Bass’ passing ability is what makes him special.
Suwon KT won 91-69 against Daegu KOGAS in the regular season of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association at the Suwon KT Arena on Nov. 9. The win was KT’s third consecutive victory.
KT missed the playoffs last season. As a result, they substituted two foreign players at the same time. They chose Ferris Bass (199 cm, F), who can play inside or outside, as the first option, and Michael Eric (211 cm, C) as the second option. They also added Sung-gon Moon (196 cm, F) via free agency.
The start of the season was a bit shaky. They won a close game against Changwon LG in their opening game. However, they then lost three straight games. The biggest problem was scoring. They averaged 73.5 points in their first four games. This was the lowest in the league.
However, the next two games were a different story. They turned things around by beating the Seoul Samsung and Goyang Sono. In those two wins, they averaged 95.5 points. KT’s winning streak was fueled by its hot offense.
Ahead of the game against KOGAS, KT head coach Song Young-jin said, “The players who were not confident in recent days have gained confidence. They were looking for the basket too much, but now they seem to have relaxed,” he said about the change in offense.
Looking for their third straight win, KT scored 23 points in the first quarter. Bass and Ha Yoon-ki (204 cm, C) were at the center of it. Bass scored eight points alone. He scored inside and out. He didn’t just score for himself. He found open teammates. He pulled out highlight reels of Ha Yoon-ki’s cut-in and Han Hee-won’s fast break scores. As a result, he dished out four assists.
With Bass’s influence, it was easy for Ha to score, and she made all four of her shots in the first quarter. He scored 11 points alone. It was definitely a different offense for KT.
The problem came at the beginning of the second quarter. When Bass went to the bench and Eric took the court, KT’s offense stalled. KT went scoreless for 3 minutes and 15 seconds without Bass. On the contrary, they struggled with KOGAS’ quick feet and lost the lead.
In response, Bass returned to the court. His accuracy wasn’t great, though. Only two of her six shots hit the rim. However, he was able to read his teammates’ movements and deliver passes, especially to help Shaun Dave Ildefonso (188 cm, G) score back-to-back baskets. Nevertheless, KT’s offense was not unleashed and ended the first quarter with a 35-40 lead.
KT only scored a total of 12 points in the second quarter. In particular, Bass’ two points in the first five minutes of the quarter were all they could muster. 보스토토 도메인
KT needed to score to turn the game around, and it was Jung Sung-woo (178 cm, G) who energized the team. He scored on the break and hit three-pointers. He scored 13 points in the third quarter alone.
And Bass helped him score. Bass also had 11 points and two assists in the third quarter. With their combined efforts, KT managed to turn the tide. They extended their lead. They went on a 27-6 run midway through the third quarter.
Bass continued to show his versatility on the court.