"They said he could play even from the hospital, but..." Coach Moon Kyung-un boldly leaves out Ha Yun-gi; here's why [Anyang on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Suwon KT head coach Moon Kyung-un boldly excluded starting center Ha Yun-gi from the away roster as a decisive move to break out of a five-game losing streak.

KT will play an away game against Anyang Jeonggwangjang in the 2026~2027 KCC Pro Basketball League regular season at the Anyang Jeonggwangjang Arena on the 31st at 2 p.m.

After falling into a five-game losing streak, KT finished Round 1 with a record of three wins and six losses, tied for eighth place, making a shift in momentum essential.

Meeting with reporters before the game, head coach Moon Kyung-un spoke about the absence of starting big man Ha Yun-gi. Coach Moon said, "Setting aside strategy or tactics, the top priority was to stabilize the players' mentality." He added, "In a meeting with Ha Yun-gi, I told him, 'Both you and the team are struggling at the same time, so shouldn't we focus on taking care of one thing?' He is in a condition where he can play, but looking at the results of Round 1, it seemed like a loss for both the player and the team. So we decided to have him build up his body further and did not bring him today."

Regarding Ha Yun-gi's physical condition, the coach clarified that this was for the sake of protecting the player. Coach Moon stated, "His ankle is still somewhat sensitive. The hospital said he should endure some pain and adapt, but because he felt pain, he could not fully complete his training." He explained, "I saw no point in doing one day's workout and then playing in today's game. He can play, but I made the decision to rest him. We are excluding him from the weekend back-to-back games and plan to monitor his condition over a longer period, even through next week's game against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation."

Head coach Moon Kyung-un originally envisioned a lineup connecting Kim Sun-hyung, Paris Bass, and Ha Yun-gi—positions 1, 3, and 5—as the core axis of the team's strength. The plan was for Ha Yun-gi to compensate for Bass's lack of height, while fast-footed Kim Sun-hyung would lead fast breaks.

However, the plan fell apart as Kim Sun-hyung's injury absence prolonged and Ha Yun-gi also failed to regain his form.

Coach Moon revealed, "The reason I chose Bass was because of the chemistry and height he showed two years ago. I believed that if Yun-gi filled in for Bass's lack of height and added Sun-hyung's speed on top of that, it would definitely work. I thought having just the three players at positions 1, 3, and 5 would be enough, but right now, these three players are not operating simultaneously." He continued, "In a situation of three wins and six losses, this may sound like an excuse, but there is a practical difficulty. Rather than dragging things out vaguely, we need to step back a little and build up our bodies solidly for performance to come out."

Regarding the timing of guard Kim Sun-hyung's return, he added, "He is doing dribbling and shooting training, but it seems somewhat difficult for him to return in early November as originally planned."

In today's game against Jeonggwangjang without Ha Yun-gi, KT will face off with a small lineup featuring Moon Jung-hyun at the number four position. Coach Moon emphasized, "We will maximize spacing, reduce turnovers, and focus on offense." He added, "When the opposing five defenders are just watching Bass, we need cutting movements or plays that exploit open space. We will put Park Ji-won in the starting lineup to break through, as he has good energy on both offense and defense."

Coach Moon further stated, "We have lost a lot while enduring a five-game losing streak. For the early part of the season, a five-game losing streak is too long. Whatever it takes, we will definitely end the losing streak in today's game and change the atmosphere."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original