The struggles of Kim Sun-hyung and Ahn Young-jun are deepening Coach Jeon Hee-chul's worries.
Changwon LG defeated Seoul SK 76-71 in the second game of the 2024-25 KCC Professional Basketball Championship held at the Jamsil Students' Gymnasium on the 7th. With two consecutive wins in enemy territory, LG can achieve its first championship title with just two more victories.
It was a shocking defeat for SK. After losing two consecutive games at home, SK is now under immense pressure for the 3rd and 4th games to be held in Changwon. Following the two home losses, Coach Jeon Hee-chul's expression was stern.
After the game, Coach Jeon Hee-chul said, “We tried to recover from the deficiencies in the first game. The loss was due to my shortcomings. I do not blame the players. I will take responsibility as the coach. My abilities have diminished.”
In the first game, Tamayo scored 24 points but exploded with 27 points in the second game. Although Ahn Young-jun was assigned to defend him, it was unsuccessful. Coach Jeon Hee-chul analyzed, “I tried to switch involving Warney, but Ahn Young-jun got into foul trouble, so we lost our rhythm. Oh Se-geun and Choi Boo-gyeong were also in poor condition. Gomez was unfamiliar with the switch, which caused confusion. In the second quarter, domestic players were having a frustrating game, so I used Gomez.”
How should we explain the slump of MVP Ahn Young-jun? Coach Jeon Hee-chul noted, “It's also my fault that I couldn't develop the players. The players might think the coach isn’t providing options. There may be complaints. I told Young-jun, ‘Would any coach give as many chances to the current Ahn Young-jun?’ It’s up to the player. The opponent plays tight defense. It’s because of my lack of ability that I can’t create opportunities for them. I am doing my best right now.”
Will Gomez still be relied upon moving forward? Coach Jeon said, “I won’t necessarily use him first. It will depend on his condition. Just because shooting isn’t working doesn’t mean he will be excluded.”
On this day, SK shot 7 for 34 from three-point range, achieving just 21%. In particular, Kim Sun-hyung attempted seven shots but missed them all. Coach Jeon said, “If Sun-hyung had just made layups, we could have easily won. Things aren’t going as planned. His condition hasn’t been good lately. The coach has to bear it all,” and called for a turnaround.
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