The Korean men’s basketball team will hold two warm-up matches against Japan at Ariake Arena in Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan on May 5 and 7. In preparation for the warm-up match, the team has been cooperating with Japan at the auxiliary gymnasium of Sono Arena in Goyang since May 29. This time, all 12 members of the national team are young players. Byun Joon-hyung (Sangmu), Lee Jung-hyun (Sono), and Ha Yoon-ki (KT) are the main members. Park Moo-bin, who was once again called by coach Ahn Joon-ho, is also sweating in training.

Park Moo-bin, who met after training on the afternoon of the 1st, said, “If there are senior brothers, they are more stable and have the advantage of leading the team. The atmosphere of this national team is brighter and I feel like we can communicate well, maybe because the older brothers are not much older. I think we are having a new experience because everyone is passionately trying to fulfill the coach’s orders.” 동행복권파워볼

Park has a special reason for the Korea-Japan match. He is scheduled to face Kawamura, Japan’s main guard and friend of the same age. Park and Kawamura met as enemies at the 2018 FIBA U16 Asian Championship, and they became friends thanks to their relationship. It is the first time since 2018.

“Kawamura has been selected for the Japanese national team since a long time ago. Now he is a total ace. If we meet again, it will be nice to see him in person since it’s been a while. As my friend is doing well, I really want to show good performances. I also want to expand my position in the national team because I can meet Japan often in the future,” Park said.

Japan has a large number of guards with speed and skills including Kaeomura and Dubulli Togashi Yuki (Chiba), Kai Taves (Tokyo), and Rusei Sasaki (Sanen). It is expected that the Japanese team will be able to lead the game in an advantageous way only if it does not lose ground in the previous fight against them.

In response, Park said, “Japan had many fast and versatile players in the past. Now its technology has improved. With Rui Hachimura (Lakers) and naturalized player Josh Hawkinson (Shibuya) in the background, he seems to have made strides in various positions. The previous fight will be the hardest, but not only me but also (SK) Jae-hyun, (Byeon) Jun-hyung (Sangmu), and (I) Jeong-hyun (Sono) will have to join forces to win the game.”

Japan, which is preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, will play in a match against Korea and Japan as the most elite members. All other athletes except Utah Watanabe (Memps) who suffered from a calf injury will participate in the match. As the event takes place in Tokyo, the heart of Japan, it is important for Korea not to be overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

Park said, “Original games are always tough. It is the first time that only young players have been selected for the national team, so I think there must be trial and error. I will take it for granted and will be better in the second round than in the first round, and I will do my best to show better performance when we gather next time.”