A New Era for Anyang Jung Kwan Jang
Yoo Do-hoon, the newly appointed coach of Anyang Jung Kwan Jang, expressed his excitement about joining the team during a press conference on the 7th, ahead of the team’s 2025-2026 professional basketball home game against Seoul SK. He stated, “Coming to a blessed team, I feel like I’m sharing in the good fortune.” His comments came after the team secured the first overall pick in the 2025 rookie draft lottery held at the KBL (Korean Basketball League) Center earlier that day.
Jung Kwan Jang, who finished 6th in the regular league last season, had only a 7% chance of securing the first pick. This placed them at a disadvantage compared to teams like Seoul Samsung (10th), Busan KCC (9th), Goyang Sono (8th), and Wonju DB (7th), each of which had a 20% chance after being eliminated in the semifinals. Despite this, Jung Kwan Jang managed to secure back-to-back first-overall selections, having previously picked Park Jung-woong in last year’s draft.
The 2025 draft will take place on the 14th at Jamsil Student Gymnasium. The likely first pick is Moon Yoo-hyun (21 years old, a guard), a junior at Korea University. He is the younger brother of Moon Jung-hyun (24 years old), a Korea University graduate who was selected first by KT in the 2023 draft.
Moon Yoo-hyun showcased his talent by scoring 17 points (6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals) in a 66-54 victory over Chung-Ang University in the U-League playoff semifinals at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium, two hours after the draft lottery.
Korea University has dominated the King of Kings Tournament, winning it four consecutive times from 2021 to last year. They remain undefeated in 18 games this season, including 16 regular-season matches and the first two playoff rounds. Their opponent in the final will be the winner of another semifinal between Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University on the 8th.
Coach Yoo’s Focus on the Game
Coach Yoo Do-hoon of Jung Kwan Jang emphasized that he focused on preparing for today’s game against SK and did not discuss the draft in depth with the team. He added, “We’ll deliberate together and select the player according to due process.”
A Disappointing Outcome
Jung Kwan Jang’s day did not end perfectly. They suffered a 66-68 comeback loss to SK in the home game on the 7th, marking their first back-to-back defeats of the season. Jung Kwan Jang (8 wins, 4 losses) fell to second place, surrendering the lead to Changwon LG (8 wins, 3 losses).
SK (6 wins, 7 losses), now tied for 7th with Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, secured their second consecutive win. Ahn Young-jun, who returned after a three-week absence due to a calf injury, contributed 21 points (6 rebounds, 3 steals). Jamil Warney led both teams with 26 points (9 rebounds).