{
  "id": 8182667,
  "title": "Women's basketball coach says team in good shape despite missing stars",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/womens-basketball-coach-says-team-in-good-shape-despite-missing-stars-8182667",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T05:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260918/womens-basketball-coach-says-team-in-good-shape-despite-missing-stars"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Nagoya, Japan, Korea's women's national basketball team head coach Park Soo-ho expressed confidence in his team's performance at the Asian Games, despite the absence of two key players. The coach confirmed that Korea had entered the tournament with an 11-player squad, one less than the standard lineup. Park Ji-su, a center and former WNBA player, missed the first game due to a serious ankle injury. The team's absence of Park Ji-su and another player, Park Ji-hyun, who was committed to the Los Angeles Sparks, did not dampen the coach's optimism. Park emphasized that the team has already accumulated sufficient experience through previous games and training sessions, which will aid them in overcoming the challenges posed by the missing stars. While acknowledging that the presence of the injured and absent players would have been beneficial, the coach expressed certainty that the team's preparation efforts would ensure a successful performance at the Asian Games.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA, Japan — Korea head coach Park Soo-ho said Friday his women's national basketball team will be just fine at the Asian Games in Japan despite missing two of its biggest stars. Park made the claim after Korea routed Malaysia 106-40 to begin Group C play at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya. Park brought a team of 11 players, one shy of the maximum, with star center Park Ji-su ruled out…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Women's basketball coach says team in good shape despite missing stars",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/womens-basketball-coach-says-team-in-good-shape-despite-missing-stars",
        "published": "2026-09-18T05:42:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}