Sookmyung Women's High School's Ha-eun Yoo (179 cm, G,F) has been recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the Seoul Mayor's Girls Basketball Tournament.
Yoo led Sookmyung Women's High School to victory in the girls' championship game of the 45th Seoul Mayor's Basketball Tournament and the 105th National Sports Games Seoul Representative Selection Tournament against Sunil Women's High School on Nov. 21. Sookmyung won 82-49, led by Yoo's all-around performance with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals in the first half alone.
Ha-eun Yoo's true colors shone throughout the tournament. She played a vital role in defense, doing the dirty work and being active in attack. As a result, she was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Sookmyung Women's High School coach Lee Eun-hye said, “She tries harder than anyone else. In fact, I often feel sorry for her. She is a player whose strength is defense, so I give her a role based on defense. “I can't help but feel sorry for her when I see her doing her job without saying a word. Of course, recently, she's been active on offense as well. She is now becoming a player who combines both offense and defense,” and praised Yoo Ha Eun.
Led by Yoo Ha-eun and supported by Lee Min-ji (177 cm, G, F) and Song Yoon-ha (181 cm, F, C), Sookmyung Women's College qualified for the national championship for the first time in two years.
Yoo Ha-eun said, “I'm happy to advance to the national tournament after two years since my freshman year. This is my second tournament, and I really want to win the title this year,” said Yoo.
Sookmyung Girls' High School, which was considered the top team in the girls' high school division this year, suffered a setback in early May when it was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the Federation Presidential Games. But Yoo said the defeat served as medicine. “We lost to Dongju Women's High School after a series of victories, but I think that defeat actually served as medicine. We made up for our deficiencies after the federation championship, and our teamwork was strengthened through continuous training.”
Yoo Ha-eun used to be more of a defense player than an offense player. However, since Coach Lee Eun-hye took over at Sookmyung Women's High School earlier this year, she has opened her eyes to offense. This tournament proved that she is an excellent offensive player. In the finals against Sunil Girls' High School, Yoo showed off her offensive skills, including penetration, cut-in, fast break, and three-point shooting.
“I've been having more fun playing basketball since Coach Lee Eun-hye came. She told me that I can do better on offense and boosted my confidence, so I'm playing with more aggressiveness on offense,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that he still has a lot to work on: “I need to be better at finishing easy chances under the basket. I also need to improve my passing skills,” he said.
Yoo's role model is Park Ji-hyun (Bankstown, Australia). “I want to be an all-around player like Park Ji-hyun, and I've been watching her since I was a kid. I still watch videos of her playing in the Australian League. She seems 토토 to be doing her job as an ace in every league she plays in,” said Yoo Ha-eun, who is lucky enough to have met Park Ji-hyun once. (She told me that she looks like me (laughs). For some reason, I felt good,” she laughed.
Yoo Ha-eun has also been selected for the U18 women's national basketball team, which will convene on Feb. 22. The U18 women's national team, coached by Kang Byung-soo, will compete in the FIBA U18 Asian Women's Basketball Championship in Shenzhen, China, in mid-June.
“I will be called up to the national team tomorrow. I want to make a standout performance for the national team, and I also want to achieve good results in the upcoming draft and the national championships.”
Yoo's role model, Park Ji-hyun, also rose to stardom as a teenager through the age-group national team. It's up to her to make the leap to become a star like Park. With her determination, she hopes to one day become a guard with the same presence as Park.
