Aussie coach aims to take Korean wheelchair hoops to London


He knows exactly where his heart is, and has a clear vision of what he’d like for the future. Australian basketball coach Mark Walker says his current goal is to take the Korean wheelchair basketball team to the London 2012 Paralympics.

Yet his ambition appears impossible, considering the current level of the Korean national team: Korea has not qualified for the Paralympics since the 2000 Sydney Games.

The 49-year-old coach, however, said he was eager to take on the mission.

“Korea basically needs to beat Japan to get a qualification berth, but last year Japan beat Korea by 35 points. It’s a little bit of a challenge, but I’m excited about the challenge,” he said during the team’s training session at the National Training Center for the Disabled in Icheon.

“I wouldn’t be here if I thought I couldn’t improve the team,” Walker added, even as he repeatedly shouted at his players.

“Ppali-ppali (quick-quick), joa (good),” he called one player, and encouraged him to keep moving.

It has been only a few days since the Australian native was named head of the Korean men’s wheelchair basketball team, but he has already picked up some Korean words.

“We started to get to know each other better, although there is still a language barrier,” he said with his eyes still fixed on the players.

In order to break the ice between them, the Australian coach has given a nickname to each player.

“The No. 8 is a hammer, because he is quite fit and strong, the big one is a big bear and the one with the ball is a cap,” he said with a smile on his face.

Before coming to Korea, Walker was involved in several teams, including the Australian and South African national teams.

During his 15-year stint as a coach, he built a reputation as a master of wheelchair basketball after winning numerous titles, including the 1996 Olympics gold medal.

His appointment as head of the Korean wheelchair team came as a bit of a surprise, as Korean Paralympics teams have never had a foreign coach before.

Some local media even compared him to Guss Hiddink, the Dutch football manager, hoping that the Australian will bring the same magic as did Hiddink to the Korean soccer team at the 2002 World Cup.

Walker said he was honored by the comparison, adding that: “I’d love to have that impact. I’d be thrilled.

“Hiddink not only helped Korea advance to the semifinals in 2002, but also changed the team completely, and made world top teams seek Korean players. If I can have that impact, I’d be so happy,” he said.

He added that his aim is not only to help the Korean team qualify for the London Paralympics, but help some of the Korean players play in Europe.

“If we do well in Paralympics next year, then there is no reason why some Korean players might not be headhunted to join European club teams.”

But before that Korea needs to qualify for the London Paralympics. Seven countries, including Korea, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Kuwait, Iraq and New Zealand, will be competing at the Asia-Oceania group qualifers, which kick off in November, with only the top two teams advancing to the London Paralympics.

Beating the world No. 1 Australia is almost impossible, Walker admitted, hence his main focus is to face-off with Japan.

“As you can notice, Japan has been our main focus,” he said pointing to the Japanese flags hung over both sides of the court.

“I did that to remind players they killed us, and they really did. Thirty-five points in a wheelchair basketball is a huge,” he added. But can Korea beat Japan this time?

“Yes we can, we can get there, but it’s a process and there are a lot of things we need to get done,” he said.

“But I have a plan for the team, and hopefully we’ll be ready before the November qualifier,” he added.

The past few days have been a harsh reminder that the plan won’t always go smoothly.

“I have lost one very good player. He is now taking up skiing instead,” Walker said with a sigh admitting that he was disappointed about the unpopularity of wheelchair basketball here.

“Wheelchair basketball is very exciting game. You got all these metal chairs, and big guys flying everywhere. It’s getting more popular. South Africa, for instance, has an eight-team league, and its fully sponsored and the games are on national TV.”

The Australian coach added that he has a long-term vision beyond the London 2012 Games.

“I want to start a youth program here, finding young players, and I also want to help creating a professional league here,” he said.

But he knows what he has to do beforehand.

“At the moment, we just need to qualify for the London 2012, and I believe we can do it, and we can beat them,” he said, again pointing at the Japanese flag.

A lot of work will have to be done, but Walker believes that his team will eventually make it.

“We’re going to put in work, and we’re going to play harder, smarter, tougher and together. Then we’ll be ready for the London 2012,” he said.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)