The professional basketball Wonju DB won its seventh regular league championship. 안전놀이터
DB, led by head coach Kim Joo-sung, defeated Suwon KT 107-103 at a regular season home game of the 2023-24 season held at Wonju Gymnasium in Gangwon Province on Wednesday after overtime play. DB, which has won seven consecutive games, recorded 38 wins and 10 losses to confirm its regular season title early on. With six more games to go, DB has a 7.5 game gap with second-ranked Changwon LG (30 wins and 17 losses).
With the victory, DB won its seventh regular league title in four years since the 2019-20 season. DB also secured its fourth wire-to-wire win in the KBL with a perfect race that never yielded the lead throughout this season. Kim became the sixth KBL coach to lead his team to the top of the regular league in his debut season.
“I'm very happy. I was nervous, but the players did their best until the end, so I won the championship,” Kim Joo-sung said after the victory. “I'm not a good coach, but I'm grateful that the players played the season well so that I could learn well.” Kim won the title as a player in the Dongbu (currently DB) in the 2011-12 season, and 12 years later, he lifted the trophy as a manager of the DB this season.
“When I was a player, I jumped up and down, but I couldn't do that as a coach. If I win the combined championship, I will go first,” Kim said. “When I was at Dongbu Mountain Fortress, I used to play defensive basketball, but I don't think I can beat my team's players to the 80-point level,” he said. “I think we have a stronger DB for this season.” Kim, who won a wire-to-wire championship throughout the season with his perfect race that never lost his first place, cited Kang as his top contributor.
“As a mid-aged player, I think he led others and juniors well,” Kim said. “I am very proud that he has displayed all the skills that he originally possessed.” Kim also expressed his ambition to win the overall title. If DB becomes champion, it will be at the top in 16 years. “I came all the way here thinking it was a crisis,” Kim said. “No team has won easily. I don't know which team will come to the playoffs as the competition for the ranking is in the fog, but I will be fully prepared. I will watch the remaining games carefully.”
