Heo Hoon (28, 180 centimeters) is back.
Suwon KT won by 20 points, 106-86, against Seoul Samsung in the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association at Jamsil Gymnasium. The win was the seventh straight for KT.
KT had won six straight before the A-Match break. After a two-week break, the team remained on fire after the break. KT currently sits in second place in the league with 29 wins and 13 losses. They are five games behind first-place Wonju DB (34-10). Can KT, which is on a winning streak, beat DB and reclaim the top spot?
KT is expected to be even stronger after the break. That’s because KT’s center, Heo Hoon, is back. In his return, Heo scored 11 points in 12 minutes and eight seconds to help KT win their seventh straight game.
After the game, head coach Song Young-jin said, “(He) did his part. His physicality and shooting are good. If he continues to work hard with the team, we’ll get better together. He played his role in important moments. His return is an encouragement to the team,” said Heo Hoon.
Heo suffered a ruptured left calf muscle fascia in a match against Wonju DB on March 8. The injury was a setback for Heo, who also suffered a broken nose in December.
After the game, Heo said, “I was actually very anxious. The area where I was injured is the most prone to recurrence. Throughout the match, I kept worrying about what would happen if the injury reoccurred. So I couldn’t play explosively. I just tried to play confidently and take shots whenever I had a chance,” he said after the victory.
He also talked about his physical condition, saying, “According to the MRI, I’m 100% healed. I’m just worried about recurrence. My physical condition is good. I’ve been training with the team since Monday. I’m in better shape than I look,” Heo laughed.
Heo was originally scheduled to return in early March, but his return was quicker than expected. Hehun cited his older brother, Busan KCC’s Heo Woong, as the reason for his early return.
“Our next game is against KCC,” Heo said. I really wanted to play a little bit against KCC, which is why I came back earlier than planned. I want to improve my record against Heo Woong to 6-0,” Heo Hoon said, expressing his ambition to win the brotherly battle.