Lee Sang-min, a senior who cried for the first time in 3 years, laughed...KCC, SK have lost three consecutive games and are tied for the lead in winning consecutive games
Oct 13, 2025
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The showdown between Seoul SK and Busan KCC held at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul on the 13th was a venue for a meeting between the two 'legend'.
KCC coach Lee Sang-min (53) of Yonsei University's 91st class and SK coach Jeon Hee-chul (52) of Korea University's 92nd class are stars who dominated the 1990s 'Basketball Festival'. At that time, when basketball 'Go Series (based on the name of 2025)' became popular, the two led the heyday of Yonsei University and Korea University, respectively.
He was a fierce rival on the college court, but on the other hand, he was also a close friend. The two, who played for Jeonju KCC in the 2002-2003 season, also led the Korean basketball renaissance by winning the 'miracle gold medal' at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
The relationship between the two, who were best friends and rivals when they were players, continued due to the coach's bench match on the professional stage. The game is the first reunion in three seasons. When the previous coach was promoted from coach to coach in the 2021-2022 season and played his first season, Lee had been in charge of Samsung in Seoul since 2014.
At that time, the joys and sorrows of the two were sharply divided when they met for the first time as directors. At that time, Jeon led the SK team's first integrated victory and rose to the rank of mastermind. On the other hand, coach Lee dropped out in January 2022 when his player's 'Drunk Driving Incident' broke out while recording the lowest rank in the regular league. SK's former coach, who was leading by 5 wins and 1 loss in the regular league showdown at the time, had a 2-1 advantage even while Lee took the helm.
The resourcefulness battle between the two, which had been thought to disappear, was revived when coach Lee returned to the head coach of KCC from this season.
The atmosphere was virtually the opposite of three years ago. SK had to face KCC in the face of a three-game losing streak. For SK, which has emerged as an emerging powerhouse since Jeon's inauguration, '3 consecutive losses' is an unfamiliar word.
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On the other hand, KCC was unexpectedly doing well early in the season. While key players such as Huh Hoon, Choi Jun-yong and Lee Hyun-ho are out due to injuries, they are maintaining the top ranks. If he won on the day, he would also aim for a 3-1 victory and a tie for first place. Coach Lee, who bowed his head three years ago, laughed in the match. KCC won 75-67 on the day and won two consecutive games, and SK fell into a three-game losing streak after two consecutive wins.
Before the start of the game, coach Jeon was wary of '3 consecutive losses' and "It is encouraging that the gap between the scores widened and then followed, but we should not allow a big inferiority first."You have to be especially careful about turnovers in attacks."
But his wishes were off the mark from the beginning. SK, which lost the first quarter 19-24 due to Heo Woong's outer shot and Sonlong's inner and outer sides, also widened the gap to 24-39 and 15 points midway through the second quarter. Later, he succeeded in finishing the first half 35-41 with a chase, but it was a tough game operation. In particular, there were three turnovers in the second quarter alone. Kim Hyung-bin was blocked by Jang Jae-seok's defense and was caught in a viral attack time, and Jamil Warney and Kim Hyung-bin's two pass walks were also wasted.
In the fourth quarter of the match, 53-60, SK once trailed by three points with Warney, who was activated late. However, KCC did not panic and re-earned by counter-attacking with its handlers, and kept the victory with strong defensive concentration until the end.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
