"Just one assist away from a triple-double?" The reason for pulling Albano off the court and then rushing to put him back on... Coach Lee Gyu-seop: "I'm sorry to the players. I am indeed a rookie head coach" [Wonju On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Gyu-seop, head coach of Wonju DB, was taken aback after calling Isaiah Albano to the bench just before the end of the game. It was only then that he learned Albano was just one assist away from achieving a triple-double.

As a result, Albano returned to the court in just 22 seconds. He was reinserted with 31 seconds remaining. It was a small incident during Lee Gyu-seop's debut as a head coach in the regular season.

DB secured a 95-86 comeback victory against Goyang Sono in a home game held at Wonju DB Promy Arena on the 4th in the 2026~2027 KCC Pro Basketball League.

Captain Albano performed brilliantly, recording 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists that day. He fell short of a triple-double by just one assist.

However, Lee Gyu-seop had not properly grasped the status of Albano's statistics until the end of the game.

With 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when DB had solidified their lead, Coach Lee substituted out Albano and brought on Choi Sung-won.

It was a decision to give Choi Sung-won at least some playing time.

After the game, Coach Lee explained, "I told Choi Sung-won I was sorry. Honestly, because I couldn't give him many opportunities, I conveyed my apology through a meeting." He added, "Regardless, I thought it was right for him to step on the court at least a little, so I put him in at the end."

However, after Albano came to the bench, he heard something unexpected.

"They told me on the bench that he was just one away from a triple-double. So I was a bit flustered," Coach Lee said with a laugh.

He immediately changed his decision and put Albano back in. He returned to the court with 31 seconds remaining.

Coach Lee also directly explained to Son Chang-hwan, head coach of Sono, the situation where he reinserted a starter at the end of the game, conveying his apology. This was because bringing back a key player for personal statistics in a situation where the outcome was effectively decided could have easily led to misunderstanding.

Coach Lee had hoped Albano would achieve the triple-double. He said, "A triple-double is a great record. If such records accumulate, it can attract audience interest to the KBL as well, and I viewed that aspect positively."

However, Albano ultimately failed to complete the triple-double. Instead, he committed one turnover after being reinserted.

"I think it is true that I am a rookie as a coach. Because I failed to check this, an incident occurred where I substituted him out and then put him back in," Coach Lee said with a laugh. "Albano ended up just adding one more turnover."

Albano himself did not seem to mind much. Coach Lee relayed, "Albano said it was okay even if he didn't get the triple-double."

Nevertheless, Coach Lee felt some regret. He reflected, "Personally, I am sorry to the players." He added, "I wish I had had a bit more composure to notice such details."

He then admitted his mistake with a smile, saying, "This is my first time being a coach as well."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.