"Chills ran down my spine": Men's basketball '12-year cycle' gold medal, reflections from 2002 and 2014 senior coaches [KBL On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Senior predecessors offered congratulations and words of encouragement regarding the '12-year cycle' Asian Games gold medal for South Korean men's basketball.

The main topic at the '2026~2027 KCC Pro Basketball Opening Media Day & Fan Fest' held on the 29th at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul was also the Asian Games.

At the event, Moon Kyung-eun (55), head coach of Suwon KT, and Yang Dong-geun (45), head coach of Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, who led the national team to victory as captains at the 2002 Busan and 2014 Incheon Asian Games respectively, shared their impressions after watching their juniors' performance.

Head Coach Moon Kyung-eun said, "I cheered a lot this time and was extremely happy." He added, "In 2002, China was an incredibly strong team, but I could see our players coming together. They had the will and fighting spirit, knew well what roles they needed to play, and united as one for their goal. I felt the same emotion from the juniors on the Lee Beon (CEO) team."

Head Coach Yang Dong-geun also praised his juniors, saying, "I watched the games in real time, shouting and clapping intensely, cheering as if I were playing myself." He continued, "This time, we were in Japan rather than our home country, and conditions such as lodging and transport buses were not good, but once again, our players were stronger than expected. Even now, seeing the championship scene gives me chills. The players worked hard."

Two players who swapped national team spots just before this Asian Games also attended, drawing attention. An Young-jun (31) of Seoul SK, originally selected for the roster, suffered a finger injury, leading to Moon Jung-hyun (25) of KT joining as a replacement just two days before the tournament began.

In response to questions on this matter, An Young-jun said, "After the semifinal ended, I texted (Moon) Jung-hyun asking if I owed him something." To this, Moon Jung-hyun replied, "I am grateful to (An) Young-jun hyung and want to treat him to something, but since his salary is high..." He concluded by saying he would invite his family to a rib restaurant in Suwon (the team's home base) for a big celebration, creating a heartwarming scene.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original