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SK Knights basketball coach in sleepless nights

Posted January. 21, 2014 04:59,   

한국어

Korean Basketball League`s Seoul SK Knights coach Moon Kyung-eun has started drinking Japanese liquor sake these days. "I get drunk easily when I drink sake. I drink some and can get to sleep," he said, adding, "I can`t get to sleep without it." He also smokes two boxes of cigarettes a day. Since the beginning of the new year, he has been in severe stress and days feel like months to him.

SK Knights encountered crisis late last year when Aaron Haynes intentionally knocked down Kim Min-koo of KCC Egis and got a five-game suspension. The incident tarnished not only the team`s image but also the club`s. Moon has been through a lot of distress as result. Without Haynes, SK recorded four wins and one loss, but posted three wins and three losses in six games after his return in early this month. At visiting games, spectators jeered whenever Haynes caught a ball, which agitated other SK players. Moon was somewhat relieved by SK`s two consecutive overtime wins against Ulsan Mobs Phoebus on Friday and KCC on Sunday. SK made the victories after bringing the games to a tie just before the end.

SK had been on the brink of having just one win with five losses this year, to which Moon said, "I have been leading the team for three years, including as an acting coach for a year. Now I`m going through the most difficult situation. I don`t frequently express difficulty, but sometimes I just want to give up," adding, "I try not to show edgy feelings in front of players. I thank them of uniting and following my strategies."

Though Moon says he has a long way to go as coach, SK has made comeback wins thanks to crucial strategies worked at the last minute. Moon deployed fast players such as Kim Sun-hyung, Byun Ki-hoon and Joo Hee-jung according to the match-up of rival teams or the game flow. He also strengthened forward line composed of Kim Min-soo, Park Sang-oh and Choi Bu-kyung which turned out to be effective. Courtney Sims also improved his skills compared to last season, which is also the result of Moon`s effort.