Yang Hong-seok (basketball)

Yang Hong-seok (born July 2, 1997) is a South Korean basketball player. He plays for Korean Basketball League former team Suwon KT Sonicboom and present Changwon LG Sakers and the South Korean national team.[1]

For singer with same name, see Hongseok.
In this Korean name, the family name is Yang.
Yang Hong-seok
No. 11 – Changwon LG Sakers
PositionForward
LeagueKorean Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1997-07-02) July 2, 1997
Jeonju, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Career information
High schoolBusan Jungang High School
CollegeChung-Ang University
KBL draft2017: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2023Suwon KT Sonicboom
2023–presentChangwon LG Sakers
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  South Korea
FIBA Asia Cup
Bronze medal – third place2017 Lebanon
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2018 Jakarta–Palembang3x3 Team
Korean name
Hangul
양홍석
Hanja
梁洪碩
Revised RomanizationYang Hong-seok
McCune–ReischauerYang Hongsŏk

Early life

Born and raised in Jeonju, Yang moved to Busan as a middle school student.[2] He caught the attention of college recruiters after leading his high school basketball team to stellar results in various high school tournaments. As he was much taller than his peers, he played as a center and only converted into a forward in college.[3]

College career

Yang chose Chung-Ang University over traditional powerhouses Yonsei University and Korea University.[4][5] The unfancied Chung-Ang team managed to finish runners-up in the U-League table and were knocked out of the play-offs in the semi-final stage. Despite being passed over for the College Rookie of the Year Award, Yang drew attention as the only freshman to average 20 or more points.[6] He averaged 26.7 points, 2.4 assists and 2.9 steals.[4]

His performances did not go unnoticed by national team selectors and he was called up to the senior national team for the 2017 William Jones Cup and FIBA Asia Cup. He chose to declare eligibility early, joining the 2017 KBL rookie draft.

Professional career

Yang was considered a strong contender for the first pick along with Yonsei point guard Heo Hoon and was the second overall pick, behind Heo.[5][7][8] He was almost drafted by Changwon LG Sakers, but they had traded their pick and another player to Busan KT Sonicboom in exchange for Cho Sung-min in an agreement before the 2017–18 season.[9] As one of the youngest and least experienced players in the squad, he was often used as a substitute player to gain experience rather than sent out to the D-League reserve team. He recorded his first double-double in March, against Anyang KGC and finished the season with an average of 7.57 points.[10] Although considered one of the top prospects of his draft class, his rookie season was overshadowed by his team's lackluster performances in the regular season.

Yang began to establish himself as a starter during the 2018-19 season, often contributing points in the double digits together with Heo.[11] In January, he achieved two records. During the January 9 game against Incheon Electro Land Elephants, he scored 27 points, his personal best, in a 88-73 loss.[12] Weeks later against Seoul Samsung Thunders, he became the youngest player in KBL history to record a triple-double at age 21 years and 6 months, breaking Joo Hee-jung's record (age 23 years).[13][14] He ended the season with nine double-doubles, his personal best and won the Most Improved Player Award and named in the KBL Best 5 of the season.[15] He became the youngest player to rank first in the KBL All-Star Game fan vote.[16]

The 2019-20 season was a mixed bag for Yang. While he continued a fruitful scoring partnership with Heo, he came under criticism for neglecting his defensive duties and for his inconsistent form.[17]

During the 2020-21 season, Yang led the league in rebounds among domestic players and also achieved ten double-doubles in the points and rebounds categories (domestic players), becoming the first player since the 2017-18 season and the first forward (KBL registered position) since Lee Seung-jun in 2012-13 to do so in those statistical categories.[18][19] He achieved the milestone during the semi-finals of the play-offs against Anyang KGC and infamously continued to play even after his injured ear had to be bandaged following a collision with Anyang KGC's Moon Seong-gon. Anyang KGC went on to win the semi-final round to advance to the championship finals but Moon and Anyang manager Kim Seung-gi both publicly singled out Yang for praise.[20] At the end of the season, he was named into the Best 5 for the season during the KBL's annual awards ceremony and also voted into the Best 5 and voted the Best Young Player by his KBL peers in Rookie the Basket magazine's annual Players' Choice Awards.[21][22]

Yang recovered from a pre-season injury in time for the 2021-22 season.[23] In January, during the loss against Daegu KOGAS Pegasus, he achieved his second triple-double (scoring 28 or more points), becoming only the third domestic player in KBL history to do so after Hur Jae and Hyun Joo-yup.[24]

National team career

Despite only playing a year of college basketball, Yang was selected for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.[25][26] He was mostly a substitute player, averaging around 5 minutes per game, but managed to score against Kazakhstan and the Philippines.[27]

Yang was called up to the national team for the 2018 Asian Games and sent to the 3-on-3 team. They reached the finals but narrowly lost to China in overtime.[28]

Yang participated in the 2019 William Jones Cup and in several qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[29][30] He was ultimately cut from the final 12-man squad for the World Cup as coach Kim Sang-shik opted for a more experienced line-up.[31]

Personal life

Yang has a brother Yang Sung-hoon, who is a year younger. The brothers had declared for the 2017 draft together but Yang Sung-hoon went undrafted and ultimately continued with his university education.[2][32]

References
  1. FIBA profile
  2. "[내가쓰는이력서] '양씨 형제' 홍석-성훈의 #성장과정, #경력사항". Jumpball (in Korean). 23 October 2017.
  3. "'전주토박이' 양홍석이 '부산사나이' 된 사연". BasketKorea.com (in Korean). 17 August 2014.
  4. "중앙대, 대학농구리그 판도 흔든다… '고교 최대어' 양홍석 가세" (in Korean). Chung-Ang University Alumni Association. 24 February 2017.
  5. "농구 드래프트 1·2순위 다 잡은 KT, 허훈·양홍석 지명 가능". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 24 October 2017.
  6. "[U리그] 건국대 이용우, 양홍석 이어 2번째 평균 20점+ 도전!" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 26 September 2018.
  7. "프로농구 신인최대어 허훈이냐? 양홍석이냐?" (in Korean). 28 September 2017.
  8. "허훈-양홍석 "역전패 없는 kt로"". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 31 October 2017.
  9. "Sonic Boom wins first and second draft picks". Korea JoongAng Daily. 30 October 2017.
  10. "KT 양홍석, 신인 선수 첫 더블더블 작성!" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 2 March 2018.
  11. "KT 허훈-양홍석, 젊은 피가 팀 부활 이끈다". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 25 October 2018.
  12. "'팟츠 30점' 전자랜드, 2·3위 맞대결서 KT에 낙승". Kukmin Ilbo (in Korean). 9 January 2019.
  13. "'데뷔 첫 트리플더블' 양홍석 "선수 생활 오래, 잘 하고 싶어요"". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). January 29, 2019.
  14. "[인포그래픽] '최연소 트리플더블' 양홍석-박지수, 누가 더 빨랐을까?". Rookie (in Korean). January 30, 2019.
  15. "'금강불괴' 이정현, 프로농구 정규경기 MVP". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 20 March 2019.
  16. ""너 누구니?" 굴욕에서 올스타 1위로…2년차 양홍석의 반전". Korea Herald (in Korean). 10 January 2019.
  17. "[류동혁의 이슈분석] 허훈 양홍석 드디어 시너지 폭발, 핵심 2가지 이유 있다". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 9 December 2019.
  18. "KT, 국내 선수 '득점-어시스트-리바운드' 1위 싹쓸이…역대 최초". Rookie (in Korean). April 7, 2021.
  19. "[기록] KT 양홍석, 16시즌 만에 국내 토종 포워드 더블더블 10회 달성". Jumpball (in Korean). 16 January 2021.
  20. "[KBL PO] 최고수비수 KGC 문성곤, "양홍석은 정말 대단한 선수"". Jumpball (in Korean). 16 April 2021.
  21. "kt 허훈, '선수들이 뽑은 올해의 선수상' MVP 선정". BasketKorea.com (in Korean). 11 May 2021.
  22. "2020-2021 현대모비스 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. 7 April 2021.
  23. "[부상] '햄스트링 부상' KT 양홍석, 복귀까지 3주 걸린다". Jumpball (in Korean). 12 September 2021.
  24. "KT 양홍석 특별한 트리플더블, 허재-현주엽 소환". Jumpball (in Korean). January 6, 2022.
  25. "'대학농구 기대주' 양홍석, 태극마크 향해 간다" (in Korean). KBS. 22 June 2017.
  26. ""궂은일은 처음이지?"…'허재호 막내' 양홍석의 성인식". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 7 August 2017.
  27. 2017 FIBA Asia Cup profile & statistics
  28. "(Asian Games) S. Korea wins silver in men's 3-on-3 basketball". Yonhap News Agency. 26 August 2018.
  29. "허웅 등 FIBA 농구월드컵 예비엔트리 24명 발표". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 1 November 2018.
  30. "남자농구 대표팀 명단 발표…이정현·양홍석 등 포함". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 31 January 2019.
  31. "이대성·허훈·양희종, 농구월드컵 최종명단 12명 발표". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 24 July 2019.
  32. "[내가쓰는이력서] 드래프트, 그 후 85일… 새로운 도전 앞에 선 그들". Jumpball (in Korean). 22 January 2018.
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