Danang Dragons started the VBA 2022 season with difficulty when losing 6 matches in a row. Having gone through half of the group stage without a win, the pressure on coach Phan Thanh Canh and the players is huge. Also at this time, the only domestic coach at VBA made the bold decision to replace the main pitcher Kenneth Simms with Dominique Grant. This decision caused a lot of concern for fans because the new pitcher has a strong personality and comes from amateur basketball. In addition, this player does not play his forte in the central position. This means that the task of defending the near-basket area, which is most prone to scoring, must be given to the internal soldiers.
Foreign soldier Dominique Grant (white shirt) helps Danang Dragons change their luck
Despite being suspicious, Danang Dragons made a surprise when young internal soldiers such as Pham Duc Kien, Mai Phuoc Thinh … played resiliently against foreign soldiers who were 2m or more in bodybuilding from other clubs. The efforts of these players and the fresh breeze from Dominique Grant helped Danang Dragons win their first win at VBA 2022 against Cantho Catfish. This is an important result, helping to break the losing streak and regain morale for the “Han River Dragon”.
Not only that, teachers and coaches Phan Thanh Canh also made the race for tickets to the semi-finals of the VBA 2022 become unpredictable when they won the next 3 matches. However, the rise of Danang Dragons was then stopped by Hanoi Buffaloes, who then won second place in the group and became the second runner-up of VBA 2022.
Michael Soy (white shirt) is the most effective 3-pointer in the VBA 2022 qualifiers
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Notably, in 4 consecutive victories of Danang Dragons, there are 2 matches that surpass Thang Long Warriors. It is the rise of Danang Dragons that is one of the reasons why the VBA 2020 runner-up, one of the championship candidates, cannot reach the semi-finals of the VBA 2022. Although he has not been able to have the desired season, captain Michael Soy (Nguyen Toan Anh) and Danang Dragons also promptly thanked the fans with the final victory at home.
Coach Phan Thanh Canh made a certain mark in VBA 2022 before parting with the Han River team when the season ended
At the end of VBA 2022, even though it did not pass the group stage, Danang Dragons still left many emotions for fans. In addition, outstanding players of Danang Dragons also received nominations at the VBA Awards 2022. Specifically, Michael Soy was shortlisted for the Vietnamese-American athlete of the year, Trieu Hung Minh received a nomination in the category. In the category of rookie athlete of the year, 1m98-tall player Pham Duc Kien was nominated for internal soldier of the year. Dominique Grant herself, the new trigger of Danang Dragons, also received a nomination at the sports spirit award.
