Nagoya: South Korea head coach Park Soo-ho stated that his women's national basketball team remains in good shape for the Asian Games in Japan, despite the absence of two of its biggest stars. Park's comments came after South Korea's dominant 106-40 victory over Malaysia in Group C play at Aichi International Arena.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean team traveled with 11 players, one less than the maximum allowed, due to star center Park Ji-su being sidelined by an ankle injury. The Korea Basketball Association had hoped for her recovery in time for the games but opted not to name a replacement when it became clear she would not be fit to play. Additionally, Park Ji-hyun, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, was unavailable due to her commitments with her professional team.
Coach Park expressed confidence in the team's ability to perform without these key players, citing ample game experience and practice in their absence. "Of course, they could have really helped us here," Park acknowledged. "But during our preparations for the Asian Games, we made sure we would not be too reliant on any particular player. We have trained and played without Ji-su and Ji-hyun, and I think the remaining players did a great job today without being affected too much by these absences."
During Friday's game, South Korea initially struggled, missing their first nine field goal attempts. Malaysia briefly led 8-6, but momentum shifted when Choi I-saem made a three-pointer off the bench, followed by Hong Yu-sun's steal and layup. Coach Park attributed the slow start to jet lag, as the players had only recently returned from the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Germany and faced an early 10 a.m. tipoff.
"The players looked sluggish out of the gate, and we often struggle in the first game of a tournament anyway," Park noted. "The focus for this game was to help the players get back into form. I think we got better as the game progressed."