If you look carefully at KGC’s operation time recently, there is an impressive scene. The coaching staff reorganizes the team by sharing opinions with Yang Hee-jong. It is a fragmentary example of Yang Hee-jong and coach Kim Sang-sik’s trust in the players.
Anyang KGC has maintained first place since the opening of the 2022-2023 SKT A-Dot Professional Basketball regular league. With the core forces that have consistently achieved good results, and the leadership of manager Kim Sang-sik, who trusts the players, they are cruising toward their fourth championship in their career. 스포츠토토
An impressive scene was also captured in the away game against Wonju DB on the 2nd. After coach Kim Sang-sik called the operation time, he called not only coaches but also captain Yang Hee-jong to exchange opinions and move on to the players. The same was true of the home game against Suwon KT on the 6th. The only exception was the operation time called while Yang Hee-jong was on the court, and Yang Hee-jong also shared opinions with the coaching staff when the operation time came out while on the bench.
When asked about this, coach Kim Sang-sik said, “(Yang) Hee-jong is a player who has been on our team for 15 years. The coaching staff can talk about the technical part, but the other parts and the atmosphere of the players are probably better known. So I called him to come with me, and I also asked him about things outside of the operation.”
Yang Hee-jong is a franchise star who has built his career at KGC since he was nominated by KGC (then KT&G) as the second pick in the 2007 rookie draft. Yang Hee-jong planted tenacity in the team with a defense that did not spare his body, and since 2014 he has been the captain and has also played a role as a bridge between the players and the coaching staff.
Director Kim Sang-sik said, “Hee-jong is now 40 years old. He used to be a playing coach,” he laughed. In fact, Hur Jae, Moon Kyung-eun, Kim Byeong-cheol, and Lee Hyeon-ho also served as playing coaches at the end of their active careers and also served as advisors to players.
Director Kim Sang-sik said, “The coaches are doing very well. Coach Seong-min Cho is shooting, and coach Seung-tae Choi is holding the defense. Heejong knows the atmosphere of the team well. Rather than just sitting on the bench as a player, I think it’s better to talk with him. He sometimes asks the players to talk (about the game) depending on the situation.” This is why the trust between the KGC coaching staff and the players is getting stronger.