The most talked-about team this season is by far Goyang Carrot. Before the season, it attracted attention by announcing the founding of a new team centered on CEO Heo Jae and coach Kim Seung-gi, and later attracted attention due to regret in the economic part, such as overdue salary and non-payment of subscription fees. In a way, there are regrettable and frustrating parts, but apart from that, the fighting spirit of the players was as good as any rich team.
Especially in the playoffs, it is attracting fans’ attention to the court to the extent that talk of ‘moving carrot’ and ‘carrot theater’ comes out. It doesn’t feel like an exaggeration to say that ‘there was a story as impressive as the rebound in the basketball movie currently being shown’ in reality. As can be seen from the fact that he earned the right to play in the playoffs while paying a special membership fee of 1 billion won, which was in the nature of KBL subscription fee, Carrot was in a series of crises from the start of the playoffs.
While the salary was still delayed, it was unclear whether the star of the show, ‘Fireworks Shooter’ Jeon Seong-hyeon (32‧188.6cm), was in poor physical condition. In fact, it was difficult to come back until the 4th game of the playoffs in the round of 6. It is true that an early elimination was expected considering Carrot’s power with a thin player base. However, the master coach Kim Seung-gi and the carrot team of tenacity did not give up.
Concerns seemed to become reality only when they were defeated in the first game in the semifinal against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, who were far ahead in objective power. However, second-year pro Lee Jeong-hyeon (23‧187cm) played the role of a native ace better than expected, and foreign player Didric Lawson (25‧201cm) also struggled to keep the weak post. It is not unreasonable to say that Carrot in the regular season was Jeon Seong-hyun’s team.
In Carrot, which pursued extreme archery basketball, Jeon Seong-hyun showed an all-time high 3-point performance, and it was possible to advance to the playoffs because of such a central axis. Although his condition deteriorated in the second half due to injuries and various unfortunate events, if you ask who is the best shooter in the league right now, it is clear that nine out of 10 players will pick Jeon Seong-hyun.
Director Kim pointed out Lee Jung-hyun as the first native option to fill the gap of Jeon Seong-hyun. Considering that he is still a young player, he could have been intimidated by the enormous pressure or overplayed due to his enthusiasm, but Lee Jung-hyun was bold and calm. He shook the Hyundai Mobis defense by crossing my perimeter and continued to provide perimeter chances to his teammates.
From the standpoint of Hyundai Mobis, he clearly knew that the Carrot attack would come from Lee Jung-hyun, but he could not respond properly. Lawson was also silently strong. Lawson did well, but he was far from the name used when referring to the best foreign player in the league. However, in the playoffs, Lawson is comparable to any team’s first option foreign player.
While faithful to his original role as a center, such as his dedicated screen, physical struggle under the goal, and rebounding, he shook the opponent’s defense from the outside by throwing not only post play but also accurate middle and outside shots. Unlike many other hot-tempered foreign players, it was also impressive how he calmly participated in the game. In the playoffs, Lee Jung-hyun and Lawson were as powerful as SK Kim Seon-hyung and Warney with a ‘one-two punch’.
Of course, as in all team sports, one-two punches alone cannot lead to victory. It is impossible unless the team itself is strong to go up to the semifinals and exchange one win each with the championship candidate Anyang KGC in a big match like the playoffs. Coach Kim is famous for making good use of players with relatively low name value or who are criticized for having come down from their prime.
In fact, there is no native player with a high name value except for Lee Jung-hyun and Jeon Seong-hyun. However, once the Carrot players stand on the court, it feels like they do their best to play the game no matter who they are and pour out everything they can currently show. Veteran Kim Gang-seon (36‧190cm) and Han Ho-bin (31‧180cm), who helped Lee Jung-hyun and Lawson to serve as supporters, are typical examples.
Kim Jin-yu (28‧188cm), who has been called the ‘salt of carrot’ since the playoffs, is also one of the contributors that cannot be left out. Kim Jin-yu won the 6th round 1st leg (2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), 2nd leg (3 rebounds, 2 assists), 3rd leg (1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal), 4th leg (5 points, 10 points) Rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal) and 5 games (2 points, 2 rebounds) were consistently active and helped the team advance to the semifinals. 안전놀이터
Even in the semifinals, she is consistently running in game 1 (3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) and game 2 (2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals). Looking at her records alone, she doesn’t stand out much, but like players who are good at her dirty work, Kim Jin-yu’s value is not expressed in numbers. With her unique active power, she constantly moved around the court, pressed the opponent’s front line, and actively participated in rebounding.
He is a well-known hustle player who will throw his body away without hesitation if needed. All Carrot players do not hesitate to play like that, but Kim Jin-yu stands out among them for being diligent and dedicated. For this reason, Carrot fans do not hesitate to cite Kim Jin-yu as the hidden contributor to this playoff series.
As a play star, it is not uncommon for Kim Jin-yu to bump into opponents and fall on his court. In the second game against KGC, he fell heavily on the court during a rebound competition and was unable to get up for a while. Looking at the situation at the time and the painful expression, it was a moment of concern about serious injuries. Fortunately, Kim Jin-yu showed his fighting spirit by saying, “It’s not an injury, it’s just a muscle in my back. I’m going to do my best in the remaining matches, and even if I break my bones, I’ll keep running.”
Carrot is not afraid of any team because there are players like Kim Jin-yu, who are not flashy but are ready to sacrifice themselves for the team and throw themselves at any time.