'First goal in first appearance' Kim Jin-Mo
"I wish I could do a ceremony (in front of my father, coach Kim Seung-ki) in a winning atmosphere."
Daegu KOGAS continued its upward trend by defeating Wonju DB 98-73 in a home game of the 2023-2024 Jeonggwanjang Professional Basketball League on Sunday at Daegu Gymnasium. KOGAS improved to 7-1 in the fourth round alone. That's the same number of wins (7) they had in 27 games in the third round (20). That's how hot they are.
The win also snapped a seven-game losing streak against DB, putting GAS in sole possession of seventh place.
Thanks to explosive three-point shooting and gritty rebounding, Gasworks pulled away early in the fourth quarter. It was time for players who hadn't played much before.
Kim Jin-mo, who hasn't played in the regular season despite being in his third year, was given his first start.
Kim Jin-mo was selected with the 13th pick in the 2021 KBL Rookie Draft and joined the Gasworks. After playing in the D-League until now, Kim made his first appearance on the regular season roster and was given his first start with 5 minutes and 1 second left in the game.
With only one foul to his name, Kim made a three-pointer off a pass from Yang Jun-woo with 51.3 seconds left.
The fans erupted in celebration as the in-arena announcers announced that it was Kim's first career point.
After the game, Kim Jin-mo was honored by the team and given the opportunity to take the microphone and thank the fans.
After the match, Kim Jin-mo said, "I'm grateful to my teammates. I'm grateful to the people who supported me." "I was struggling, and I was exhausted, and suddenly I got a chance. It was a game that I hoped would be a turning point," he said of his debut match.
"My brothers out there, the foreign players, Nicholson and Maxwell, Shin Seung-min, Park Ji-hoon, Shin Joo-young, they were all so good that they helped me to experience the court with less pressure," he said. "I felt less pressure, and I went in with the idea of doing something and coming out. I'm very grateful to my teammates for helping me realize that I shouldn't think about winning the game, but about experiencing it."
When asked about his three-point shot, Kim said, "The three-point shot is my main weapon that brought me to the pros, and it's my strength. I thought it symbolized me, so it was meaningful to score the first point with a clean three-pointer," he said, adding, "I felt like the fans were supporting me a lot, so I was grateful."
When told that he even got to hold the microphone in front of the home fans, Kim said, "I thought, 'I wish I could do something like that. I was grateful that they gave me that opportunity," he said, adding, "I was embarrassed to repeat what I said because I was nervous, but it was a good experience."
Kim Jin-mo, who is accompanying the team to Goyang to face Goyang Sono on the 28th, said, "There is no guarantee that I will be in the roster consistently." "Whether I am in the roster or not, I will always support my 바카라 brothers and try to make the atmosphere good, and if I am given the opportunity, I will make use of my strengths and act as a source of energy to fill the void of Yang Jae-hyuk, and I want to be a 3&D player in blue walker colors."
Maybe he'll get a chance to play in front of his father, Sono coach Kim Seung-ki.
"I said something in an interview at the start of last season. I said I wanted to score a goal and do a ceremony for my father. I have the same feeling," he said, adding, "I hope I can do it in a winning situation with a good atmosphere."
Gasworks will face Sono at 4 p.m. on Nov. 28.