Yang Jae-min (24, Sendai), who is already in his fourth year of Japanese professional basketball, had his own way of survival.온라인카지노
Yang Jae-min’s team, Sendai 89ers, defeated Gunma Crane Thunders 87-75 in the ‘4th round of the 2023-24 season Japanese professional basketball B-League regular league’ held at ‘Zevio Arena Sendai’ in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan on the 25th. Sendai posted 2 wins (5 losses) of the season.
‘Challenger’ Yang Jae-min is an enthusiast who went to Spain to study basketball since his school days. He took a leave of absence from Yonsei University and competed with American players for two years at Niosho County Community College in the National Junior College League (NCJAA). After failing to transfer to an NCAA Division 1 university due to the coronavirus, he chose a new challenge in Japanese professional basketball.
Yang Jae-min, who became the first Korean player to advance to the first division of the Japanese professional basketball league in 2020, is already in his fourth year this season. After his first two seasons at Shinshu, he moved to championship-winning side Utsunomiya Brex, where he received a lot of attention. However, he was pushed out of the competition for the starting role due to an injury in a club with many star players. In the end, Jaemin Yang transferred to Sendai, where he could get more opportunities.
Yang Jae-min solidified his position as a starter in Sendai’s first four games. But something unexpected happened. Jae-min Yang injured his right knee in the game against Osaka on the 15th when he was crushed by a falling foreign player. Afterwards, he missed two consecutive games against Chiba on the 21st and 22nd due to pain.
Yang Jae-min, who was unable to train with the team for 10 days due to a knee injury, returned in practice on the 25th. Jaemin Yang showed off his energy in offense and defense, scoring 6 points and recording 2 rebounds. His ability to block everyone from a 188cm point guard to a 208cm center was very impressive. Even on the bench, he led the mood with a ceremony that cheered up his teammates.
Jaemin Yang’s basketball life is a series of rough challenges, contrary to his handsome face. Why does he keep taking on challenges overseas? I flew all the way to Japan and met Jaemin Yang.
▲ Returned today after two games off. How is your knee?
There were doubts about whether I would be able to play before the game. This was my first time hurting my knee, so I wasn’t used to the pain. I wasn’t sure if I should push on. The team situation is not one where I can rest. The director told me to run as a test. He said the trainer wasn’t a big problem either. I said I would adjust the time and run, and if I was confident, I would run more in the next game and increase the time.
I played today, but I’m glad it didn’t hurt the team. I played for 10 days without any team practice. Fortunately, it is positive because it helped us win.
▲ Even though you only played for a short amount of time, your energy wasn’t bad when you were on the court.
When I played, the flow of the game changed late in the first quarter. Positive. That’s the style of play I can play. What I learned was to raise my energy level rather than trying to gather a lot of people (on defense) with technique. It’s an important role as a forward, so I always pay attention to it.
▲ From number 1 to number 4, it seems to be blocked in all weathers. So the director likes it?
I practiced my matchup with Rashawn Thomas at the 4 all summer. I learned a lot in the physical aspect. Even if I can’t block all foreign players, I will try to block player number 4 one-on-one. The coach also trusts me and doesn’t use help defense. Rashawn did not play during the game due to a strained hamstring. So I jumped at number 4. There were no matchup holes. I also made a lot of misses.
▲ Even if you are not running, you are full of energy on the bench?
That part is important. Even without playing time, there are 12 players on the team. 1 minute is precious. Athletes also train hard to obtain it. Of course, I didn’t want to get hurt, but I couldn’t participate in training due to rehabilitation. I played right away without even training. I played 9 minutes today, but I didn’t think about my playing time and just wanted the team to win. I tried to do a lot of talking on the bench.
▲What are the advantages of living in Sendai?
Since I am from Seoul, I feel very lonely when I go to the countryside. There is nothing to do. When you come to Japan, once you get out of the big cities, it really feels like the countryside you see in cartoons. When I first came (to Shinshu), it was very difficult. On my day off after training, I became lethargic.
Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region. There is also a subway station right in front of the accommodation. The city is just four stops away. The buildings are tall and there are many shopping malls. Even going out for coffee alone on a day off can change your mood. All the players have wives, so they play alone. Rashawn takes care of me a lot. There are many good feelings about Korea among the players. I also like Korean culture.
▲ When I came to the Sendai team in person, the passion for basketball was amazing. Today is a weekday in Gyeonggi Province and they say 4,000 seats are sold out?
Quite a few young women come. Even when I went to Sendai for an away game with another team, I thought it was cool even though the stadium was small. For weekend games, (flexible) seats are made larger. Even on weekdays, it is packed with 4,000 people.