“He was the best captain I’ve ever seen in Korea.” Charles Road (38, 200cm), who had a successful career at KBL, gave a thumbs up to Yang Hee-jong in an interview with Jump Ball. Yang Hee-jong and KGC also delivered a word of support for the upcoming ‘Last Defense’.
Anyang KGC held a retirement ceremony for captain Yang Hee-jong at halftime in the home game against Wonju DB in the 2022-2023 SKT Adot Professional Basketball Regular League held at Anyang Gymnasium on the 26th. While KGC permanently retired Yang Hee-jong’s uniform number 11, he held a grand retirement ceremony by inviting singer Kang Seung-yoon, who sang Hee-jong Yang’s favorite song ‘CAPTAIN’, as a surprise.
Road also cheered for Yang Hee-jong’s future by leaving sincere messages for each related post. Road is one of the longest-serving foreign players in the KBL. He played 395 regular league games, which is 4th among foreign players after Laguna (557 games), Aaron Haynes (546 games) and Leon Williams (466 games). His cumulative records outside of games, such as 6451 points (17th), 3178 rebounds (11th) and 601 blocked shots (3rd), are worthy of being called a long-serving foreign player.
He played the most seasons at Busan KT (now Suwon KT), but the 2015-2016 season at KGC also remains an unforgettable memory for Rod. Coach Kim Seung-gi, who was in charge of acting coach at the time, collected the opinions of the players and selected Road as the 4th overall pick in the 2015 foreign player draft. Despite many bad news, KGC advanced to the semifinals with Road.
Even at that time, KGC’s captain was Yang Hee-jong. When they met as opponents, they were willing to fight fiercely, but Yang Hee-jong, whom he met as a colleague, was a stronger argument than anyone else.
“He was the best captain I have ever seen in Korea. I think KGC became a strong team thanks to the captain,” said Rod, who took luck. “His leadership was unmatched both on and off the court. He helped foreign players live comfortably in Korea even off the court. He often had dinner with them and always treated foreign players with a smile. He understood the hearts of foreign players who had no family in Korea, and thanks to that, I was able to pour 100% on the court,” he said, looking back at his memories with Yang Hee-jong.
Rod continued, “The captain is Korea’s Derek Jeter. he was the best It deserves the honor of being the first permanent ban in the history of KGC. I think Oh Se-geun will inherit his leadership in the future.” Jeter is the best franchise star produced by the prestigious New York Yankees in the major leagues and is called the ‘eternal captain’.
KGC, who won the regular league championship, will play the last playoff with Yang Hee-jong under the slogan of ‘Last Defense’. Road also sent a message of support, saying, “I hope that KGC will decorate the captain’s last season with a championship based on the best defense.”
Road’s career at KBL ended after Jeonju KCC in the 2019-2020 season. He currently plays in the Saudi Arabia League. “I enjoy playing basketball here, but I want to end my career at KBL. Korea is my second home, and I loved its people and culture. Even if I can’t sign a contract with the KBL team, I plan to go to Korea once a year. I have also discussed it with his wife,” he said.
When I asked Rod about his last memorable colleague, an unexpected answer came back. He was Yoo Jae-hak, general manager, who recently held a retirement ceremony for Hyundai Mobis in Ulsan. Lord played the 2016-2017 season at Hyundai Mobis, but he was kicked out after 33 games.
Rod said, “It remains in my memory as the most enjoyable season I spent in KBL. Coach Yu (Yoo Jae-hak) knew my strengths and weaknesses, and I respected him.온라인바카라 Since he was young, I think he was kicked out because I couldn’t handle it wisely. I had back pain after training and I told my trainer about it. It seems that there was a misunderstanding in this process. After I was kicked out, a herniated disc was discovered and I received treatment for a while.”