Seoul SK forward Ahn Young-jun poured in a career-high 21 points to lead the team to its fourth straight win after being discharged from the military.
Ahn had 21 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists in the team’s 86-80 home win over Wonju DB at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on Thursday.
On the day, SK had a quiet night from its main players such as Kim Sun-hyung and Oh Se-geun, but Ahn Young-joon and Jamil Warney (32 points, 20 rebounds) played a big role in catching the leading DB.
Ahn was discharged from the military on the 16th and this was his third game back.
He completed his ‘discharge report’ with 16 points in his comeback game against Suwon KT on the 18th, and on this day, he poured in 21 points to make SK coach Jeon Hee-chul happy.
“We ran like crazy and got a good result,” he said, adding, “DB is a very good team, but we came out with the mindset to win once.” The game between the two teams came down to the wire.
The match between the two teams was a back-and-forth affair, but there were many times when DB would run away, or when they were close enough to chase, Ahn Young-joon’s thunderous fastballs would change the game.
Ahn, who served in the military as a full-time reserve, said, “I was confident in my physical condition because I worked hard to prepare while I was in the military.” “Still, it’s harder than I thought when I don’t play, and I think I need to adjust more with each game,” he said.
“While in the military, I was in charge of organizing reserve training, and I was on the phone all day, saying, ‘Reserve, come out,’” he said, adding, “But after I finished my shift, I worked out by myself every day at the SK practice gym and got in shape.”
When asked about his goals for the season, he revealed his ambition to win the championship, saying, “I think I need to win one more championship (before I retire) because my older brothers, (Heo) Il-young and (Oh) Se-geun, are older than me.” 토토