[Anchor]
The Asian Games basketball roster was announced today (11 November), and we met the man at the centre of it all: Heo Hoon.
Choi Jong-hyuk is the reporter.
The athlete says he gets better when he shoots in rhythm while wearing earphones.
[Heo Hoon/Men’s Basketball Team: When I exercise while listening to songs, the tension rises, so even when I don’t want to do it, the tension rises when I listen to songs, so I get passionate… ]
[Song Kyo-chang/Men’s National Basketball Team :바카라 To be honest, it’s cool, it’s cool].
When training starts, the smiles disappear.
[Heo Hoon/Men’s Basketball Team : If you see it down there, you have to shoot the three. It’s a three, okay? (With a backstep?) Uh. You have to shoot a three with a backstep. Wide open!]
The goal is clear.
[Chu Il-seung, head coach of the men’s basketball team: “We won gold at the Asian Games in Incheon, and the players are working really hard to repeat that glory again.”]
For Heo, it’s even more special.
At the 2018 Games, Heo Hoon, along with his older brother, returned the Taekwondo flag after a favouritism controversy arose when coach Heo Jae selected both his sons for the team and the results fell short of expectations.
The following year, however, he dominated the domestic scene, being named the regular season MVP and leading his enlisted team, Sangmu, to the second division title last year.
[Heo Hoon/Men’s National Basketball Team: Only 100 days to go (can we say sergeant at arms?).
Earlier, he poured in 22 points in an exhibition game against Japan, and at the Asian Games, he’ll be the on-court commander who orchestrates the flow of play.
[Heo Hoon/Men’s Basketball Team: If we win gold, it’ll be early October, so I’ll be discharged on November 15, which is a little over a month early, is that a good thing?]
Given the time it takes for military benefits, they’ll still have to leave the army when they win the gold medal, but they’re happy to shoot for the gold.
(Image source: YouTube, ‘Military Service Administration’, ‘Defence Daily’)
(Videography by Jang Hee-jung)