'Son Go Lee Geun-jun's explosion' reveals... Head coach Yoo Do-hoon sighs, 'Jung Kwan Jang Park Jeong-woong's absence' is even more painful

*This content was translated by AI.

"He needs to play in big games like this to grow..."

Regarding 'Anyang Jung Kwan Jang's future,' head coach Yoo Do-hoon expressed regret over Park Jeong-woong (20) missing the semifinals playoffs.

The playoffs are a ruthless stage that determines a team's fate. However, for young players, they can also serve as a stepping stone for growth.

This can be seen just by looking at this year's semifinals playoffs. The protagonist is Goyang Son Go Lee Geun-jun (21). In the third game of the 2025-2026 LG Electronics KBL semifinals playoffs held on the 27th at Goyang Son Go Arena against Changwon LG, he played for only 7 minutes and 33 seconds but hit four 3-pointers (12 points), leading his team to a 90-80 victory. Thanks to this, Son Go swept the 'defending champion' LG with three consecutive wins and advanced to the championship finals for the first time in the franchise's history.

In fact, competing for a starting spot this season was not easy. Lee Geun-jun, in his second professional season, supported veterans like Choi Seung-wook and Kim Jin-yu, and his regular season playing time was limited to 6 minutes and 38 seconds (30 games played). However, he showed his presence during the playoffs.

It was the result of hard work. After the regular season games, Lee Geun-jun stayed on the court alone to practice shooting or, taking advice from Son Chang-hwan, Son Go head coach, conducted personal weight training.

Shortly after advancing to the championship finals, Lee Geun-jun said, "During the regular season, it was so hard that I often cried in secret. I suffered an injury in the middle of the season, which threw off my balance, and I fell behind in weight training. The coach told me to balance my weight training and overall condition, so I paid for my own weight training and also received separate physical training. My muscle mass increased."

Son Chang-hwan, head coach, praised him: "Lee Geun-jun has the ability, but he has the muscles of a young person, so I thought we needed to train him. We had been keeping him with us for a while, but Choi Seung-wook and Kim Jin-yu played well, so he didn't get much playing time. Choi Seung-wook got injured, so this time he got his chance."

Jung Kwan Jang also possesses a future star comparable to Lee Geun-jun: Park Jeong-woong. He was selected as the first overall pick in last year's rookie draft and wore the Jung Kwan Jang uniform, earning recognition for his potential by playing in 19 games during his first professional season. This season, his role grew significantly. His average playing time increased substantially from 6 minutes and 38 seconds to 20 minutes and 32 seconds, and he averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

Park Jeong-woong, a multi-resource player who plays both guard and forward, also won the grand prize in the basketball category at the '2024 Futures Star Awards,' an award established by StarNews in 2024 to contribute to the development of Korean sports and the revitalization of amateur athletics.

Park Jeong-woong was expected to play a sixth-man role in the playoffs, but an unexpected thigh injury prevented him from playing a single minute of the semifinals playoffs. Head coach Yoo Do-hoon expressed regret over Park Jeong-woong's absence in the first game. It was more about the sadness of Park Jeong-woong's growth being hindered than the team's overall strength. Coach Yoo Do-hoon said, "Park Jeong-woong has started running, but he is not yet at a level where he can be put into the game. He needs to play in big games like this to grow, and not being able to do so is disappointing. Considering Park Jeong-woong's condition, there is a high probability he will not play throughout the semifinals playoffs."

However, the spring basketball stage is not over. Jung Kwan Jang currently holds a 1-1 record against Busan KCC in the semifinals playoffs. After losing the first game, they won the second to even the score. Having turned the tide, they are determined to continue their upward momentum. The third game on the 28th is expected to be crucial. In the history of the semifinals playoffs, the probability of a team that was 1-1 after the first two games advancing to the championship finals after winning the third game is a remarkable 87%.

If Jung Kwan Jang advances to the championship finals, there is a high probability that Park Jeong-woong will also step onto the dream stage. Head coach Yoo Do-hoon conveyed his determination: "We will do whatever it takes to advance to the championship finals and get Park Jeong-woong to play."

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*This content was translated by AI.