Kim Ju-sung and Dedric Lawson lead Wonju DB Promy back to the top

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Kim Ju-sung and Dedric Lawson lead Wonju DB Promy back to the top

Published: 23 Nov. 2023, 15:15 Updated: 23 Nov. 2023, 16:28

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Wonju DB Promy head coach Kim Ju-sung, right, poses with Dedric Lawson during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the team’s training center in Wonju, Gangwon on Nov. 7. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Freshman coach Kim Ju-sung has set his eyes on an ambitious goal of reaching the postseason of the 2023-24 KBL with Wonju DB Promy.

“I am not worried at all, since I have D (Dedric Lawson),” Kim said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at Wonju DB’s training center in Wonju, Gangwon on Nov. 7.

The Wonju side have been on a remarkable run this season, recording 13 wins in 14 league games to sit at the top of the table as of press time. The club recorded a seven-game winning streak after the season began.

Wonju DB Promy look to keep win streak alive with tough battles ahead

Defending champions Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters cut that streak with a 99-94 win on Nov. 10, but Wonju DB bounced back and have managed six straight wins since then.

Wonju DB’s success so far this season is a stark contrast to last season, when the team struggled and finished in seventh place on the 10-team table.

The team’s successful run is partly thanks to new signee Lawson, who has proved to be a huge boost to the team so far. The American power forward is the current top scorer in the league with 338 points and has been a key player in every game.

Kim’s leadership has also led the team to success.

Kim said the reason behind the team’s success is because he always tells his players to actively participate in everything with a positive mindset.

Kim also demonstrates his skills and plays during training, allowing his players to learn what he was good at when he was a player.

The 44-year-old head coach was a Wonju DB and KBL legend, having only played for the Wonju side from 2002 through 2018, winning the championship three times and setting multiple records, including the most amount of blocks recorded by a single player with 1,037.

He also holds the record for the second most points scored, at 10,288, behind another KBL legend Seo Jang-hoon’s 13,231.

After retiring in 2018, Kim worked as an assistant coach from 2019 through last year and took the helm of the team ahead of this season.

“I am still a novice coach who needs to learn a lot and wants to do a lot of things,” Kim said.

Kim is the reason why ace Lawson joined Wonju DB, despite receiving an offer from other KBL teams ahead of this season.

With Kim’s leadership and Lawson’s impact on the team, this season may be the first time the Wonju side reach the postseason since 2018, when the team won the league title and finished as championship runners-up.

Wonju DB will face last season’s championship runners-up Seoul SK Knights on Friday in southern Seoul.

BY PI JOO-YOUNG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]