Heo Il-young’s value shines amid SK’s rising trend.
Seoul SK was defeated after a close match with 80-83 in the 2022-2023 SKT Adot Professional Basketball Anyang KGC held at Anyang Gymnasium on the 8th. With the defeat on the day, SK gave away second place to Changwon LG.
Although the game was lost, veteran Heo Il-young’s performance was brilliant. Before the game, head coach Jeon Hee-cheol emphasized that the flow of the first quarter is important. It was Heo Il-young who led the flow of the important first quarter. He led the team’s offense by scoring 7 points, including 1 3-pointer, in the first quarter alone.
He performed like Altoran with a chase 3-pointer in the 3rd quarter and a 3-pointer that tied the game 72-72 in the 4th quarter. One of the strengths of a big lineup is the mismatch in offense. Heo Il-yeong made good use of that. Compared to his good athleticism, the defense was a weak point, and Lenzia Bando, who added an advantage in height and skill, was not strong enough to stop Heo Il-yeong. After all, Abando struggled defensively throughout the game 안전놀이터. He played an active role in the attack, scoring 15 points against the strong SK, but committed 3 fouls in the 1st quarter and got into foul trouble early on, and eventually withdrew from the court with 5 fouls sent off at the beginning of the 4th quarter.
On this day, Heo Il-young played 29 minutes and 56 seconds and recorded 18 points and 3 rebounds, making the most personal points this season, surpassing the 17 points recorded in the match against Carrot on November 10 last year.
Heo Il-young, who started the season with the heavy task of filling the void of Ahn Young-jun, who joined the military, is quietly holding the center of the SK forward team. Heo Il-young’s existence shines even more in a situation where Song Chang-yong, who can take on one axis of the rotation, has a long hiatus due to injury.
Heo Il-young, 39 in Korean age this year, played an average of 26 minutes and 35 seconds this season, recording 10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. His long-term 3-point shooting success rate is 39.4%, and he is playing an active role that does not lag behind his prime.
Although it was not a decisive role in winning the team, the existence of veteran Heo Il-young, who silently scored like Altoran, cannot be overlooked as one of the factors for SK’s rise.