The middle school boys’ basketball teams blasted into the season with an effortful start in the Korea International Schools Athletic Conference (KISAC) tournament held at DIS for varsity and Busan Foreign School (BFS) for junior varsity from May 16 to 17. In the face of tough competition, varsity placed last while JV finished 5th out of 6 teams.

Varsity began play against Korea International School Jeju (KISJ) with Charlie Park (23) as center, Joseph Yoon (34) as point guard, Ian Lee (11) as shooting guard, Kevin Ahn (27) as small forward, and Aiden Hwang (21) as power forward. 

The Dragons held the upper hand at the start. However, a timely free throw by center Park (number) dragged the match into overtime. “We were down by a lot and we had to lock in to win the game, so Mr. Kaschub gave us words of wisdom. We really tried our best to engage in the game, and I made the pass to Charlie and he got a foul, so he got two free throws and made one that led the game to overtime,” said Yoon.

In a nail-biter, they fell short as small mistakes piled up, ultimately tipping the game in the opponent’s favor (29:32). “We were tired and their defense was good so we made a lot of turnovers. Their defense was somehow aggressive and defensive at the same time,” Lee.

DIS geared up for redemption against Fayston Preparatory School (FPS). Although the Eagles dominated the first quarter, the Jets closed the gap by halftime, trailing by just a few points. 

However, a combination of turnovers, fouls, and the Eagles’ sharp shooting contributed to a 33–20 defeat. “FPS had better shooting accuracy than us and were also much taller than us, so it was hard to do both defense and score against them,” Lee.

After a day of rest, they adjusted strategies to claim victory against their long-time rival BFS. Despite their efforts, DIS accumulated missed passes and fouls. “The referee didn’t call many fouls even if they were fouls and I was guarding number 1 and I didn’t do anything, but they called a foul so I was upset. But we still tried our best,” said Yoon. 

In addition to those snafus, with a one-possession game in their grasp, they lost rhythm and went down by seven by the time the clock ticked out, 28 to 21. With three losses, they set their sights on 5th place.

The rematch against FPS ended in a 40–16 loss, which cemented a last-place finish. “The game didn’t go well and we failed to pass and focus on the game. But it was all part of the experience and we were able to learn many things and I think that is important in basketball,” Yoon said.  

At the same time, JV hit the court against BFS with Alex Hyun (3) as center, Henry Cha (12) as point guard, Steven Jang (1) as small forward, Pyo Hong (30) as shooting guard, and Miles Long (0) as power forward under the guidance of high school student leaders – head coach Ryan Chae and assistant coach Brandon Hyun. 

The boys had a shaky start, conceding 6 points to the Sharks in the first quarter. However, Hong (30) bit the Sharks back with 5 baskets and a comeback. 

With enhanced teamwork and increased field goal percentage, they took on the Sharks with a commanding victory (20:10). “So, during the first half the boys struggled to play together since it was their first time playing in a big tournament. However, in the second half, the boys got the hang of it by communicating and passing the ball to take good shots,” said Coach Chae. 

They continued with a faceoff against KISJ and suffered a lopsided defeat (41 to 6). Mostly consisting of sixth graders, they failed to overcome the height and strength differences. “KISJ was taller than us and they trained a lot, so we couldn’t rebound the ball. Although Miles scored three goals with side shots, we still lost,” Jang said. 

On day two JV set sights on a sturdier offense with the addition of teammate Joseph Beck who played on the varsity team on day 1 due to a lack of players. Although the Jets benefited from a sharpshooter, the physical differences against Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJAJ) contributed to the loss (8:38). 

“We had good chances, but we lacked the skill to finish those good chances, so if we had good finishing skills, we could have played way better. They were really tall, so it was hard to shoot and we missed a lot of layups,” Hyun said. 

After a series of tough losses, they set their sights on 5th place in a rematch against BFS. The boys showcased improvement, taking control early and maintaining the lead from the start of the quarter. Overall, the match served as an opportunity to test their offensive strategies and refine their fundamentals for future tournaments, and they won 5th place (13:24).

In addition to the young roster, the limited lineup took a toll on stamina. “We only had six people, so we only had one substitute player so it was very tiring,” Jang said.

The boys set their sights on the upcoming SKAIS tournament on May 22 to conclude the season on a high note. “Our team had 3 eighth graders and is really young, so I think this is more of a rebuilding season. Still, with the experience from this tournament we hope to get better results at SKAIS,” Coach Chae said.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Niharikaa Banerjee

Eighth grader Charlie Park (23) rises for a clean jump shot during a fast-paced match. With confident form and focus, he adds momentum to the Jets’ offensive push.