GAME NOTES: GROUP A — Suwon KT Sonicboom (1-1) vs. Hiroshima Dragonflies (2-0)

Suwon KT hopes to end Hiroshima’s 2-0 start in front of home crowd

December 4, 2024 — Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena

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Storylines:

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Life without Heo Hoon

Heo Hoon (#2) scored a team-high 21 points in Suwon KT's previous game against the P. LEAGUE+'s Taoyuan Pauian Pilots on Oct. 23. The Sonicboom will be without Heo on Dec. 4 due to the point guard's fractured left thumb.

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Suwon KT will likely play its third East Asia Super League (EASL) game without star point guard Heo Hoon. Heo, who’s averaged 19 points and 6.5 assists this season, was diagnosed with a fractured left thumb on Nov. 19 and will be sidelined for up to four weeks, according to the team.

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With most — if not all — of KT’s halfcourt offensive sets running through Heo, the Sonicboom’s scoring numbers take a significant hit. To make things worse, two key rotational players for KT, Ha Yungi and Moon Jeonghyeon, are questionable to play due to nagging injuries of their own to play due to lingering injuries.

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KT could, however, look to young starlet Park Ji-Won as a fill-in floor general during Heo’s absence. Park, the second overall pick in the 2020 KBL Draft, recently rejoined the Sonicboom after completing his military service, which concluded during the latest FIBA international window. In his 2024-25 Korean Basketball League debut on Nov. 28, Park notched 10 points and three rebounds in just over 21 minutes of play.

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Heo, Moon and Ha are all expected to play in KT’s EASL contest against the P. LEAGUE+’s Taoyuan Pauian Pilots on Dec. 11. Until then, the Sonicboom will rely on Park and its role players to step up and secure a win on Dec. 4.

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Jordan Morgan In, Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. Out

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On Nov. 19, Suwon KT announced the signing of 6-foot-9 forward Jordan Morgan as its new import player. Morgan’s arrival signaled the end of Jeremiah Tilmon Jr.'s tenure with the Sonicboom, after he appeared in 11 KBL games and both of the team’s EASL contests this season.

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Against EASL competition, Tilmon Jr. didn’t necessarily disappoint. In KT’s opener against the San Miguel Beermen on Oct. 2, the 6-foot-10 center charted eight points and 11 rebounds. Three weeks later, in KT’s surprise 91-70 loss to Taoyuan on Oct. 23, Tilmon Jr. registered an impressive 18 points and team-high eight rebounds.

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But moving forward, the Missouri product has been replaced by the former Michigan Wolverine. In his KBL debut — an 83-71 victory over the Seoul Samsung Thunders on Nov. 28 — Morgan tallied an efficient 12 points in 14 minutes.

Can he deliver a similar performance against Hiroshima on Dec. 4? That remains to be seen.

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Blackshear Jr. vs. Hammonds

Kerry Blackshear Jr. (#8) drives left on a Hong Kong Eastern defender during their matchup on Oct. 16 in Fukushima, Japan. Blackshear Jr. won EASL Player of the Month for October after averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds and five assists across two games.

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Hiroshima’s Kerry Blackshear Jr. has undoubtedly been one of the league’s most dominant players this season. In the Dragonflies' 2-0 start, the 6-foot-8 forward picked up Player of the Game honors both times and averages team-highs of 21 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists per game. On the defensive end, Blackshear Jr. has recorded six steals, the second-highest total among all EASL players.

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KT’s star import Rayshaun Hammonds has had a different experience. After dazzling at EASL’s Tip-Off 2024 on Oct. 2 with 39 points and 14 rebounds, Hammonds went ice cold in the Sonicboom’s second contest, mustering just four points on 16.7% shooting in a blowout home loss to the Pauian Pilots.

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Now, Hammonds has a chance to amend past mistakes. Domestically, he’s starred in the KBL, averaging 19.8 points and 11.9 rebounds to help KT garner a TK-TK record through 13 games, but all eyes on Dec. 4 will be on Hammonds’ matchup with Blackshear Jr.

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The outcome of the contest — whether Hiroshima remains undefeated or KT hands the Dragonflies their first loss — will likely depend on this showdown.

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Suwon KT Sonicboom’s Players To Watch:

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#1 Han Hui Won — Guard, 6-foot-4

2024-25 EASL Season Averages: 11.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1.5 assists
2024-25 KBL Season Averages: 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Joined the Suwon KT Sonicboom in 2019
Previously played for the KBL’s Anyang KGC (2016-2018, 2019-20) and the Incheon Electroland Elephants (2015-16)
Han went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft
Han is from South Korea

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#19 Jordan Morgan — Forward, 6-foot-9

2024-25 EASL Season Averages: Morgan is scheduled to make his EASL debut against the Hiroshima Dragonflies on Dec. 4
2024-25 KBL Season Averages: 6.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Joined the Suwon KT Sonicboom in 2024
Jordan is a naturalized Slovenian
2018 Slovenian League Champion with KK Olimpija
2017 Slovenian Supercup Champion with KK Olimpija
Jordan went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft
2013 Big-10 All-Defensive Team
Jordan attended the University of Michigan (2010-14)
Morgan is from Illinois, USA

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#9 Park Ji-Won — Guard, 6-foot-2

2024-25 EASL Season Averages: Park is scheduled to make his EASL debut against the Hiroshima Dragonflies on Dec. 4
2024-25 KBL Season Averages: 9.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists
Rejoined the Suwon KT Sonicboom in 2024
Park played for the Sangmu Basketball Team during his military service from May, 2023 to Nov. 2024
Park played with Suwon KT from 2020-2022 before enlisting in the military
Park was the 2nd Overall Pick in the 2020 KBL Draft
Park attended Yonsei University
Park is from Seongnam City, South Korea

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Hiroshima Dragonflies’ Players To Watch:

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#12 Takuto Nakamura — Guard, 6-foot-1

2024-25 EASL Season Averages: 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists
2024-25 B.LEAGUE Season Averages: 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists
2023-24 B.LEAGUE Champion
Nakamura represented the Japanese national team during the Nov. 2024 Fiba International Window
Joined the Hiroshima Dragonflies in 2022
Nakamura attended Daito Bunka University
Nakamura is from Nagoya, Japan

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#8 Kerry Blackshear Jr. — Forward, 6-foot-8