KCC Hwoong on his game-winning buzzer-beater, “I had to throw it”
“In that situation, I have to make the shot”
Busan KCC won 96-94 against Suwon KT in Game 6 of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball League on Sunday at KT Arena in Suwon, South Korea. With their second straight win, the fifth-ranked KCC improved to 25-20 on the season. They cut their lead over fourth-place Seoul SK to two and a half games.
Heo Woong (185 cm, G) had 18 points, three rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes and 45 seconds. He hit a buzzer-beater at the game-ending buzzer to tie the game again. Prior to that, he was shooting just 11.1% (1-of-9) from three-point range. He went off when it mattered most. He proved his superstar credentials.
Heung said after the game, “We beat KT, a top-ranked team. It feels really good. There were 4.3 seconds left on the clock when I shot the Paris basket. When I caught the ball, dribbled, and tried to shoot, there were 1.3 seconds left. I threw it up and it went in. I don’t know if I was confident in the shot, but in that situation, I have to throw it up. I had to create space and make the best shot I could,” he said.
“It’s hard to try new things, but it’s fun. More than my fitness, the schedule is crazy. We play six games in ten days. This was the fifth game. We play one game, then we play back-to-back. We play one game, then back-to-back. The schedule is a problem. Everyone is having fun with the new basketball. The last shot was mine, but everyone is involved in the offense. When we get the ball, we attack with our eyes lit up. I want to play the kind of basketball that I played in the Cup,” added the senior (Chung) Chang-young.
After the game against Goyang Sono on May 5, Heo said in an interview that he wanted to play fast basketball. It was no different in this game.
“We played early offense, and the scoring distribution was even. Basketball is fun. We’ll make our colors. It’s going to scare the opponent. (La) Gunnar grabbed rebounds when it mattered. It was a great play. We keep throwing it up, so he can rebound. Because we were shooting with their big man, he had an advantage under the basket,” he said, adding, “This is the kind of basketball that fits (Song) Kyo-chang and (Choi) Jun-yong-yi. It’s specialized basketball. If you play against Gyochang or Gun-ah, if they run, it’s just one goal.”
“This is the best we can do with our current team composition. It’s the best fit for the team. Our two best players are out with injuries. When they come back and 바카라사이트 run on both sides, who can stop them. It’s ideal basketball. Coach (Chang-jin) believes in the players. He listened to me, too. I will listen to him and do my best,” he said.
Finally, “(Lee) Seung-hyun is also scoring more than usual. He seems to be happy. Even Gun-ah can score easy goals. It will be good. The team atmosphere is really good. Junyong and Kyochangi must have felt it while watching. I will continue to grow stronger with this kind of basketball,” he concluded the interview.