“Both Prim and Aluma have a professional mindset. We can also expect young energy.”
KBL, which started in 1997, has featured numerous foreign players. As history accumulates, the number of foreign players who know the KBL well and who have played in the KBL for a long time has increased.
Although the proportion of domestic players is increasing, teams with outstanding foreign players occupy the top ranks. That’s why all 10 KBL clubs put a lot of effort into selecting foreign players during the off-season.
But selecting good foreign players is not the end. Only when foreign players adapt to the KBL will the club’s mission be completed. So we have a staff that can control foreign players. The reason why there was a foreign coach who was a KBL foreign player.
Vernon Maclean, Hyundai Mobis coach, is one of them. Coach Maclean is also a foreign player who played in KBL. He spent his first season in the KBL at Goyang Orion in the 2017-2018 season, and played for Changwon LG and Ulsan Hyundai Mobis in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons, respectively.
After he ended his ties with Hyundai Mobis, he did not play in the KBL. However, Coach Ira Clark left Hyundai Mobis after the end of the 2021-2022 season, and Maclean became the new coaching staff of Hyundai Mobis starting in May 2022.
Maclean’s job is to manage foreign players. Gage Prim (205cm, C) and Justin Knox (204cm, F), who were foreign players for Hyundai Mobis in the 2022-2023 season, were in charge. I communicated a lot with the two players.
But Coach Maclean’s first season wasn’t that easy. This is because Knox was out due to injury, and Henry Sims (208cm, C), who was brought in as a replacement, did not show much strength.
Of course, Prim performed better than expected. He pushed his opponents with his constant offense and defense transitions and his power under the goal. However, because of his hot-headed personality, Prim could not calm his excitement easily. This may not have been easy for Maclean, either.
Maclean, who managed the two foreign players, said, “I had a great experience. In particular, he praised Prim, saying, “Even though he is a young player, he did a good job of doing what the team wanted.”
He continued, “Of course, it wasn’t without difficulties. However, he tried to communicate a lot with the foreign players he played with. “I set the direction through stories,” he said, citing ‘communication’ as the key to his debut season as coach.
Maclean, who is in his second season as coach, must mark (?) Prim and Kebe Aluma (206cm, F) in full charge. Because Prim and Aluma’s play styles are completely different, Maclean has a lot to worry about.메이저사이트
Maclean said, “Both players are second-year pros. Nonetheless, he has a professional mindset. I’m looking forward to that. Also, as a young player, he can show a lot of energy,” he said, expressing the difference from last season.
Lastly, “I want to maximize the strengths of my players. Also, as a coach, I want to be a reliable friend to the player, whether the player is going through something good or bad. “When players need help, he wants to be a supportive coach.” A support group that can help you at any time. This was the goal Maclean set as a coach.