Two Guys Return, Bring Luck

“They are back!”

Kang Hyuk (Samsung) and Ryan Perryman (LG) have performed tremendously after returning to the court. Samsung and LG, falling behind due to their absences, have now won consecutive games since their comebacks. Kang Hyuk and Perryman’s presence have made this possible.

Kang Hyuk, who is called as “Kangddol” and has a strong-natured will to win, has been absent or has played only for a minute during the four games since he sprained his ankle in the game against SBS on November 29. After that, Samsung lost four straight games. Coach of Samsung Kim Dong-kwang then said, “We’ve had problems with our systematic play since Kang Hyuk got injured. It will be different when he returns.” It turned out that his statement was true.

Samsung achieved victories over TG and SBS after Kang Hyuk’s return. The consecutive wins are particularly valuable because Derek Johnson, forming the “twin towers” with Seo Jang-hoon, has also been unable to play. Kang Hyuk scored 12 points including three 3-pointers and six assists in the game against the powerful TG. He also had five steals, disrupting the flow of the opponent’s offense. Samsung, with four consecutive losses, changed its ambience by beating TG 82-67. Kang Hyuk led Samsung’s 89-77 victory against SBS by scoring 20 points including four 3-pointers the next day.

LG also has been charging hard after Perryman’s return. Perryman came back on December 6 after injuring his knee against SBS on November 11. Perryman, 199 cm tall, is an unusual rebounding monster who was the rebounding leader of the 01~02 and 02~03 seasons despite the presence of foreign players taller than 2m. Since he is responsible for the post play, shooters such as Victor Thomas and Cho Woo-hyun are more active in their inside-outside offense.

Perryman scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the game against KTF on December 6, and 20 points and 21 rebounds while facing the “twin towers” of Seo Jang-hoon and Derek Johnson in the game against Samsung on December 7. He also grabbed 16 rebounds (and 17 points), the most rebounds among the two teams, competing with Kim Joo-seong and Lion Dereks of TG on December 14 to show his increasing strength as time passes. Four consecutive victories out of five games were achieved after Perryman’s return. Kang Hyuk said, “I think I’m a fighter myself,” and Perryman, with a high morale, said, “Please pass me the ball.” Samsung and LG expect them to fly higher.

Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com