(LEAD) (Asiad) Latvian-born hoops coach for S. Korea silences critics with gold

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- Nikolajs Mazurs lost his first three games in charge of the South Korean men's basketball team after being appointed last December, and the team lost more games than it won under the Latvian coach entering the Asian Games -- causing many to wonder if he was the right man to lead the squad back to glory at the quadrennial event.

But with each passing game in central Japan, South Korea demonstrated marked improvements in all aspects, with its smothering defense and efficient offense. It all culminated Sunday in the gold medal in Nagoya, where South Korea beat the home team Japan 67-57.

Lee Hyun-jung, a Davidson product pursuing National Basketball Association dreams, capped a memorable tournament with game-high totals of 27 points and 18 rebounds. But as big as Lee was throughout the tournament, South Korea was not a one-man team.

After every game, Lee never missed a chance to thank his teammates, especially bigs Lee Seoung-hyun and Jang Jae-seok, for their selfless plays, setting screens to create open looks for him and banging bodies down low to grab rebounds and start fast breaks. Guards Lee Jung-hyun and Moon Jeong-hyeon played dogged on-ball defense all tournament.

And to a man, players spoke of finally starting to play the type of basketball that Mazurs long wanted them to play -- being physical on defense and making extra passes on offense, for instance. With the collective buy-in combining with individual brilliance of Lee Hyun-jung, South Korea went from a suspect to the champion in a matter of days at the Asian Games.

Mazurs thanked his players and members of his staff for their dedication and hard work.

"I think we had a lot of ups and downs during this process but we found a way and we grew as a team from when we started this tournament," he said. "So I think it is a good progress over there. Also, I want to say thanks to our Korea Basketball Association board members and committee who supported and trusted us and gave us a chance to work."

Mazurs noted a nervy but physical start for both teams in the final.

"We could seed that maybe players experienced a little more pressure than usual, missing free throws and missing open shots. But that is part of the game as well," he said. "I think at the end, we made better decisions and I think we were very consistent defensively."

Mazurs said he had not paid much mind to criticism surrounding the team.

"There will always be haters and doubters, people who are saying something," he said. "You win, everybody is happy, and you lose, you are a bad coach and everybody hates you. I have been coaching (for) 20 years and I experience this a lot everywhere. If I win, I am the same coach when I lose. So I do my best and I don't care what people think about me or write about me. I don't pay attention to that."

Sunday's gold was South Korea's first in men's hoops since 2014, when it defeated Iran on home soil of Incheon, and its first at an away Asian Games since 1982.

The next big task for Mazurs is to send South Korea to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup and earn a ticket to the 2028 Olympics.