“I’m not interested in personal records. I’ll just focus on the team winning.”

Kang Sang-jae, the new captain of Wonju DB in professional basketball, met with a reporter during off-season training in Japan on the 13th and said, “I have a great responsibility because Kim Joo-sung was given the first captain position.”

All-weather forward Kang Sang-jae, who made his professional debut in the Incheon Electronic Land uniform in 2016, joined DB in December 2021. It is ahead of his discharge. It was traded to DB from Daegu Korea Gas Corporation, which changed its signboard at E-Land. And in less than two years he captained. This shows the trust of head coach Kim Joo-sung, who is in his first season as an official head coach, and the trust of his fellow seniors and juniors.

Kang Sang-jae was very active in the mid-to-late last season when Kim was acting coach, contributing greatly to continuing the spark of advancing to the semi-final playoffs, although DB was finally frustrated until the end. Despite a series of injuries, he produced a career-high season as good as the 2018-19 season when he was in E-Land.

At the time, head coach Kim praised Kang Sang-jae, saying, “He is a player who plays a role of a middle leg that is essential for the team,” adding, “He can play as a guard and has a good defense.” Even during this off-season training, head coach Kim was pleased, saying, “He is playing a better role as a leader than I thought.”

The 2023-24 season is a very important season for both team and individual Kang Sang-jae. DB has not experienced the semi-final playoffs since the 2017-18 season. In the 2019-20 season, which ended early due to COVID-19, he was tied for first place in the regular season, but the playoffs were not held at that time. It’s time for a rebound. Kang Sang-jae will be eligible for his first free agent (FA) after this season.

Kang Sang-jae said, “Because I had an injury last season, my personal biggest goal of the new season is to play all 54 games healthy,” adding, “It’s a very important season because the team hasn’t played in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and it’s true that I’m burdened with a big role as a captain.” “If I overcome such pressure well, I think there will be a good situation after the season,” he said.

Kang Sang-jae, who is about to have a special season, recently lost 97 to 8 kilograms of weight from 105 to 6 kilograms by focusing on building his body. Body fat has also decreased from 16 percent to around 10 percent. It’s to have a perfect season.

Kang Sang-jae, who was the first captain after graduating from high school, said, “The coach always says this, but no matter how well an individual does, it is meaningless if the team loses,” adding, “I will do my best to boost the team atmosphere, take the lead, and lead the team well.”

DB, which has been troubled by foreign player problems in recent seasons, gained a lot of attention by recruiting “proven resource” Didrick Lawson, who was active in Goyang Carrot last season. Kang Sang-jae said, “I did a couple of matchups last season, and I have a lot of expectations because I’m a very smart and good player that doesn’t have much to say in terms of basketball,” adding, “It’s been about a week since I trained together, and my personality is so good that I’m converging quickly with the team.”

Seoul SK and Busan KCC are considered two strong players in the new season, but Kang Sang-jae was confident that DB is no less powerful. “What (Park) Chan-hee sometimes says is that in terms of our team’s individual aspects, it’s a strength that never falls behind SK and KCC,” he said. “The top priority is to go to the semifinals, and once we reach the semifinals, it’s worth doing enough.” “I think I’ll be the only one who needs to do well,” he said. 토토사이트