Day One star Lee Jung-hyun speaks out about his team’s situation.
Yonsei alumnus Lee Jung-hyun attended the 2023 KUSF University Basketball U-League game between Korea University and Yonsei University at Hwajung Gymnasium on the 25th. The game ended in a 62-45 victory for Korea University.
“I rested very well,” said Lee, who visited KU along with Yonsei alumni Shin Dong-hyuk and Shin Seung-min. I also started weight training, and I’m building my body to play injury-free next season.”
In his second year last season, Lee made remarkable progress under the rigorous guidance of coach Kim Seung-ki. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals in 52 regular season games with 34 minutes and 2 seconds on the court, and was even more impressive in the PO with 20.1 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals in nine games.
Thanks to Lee’s performance, Carot (now Day One) entered the POs in fifth place in the regular season and defeated Hyundai Mobis in the best-of-six POs. Although they lost to the overall winners KGC in the quarterfinals, Lee and Carot’s performance was enough to draw admiration from many.
“Last season, we had a lot of ups and downs. It was my first season with the coach and I think it was a learning phase. We did well compared to our expectations, so this year we want to improve even more and reach a higher place.” 메이저사이트
Meanwhile, contrary to Lee’s wishes, Day One has been plagued by financial difficulties. The relocation issue and the new parent company contract have yet to be finalized, and the players’ salaries continue to fall behind.
“There was never any difficulty or agitation during the season about the parent organization’s funding issues,” says Lee. Nowadays, it’s still being talked about, but I don’t think it’s my problem. I’m a professional athlete and I plan to prepare for next season no matter what happens to the team. I’m just going to focus on what I need to do as a player,” he said.
“I’m just hoping that my teammates and I will be given the opportunity to go to even greater heights, as we’ve worked through the tough parts of last season and improved. I haven’t heard anything about the team’s future, so I’m not sure, but if I had one wish, it would be to stay in Goyang, my first professional home, for a longer period of time,” he said, expressing his affection for the Goyang Gymnasium.
As he continues to grow from a ‘super rookie’ to a league-leading guard, we’ll see if he can fulfill his wish and share the court with his Day One teammates at Goyang Gymnasium.