“Overcoming Consecutive Key Injuries” Again: Suwon KT Head Coach Moon Kyung-un, “Made the Decision After Much Deliberation; Rather Than That…” [Suwon On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Suwon KT head coach Moon Kyung-un, who led the team to a three-game winning streak and reached a .500 win-loss record despite the bad luck of consecutive injuries to key players, gave a thumbs-up to his squad for executing tactics perfectly.

On the 7th, in a home game during the second round of the 2026-2027 KCC Pro Basketball season at Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena, KT defeated Daegu Korea Gas Corporation 92-81, balancing their season record to six wins and six losses. It was a complete revenge match that wiped out the pain of failing to hold onto a 17-point lead in the first round and suffering an upset loss, which had plunged the team into a five-game losing streak.

In the official press conference after the game, head coach Moon Kyung-un began by saying, “The first quarter should have unfolded according to our original plan, but we struggled from the start as we committed consecutive fouls.”

Coach Moon continued, “I hoped that players who could inject energy would hold on for the first three to four minutes after the game started, but it was not easy. However, Trae Porter provided stability on defense, laying the groundwork for our comeback. Paris Bass and Porter excellently filled the void left by Ok Jun’s absence due to appendectomy, and our perimeter players also did their part. In particular, the three 3-point shots hit by Jeon Seong-hyun played a decisive role as the finishing touch in the game. Carrying the momentum we firmly established in the third quarter all the way to the end was the key to victory,” he summarized.

On this day, KT completely dismantled Korea Gas Corporation’s interior defense with 2-on-2 plays featuring Bass, who erupted for 31 points, and Porter, who scored 22 points. Scenes of Bass delivering a pass and Porter finishing with a powerful dunk were staged multiple times.

Regarding this, head coach Moon said, “I am satisfied. We completely broke down our offense in the second and third quarters using that pattern.” He added, “When running pick-and-rolls, we positioned shooters like Jeon Chang-young and Jeon Seong-hyun widely on the perimeter. It must have been very difficult for the opposing defense to come in with help defense.”

He also added, “We assigned Moon Jung-hyun the role of ball handler and tried 2-on-2 plays, which resulted in many good opportunities for Porter.”

Regarding rookie guard Kang Seong-uk, who contributed with 10 points but committed an error and missed a layup at a crucial moment, head coach Moon offered affectionate yet stern criticism. “I don’t understand why he misses layups in urgent situations,” Coach Moon said with a smile before adding, “He is still young. There were times when I used timeouts even though we didn’t need to call them because of Seong-uk. But this too is part of the growth process for becoming a good player.”

Regarding the team’s winning streak despite consecutive injuries within the roster, head coach Moon let out a sigh of relief. “It was a huge relief,” he said. “Our first-round matchup against Korea Gas Corporation was lost because we self-destructed, and that aftermath led to a five-game losing streak.” He revealed, “I came to the training ground yesterday morning and heard the news about Ok Jun’s surgery; I really deliberated deeply. Ok Jun had been a weapon serving as one pillar of the team’s offense alongside Bass.”

He continued, “After much deliberation, I decided, ‘Rather than that, let’s make sure to run the Bass ball.’ We put our two foreign players, Bass and Porter, up front, and tasked the remaining domestic players with raising their energy level and handling the dirty work on both offense and defense.” He explained, “I assigned Seong-uk to lead, with Jeon Chang-young and Park Ji-won watching as substitutes, and Moon Jung-hyun assisting as a ball handler. I saw that we had a sufficient chance of winning. Han Hee-won showed strong focus on defense, allowing us to bring home the victory.”

Finally, to avoid repeating the nightmare of the five-game losing streak experienced in the first round, head coach Moon repeatedly urged the squad to prevent turnovers. “During the upset loss in the first round, we were committing turnovers that simply handed possession to the opponent without even attempting a defense,” he said. “Rather than just emphasizing verbally not to commit turnovers, I cleaned up the early offense execution and players’ movement patterns during the four-to-five-day break period. We focused on training spacing adjustments—using swings and cuts to widen space rather than just standing on the court—and it was well executed on the court today,” he expressed satisfaction.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original