"Have I ever shouted this much before..." Samsung secures opening game victory for the first time in four seasons; Coach Kim Sang-sik aims to escape last place [Suwon on-site report]

*This content was translated by AI.

By securing a much-needed opening game victory, they succeeded in laying the groundwork for a turnaround. New Seoul Samsung head coach Kim Sang-sik praised his players' fighting spirit and team unity while not forgetting to address the need to improve their rebounding disadvantage.

Samsung secured a satisfying first win by defeating Suwon KT on the road in the 2026-2027 KCC Pro Basketball regular season opener held at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena on the 4th.

This marks Samsung's first opening game victory in four seasons. In a post-game press conference, Coach Kim Sang-sik said, "It was truly a tough game. I raised my voice to encourage the players, and I wonder if I have ever shouted this much recently," adding with a smile, "I anticipated it would be a difficult match, but I want to tell the players who secured our first win of the season that they did an excellent job."

Despite achieving the valuable result of an opening game victory after a long time, he remained composed. Coach Kim stated, "While we feel good now, even more difficult games are lined up ahead. We will prepare well and strive to handle the next game successfully," and continued, "As you can see, we were out-rebounded significantly today. This has been a point of criticism since our off-season training camp, and it is an area that must definitely be addressed."

He gave a passing grade to the foreign player duo of Kerem Kanter and Chris McCollum, which had raised concerns before the game. Coach Kim said, "Chris's first shot going in cleanly was crucial to the overall flow of the game," adding, "Kanter is a player who performed exceptionally well last season as well. If Chris shows the same level of aggressiveness as he did today, we could not ask for more. Upon checking after the game, I saw that they combined for 49 points. They fulfilled their roles perfectly."

He also analyzed the success factors behind the defensive tactics employed against KT ace Paris Bass, who scored 35 points. Coach Kim noted, "Although the final score shows we allowed Bass to score 35 points, we tried to make him as tired and uncomfortable as possible on the court," explaining, "It seemed like Bass developed a competitive streak and tried to force solutions on his own. As a result, KT's domestic players had low scoring output, and our strategy of rotating players to harass Bass in matchups proved effective."

Finally, Coach Kim re-emphasized teamwork as the core keyword for improving the team's fundamental nature. He stated firmly, "Teamwork and mental strength are absolutely essential for the current Samsung," adding, "I am emphasizing that everyone on the court must come together as one and play unitedly."

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*This content was translated by AI.