Sono Kang Ji-hoon, who mentioned "父 Kang Eul-jun", said, "They're saying a lot of wise words at home → professional." [At Goyang]

*This content was translated by AI.

Forward Kang Ji-hoon (23) of Goyang Sono Sky Gunners, who won at his first home since joining the team, mentioned his father Kang Eul-joon (61). He said that he would leave his advice on basketball at home and that he was always grateful.

Goyang Sono beat Daegu Korea Gas Corporation Pegasus 70-69 in the third round of the "2025-2026 LG Electronics Professional Basketball" at Goyang Sono Arena in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do on the 1st. On this day, Sono gave the lead to Gas Corporation for 39 minutes and 19 seconds, but he scored a winning shot with just two seconds left until the end of the game.

With this victory, Sono succeeded in breaking the home losing streak of seven consecutive games since the match against Samsung in Seoul on November 16 last year. At the same time, he pushed Seoul Samsung to eighth place, tying for seventh to become the lone seventh.

Kang Ji-hoon was active in Sono's reversal on the day. Kang Ji-hoon played 26 minutes, 56 seconds and recorded 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, including 3 3-pointers. In particular, he scored 10 points in the second half alone. The success rate of field goals, including three points, was as high as 80%.

Kang Ji-hoon, who entered the interview room as a Su-hoon player, said, "I won at home for the first time since joining the professional league. I feel really good. I think it's because of the older brothers who ran with me. I want to thank everyone, including the coach and the coach," he said.

In fact, Sono coach Son Chang-hwan (50) said of Kang Ji-hoon immediately after the game, "Only the shot went in, but it was actually a hole (defensively). I showed them the video, made them practice a lot, and emphasized them, but they were playing completely differently. So I put Jung Hee-jae instead. I think it will help Kang Ji-hoon's growth in the future because Jung Hee-jae showed good performance like a textbook," he said.

Kang Ji-hoon also said, "In fact, I'm playing in a position of learning a lot. You have to keep learning and developing. We need to compensate for our weaknesses and adaptation comes first on the professional stage. I know my head about defense, but I don't think my body was able to keep up. I think I need to make up for what I lacked," he reflected.

Kang Ji-hoon, a Yonsei University graduate, joined Sono through the 2025 Rookie Draft held in November last year. He is known as the "second generation of basketball players" as the fourth overall ranking in the first round. He is the son of former coach Kang Kang-joon. Coach Kang Eul-joon led Goyang Orion, based in Goyang, until 2022, and when he was the head coach of Changwon LG, he was nicknamed a "sacred scholar" by basketball fans for saying, "We don't need heroes, heroes appear when we win." Former coach Kang appeared to visit the home game between Sono and the Seoul SK Knights on December 29 last year. It was to see Kang Ji-hoon, the eldest son.

When asked by Star News whether his father visited the stadium on this day, Kang Ji-hoon laughed and said, "He didn't come today. I invited him to the last game in 2025. In fact, when my father goes home, he always gives me a wise saying. They also give realistic advice and give fun basketball parts. Not only is it a very grateful advice to me, but my father also serves as a good mentor. I'm trying to accept a lot of playful advice," he said.

Asked what it was about, Kang Ji-hoon said, "Professional is money. It goes back and forth depending on how you do it. Is basketball that hard? Driving if the defense sticks, shooting if it falls. Just think about this," he said, mimicking Kang Eun-joon.

Kang Ji-hoon then said, "My father also gives me a lot of advice on defense. In particular, they will look at the step section. They also tell us about where to put your feet. There is a street basketball court right in front of the house, and they go out and show them in person. All I can do is thank you so much," he added.

Finally, Kang Ji-hoon left the interview room, saying, "I don't want to stop here for now, and I want to contribute to the team going a little higher."

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*This content was translated by AI.