On a rainy day, basketball fan Cho Joon-beom, 39, visited the training court of the Goyang Sono Skingunners, a professional basketball team, on the basement floor of Goyang Sono Arena (formerly Goyang Gymnasium) in Goyang, South Korea, and watched as players warmed up for a practice game. This is the first day that Sono, which took over the insolvent Day One, has held a practice game with a professional team since joining the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Fans flocked to the practice field as the news broke. Cho was there with his wife and two young sons. “When I heard that the team was going to be eliminated, I participated in a truck demonstration to say, ‘Help the players live a normal life,'” he said, adding, “I’m happy to see the players training so brightly.” He wasn’t alone.
Cho wasn’t the only one, as more than 100 fans showed up at the stadium that day, showing as much enthusiasm as in the regular season. Some of them traveled from Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. “I came all the way here to support my school seniors, Kim Jin-yu (29) and Han Ho-bin (31),” said Lee Hye-yeon (26), laughing, “I feel so grateful to see them playing in such beautiful new uniforms.” “I was worried that the team would disappear and my favorite players would be scattered,” said Kim Eui-in (26), who was sitting next to me. “I didn’t know where to ask for news about the team, so I searched the news every day and got restless.”
The players’ faces were as bright as the fans’. The players, who were practicing on their own without uniforms a month ago, were now wearing uniforms with blue letters on a white background, giving off the aura of professional basketball players. The atmosphere was full of energy, the opposite of the gloomy atmosphere of the last month. The youngest member of the team, Cho Jae-woo (24), said, “I’ve changed my eating habits,” and vowed, “I just need to be good at basketball.” “I’m happy to be back with not only the coach, but also the coaches,” said Kim Jin-yu, “and I’m going to repay all the people who have supported us by running around like hell this season.”
With Sono’s arrival, Goyang Gymnasium is now known as Sono Arena. But the scars of the past were everywhere. There was an Orion on the practice floor and a cat carrot at the entrance to the main arena. “We are slowly erasing the scars,” said Kim Sung-heon, head of the team’s support team, “and there is a lot of work to be done before the opening.”
Sono, coached by Kim Seung-ki, 51, beat Korea Gas Corp. 87-84 in a scrimmage earlier in the day, a thrilling come-from-behind victory in which the team, nicknamed the “Skygunners,” hit 15 3-pointers. Han Ho-bin’s five three-pointers heralded his new season, while Kim Ji-hoo and Kim Min-wook also contributed to the team’s victory.
“I used to like a certain player, but now I’ve fallen in love with the team,” said Ha Ye-eun (21), who was delighted with the victory. “The Sono players have stories of pain, joy, and emotion, which made me root for them even more than before.” Cho Seoyoon (21) and Lee Kyung-min (23) also said, “I have a friend who loves Sono more than us, but it’s a shame that she couldn’t come with us.” “The four of us will continue to come and support the players during the season so that they can play healthy basketball without getting injured in the new season,” they predicted. 온라인카지노
Coach Kim, who is more excited about the fans than the victory, said, “I feel more responsible because they are interested even though it is a practice game,” and vowed to play basketball that does not disappoint.
Sono will leave for its first training camp on September 11 in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. The inauguration ceremony is scheduled for the following month on September 20. The 2023-2024 professional basketball season will begin on October 21, and Sono will open the season with a home game against Wonju DB on the 22nd.