The "Rising Eagles," led by coach Seo Jang-hoon, are back with their sights set on a national championship as they prepare for their first match.
The SBS variety show "Rising Eagles Season 2," which airs on Sunday, July 12 at 11:05 PM, will kick off the "National Championship," a tournament featuring the strongest amateur basketball teams from across the country. The team returns with a larger scale, featuring new uniforms and a dedicated home court.
This "National Championship" saw fierce competition with over 200 teams applying from across the nation, and only 7 top-tier teams were selected to participate. For the first hurdle in this grand journey, the "Rising Eagles" have been matched against the Gyeongbuk representative, the "Gyeongbuk Fire Department."
Composed entirely of active-duty firefighters, the Gyeongbuk Fire Department is a traditional powerhouse, boasting 4 wins at the National Fire Agency Commissioner's Cup and 4 wins at the Firefighting Basketball Association Tournament. With their overwhelming physical stamina honed at actual fire scenes and their terrifying speed in transitioning between offense and defense, the "Rising Eagles" are bracing for a grueling, no-holds-barred battle from the very first game.
Ahead of the first match, coach Seo Jang-hoon's charisma left the court frozen. Until the day before the game, coach Seo conducted high-intensity, customized special training, checking defense, fast breaks, and pattern plays without a break. However, when painful passing errors and mistakes were repeated during practice, coach Seo Jang-hoon could no longer hold back and let out a thunderous roar, saying, "You will definitely lose if you play like this!" and "How many times do I have to tell you the same thing!" Stung by the coach's sharp criticism, the players regrouped and entered the game with more determination than ever to achieve their goal of a national championship.
Season 2 has seen significant upgrades not only in team strength but also in the club's environment. The players, who were provided with a dedicated home court, comfortable home locker rooms, and new uniforms, could not hide their overwhelming excitement, saying, "It felt strange to have a home court." On the day of the opening match, fans filled the stands to cheer for the first victory of the "Rising Eagles," providing a solid home-court advantage.
The support from others also shone through. Sandara Park, who joined as a new official manager, launched a covert operation as a "special spy duo" alongside caster Jung Yong-gum. After visiting the Gyeongbuk Fire Department's waiting room, Sandara Park showed off her signature sociability and brilliant eloquence, saying, "I will visit the opposing team, who must be nervous, and try to scout them while pretending to help them relax." It is reported that the Gyeongbuk Fire Department team was taken in by this and spilled their team's ace player and core tactics, raising expectations for how this espionage will affect the game.
Once the actual game began, the court turned into a battlefield. The biggest point of interest was the pride-filled battle in the paint between the "Rising Eagles" anchor MINHO and the Gyeongbuk Fire Department's Kim Sang-dong. With the flow of the game shifting on every offensive and defensive rebound, the two players exchanged rough physical contact and hustle plays, drawing gasps from onlookers who remarked, "They are truly intense."
In addition, the heat of the opening match reached its peak with a refreshing opening performance by the 6-member girl group LIGHTSUM and a fiery halftime show by the "Summer Queens" BB GIRLS.
The opening match of "Rising Eagles Season 2," which promises to be a drama without a script, will air on Sunday, July 12 at 11:05 PM.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.