“I’m happy to be No. 1 again, but…”

For the third year in a row, Heo Woong (30-Busan KCC), the top vote-getter for the Korean Professional Basketball League’s All-Star team, is more sorry than grateful for the attention. After starting the season ambitiously with the goal of winning the championship, KCC’s performance is far from satisfactory.

“I’m happy that I finished first and second in the All-Star fan vote alongside my brother Heo Hoon (28-Suwon KT), but I’m disappointed with the team’s performance,” Heo told the 텍사스홀덤 World Journal, adding, “Busan fans are very passionate about us, but we’re not meeting their expectations.”

KCC has been a big fish in the free agency market in the last two seasons. They signed Heo Woong and Lee Seung-hyun, both 31, ahead of the 2022-2023 season, and added Choi Jun-yong, 29, the biggest free agent signing this season. In addition, Song Kyo-chang (27) returned from military service in November. The team has been described as a “super team” and KCC was a strong pre-season favorite. “We had great players in each position, so it was very reassuring,” Heo said. “I felt some pressure before the season thinking that I could play with these players, but I had higher expectations.”

It was not an easy start for KCC. After the first round, KCC finished in eighth place with two wins and five losses. In the second round, the team went 4-4, which was better than before, but still far short of what was expected of them. “Before the season, I was so excited to be on a team like this with players like these, but it was really frustrating to not get results,” Heo said.

But as time went on, the players found their rhythm and KCC started to show a different side in the third round. KCC is on a four-game winning streak, including defeating Wonju DB, who had established a dominant system in the third round. With a winning percentage above 5 percent (10-9), fifth-ranked KCC is now looking over the top. “I think there are ups and downs, but the team atmosphere is very good right now,” Heo said, emphasizing that “coach Jeon Chang-jin believes in us, so we are communicating comfortably, and we believe in him and follow him.”

He is averaging 13.4 points this season, playing 31:16 minutes per game. It’s the first time he’s been on the court for more than 31 minutes since the 2015-2016 season. Heung says he’s not feeling the physical strain. “I’ve moved to Busan, but my accommodation is still in Yongin,” he said, adding, “It was hard at first to travel long distances, but I’m getting used to it.”

Looking ahead to the All-Star Game on March 14, Heo has one wish. He wants his younger brother to be healthy. The younger brother, who had been battling for the No. 1 spot, suffered a broken nose in a game against the Seoul Samsung at the KT Sonic Boom Arena in Suwon on April 12. Facing four weeks of rehabilitation, Heo’s participation in the All-Star Game is still in doubt. “My brother had just returned to the team after his military service,” Heo said, adding that he was “very heartbroken and upset” about the injury.

In the end, Heung vowed to achieve his goal. “I’m playing basketball happily with my teammates, and there’s still time left,” Heo said, emphasizing that he wants to win the championship. “Busan has a bigger gym than Jeonju, so more fans come and support us,” he said, adding, “We will definitely repay them with our performance.”