Daegu KOGAS defeated Seoul Samsung 85-79 in their 2023-2024 regular season home game at Daegu Gymnasium on Saturday. It was a dramatic victory.
KOGAS trailed 59-70 with 1:17 left in the third quarter. After leading 47-46 at the start of the third quarter, GASCO was outscored 12-24 in less than nine minutes. The momentum seemed to have shifted to 스포츠토토 Samsung.
That’s when Kim Nak-hyun stepped in like a fixer. Kim sparked the comeback with two three-pointers at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. Andrew Nicholson and Samjosef Belangel joined in on the scoring to bring the score to 76-77, but Kim’s three-pointer turned the tide and sealed the game.
Despite not being a standout in the scoring column, Shin Seung-min also stood out on this day. While defending Samsung’s main shooter Lee Jung-hyun, he sometimes matched up with Ismael Lane in switch defense.
Kang Hyuk, the acting head coach of GASCO, said, “Shin Seung-min is very strong, so I decided to switch when Lane comes in. He has a backup, but his ankle is not good. I didn’t want to put too much physical pressure on him. “Recently, Shin Seung-min has allowed some goals, but he has also done a lot of good defense,” he said. “He has improved his defense from the outside. I want to keep asking him to do that, and I want him to feel it and learn and grow as a player, so I play a lot of outside players. He gave up 14 points to Lee Jung-hyun, but he defended well when it mattered,” he said of Shin Seung-min’s defense.
“In the beginning, we struggled because the defense we prepared didn’t work well, but at the end, after Kim Nak-hyun, Chabawi, and Nicholson took the center stage, the defense we prepared eventually worked and we were able to win the game,” said Shin Seung-min after the victory.
With the victory, GASCO enjoyed its seventh consecutive home win, the most since its inception.
“Thanks to the fans in Daegu, we are able to perform well at home,” said Shin Seung-min. “For the fans who came to see us, the players played with a different attitude of not losing in Daegu, which was a good driving force for the seven-game winning streak.”
Shin Seung-min met with the fans after the game. GASCO selects three players for each home game to meet with fans outside the gym, which usually takes about an hour.
“Our driving force is the Daegu fans,” said Shin. Through the fan meeting, we can take home a little more good energy. Anything is possible for the fans who come to the stadium,” he laughs, adding, “The three selected players greet the group and give a brief interview about the victory. After that, the main schedule is to take pictures, interact with the fans, and sign autographs. “Every time I go out, it’s different, but the most memorable thing is that I feel a little more connected and grateful to the people who hold my jersey.
When asked about blocking Lee Jung-hyun, Shin Seung-min said, “First of all, I think our captain and mental support, Bok-hyung, is amazing. In today’s (June 6) game, Lee Jung-hyun is the main scorer and a player who must be blocked. It’s an honor to block such a player, and I want to thank the coach for giving me the confidence to block such an important player.” “He trusted me and gave me tactical instructions to block Lee Jung-hyun. I tried my best to repay the trust, but it’s hard. He was a player of extremes. The fact that he utilizes a tactic that can stop a major player and at the same time stop a foreign player’s lane is something I can trust because he has faith in me. Apart from that, I still have a long way to go. There’s a lot to learn, a lot to improve on,” he said.
Shin Seung-min, who scored eight points in the first quarter before going scoreless in the second, said, “I feel like I’m still lacking in that area. It’s not that it’s easy to defend an ace, but I could have prepared for it or cleverly solved it without losing my balance because I lost my physical strength in that part, so I was a little disappointed in that part. So I need to develop slowly step by step and think more.”
GASCO will face Ulsan Hyundai Mobis on Aug. 8, a team they have yet to beat this season.
Shin Seung-min said, “We meet Hyundai Mobis at home. We are on a seven-game home winning streak. “If we can carry on the good momentum and show a little more determination at home, we will be able to play a good game,” said Shin. “If we play a good game and lead to a good result, we can reward our fans. Our players will do their best as if it’s their last game.”