Hana Bank Defeated to Japan's Denso in Park Shin-ja Cup, Inevitable Level Difference
Sep 02, 2025
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It was 'heavy and negative'.
Hana Bank lost 59 to 92 to Japan's Denso Iris in the Group B match of the '2025 BNK Financial Park Shin-ja Cup' held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on the 2nd. As a result, Hana Bank remained at the bottom of the group with its second loss. Denso defeated Shinhan Bank 96-51 on the 31st of last month and caught Hana Bank lightly on the same day, ranking first in the group with two consecutive wins.
In fact, considering the power difference between South Korea and Japan, the game was more important than winning or losing. In addition, Hana Bank is the lowest in the WKBL, while Denso was a strong team that finished second in the playoff final with second place in the regular league after Fujitsu Red Wave, who participated in this tournament in the Japanese W-League last season.
Hana Bank did not show any impressive performance, considering that two veterans, Yang In-young and Kim Jong-un, are unable to participate in the competition due to injuries, and that they are in the process of working with new head coaches such as head coach Lee Sang-beom and coach Jeong Sun-min ahead of the season opening in November. On the other hand, Denso showed a level of performance as four members of the Japanese national team, who finished second at the FIBA Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, took turns on the court in July.
Six minutes after the start of the game became the only time to face each other equally on the day. Starting with Jinan's under-the-goal shot, Hana Bank briefly led 10-7 with three consecutive points by newcomers Ha Ji-yoon and Park So-hee. Saki Iijima, a veteran Japanese player who led BNK Sum to the championship last season and was selected by Hana Bank as the No. 1 pick in the Asian Player Draft held in June, also gave three points in front of his home country's juniors.
But that was the end of the close game. Denso later led 48-26 from the first half, combining national guard Kawai Mai's shot that did not cover the inside and outside, Konno Norika's fast attack, Haruna's high-level cut, Nigerian center Sheila's high-flying play, which has been treated as a domestic player while studying in Japan since high school, and 36-year-old veteran national center Maki Takada's shot under the basket.
Above all, having six guards, Japanese women's basketball's fast speed, strong pressure, and strong ball possession ability, which are rarely taken away, contributed to the victory. In the rebound fight, there was not much difference, 38-32, but the game was divided in the basics, as the success rate of two-point shots with 12 steals was 51.2% (21 successes in 41 attempts). After the game, Hana Bank coach Lee Sang-beom said, `In the case of Japan, easy shots and speed are much better. The player's infrastructure is also much thicker. Our team's young players played hard and had a good experience, but there was no choice but to be a level difference.
Meanwhile, coach Lee Sang-beom criticized the existence of a culture of seniors and juniors that still exists during the women's basketball game in Korea regardless of the result of the game. Coach Lee "I don't understand why he plays the so-called "unnie basketball" by feeling sorry for other team seniors while playing or being discouraged in advance." In professional sports, it should not be there. It's already gone in men's basketball." "Personally, I should respect my senior, but at least I should never let you go or step aside because you are a senior while playing. You have to overcome it with your skills. I'll be criticized a lot, but as long as I lead Hana Bank, I'll at least try to disappear from my team."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
