프로농구 4강, 4인 4색 감독 열전 [뉴스in뉴스] / KBS 2026.04.20.

With the top four teams in the professional basketball league now determined, the head coaches of the four teams are challenging for the championship, each showcasing their unique style. From former superstar coaches to legendary managers and rookie coaches, this "four-person, four-color" showdown is drawing significant attention. Sports reporter Han Seong-yun joins us. First, Coach Son Chang-hwan, who caused a sensation with Sono in the quarterfinals, is a completely unknown coach, isn't he? [Reporter] Coach Son Chang-hwan can be considered the most unknown coach in KBL history. It took him a whopping 22 years from his retirement as a player to becoming a head coach, yet he is demonstrating exceptional ability in his first year as a manager. Coach Son was drafted by SBS in 1999, but he rarely played as a starter and ended his playing career after just three years. After retiring, he was unable to become a coach immediately and served as a scout for a long time; this experience is proving to be a great asset in his coaching career. He is highly regarded for his exceptional understanding of basketball tactics. The reason Sono has shown improved performance as the games progressed is that the team has fully integrated into Head Coach Son Chang-hwan's strategy. He possesses outstanding leadership skills that guide the team, not just in tactics. When suspicions arose that SK, their opponent in the quarterfinals, had intentionally lost, he boosted the morale of the Sono players to the maximum by saying they had "stirred up a hornet's nest." Having achieved an unexpected three-game winning streak in the quarterfinals, Head Coach Son Chang-hwan will face LG, the regular season champion. Attention is focused on whether Head Coach Son Chang-hwan can once again pull off an upset against LG, who are objectively superior in terms of strength. [Anchor] I heard that LG Head Coach Jo Sang-hyun, who will face Sono, has taken a path quite different from that of Head Coach Son Chang-hwan? [Reporter] The two coaches are the same age and joined the professional league at the same time; however, Head Coach Jo Sang-hyun was famous as a star even during his college days. He is a coach who joined the professional league as the first overall pick and followed an elite path, progressing directly from assistant coach to head coach immediately after retirement. Head Coach Cho Sang-hyun enjoyed immense popularity as the twin basketball players known as the Cho Sang-hyun and Cho Dong-hyun brothers during his time at Yonsei University. He played professionally for 14 years and began his coaching training immediately after retirement by becoming an assistant coach. He also served as the head coach of the South Korean national basketball team. He has been the head coach of LG since 2022. In particular, he earned recognition for his leadership by leading LG to the championship last year. After finishing second in the regular season, they advanced to the championship series and achieved a thrilling victory after a seven-game series against the first-place team, SK. This season, they finished first in the regular season, demonstrating even greater growth compared to last year. Head Coach Cho Sang-hyun, who has enjoyed a brilliant basketball career, stands in stark contrast to Head Coach Son Chang-hwan of Sono. It will be interesting to see if Head Coach Cho Sang-hyun of LG, who possesses superior objective strength, can fend off the challenge from Head Coach Son Chang-hwan of Sono. [Anchor] As expected, KCC, which advanced to the semifinals with three consecutive wins, is headed by a former superstar, isn't it? [Reporter] He is none other than Head Coach Lee Sang-min, the idol of the "Oppa" fan base. He is a superstar who enjoyed the greatest popularity among basketball players of all time, and he is now challenging for his first championship as a head coach. As a player, Coach Lee won three championships and even earned the Championship Finals MVP award, but he had never experienced a championship as a head coach. He coached at Samsung for eight years, but after finishing as runner-up once, he did not receive particularly favorable evaluations as a coach. He has returned to the KCC head coaching position three years after stepping down from Samsung, and his goal is, of course, to win the championship. KCC is considered a "super team" as it is composed of top-tier players such as Heo Hoon, Heo Ung, Choi Jun-yong, and Song Kyo-chang. However, their regular season performance fell short of expectations, and they barely made it to the playoffs in sixth place. They have now advanced to the semifinals after winning three consecutive games against the tough opponent, DB. Two years ago, KCC advanced to the playoffs as the 5th-ranked team in the regular season and became the first 5th-place team to win the championship. Having climbed to 6th place this season, they are challenging for the title once again. Attenti...