*This content was translated by AI.
The South Korean national basketball team was disappointed by losing both games since Nicolás Majuls (Latvia), but the discovery of Eddie Daniel (19), the youngest born in 2007, was the biggest harvest in the series.
South Korea lost 72-78 away to Japan in the fourth Group B match of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifying round at Santori Arena in Okinawa on the 1st. Under Marjules, the team lost all two games following the match against Taiwan. As a result, South Korea was on the verge of elimination from the preliminary round with two wins and two losses, and Japan took the lead in Group B with three wins and one loss.
The men's basketball team, which appointed its first-ever foreign head coach, lost a painful upset against Japan on March 1 following the match against Taiwan, turning a red light on its advance to the World Cup finals.
South Korea struggled on the day with 28 points, 11 rebounds and a double-double, but failed to prevent the firepower of Japanese naturalized player Hawkinson (24 points) and Watanabe (15 points), who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Despite the defeat, the best harvest was the strong performance of Daniel, a promising player born in 2007. It was Daniel who was in charge of Korea's energy level on this day. Daniel played 18 minutes and 55 seconds on the court, scoring four points, two steals and one block, including two offensive rebounds.
Daniel showed off his presence beyond the figures on the record. In particular, Daniel's performance in the third quarter completely changed the atmosphere of the game. In addition to making a block shot to block the opponent's layup, he even induced the error of Joshua Hawkinson, a naturalized Japanese player, with an active pressure defense. Japan committed as many as eight turnovers in the third quarter alone, swayed by Daniel's energy, and South Korea succeeded in reversing 49-47 to gain momentum.
According to the Korea Basketball Association, Daniel said after the game, "I played well with my brothers until the end, but I'm very sorry that I lost as a result," adding, "It was a valuable experience for me personally to play such an important game." There was also a special order from Marjules, he said.
In addition, Daniel said, "If I enter the court on behalf of Ahn Young-joon, the coach will take over Utah Watanabe." In line with that, I watched a lot of Watanabe's plays and prepared for the Korea-Japan match," he added.
It is rumored that he even heard compliments from his colleagues. Daniel said, "I wasn't very conscious during the game, but after the game, my brothers told me that the third quarter play helped me a lot. "I was grateful for saying that I did well in a situation where the game could have been more difficult," he said. "I'm trying to do my best to play well."
However, he also showed responsibility, saying, "It is the most regrettable that Lee Hyun-joong missed his pass in the fourth quarter of the game and allowed a decisive three-point shot by being caught on the opponent's screen in a defensive situation."
He also did not forget his gratitude to his fans. Daniel said, "I sincerely thank the fans who came all the way and the fans who supported me in Korea. I wanted to repay you with a victory, but I'm sorry I couldn't. I will prepare hard again and repay you with good performance and victory," he said.
Danielle, who has a Korean mother and an English father, is a big prospect who has already been proven on the domestic stage. After winning the "2024 Futures Star Awards" in the basketball category, he won the grand prize in the "2025 Futures Star Awards" and was recognized for his unrivaled potential. In the last match against Taiwan, which was the first call-up for the adult national team, he also scored two points and six rebounds (three offensive rebounds), impressing with his extraordinary activity.
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*This content was translated by AI.
