Pak Hyang Jong: "We came to prove, now we need to improve"

WUHAN (2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship) – Forward Pak Hyang Jong came to the 2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship with a two-point agenda – to prove DPR Korea belonged to the top level of Asian Women's basketball and to improve herself.

"I think we succeeded in both," the 22-year-old after leading her team's 66-50 victory over Thailand, a result that earns DPR Korea the right play in Level I of the competition two years from now.

"When I first came here (to the Wuhan Sports Center) the whole atmosphere was a new experience. The arena, the courts, the facilities, the lights, the music. The list is never ending.

"But the atmosphere was inspiring as well. As a team, we decided we were that much more determined to prove that we were not here just to make up the numbers.

"We wanted to prove we belong to the top level. And we achieved it.

Studding the DPR Korean performance was Pak Hyang Jong herself, who is among the top scorers in the competition averaging of 19.2 points per game, including the game-high 21-point in the promotion play-off against Thailand on Friday.

"I was just doing what my coaches told me. We were playing together as a team. I don’t think any single player was more important than the other. All of us were playing to a plan.

"There were a lot of things I learnt too," she said.

Dwelling deeper into the "things" that she learnt, Pak Hyang Jong picked out "team defense" and "control of shooting on fast breaks" as the tops.

"I think as a team we improved a lot with every game. Now that we have qualified to the top level, we need to improve more to take a crack at the top four," she signed off.

FIBA