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Hustle, not bravado, is the story behind Moon's '9 Rebounds'
Moon Jung-hyun (194 cm, F) traded flash for grit.
Suwon KT defeated Daegu KOGAS 85-81 in a regular-season game of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association on March 23 at the KT Sonic Boom Arena in Suwon, South Korea.
With the win, third-place KT improved its record to 32 wins and 19 losses, moving within 2.5 games of fourth-place Seoul SK.
In this game, KT struggled against KOGAS, which was missing several starters. The game remained close until the end of the third quarter, with the lead changing hands repeatedly. After the third quarter, KT took control with Paris Bass (207 cm, F), Ha Yoon-ki (203 cm, C), and Heo Hoon (180 cm, G) doing their part inside and out, and eventually secured a valuable win at home.
Rookie Moon Jung-hyun was a key factor in KT's victory.
Moon came in as a substitute for Moon Sung-gon with 3:25 left in the first quarter. He immediately warmed up by hitting a three-pointer from the outside. He continued to play all 10 minutes in the second quarter and showed his confidence in his shooting by hitting another outside shot from the right corner after receiving a pass from Jung Sung-woo (178 cm, G).
In the second quarter, Moon had only made three field goal attempts, but he was able to keep up with the game-leading efforts of Heo Hoon and Jung Sung-woo up front and was active in the matchup against KOGAS' Park Ji-hoon (193 cm, F).
After the third quarter, KT was in a close game with KOGAS, but Moon brought his fighting spirit to the court in the fourth quarter.
Especially in the fourth quarter, Moon stood out for his rebounding. She grabbed six rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. Four of them were offensive rebounds, and he stayed in the box out. His rebounds set the stage for KT's second-chance points and led to baskets by Ha Yoon-ki and Heo Hoon.
Moon's final rebound of the night proved to be crucial in the overtime period. With KT leading 83-81 with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Moon fought off a Heo Hoon three-pointer as it rimmed out, flying out of the paint to save the ball and pass it to Heo Hoon.
Eventually, Heo Hoon made the foul free throws and Ha Yoon-ki sealed the game with a tip-in off the rebound to make it 85-81 with six seconds left.
On the night, Moon finished with six points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 25:42 of action. His nine rebounds tied his career-high for rebounds in a season. Previously, Moon had recorded nine rebounds against Busan KCC (Nov. 30, 2023) and Anyang Jeonggwanjang (Jan. 27, 2024).
KT head coach Song Young-jin said in a postgame interview, "(Moon) did a good job with hustle plays and rebounding. We were able to win the game because the flow came over," he said.
Moon was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 rookie draft and was thrust into the spotlight. However, he realized the barriers of the professional world and lost out to Hyundai Mobis' Park Mubin (184 cm, G) and LG's Yoo Yoo-sang (188 cm, G) in the rookie of the year competition. Moon, who was in a lot of pain, dedicated himself to the team with hustle plays instead of his own flamboyance.
After an up-and-down rookie season, it remains to be seen if Moon will be able to redeem himself in the playoffs after a disappointing regular season.