"Other teams were caught off guard by Samsung," but SK's Jeon Hee-cheol was different: "We are not above them" — Acknowledging the reality and preparing thoroughly to halt a 10-game winning streak [Jamsil On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Seoul SK head coach Jeon Hee-cheol was different. He acknowledged Seoul Samsung, which had been on a nine-game winning streak since the start of the season, as a strong team and prepared thoroughly. As a result, SK secured a decisive victory, putting an end to Samsung's unstoppable winning run.

SK, led by head coach Jeon Hee-cheol, defeated Samsung 90-76 in a home game at Seoul Jamsil Student Gymnasium on the 1st in the 2026~2027 KCC Pro Basketball regular season.

With this win, SK recorded a 5-1 record and maintained its second-place standing in the league. The valuable victory over top-ranked Samsung also laid the groundwork for a pursuit of the lead.

On the other hand, Samsung suffered its first loss of the season, bringing its record to 9-1. Samsung had achieved the first-ever nine-game winning streak at the start of a KBL season by defeating Goyang Sono in their previous game. It was an even more remarkable feat considering that Samsung had finished last for five consecutive seasons. However, failing to overcome "rival" SK, whom they faced for the first time this season, brought their winning streak to a close.

SK's victory on this day was backed by thorough preparation. Before the game, head coach Jeon Hee-cheol said, "Our roster has not changed much either, and Samsung has not changed significantly. The situations of the two teams are similar," adding, "I told our players to find out what is driving Samsung's current nine-game winning streak."

In particular, there was something he had noticed in how other teams faced Samsung. Head coach Jeon explained, "We ended up facing Samsung later than other clubs. I watched Samsung's games during that time and saw that the opposing players seemed to show a bit of reluctance to acknowledge them."

He continued, "I am not criticizing the players of other teams. But expressions of being caught off guard or bewildered came out, as if asking, 'Why is Samsung playing so well?' It still seemed like they could not fully acknowledge Samsung. But in my view, Samsung is a team that plays basketball very well," he highly evaluated.

Head coach Jeon also said he understood why other teams were caught off guard. This was because Samsung had finished last for five consecutive seasons. However, head coach Jeon believed this season should be viewed differently.

He emphasized this to the SK players as well. Head coach Jeon looked back, saying, "Last year and the year before that, there was a big gap in standings between Samsung and SK. We were in the upper tier, and Samsung was in the lower tier. Even so, our head-to-head matchups were always close."

He then added, "I told the players not to think we are above them. That is truly no longer the case. But that does not mean we are below them either," emphasizing, "It seems like a position where we can compete fairly and evenly. I told them it would be best to enter the game with their minds reset in that mindset."

This was an assessment of Samsung's upward trend as skill rather than mere momentum. Head coach Jeon warned, "The morale of Samsung's players is extremely high, and their energy level is good. As their confidence rises, they are showing a completely different face from last year," adding, "Now you can see that what they are doing is built on skill. That part is very scary."

In particular, he paid attention to Samsung's fundamentals. Head coach Jeon explained, "Samsung plays very fundamental basketball. They do not bring in anything special or complex, yet opposing teams keep getting beaten by them," adding, "They execute basic movements very faithfully. When they do that, they become a very difficult team to play against."

However, SK also had confidence. They analyzed Samsung's offensive patterns and prepared thoroughly through defensive drills. Head coach Jeon revealed, "The movements Samsung makes are things we also practice a lot in our regular training. I told the players that if they move one beat earlier, they can defend sufficiently," adding, "I instilled confidence in them that they just need to do it their way, the way they usually practice."

This preparation proved effective in the actual game. SK led slightly 26-23 after the first quarter and began to widen the gap from the second quarter. Relying on strong defense and fast offense, they finished the first half leading 51-35.

SK's offensive pressure continued into the third quarter. Isaiah Hicks, Jamil Wony, and Oh Jae-hyun, among others, scored from both inside and outside, extending the lead to 77-50. In the fourth quarter, Samsung attempted a comeback, but SK held onto the lead until the end.

On this day, Hicks recorded 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Wony also contributed with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Oh Jae-hyun scored 22 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Ahn Young-jun added 16 points to support the team.

SK, which had acknowledged the opponent's strength before the game and prepared thoroughly, ultimately succeeded in halting Samsung's nine-game winning streak at the start of the season.

After the victory, head coach Jeon Hee-cheol expressed satisfaction, saying, "Many of the routes and movements we did during the off-season are similar in concept to Samsung's. I instilled in the players the ability to predict that the ball would definitely come in a certain way at that timing, and that part worked very well."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original