"We're predicted to finish last? We'll turn that around," "We'll show dominant basketball"... New season of women's basketball kicks off with bold declarations [On the scene at Yeongdong-daero]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"I've heard we're being predicted to finish last. I'm really not happy about it. We will definitely turn that prediction around."

As the head coaches and representative players of the six WKBL teams threw down fierce challenges ahead of the new season's opening, Yongin Samsung Life, designated as a "bottom-tier candidate," signaled a strong rebellion.

The WKBL (Korea Women's Basketball League) held the KB Star Banking 2026-2027 Women's Professional Basketball League opening media day at 3 p.m. on the 27th in the Versailles Hall on the third floor of Hotel Libera Cheongdam in Yeongdong-daero, Seoul.

At the media day, the results of a season prediction survey became the main topic. In voting by fans, players, and media, "defending champions" Cheongju KB Stars and Asan Woori Bank, which started anew with "Jeonju Won," formed a two-horse race structure, while Samsung Life was named last place in all three groups' predictions for the top four playoff spots.

In response, Samsung Life declared a head-on breakthrough by setting "Overturning the Prediction" as its season challenge. Head coach Ha Sang-yoon emphasized, "It is true that our strength has weakened with the retirement of veteran players, and I am also worried," but added, "However, our team is the youngest in the league. We will collide strongly and show energy and speed."

Samsung Life, which was also rated as a weak team last season, finished third in the regular season. Head coach Ha stated his resolve: "I've heard we're being predicted to finish last, but honestly, I'm really not happy about it. We didn't receive good evaluations last season either, but we ultimately rose to third place. If we trust our players and fight until the end, we will achieve good results."

Head coach Kim Wan-su of KB Stars, which shone with a unified championship last season, presented "KB's unique color" as his keyword. Head coach Kim expressed confidence: "We will show dominant basketball that dyes the court yellow, our team color, by leading with strong offense and defense. We will raise our energy strongly from the start of the season to seize the initiative."

Head coach Won of Woori Bank Jeonju, taking his first step as a head coach, touted "Our team's W emoji." Head coach Won said, "It is a meme brought by Kim Dan-bi and Kang I-seul," adding, "The 'W' contains both the meaning of Win and Woori Bank. As it is my first year as head coach and the first season with Kang I-seul newly joining, generating new synergy is most important. It is a process of adjusting with existing players, but we will gradually increase our level of completion."

Head coach Lee Sang-beom of Bucheon Hana Bank threw out "Let's keep it simple" as a topic, saying, "We will play strong press basketball like last season. Basketball has no end if you think about it too complicatedly. We will play as simply as possible and show fans an interesting season and interesting basketball."

Head coach Park Jeong-eun of Busan BNK Sum promised a "stronger, faster, and tougher Sum." Head coach Park raised her voice: "We have put a lot of effort into strengthening team cohesion and player growth. We will operate a wide rotation to maintain fast speed and energy in every game. We will play tough basketball that does not waver even in crisis."

Head coach Choi Yoon-a of Incheon Shinhan Bank declared, "We steal, we run, and we win until the end," stating her resolve: "Since last season's results were disappointing, we prepared for the season with a desperate heart. We will constantly steal and run in both offense and defense to fight our way up to the top."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original