Professional basketball leader Daegu Korea Gas Corporation is a sensation, the power of ‘skill + tactics + harmony’

Daegu Korea Gas Corporation Pegasus is causing a sensation in the early part of the 2024-2025 KBL professional basketball season. It is analyzed that the improved skills of the players, balanced offensive and defensive tactics, and a soft team atmosphere are all contributing to the team’s 6-game winning streak and rise to the sole lead.

Although it is still early in the season, Korea Gas Corporation’s momentum is unusual. Although they lost in the opening game, they won all six games after that. In the game against powerhouse Suwon KT Sonic Boom held at Daegu Gymnasium on the 5th, they were behind by 17 points at one point, but made a comeback and won 82 to 74.

Sam Josef Belangel, who established himself as a mainstay of the team last season, has grown even further this year. Individual skills such as the stepback shot (a technique of stepping back momentarily to create space and then shooting) and the floater (a shot of throwing the ball high to overcome a tall defense) have improved. He is currently averaging 15.3 points (2 3-pointers) and 6.1 assists in 7 games.

In particular, playing with Kim Nak-hyun and Andrew Nicholson, who have good shooting abilities, is showing a synergistic effect. All three have excellent attack power, making opponents difficult. If Belangel catches the ball and runs the game, Nak-Hyun Kim can focus more on shooting, and vice versa. Nicholson is a leading scorer who can play both inside and outside.

Nicholson, a veteran of the National Basketball Association (NBA), serves as an example to many players. Gas Corporation players learn thorough body management and professionalism from Nicholson. Director Kang Hyuk also said, “Bellangel learned diet management, weight training, etc. from watching Nicholson. He is becoming more mature.”

Shin Seung-min’s outside guns have also become more sophisticated. He worked hard on defense and occasionally hit a 3-point shot, but he seems to have gained more confidence in his shots this season. He still shows no hesitation when defending. The shooting skills of forwards who focus on defense, such as Kwak Jeong-hoon and Shin Ju-young, also improved. Thanks to this, Korea Gas Corporation’s 3-point success rate (40.1%) is the only one that exceeds 40%.

Coach Kang Hyuk, in his second year in charge,’s tactics have been incorporated well into the team. Guard Jeong Seong-woo was recruited during the off-season to strengthen the front-line pressure defense. The ‘Three Guard’ tactic of using Jeong Seong-woo, Kim Nak-hyun, and Belangel all at once is also used to shake up the opponent. They may be inferior in height and rebound, but their speed and pressure become stronger. This is one of the secrets to ranking first in the fewest points allowed (67.7 points per game).

Coach Kang’s strength is that he communicates well with his players. The opinions expressed by players regarding tactics are also well accepted and reflected. An example is the fact that he accepted Kim Nak-hyeon’s request to play first so that he could improve his performance quickly. Coach Kang’s gentleness is further boosting the players’ morale.

The team atmosphere is also good. Shin Seung-min said, “When the players on the court move, everyone gets up from the bench and likes it. It’s bound to be fun to play. If the older players lead, the younger players follow along well. It’s a family-like atmosphere. It’s easy to get along well like this.” “It won’t happen,” he said.

Coach Kang Hyuk believes in his players. I can feel that the players have become stronger. He said, “The players are physically tired, but they are doing a good job. I want to thank them and applaud them. We will lose at some point. However, even if we lose, we will work together to avoid consecutive losses.”