Lee Dae-sung looks to finally make it work overseas

Former Daegu Kogas Pegasus point guard Lee Dae-sung is looking to bounce back and prove himself in Japan next season. Lee signed with Japanese basketball team Seahorses Mikawa last month on a one-year deal after earning free agency.

Daegu Kogas Pegasus' Lee Dae-sung, right, in action during a KBL game against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus at Dongchun Gymnasium in Ulsan on March 14. [NEWS1]

Former Daegu Kogas Pegasus point guard Lee Dae-sung is looking to bounce back and prove himself in Japan next season.

Lee signed with Japanese basketball team Seahorses Mikawa last month on a one-year deal after earning free agency.

His move to the B. League — the first division in Japan — will mark the third time he has played overseas.

“The result, sense of achievement, confidence and faith I gained during my two previous spells overseas encouraged me to take on this third challenge,” Lee said during a press conference with Korean media at Hilton Garden Inn in Seoul Gangnam in southern Seoul on Aug. 2.

Lee Dae-sung speaks during a press conference with Korean media at Hilton Garden Inn in Seoul Gangnam in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Aug. 2. [YONHAP]

Before making a pro debut, he played for Chung-Ang University in Korea and transferred to Brigham Young University-Hawaii’s basketball team in the United States in 2012, but failed to enter the NBA and returned to Korea the following year.

After starting his career at KBL team Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in 2013, he joined the Erie BayHawks through the 2017 NBA G League draft, but struggled to adapt at the BayHawks and returned to the Phoebus in 2017.

He moved around the KBL and played for the Pegasus last season, where he managed 924 points in total in 51 league games — averaging 18.1 points per game — to become the top Korean scorer of the season.

With Lee in good form and having more experience than before, the upcoming season with the Seahorses is a chance for him to finally make it overseas.

“As I continued my career and improved, I felt that improvements do not come with stability,” Lee said. “The situations where I have to prove myself or my career ends if I don’t do well make accomplishments and achievements. I am confident that those situations are helpful and correspond with my improvements.

“I am seeing risks as big opportunities and I am very thankful. It will be over if I don’t prove myself, so I will find a way to succeed no matter what.”

The main reason behind his move to the Seahorses is new coach Ryan Richman, who is taking the helm starting next season.

Richman previously worked as an assistant coach at NBA team Washington Wizards from 2018 to 2019 and was NBA G League team Capital City Go-Go’s head coach from 2019 through 2020, before returning to the Wizards as an assistant coach for the last three seasons.

“Head coach Richman promised me one thing,” Lee said. “There are three foreign players and only two spots are open, and he told me that he will give me a chance to compete with the most objective perspective.”

The Seahorses finished in fifth place last season in the eight-team central conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

The B. League consists of three separate conferences — east, central and west — with the top two teams from each conference and the two other teams with the best records joining the playoffs.

Established in 1947, the Seahorses have won the league five times, with their last victory in 2013.

“I heard Mikawa is the most prestigious Japanese team, but I heard they have not been so good in recent years,” Lee said. “Now the team faces a new era with a new head coach.”

Lee may have just a one-year contract with the Seahorses, but he doesn't plan for that to be end of his international career.

“A better opportunity will come if I do well in Japan,” Lee said. “I may head to Australia or Europe. I can’t say what I will do, but I will be able to move to other leagues if I improve more.”

Lee jetted off to Japan over the weekend to train with the Seahorses ahead of the 2023-24 season, set to start in October.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]