“I can only see the rim because I’m wearing a mask.”
Suwon KT extended its winning streak to five games with a 103-61, 42-point road victory over Seoul Samsung in the fourth round of the 2023-24 Korean Basketball Organization (KOB) at Jamsil Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
The top contributor to the victory was Heo “The King” Hoon, who finished with 23 points, including six 3-pointers, one rebound, 텍사스홀덤 one assist and two steals in 17 minutes and 44 seconds.
Heo Hoon said after the match, “It’s good to win. I think we had an easy game because Samsung didn’t have (Kofi) Coburn. We were lucky. I’ll try to win the next game and continue my winning streak.”
Heo Hoon, who became known as “Masked Man,” has yet to regain 100% of his form. He is still experiencing some discomfort in the area of his injury.
“I can’t get used to the mask as well as I thought. I can’t see too well. It blocks my vision. The mask is constantly shaking and changing position. It hurts when it touches my nose, so I’m constantly checking it.” “I’m thinking about getting it adjusted again. I haven’t played in a long time and it’s uncomfortable. I’m thinking about getting another mask,” he laughs.
Despite the mask restricting his ankle, Heo Hoon was Heo Hoon. He knocked down six three-pointers in a row from the second to the third quarter. It was a day reminiscent of the Wonju DB game four years ago on October 20, 2019, when he made nine consecutive three-pointers.
Together with former LG coach Cho Sung-won, Heo now holds the KBL record for most consecutive three-pointers made (nine).
Heo said, “I was lucky to have a big lead and felt comfortable. Samsung’s perimeter defense wasn’t strong. “I was lucky,” he said, “and my shooting was very good. Even when I was defending, I was thinking, ‘I have to take one more shot’ (laughs). Maybe it was because I was wearing a mask, but I could only see the rim.”
“I don’t have a record now,” Heo said, “I just want to finish the season without getting hurt. I just want to finish the season well without getting injured.”
This is KT’s third five-game winning streak this season. The previous record was six in a row. They need to continue their winning streak to move into second place, currently occupied by the Seoul SK.
Heo says, “This five-game winning streak is definitely a different atmosphere. I’m emphasizing to the players to start with a high energy level. At the center of it is me, the atmosphere maker (laughs). I’m trying to keep the energy level up, even if it’s a little hard. The same goes for the defense. We have a lot of good players on offense, and we have a very talented (Paris) Bass. We just need to take care of our defense.”
In conclusion, Heo said, “It’s good to gradually increase my playing time from where I am now. Before I injured my nose, I was in good shape, but when I got injured, I had about two weeks off. I need to gradually increase my playing time. We have a lot of games to play, and we’re a team that needs to do well in the playoffs, so we need to work harder to build our bodies.”