Under the guidance of a 'legendary shooter' head coach, Lee Yong-woo explodes: "The reason my shots are falling in much more easily is..." [Busan on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Yong-woo (27, Wonju DB), who has shown explosive power since the start of this season, emerged as the key figure in defeating Busan KCC, leading his team to a road victory. This was the result of him responding with reliable shooting touch and defensive focus to the head coach's unwavering trust and detailed one-on-one lessons that began during the offseason.

DB defeated Busan KCC 85-79 in an away game of the 2026~2027 KCC Pro Basketball regular season held at the Busan Sajik Indoor Gymnasium at 2 p.m. on the 10th. With this win, DB improved to a 2-1 record for the season, laying the groundwork for a climb up the standings.

Lee Yong-woo's performance, coming off the bench, was decisive. He scored 12 points, including four three-pointers that split the rim at crucial moments, injecting vitality into the team's offense. In particular, he fired off a series of high-value scores: a three-pointer to signal the first-quarter comeback, a fast-break three-pointer to widen the gap in the second quarter, and a dagger perimeter shot to fend off KCC's close pursuit late in the third quarter.

Earlier, at the official post-game press conference, head coach Lee Gyu-seop had shown special trust in Lee Yong-woo. "Shooting is proportional to confidence and practice volume. Lee Yong-woo is a player who can fully fulfill his role within the system on defense as well," said Lee Gyu-seop. "We even have dedicated set plays that we run specifically when Lee Yong-woo is on the court. It seems he has gained a lot of confidence himself," the coach added, sparing no praise.

The clear growth trend is also evident in the statistics. In his professional career spanning 145 games, Lee Yong-woo averaged just 3.8 points with a 32.3% three-point shooting percentage (averaging 0.8 made). However, this season, he has posted astonishing figures in the first three games: an average of 9.7 points, three made three-pointers, and a 47.4% three-point shooting percentage. Although the sample size is small given it is early in the season, he has proven that his destructive power and presence as a perimeter shooter have risen sharply.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Lee Yong-woo said, "It is my first time receiving this much attention since my professional debut and facing the season as a key pillar of the team starting from the offseason. It feels strange, but I was also quite worried." He continued, "There were a couple of shots that could have gone in, which was disappointing, but on defense, I ran desperately to make up for the missed shots. I focused on not giving outstanding guards like Heo Woong and Heo Hoon as many points as possible."

Behind Lee Yong-woo's ability to maintain his explosive shooting touch was the tailored guidance of head coach Lee Gyu-seop, a former legendary shooter. "I had a tendency to stand too upright when I shot," Lee Yong-woo explained. "During practice, Coach Lee told me, 'Lower your knees a bit more and find your balance; that way, even when things get tough, your shooting range won't shorten and you can maintain your rhythm.' He corrected my form. By lowering my lower body and paying attention to balance, my shots have become much more stable."

Lee Yong-woo's role was solid even in situations where two foreign players were on the court simultaneously. "The coach instructs me to always run quickly to the corner when a rebound comes up," he said. "The other players are so good at pushing the ball out that if I just maintain good corner spacing, the passes come in perfectly." He emphasized, "When a perimeter opportunity arises, shooting without hesitation is my biggest duty."

He added, "Going into this season, the team received many evaluations as championship contenders, but inside the player group, we did not dwell on it much. Since the schedule involved facing strong teams consecutively from the first game, the atmosphere was about focusing on every single game." He concluded with his resolve: "Based on the good shooting touch I developed during the offseason, I want to be a help to the team until the end without causing any trouble."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original