'Finally' Both male and female No. 1 rookies stepped on the court, Moon Yoo-hyun and Lee Ga-hyun debuted side by side at the end of the year

*This content was translated by AI.

Moon Yoo-hyun (22, director Jeong) and Lee Ga-hyun (19, Shinhan Bank), the No. 1 rookie in men's and women's basketball, who did not appear for a while even after the start of the season. After a lot of hard work, they both finally stepped on the court.

The match between Jeong Kwan-jang and SK at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul on the 1st. Ahead of the game, Moon Yoo-hyun made the 12-man entry for the first time. It was the first time since joining the professional league.

Moon Yoo-hyun, a native of Korea University and younger brother of KT Moon Jung-hyun, was considered the best guard in the university. In November 2024, when he was a second-year student, he was also selected for the senior national team, and Ahn Joon-ho, then coach, praised, "There are still things to be refined, but I feel like I've found a gemstone." "I hope he grows into a large guard like Yang Dong-geun (current Hyundai Mobis coach) or Yuki Kawamura (former Chicago, Memphis) of Japan."

Moon Yoo-hyun, who joined the articles of association with the first-ever "first-choice of brothers" in the 2025 KBL rookie draft held in November last year, was postponed due to injuries. Second place Lee Yoo-jin (DB), high school graduate Yang Woo-hyuk (Korea Gas Corporation), Eddie Daniel (SK), and college classmate Yoon Ki-chan (KCC) were on the first-team stage, but Moon Yoo-hyun devoted himself to rehabilitation.

Even if he plays with his brothers, he is prepared to serve as the starting point for the attack as the main handler who catches the ball first or carries it or operates it, said Yoo Do-hoon, head coach of Chung Kwan-jang before the game. And from the first quarter, he made a successful debut with eight points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals in 20 minutes and 44 seconds. The team also faced a double celebration with a 71-65 victory.

Moon Yoo-hyun said, "I'm not satisfied. The shot shook a lot. My strength is to create space and shoot, but I was nervous today, so I didn't come out at all. We need to improve our shot creation skills more," he said, looking back on his debut. He said, "I'll throw away all my personal greed. I will only look at the team's victory and play," he said.

Earlier, Lee Ga-hyun, the No. 1 female professional basketball designator, also stepped on the court. He was put in place of Jihyun Shin in the middle of the second quarter when his team was leading 28-27 in a match against Hana Bank at Bucheon Gymnasium on the 26th of last year. Lee Ga-hyun, who caught the ball in the attack, made a sensible pass to Mima Louie, who was under the basket, but Louie failed to catch it and recorded a turnover. After that, he also attempted a three-point shot once, but missed the rim.

Lee Ga-hyun, who played a total of 3 minutes and 47 seconds, left one 3-point shot attempt, one foul and one turnover without scoring. Still, he also showed impressive performance, such as causing an opponent's turnover in defense. However, it was a sign of imprisonment that he failed to prevent Chung Hyun's breakthrough and allowed additional free throws.

Lee Ga-hyun, from Gwangju Supia Girls' High School, won the high school stage with her versatile appearance. He was evaluated for his fast speed, excellent shooting, and breaking through ability. She also led Sufia Girls' High School to four gold medals last year. Amid this performance, he won the Star Award in basketball for the second consecutive year (2024-2025) at the Future Star Awards hosted by Star News.

Lee Ga-hyun was selected as the No. 1 draft candidate early on, and as expected, he was selected by Shinhan Bank, which had the first order in the 2025-2026 WKBL rookie draft. However, in the process of rehabilitation after knee surgery, the rookie's first debut was handed over to second-ranked Lee Won-jung (BNK).

Shinhan Bank coach Choi Yoon-ah said of Lee Ga-hyun during the season, "I'm still in the process of improving my physical condition. I'm worried that I might get hurt because the physical fight is weak, he said. "I feel like I'm not ready yet." "It's helpful if you come in, but I don't want to force you to run while taking risks," coach Choi said, "I'm trying to put weight little by little."

Lee Ga-hyun himself also told Star News at the end of November, "I thought it was amazing because (Lee) Won-jung debuted. I still have time for the director to build up. He said, "It's the first thing to do without getting hurt," so I'm looking at it for a long time and doing a lot of reinforcement exercises."

Coach Choi predicted the post-All-Star break with Lee Ga-hyun's debut period, but he was able to appear at the end of the first half earlier than expected.

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*This content was translated by AI.