The 69-year-old Master Also Sighed at The 14-Year-old Franchise Star
It is people’s mind that a master who has won and led many championships has no choice. IBK Industrial Bank of Korea coach Kim Ho-cheol 69 hoped that Kim Hee-jin 33, the best star in his team, will take responsibility and change again.
IBK Industrial Bank of Korea won a shutout victory over Korea Expressway Corporation with a set score of 3-0 25-20, 26-24, 25-18 in the fifth round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women’s Regular Season at Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 7th.
It was the first victory in 39 days since the victory against Pepper Savings Bank on December 30 last year. Triangular formation performed well, with Brittney Abercrombie 29, registered name Abercrombie scoring 24 points, the most for both teams, and Pyo Seung-joo and Hwang Min-kyung scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. As a result, IBK Industrial Bank 12 wins, 14 losses, 36 points, which is ranking fifth in a row, has narrowed the gap to five points with Chung Kwan-jang 13 wins, 13 losses, 41 points, ranking fourth.
However, there is one person who couldn’t smile at heart. It is Kim Hee-jin, a franchise star of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea. Kim started as a middle blocker on the day, but had to settle for the first set with no record of 1.83 percent in attack share, two open attacks, one blocking, three serve and two digs.
Kim Hee-jin is a one-club woman and franchise star who joined IBK Industrial Bank of Korea under the designation of a new team in the V-League during the 2010-2011 season and has been playing for the team for 14 years. After obtaining the FA qualification for the second time after the end of the last season, he ended up with an annual salary of 150 million won and option of 200 million won after long negotiations.
However, he has lost ground year by year. After participating in 114 sets in 29 matches in the 2020-2021 season, the number of participants has gradually decreased to 104 sets in the 2021-2022 season, 90 sets in the 2022-2023 season, and 11 sets in the 2023-2024 season. This is due to chronic knee injuries, but coach Kim Ho-cheol found another reason.
Before the game, manager Kim Ho-chul sighed when asked about a spot as a middle blocker, saying, “It’s frustrating when I think about it.” As expected by the club and fans, veteran Kim Hee-jin and newcomer Choi Jung-min 22 were in harmony together, and Kim Hyun-jung and Lim Hye-rim had to fill the gap. However, Kim Hyun-jung is working with Choi Jung-min 26 games, 102 sets who is firmly in sync with 69 sets in 23 games and 55 sets in 21 games.
“I had a brief talk with Kim Hee-jin during the morning meeting today on July 7. I should think, ‘Don’t you think you have to prepare yourself? You have to think, ‘You have to learn on your own, you can’t wait until someone comes forward,’ and ‘You have to run.’ I thought, ‘Let’s change our mindset and attitude for the rest of the season,” he said, expressing frustration.
“It should be helpful to the team, but Hee-jin couldn’t do that this season. If you are in a good condition, you can’t go in, and if you are told to go in, you can’t go in again. Our team has expectations for Hee-jin, fans have expectations for franchise stars, and volleyball fans all have expectations for Kim Hee-jin.”
With 10 games to go, IBK Industrial Bank of Korea has nine points against GS Caltex, the third-ranked team, and five points behind Chung Kwan-jang, the fourth-ranked team, which has hope in spring volleyball. In the meantime, if “national player” Kim Hee-jin succeeds in rebounding for the rest of the year and shows his presence in the center, it is not impossible to make a reversal. This is why the 69-year-old master of the game demands a more active and proactive attitude from Kim Hee-jin, who seems to have lost motivation. 바카라사이트
“Considering such expectations, I wanted him to show his willingness to ‘play’ even if he tried a little too hard. I’ve been talking to him lately because I want him to think that I can help the team. If he feels anything, I think it will change,” Kim said, looking forward to a different performance.