“I never thought we’d meet again…” “You have to run on one court this time.”
The two players, who changed to the uniform of the Goyang Sono professional basketball team, are happy to see the hot sunshine. A clue of a relationship that started with the Busan KT in 2015 circulated and continued at the Sono team.
Veteran guards Hong Kyung-gi (36) and Lee Jae-do (33) are the main characters. The two players met with a reporter at Hongcheon Vivaldi Park, Sono’s training site, on the 6th and said, “We don’t know how long it has been since we had a meal together at KT in the 2015-2016 season. This time, I want to go to spring basketball together at Sono.”
Lee Jae-do, who was called ■Trade…Hong Kyung-gi contacted us with a sincere heart
Few know that two three-year-old players played for a team in the 2015-2016 season. 동행복권파워볼
While Lee Jae-do was a key player who played in all 54 games for KT, Hong was an out-of-field player who could not play in a single game. “When I think about that time, I wonder how well I and Lee will match each other. I’m excited that they can play together,” Hong said.
In fact, it is almost a miracle that the two players reunited at Sono. Hong Gyeonggi and Lee Jae-do signed contracts with Sono and Changwon LG, respectively, as free agents. Soon after the FA market ended, Lee Jae-do was traded for a big fish named Jeon Seong-hyeon, and dramatically became a member of the same team again.
“Coach Kim Seung-ki seems to care about me too much. He used to call me to Anyang, but he took me to Anyang this time,” Lee Jae-do said, smiling at Hong Gyeonggi Province with grace, saying, “I know most of Sonoe players including (Hong) Gyeonggi type, so I have no problem with adapting.”
On the contrary, Hong says he is getting used to Sono through Lee Jae-do. Although he joined Sono by sending Kim a long text message at the end of the FA season, he is new to his basketball tactics and style. Fortunately, Sono’s style, nicknamed “Archery Basketball,” is tantamount to the Anseong horse dance. “Lee Jae-do is always telling me many things about his basketball. Every day he trains at Sono is precious,” Hong said.
Hong’s desperate desire is reflected in his resume. Sono is the seventh team in the KBL alone. He has retired twice and returned to the court. Born in 1988 in the Year of the Dragon, Sono said, “I really love basketball. I kept trying because I didn’t want to quit playing it properly. This year is the year of the Blue Dragon. I want to play it properly with other players.”
“These days, I get a lot of calls from my old fans through social networking services (SNS). Samsung fans, who have been together for only three months, have offered to support me, while those of E-Land and Korea Gas Corporation (KGC) have offered to visit the Goyang Sono Arena (Sono’s home stadium). I have no choice but to play hard if I want to repay them,” he said.
■ A court relationship that failed in Busan, “We should go to spring basketball together this time.”
Lee Jae-do knows better than anyone else how he feels about Hong. Lee Jae-do experienced firsthand that he sweated more desperately than anyone else at the training camp, when he failed to get the chance to play in 2015 when he was a team player in Busan.
“There are so many things to learn from Hong. He is a role model for players who joined our team in the second to third rounds,” Lee said, recalling the moment. “I am also managing my mind by watching the game type. Honestly, some Sono fans would be disappointed to join the team through a trade with Sung Hyun, but to console them, I need to play better basketball. I will capture the hearts of fans again with my performance.”
The day when Lee Jae-do and Hong Kyung-gi will play on the court is approaching. Starting with working together at Vivaldi Park in Hongcheon until the 6th, we should think of each other’s styles that we forgot for a while for nine years before the opening. Considering Sono’s composition of players, Lee Jae-do and Lee Jung-hyun are likely to take the lead, but Hong Gyeonggi Province also has enough skills to fill the vacancy. Coach Kim praised, “Gyeonggi is in the best shape among our players.”
Hong Gyeonggi said, “I had a lot of injuries in college, but I’ve never done that in a professional game,” and vowed, “If you give me time to play for a while, I’ll do my best.”
Sono’s new year’s goal is to advance to spring basketball (a nickname for the playoffs). Sono, which was founded last year, failed to advance to the playoffs by ranking eighth. This year, in addition to Lee Jae-do and Hong Gyeonggi, Jeong Hee-jae and Choi Seung-wook joined the team, which deserves a higher position.”
“Coach Hong said let’s wait until the championship game,” Hong said with a smile. “If I have a realistic goal, I would like to play spring basketball with Jae-do. We, who couldn’t play a single regular league game in Busan, would like to collaborate to win the playoffs.”
Lee Jae-do’s goal is not much different. Lee Jae-do still remembers winning all 10 games of the playoffs with Kim at Anyang KGC (currently Jeong Kwan-jang). “Our coach doesn’t know what kind of results he will get if he goes to the playoffs. Let’s become a dokkaebi team in spring basketball,” Lee said.
