The first half of the “2023-2024 Jeonggwanjang Professional Basketball” held by the Samsung Lions was a series of challenging days. The team had only five wins 25 losses in 30 games in the first half, ranking the lowest 10th. Even after the resignation of former coach Eun Hee-seok, concerns grew as a result of unfavorable factors such as injury to foreign player Kofi Coburn and center Lee Won-seok.

One of the hope factors that can change the mood is the emergence of a new face. This is why acting Samsung coach Kim Hyo-beom is paying attention to rookie guard Cho Joon-hee 187 centimeters.

After taking a leave of absence from Cerritos University in the U.S., Cho participated in the 2023-2024 season rookie draft as an ordinary person and was nominated by Samsung as fourth in the first round. Samsung boldly chose Cho after paying attention to his excellent physical conditions, athletic sense and speed. 배트맨토토

Cho has played an average of 10 minutes and 52 seconds in seven games this season, recording five points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.1 assists. In the first three games, Cho scored more than 10 points twice, making a surprise performance. However, he was unable to play on the court for two months due to his left ankle injury. In the last two games of the first half, he played an average of 4 minutes and 7 seconds to get a sense of actual performance.

Acting President Kim expects Cho Joon-hee to be the vitality of the team in the second half of the year. He said, “Cho Jun-hee worked out really hard. His muscle strength has also improved. He is a very athletic player. I come to the gym every day and he keeps asking me to practice. If I do it, I think I will work out until dawn.”

Cho also showed off her talent at the KBL All-Star Game Dunk Contest held at Sono Arena in Goyang on Sunday. She failed to advance to the final round, but showed off her extraordinary resilience. “Our task is to study how to inject an understated framework while maintaining Cho’s wild horse-like nature,” Kim said. “I have high expectations, especially in terms of defense.”

“When Coburn and Lee Won-seok return, they will have more leeway in managing the entry,” a club official said, adding, “I hope Cho Jun-hee does well as he has been training sincerely. I hope he will be told that he is good at basketball.”