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Moon Seong-gon steps on the court for the first time this season wearing a KT uniform.

The 2023-2024 CheongKwanJang Professional Basketball match between Suwon KT and Seoul SK will be held at Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena on the 18th. The reason it is considered a big match is because it is the return match of Heo Hoon and Ahn Young-jun, who were away due to military service. In addition, captain Seong-gon Moon, who qualified as a free agent (FA) this summer and transferred to KT, is receiving even more attention as he is returning.

Moon Seong-gon suffered a hamstring injury in a practice game against SK in early October prior to the opening season. He was unable to compete in the cup competition, and after a rehabilitation period that included skipping the first round, he will return on the 18th.

In a phone call with this newspaper on the 17th, Moon Seong-gon said, “(My physical condition) is pretty good thanks to good rehabilitation. He will have to work more with his players, but he is preparing as well as he can. Although it is his KT debut game, he does not seem to be as nervous as his rookie debut game. “I think it’s a reasonable amount of excitement,” he said positively.

In fact, Moon Seong-gon has shown his will since the home opening game against Anyang Jeong Kwan-jang and has always expressed his intention to play. Each time, director Song Young-jin, coaches, and trainers worked hard to stop him. This is because the injured area is an area with a high risk of recurrence, and if the injury occurs again after a hasty return, the absence period becomes longer.

Seong-gon Moon said, “I had said before the opening that I couldn’t run because I didn’t have much pain. He said the coach told him to go slowly, and the coaches also told him to come back slowly. In particular, Coach Park Ji-hyun tried to stop me a lot. This is an area where injuries are a bit tricky. He could have come back sooner if he had just injured the muscle. That's not it, the trainers said I needed to rest a little more to be able to run to the end. So it took some time,” he explained.

Since it was his first season after the transfer and Moon Seong-gon is famous for his sincerity, the rehabilitation time was very frustrating. “It was so frustrating. I always did rehabilitation early in the morning from 8:30 to 11:30, and in the afternoon from 2:30 to 5:30. It was difficult because rehabilitation itself was not fun. There was also pain in the beginning. Initially, a period of absolute stability was needed. They told me to rest and do nothing for a week. It was difficult because they told me to stay still. “I can’t stand being still, so that was the most frustrating and difficult time.” These are the words of Moon Seong-gon.

KT finished the first round with 6 wins, 3 losses, and 3rd place. They seemed shaken after losing three games in a row in the beginning, but managed to bounce back. During the first round, KT ranked first in points conceded with 73.4 points, and second in the league in rebounds with 39.1. Thanks to this, Moon Seong-gon was able to relieve his mental burden.

Seong-gon Moon said, “I guess I can wait a little longer before returning. I watched the game and thought it was good that the players were doing well. KT's defense was bad last season. But this season, we conceded the fewest points and had good rebounds. What can I say, I was proud. Even though I didn't do it, I thought I could now play winning basketball. Thanks to my colleagues, the burden was eased. “(Jeong) Voice Actor and (Han) Hee-won both told me to return comfortably,” he said.

Moon Seong-gon, who had been thinking about how to make basketball more comfortable for his teammates on the bench, will take the court on the 18th.