Park Jin-young (178cm, F) looked back on his debut season.
Park Jin-young made her WKBL debut through her last 2022-2023 WKBL rookie selection meeting. She has struggled with injuries since the beginning of the season though. After that she went back to her coat and went through her acclimatization period. She didn’t stand out, but as time went on, she adjusted to the team and raised her expectations. In 14 appearances, she averaged 6.2 minutes, 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds.
Park Jin-young, who made her debut season, said, “I debuted in the second place in the first round. As she is a high-ranking player, she wanted to show a good performance, but she couldn’t play much due to an injury. It’s her first season, and it’s a pity that she didn’t have much experience in the game,” she said, looking back at her debut season.
When she asked Park Jin-young about her feelings after her injury, she said, “Her right ankle was originally bad. In his debut game, he scored his debut goal and focused on defense and rebounding. Then, after jumping, there was a crunching sound when landing. He knew his body was weird, but he wanted to run so badly that he tried to run. But that didn’t work. To be honest, it was very difficult at the time. It’s because I was on the bench while other peers are growing up with a lot of opportunities. While watching that, I prepared more with gnashing of teeth.”
“My ankle has improved a lot now. It’s not 100%, but it’s 60-70%. I think it will get better in the future,” she said along with her physical condition.
Park Jin-young, who experienced the professional stage, clearly felt the physical difference. Park Jin-young said, “In high school, I was tall and had a good physique. So anything I wanted to do was possible. However, the professional physique itself was different. The fight was so hard. When defending, it was difficult to cope with the screen because it was pushed back in a physical fight. She also had a hard time attacking,” she said, emphasizing her physicality.
Then, she said, “I was pushed a lot even in the number fight. In fact, in high school, I won even if I didn’t do well in number fights. (Laughs) But the pros were different. Everyone was skilled. And there is an organized movement. In order to overcome that, a number of fights were also necessary,” she said, sharing the importance of number of fights.
Although she didn’t play much in her debut season, her role as Park Jin-young in the next season will be bigger. The reason is that Kim Ye-jin (175cm, F) and Kim Ji-young (170cm, G) left the team. Recognizing this, Park Jin-young said, “The older sisters who go out as the main players in her team are fixed. However, she thinks that the sixth man position has been settled. She has two older sisters who are particularly good at defending. I want to fill that spot. I want to focus on the dirty work and the rebound. Right now, the defense is lacking a lot. However, I want to improve the defense more through the off-season. Then I think you will get more opportunities,” she said.
She continued, “Through this off-season, I have to develop my physicality and speed as well. Skills should also be learned from her older sisters. Shooting also needs to grow. There is so much to do. (Laughter) That way, she can run more,” she said of her off-season plans.
Afterward,스포츠토토 when asked about his resolution, Park Jin-young said, “I want to be number one among my peers. Among them, Kiana, who was ranked #1 in the same draft, is of particular interest to me. She wanted to try one more time, but she couldn’t because she didn’t fit. “This time, she wants to stick around,” she replied.
Finally, she said, “She has to surpass her peers so she can surpass her older sisters. Later on, I want to surpass (Kim) Danbi unnie too. Danbi unnie is my role model. I want to become a big player like that and stop her sister. She concluded her interview by stating her goal, “that is her end goal.”