SK Knights forward Bang Sung-yoon runs the court during a KBL basketball game against the ET Land Black Slamer Tuesday at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul.
/ Yonhap He wore a large brace on his left knee, and there were blank spaces by his name on the statistics sheets from the past few months.
But other than that, it was almost impossible to tell that Bang Sung-yoon was making a return from a serious injury.
Playing in his first Korean Basketball League (KBL) game since tearing a knee ligament in December, the SK Knights' star forward appeared healthy, scoring 32 points in a 96-93 victory against the ET Land Black Slamer Tuesday at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul.
Bang drained 8 of 11 shots from the floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point territory. He also made 12 of his 15 free-throw attempts in addition to contributing six rebounds and six assists.
With his help, the Knights improved their record to 24-22 to overtake the Black Slamer (24-23) for sixth place in the league standings. That's especially important because the top six teams qualify for the playoffs, which begin later this month.
Bang's comeback from the injury is the latest chapter in a three-year KBL career that has been hindered by a series of ailments and highlighted by a plethora of big shots.
The 25-year-old Yonsei University product's most recent injury occurred on Dec. 21 in a game against the KCC Egis. He was coming off a screen, when he lost his balance, twisted his left knee and fell to the Jamsil Gymnasium court in pain. It was discovered that he had a torn ligament that eventually caused him to sit out 21 games.
But when Bang returned to the lineup on Tuesday, he quickly regained the shooting touch that's made him one of this country's most explosive scorers.
Including that performance, he ranks third in the KBL in scoring this season, averaging 22.8 points per game ― the most of any domestic player.
Bang, who played with the Roanoke Dazzle of the U.S. National Basketball Association's Development League (D-League) before joining the KBL, has averaged more than 17 points in each of his three professional seasons in Korea, despite missing games earlier in his career due to shoulder and ankle injuries.
Bang won the KBL Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and earned All-KBL honors last season. He is also a member of the South Korea national team.
jonsanfilippo@koreatimes.co.kr
Source:www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/0 3/136_20198.html
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