SK re-contracted with Warney and Williams.
Seoul SK failed to win last season, but became a ‘beautiful loser’ with tremendous performance. The reason why this achievement received more attention is that it was achieved despite the frequent injuries of the players. From the beginning of the season, SK Choi Jun-yong (200cm, F), the key player in running basketball, was absent due to injury. Although he was sluggish at the beginning, feeling Choi Jun-yong’s absence, he showed a different appearance in the second half of the season.메이저놀이터
In particular, SK took second place in the EASL despite Choi Jun-yong’s absence in the second half of the season, and finished the regular season in a good mood by recording all victories in round 6. SK, which stayed in the mid-table, made a huge sensation in the second half of the season and took 4th place. Even though the ranking was 4th, it was SK that surpassed the 2nd place.
And the players who played the biggest role in this process were Kim Seon-hyung (187cm, G) and Jamil Warney (200cm, C). Both players were recognized for their performance and were awarded the regular season domestic player MVP and regular season foreign player MVP.
In particular, because of Warney’s tremendous performance, even the saying, ‘How are you going to stop Warney?’ Warney performed like a monster, averaging 24.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the regular season.
Warney’s performance continued in the playoffs. Warney averaged 23.5 points and 11.8 points in the playoffs and 19.9 points and 11.6 rebounds in the championship game. Thanks to Warney’s performance, SK defeated Jeonju KCC and Changwon LG, and was on par with Anyang KGC, the best team in the league.
If Warney shone splendidly, Leon Williams (198cm, C) silently played his part. He didn’t get a lot of playing time, but he helped his team by playing sparingly every time he came out. Off the court, he communicated frequently with his teammates and Warney, showing a veteran look. The weight of Williams in SK’s propaganda was not insignificant.
That’s why SK coach Jeon Hee-cheol said in a phone call with this magazine, “Warney and Williams contracts are natural. He never thought of anyone other than the two players. (Laughter) They are so great players.”
He continued, “Williams is a veteran and keeps the team centered. He harasses opponents with his sticky appearance. At the same time, even if he runs every minute and every second, he does his best and is helpful to the team. that’s the pro mind That’s something every player should learn. He leads the team atmosphere and fully understands the team culture. At the same time, it shows familyship. That’s a much better effect than scoring a goal in a game,” he said, praising Williams.
He continued, “But I don’t think Williams is very bad in terms of basketball. We showed enough in EASL. However, Williams needs to get a lot of playing time to show his strength, but he is not able to do that because he has Warney on the team. Thank you so much for that part. He has the ability, but he is one of the few players who can give up his playing time for the team. To be honest, Williams is not an S-class as a 2-option foreign player. But he seems to be A-class. When he brings in another player, there’s no guarantee he’ll be better than Williams.”
Regarding Warney afterwards, “Warney is the best player in the league, needless to say. It’s really hard to stop Warnie. I’m glad you’re part of our team. (Laughter) Warney has been on our team for a long time and is a player who clearly understands the team system and culture. Warney will play the same role this season. He is so versatile that he will change his usage slightly to suit the opposing team, but there will be no change in the big picture,” he said.
SK has a definite big man named Warney. In addition, he joined Oh Se-geun (200cm, C) to form the best big man team in the league. Regarding this, Jeon said, “(Oh) Se-geun has a really good grip on the inside. That said, he can’t order a lot of 3-pointers from Warney. Warney is option 1 and will fit Warney. Se-geun is a very smart player, so he will adapt quickly.” He also talked about the coexistence of Warney and Oh Se-geun.
SK had a busy offseason this season. Although Choi Jun-yong and Choi Seong-won (184cm, G) were sent away, they recruited Oh Se-geun and formed a Kim Seon-hyung-Oh Se-geun combination. In addition, he signed a new contract with Warney, the best player in the league, and even caught Williams, who silently played his role behind the scenes. This is why SK’s next season is expected.