‘Harlem basketball’ of memories, Williams becomes Orion’s dilemma [MD포커스]

[마이데일리 = 잠실학생체 최창환 기자] It’s been a long time. Director Eul-jun Kang used the expression’Harlem Basketball’. That means that the performance of the substitute foreign player Devin Williams (27, 202cm) did not meet expectations. Every dilemma faced in front of Goyang Orion, a strong player in the playoffs.

Coach Eul-joon Kang expressed regret for Williams’ performance ahead of the 2020-2021 Hyundai Mobis professional basketball regular league away game against Seoul SK on the 4th. He seemed to have a lot of worries as his grip at the base of the bone was below expectations.

Orion had a match last January replacing Jeff Withy with Williams. While Widi’s height (213cm) and defensive power are helpful factors for the team’s abilities, Widi’s attack finishing ability is less competitive. In the end, Orion decided to sign Williams, deciding that he needed a big man who would build his goals in a more stable manner.

Williams, who was chosen by Orion, gave expectations by writing the first double double in the second match after joining, but after that, the performance fell short of expectations. The three-point shot, which seemed to be a delicacy, was unreasonably attempted and the offensive power was also great. It was a homework that Orion couldn’t solve during the A match break.

Coach Eul-joon Kang said before the SK match, “Comparing to the expectations that came from watching the video, the performance is not coming out. I expected the destructive power under the goal… . The three-point success rate is high compared to the thought that the three-point shooter is not a good player. However, to be a better team, Williams has to play at the bottom of the goal. Even if you have confidence in the shot, you have to throw it in a situation where your teammates can catch the rebound.”

Director Eul-joon Kang’s concerns have become reality. Orion reached third place alone by defeating SK 81-79 after a close match, but Williams scored only six points, the minimum individual score after KBL debut. All three of the three-point shots turned away from the rim, and only three of the nine shots were successful. Although he recorded 7 rebounds and 2 assists, he also committed 3 mistakes, which provided SK with a hint of pursuit.

Coach Eul-joon Kang rebuked Williams more intensely after the game ended. Director Eul-joon Kang said, “I didn’t even think that I would be so rabid. I repeatedly emphasized that’basketball is not played alone’, but I think it should be supplemented through meetings.” Coach Eul-joon Kang continued, “(After sighing) I also had players with bad character… ”Added. It was a word that suddenly reminded me of Ivan Johnson.