"The Kentucky Wildcats are substituting a Korean player at a critical moment?"
Inside the school's basketball arena in Kentucky, United States, the two commentators on the sidelines were bewildered. "His name is Jinwoo? He's a freshman!"
"And this is Jinwoo's first game in the NCAA Championship!"
Another commentator took the information handed over by the crew and said, "Before this, he had never appeared in any college game!"
"Is he the Kentucky Wildcats' secret weapon?"
"I don't know... I don't have much information about this young man. I only know that he's from Seoul, Korea, 1.98 meters tall, and weighs 95 kilograms!"
Is Jinwoo really the ultimate weapon of the Kentucky Wildcats?
Yet, after figuring out Jinwoo's identity as an unknown bench player, the Arizona State University fans began to celebrate in advance.
In their view, Jinwoo's appearance was the signal for their team's victory!
The Arizona State head coach watched Head Coach John Calipari.
Who is this guy?
Why would the opposing coach substitute a young player who had never appeared on the field before at such a pivotal moment?
The focus of the entire audience was on Jinwoo. The young man from Korea casually rotated his shoulders, then immediately participated in his team's offense!
The Kentucky Wildcats sent the ball from the baseline. The team's point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Shai), brought the ball to the frontcourt and then passed it to Jarred Vanderbilt in the paint!
Vanderbilt struggled against Deandre Ayton's defense. He glanced at Jinwoo, who was left wide open outside the three-point line on the left, and decisively passed the ball out.
"Jinwoo catches the ball!!"
Seeing Jinwoo touch the ball for the first time, the commentator paused: "Wait... He didn't make any adjustments and chose to shoot from outside the three-point line???"
As soon as the commentator finished speaking, Jinwoo received the pass from Vanderbilt and let it fly!
"Swish!"
The basketball sliced cleanly through the net, just like a hot knife through butter!
53:64!
Playing at home, the Kentucky Wildcats recovered three points!
"No way... When did Jinwoo learn to shoot three-pointers?"
On the sidelines, Coach Calipari opened his mouth in disbelief. In his mind, Jinwoo was not the kind of player who could consistently hit a three-pointer.
"That shot must have been pure luck!"
Alexander on the court was also confused, turning to a teammate: "I must have seen it wrong. Seriously, a striptease should be Jinwoo's strong point!"
Similarly, that single three-pointer didn't have a major impact on the mood of the fans at the scene.
After all, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
Offense and defense transitioned!
The Arizona State University point guard dribbled the ball across half court and decisively passed it to Ayton.
"Bang!"
Upon receiving the basketball, Ayton surveyed his teammates' running positions and then passed the ball to a teammate cutting toward the basket.
"Duang!!"
Unfortunately, Ayton's wonderful pass didn't help the team score.
The basketball bounced off the rim, and the rebound was snatched by Jinwoo, who came flying in, and he immediately passed the ball to Alexander!
In the Kentucky Wildcats' counterattack, they rushed forward with great urgency. After attracting the defensive attention of two opposing players, Alexander passed the ball out again to the player resting outside the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
After catching the basketball, Jinwoo didn't even make a single adjustment. He stood up and launched another three-pointer!
"Swish!"
The basketball went through the net again, creating a huge ripple!
56:64!
Since entering the game, Jinwoo has scored 6 points in a row, helping the team narrow the deficit to single digits!
People couldn't help but swallow hard as they looked at the young man who remained utterly expressionless after hitting two consecutive three-pointers.
It was at this moment that they realized:
Jinwoo was not a signal for the Kentucky Wildcats to surrender!
He certainly wasn't the signature of an Arizona State University victory!
"He hits the three-pointer again! Jinwoo's second three-pointer in the game was still a perfect swish!"
"This young man from Seoul is showing no mercy at all!"
"I can now confirm that being substituted in at such a critical moment means Jinwoo is definitely the ultimate weapon of the Kentucky Wildcats!!"
The two commentators at the scene were ignited by Jinwoo's two consecutive three-pointers.
It's no fun watching Arizona State crush them the whole time!
The game is supposed to have twists and turns—that's what makes it exciting!
Arizona State offensive possession.
The team's core player, Deandre Ayton, crushed Vanderbilt in the interior with a powerful post-up, but shockingly, he failed to put the ball into the basket when facing an open rim!
The Kentucky Wildcats seized the opportunity to advance downfield and settle into a positional offense.
This time, Alexander brought the ball to the frontcourt and passed it directly to Jinwoo!
"Bang!"
The moment the basketball was in his hands, the defensive players from Arizona State University had already committed to defending him with their strongest intensity.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
Jinwoo dribbled the ball, finding his rhythm. His direct opponent stared intently, and at the same time, the players on the wing were lurking, ready to double-team at any moment.
But Jinwoo simply ignored the pressure, controlling the ball like a storm, at a breakneck pace, and reached the free-throw line in a flash.
His explosiveness and speed were clearly superior to those of the defender.
When Jinwoo took his first step, he had already blown past his initial defender.
Seeing Jinwoo coming, the starting power forward for Arizona State University rushed toward him as if risking his life.
Although his expression was intimidating, his defense was futile. Jinwoo passed him with a swift change of direction and burst toward the basket!
When Deandre Ayton saw that his three teammates were unable to stop Jinwoo, he immediately stepped forward to block the path.
Facing the "toughest man" in the league, Jinwoo jumped into the air, meeting his arms, and leaped high. After fully demonstrating his jumping ability, he slammed the ball toward the basket!
Ayton was furious, seeing Jinwoo intent on challenging him. As the favorite for the No. 1 pick, if he was dunked on by a complete rookie, he would be forever disgraced!
He could not let such a thing happen.
He immediately took a step forward and raised his arms high in an attempt to block Jinwoo's dunk!
"Bang!" (The sound of the ball hitting the net/rim)
"Boom!" (The sound of the bodies colliding)
The two bodies collided violently in the air, but unexpectedly, under Ayton's powerful impact, the seemingly lean Jinwoo did not lose his balance. Instead, he maintained his focus and slammed the ball into the basket!
After the dunk, both took a step back, and Jinwoo staggered and fell!
"Beep!"
Although the whistle was slightly delayed, it finally sounded. The referee made a gesture toward Ayton, indicating that he had committed a blocking foul!
Jinwoo had completed a spectacular slam dunk and earned an extra free throw!
"How did I commit a foul?"
Ayton was visibly unhappy and jumped toward the referee with an innocent, shocked expression.
But unfortunately...
Even though his expressions and body movements were exaggerated, his poor acting skills did not sway the officials.
"Oh!!!!!!!!"
"Jinwoo dunks right over Deandre Ayton's head and draws a blocking foul from his opponent!"
"This dunk counts, and he gets a chance for the three-point play!"
"Oh my God! If Jinwoo makes this free throw, it will be his ninth point in this game!"
"He has only been on the court for a little over a minute, but he's already delivered a 9-0 offensive spurt all by himself!"