"Korea's realistic goal is to get one win" - coach Kim Sang-Shik
SEOUL (Korea) - Korea are making their second straight appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and erstwhile coach Kim Sang-Shik wants tempered expectations moving forward.
SEOUL (Korea) - Korea are making their second straight appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and erstwhile coach Kim Sang-Shik wants tempered expectations moving forward.
"We will need all the power from our basketball association to support the enthusiasm of all the players who want to really play at the World Cup."
After the World Cup Draw last weekend, Korean basketball fans found out that their national team was placed in Group B with former Olympics champions Argentina, European powerhouse Russia and top African side Nigeria.
Among those teams, Argentina are the highest ranked at 5th based on the latest FIBA World Rankings. Russia follows at 10th, while Korea are at 32nd and Nigeria are 33rd.
Given this level of competition, coach Kim is being realistic with what they are targeting.
"In terms of our objective, Korea's realistic goal is to get one win," he said. "We will need more preparation if we want to get any more than that."
Coach Kim knows he cannot look too far ahead yet, especially with the Korean Basketball League (KBL) Playoffs still ongoing and the national team still looking for a new team captain.
"Right now, we are still thinking of who will be our team captain," he said. "Until then, we will not be able to start preparations yet."
Despite being in a tough group, Korea are still upbeat about being in the World Cup, especially coach Kim, who just wants to represent his country well and hope to get as many wins as possible.
"It is difficult to prepare right now, though we did go through a lot of difficulty in entering the World Cup," he said. "We will need all the power from our basketball association to support the enthusiasm of all the players who want to really play at the World Cup."
Korea tip their World Cup campaign off against Argentina on 31 August and then face Russia on 2 September. They will close their Group B games opposite Nigeria on 4 September. All Group B fixtures will be played at the Wuhan Sports Center in Wuhan, China.
FIBA