Choi Sung-won made a successful debut for his new team.

The Anyang Jungkwanjang Red Boosters won 91-84 against the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in Group D of the 바카라사이트 2023 KBL Saemaul Money KBL CUP at Wolmyeong Gymnasium in Gunsan on Monday.

Jeong Kwan-jang lost key resources in Oh Se-geun and Moon Sung-gon to free agency this summer, and Byun Jun-hyung joined the military. Add to that the loss of first-option foreign player Omari Spellman to a cup tournament injury.

However, other players stepped up to the plate and secured the first match against Hyundai Mobis. Newcomer Choi Sung-won also had a successful debut, scoring 14 points, including two three-pointers.

Choi said he is not overwhelmed by his increased role in the team and vowed to do better.

“After I arrived, I injured my finger and didn’t do much team training. But I feel like I fit in better than I thought, so I’m happy, and personally, I’m disappointed because I’m playing something I haven’t played before. But I’ll try to get better and better,” he said after the victory.

“It’s not that I’m under pressure, but I haven’t played it much, so it’s something new. It’s something that I’m just going to have to get used to, so I think I’ll get better and better.”

Spellman’s departure could have caused confusion at the guard position, but Park Ji-hoon and Choi Sung-won were able to get the job done against the Hyundai Mobis guard lineup.

Choi Sung-won said, “Even though Omari Spellman is out, Daryl Monroe is doing a really good job and the other players are all very capable, so we didn’t think we were going to lose going into today’s game. Of course, (Jung) Hyo-geun is not here, but we played as a team, so we got a good result,” he said.

On Monroe, the team’s ‘big brother’, he said, “His passing is the best I’ve ever seen from a foreign player. He’s very clever, he keeps the team alive and he scores a lot of goals. He’s a really good player,” he said.

With Byun Joon-hyung joining the military, the new season of Jung Kwan-jang must be led by Park Ji-hoon and Choi Sung-won. There are times when they play together, and times when they play separately.

Choi Sung-won said, “It’s been a while since we’ve played together, but I think we can take turns, with (Park) Ji-hoon doing the work when he’s having a hard time and me doing the work when he’s having a hard time. We’re just getting used to it, so I’m sure it will get better and better,” he said.

The defending champions have had their fair share of power leaks, but not many are putting their prospects for the new season at the top of the list. Choi Sung-won is determined to put fans’ concerns to rest with a good performance.

“We’re a new team, and our name has changed. The fans are worried about a lot of things, but we will do our best to show them with our performance like today. I hope you can wait a little bit. I am very grateful that the fans came to Gunsan today. We, the Red Boosters, will definitely show you a lot of victories like today, so I hope you will come and see us,” he said, greeting the fans.