Coach Jeong-eun Park, who took the helm of Busan BNKsome, which was closer to defeat, led them to the playoffs in the first season (2021-2022), and in the second year, 2022-2023, to win the playoffs and advance to the championship finals. succeded. It was the first record for all of them as a female director. It reversed the prejudice that ‘female leaders do not succeed’. As a player, he did not worry about advancing to the playoffs, and the luxury forward, whose only goal was to win, became a luxury coach before he knew it. We heard the story of coach Park Jeong-eun, who transformed BNK into a runner-up team in two years. (The interview was held on April 15th.)
※This article was published in the May issue of Jump Ball, a basketball magazine.
How are you spending your vacation?
I reviewed what I did last season, and I took a good rest. As soon as the season ended, I went to Hawaii with the players for a reward vacation. I had a lot of fun then, and now I am recovering from travel fatigue. We are also watching the FA trends of each club.
How was your 7 days and 6 nights vacation in Hawaii?
It was so good. I went last year, but since it was my second time, the players prepared various things. I had a good rest while watching the players play happily. The players were excited and took surfing lessons, and they really liked it. Everyone said they stood on the board.
What is your most memorable schedule?
I drove a four-wheel drive vehicle with the players at the filming location of Jurassic Park, ‘Kualoa Ranch’. The view was really nice, and I enjoyed it with the players while fully enjoying nature. The players took all their international driver’s licenses and moved and played in groups of five. You have to make reservations quickly for activities, but the players said they’d been there once and did it well (laughs).
You wrote the first female records after you took over as BNK director. what do you think?
Being able to come to BNK and write the first records is thanks to meeting the players well. Also, since the club provides so much support, I think the players’ skills are coming out better. The skills of the players are growing, and the results are coming out well, so I am grateful. A title like this is a real honor for me, and I also think that I am paving the way for other female leaders in the future. It’s a title that gives you a sense of responsibility.
The 2021-2022 season, the first season in charge, also made it to the playoffs, but I think there will be something different last season because it went up to the championship match.
When I first came to BNK, the characteristics of the team were players with potential. However, I thought that my lack of experience on the big stage would be an obstacle to my growth. So, we set our goal to advance to the playoffs. Fortunately, the players had playoff experience. The first year did not stop there, but last season we set the goal of winning the playoffs and going to a higher place. I think accumulating experience on the big stage led to winning the playoffs, and winning on the big stage without being nervous led to the championship match. I think we should become a stronger team now.
How would you compare it to the playoffs you faced as a player?
When I was a player, I didn’t have much inspiration. He went up so often (laughs). It was all about whether he won or not. He tended to enjoy games with big crowds and attention. But standing on the court as a leader was different. I was more nervous and worried more. It’s definitely more difficult as a leader than as a player, but I think the sense of accomplishment is different. The joy was doubled.
Unusually, the contract renewal was announced even though the season was not over. I guess you were surprised too?
I didn’t know when it was announced. The season went well as planned, and I think they liked the part that we prepared hard for in the offseason. I think it gave me a good opportunity to work better with the players in the future. After all, the contract ends in the second half of the season, so there is no choice but to be impatient. If you are obsessed with grades, you only see one side of the season and run the season, but I think it must have meant to run it comfortably and for a long time.
You overcame the prejudice against female leaders. Was this part of your motivation?
Wouldn’t it be about knocking (laughs)? Having played WKBL, I think I know the nature of the league and what it takes to run it. I always thought that I could tell and teach the players more because I experienced it with my own body. As you said, the environment itself was not easy for a female leader to lead the team. Luckily, I was given the opportunity, and I wanted to show myself successful. So I was more careful, and I put a lot of effort into implementing what I thought.
What are the advantages of being a female director?
I’ve played the league, and I have the advantage of being able to understand the sensitive parts of the players. Even the same basketball skills can be used in WKBL, and there are skills that can be used in KBL. You can spread your know-how or skills about these things to the players. Because of the experience, it is easy to figure out the tactics that fit the characteristics of WKBL.
Conversely, what are the downsides?
If the leader knows too much, the players find it difficult and uncomfortable. So it was a bit difficult to pretend not to know (laughs). There is such a thing as knowing the player’s mind when a girl goes out for a workout, and knowing her feelings and thoughts when she touches her ankle once. I know it all, but I don’t want to be nagging, so I always pay attention to controlling things.
The coaching staff is all female. How about this?
I am with senior coach Byun Yeon-ha and coach Kim Young-hwa, but coach Byun Yeon-ha has a different personality. Conversely, coach Kim Young-hwa is water. There is me who can adjust the strength in the middle. Players can choose and learn according to their inclination (laughs). Because I played with the coaches at Samsung Life Insurance, our standards for basketball and our perspectives are similar. So I think communication goes well when we talk about basketball.
Team vacation until June 4th. It’s unusual, how did you come to this decision?
Originally, I thought it was the end of May. The players put in a lot of hard work and hard work. I wanted to reward that much, and I thought I should give more than other teams. The season ended so early that I didn’t know who was allergic to pollen before. Last season, I saw a player with pollen allergy for the first time, and since I played basketball in the spring, I thought I needed time for compliments and gifts. I left homework for the players to take good care of their bodies so that they can start exercising right away. We have to watch. How responsibly he has been doing well (laughs).
I know that players in their mid-30s or older and married people can choose between commuting to work and lodging.
(Kim) Hanbyeol is commuting. There are no married people in their mid-30s or older, so the rest are living together. The ultimate goal is to create an environment where people can commute. Players who came after graduating from college must be over 25 years old, but since they usually come after graduating from high school, I think we need to take care of younger players. When I turn 25, I want to try to commute autonomously. Due to the nature of Busan, the players have concerns about getting a house, but if you ask (Lee) So-hee, she says that she will get a house and move out. I think I like to decorate the interior or the house in a cute way. We are living together right now, but we don’t touch at all about going to a nearby cafe or watching a movie in the evening. I let them go freely, but the players were tired and didn’t go out (laughs).
“Jinan. The ball is bouncing far and wide, and (Lee) Haeran is standing between them. you just stand there What did you tell me to do? I was told to hit and catch. (a) Umji. (Bae) Hyeyoon dribbles. You can throw everything with just one step, but I told you that you have to move diligently… This
is the contents of BNK’s operation time from the face-to-face confrontation with Yongin Samsung Life Insurance held on December 14 in the 2022-2023 season. It’s hard to feel emotions just by looking at the text, but in reality director Park Jeong-eun’s voice is calm. In a calm voice, each person points out what needs to be done. It’s quite different from the type of professional directors I’ve seen in general.
Operation time became a hot topic. He calmly pointed out what each person had to do. How can you operate like that?
I think I always met the coaches well when I was at Samsung Life Insurance and when I was in middle and high school. The part where the directors explained well was very helpful. I don’t have a manager who makes a loud noise, so I think I have a basic guidance philosophy. I wanted to make the players understand rather than make them feel intimidated. Only then can you execute what you have prepared. I tried to exclude emotions as much as possible and explain a lot.
Do you think there were any difficulties?
At first, it didn’t work right away. Still, I was patient and tried to maintain the tone. As the players gradually began to accept it, the effect seemed to come out little by little. Also, I like to ask questions. I think players have to ask questions to establish their own way about that part. (Lee) Sohee tends to do it a lot.
When I was a player, I was in positions 1-4, and in special cases, I was in charge of position 5. If the players can’t do it, I think I’ll feel frustrated and want to get angry.
When I get angry, I think it has an instantaneous effect. But it’s shock therapy. I don’t think it’s my own. I do it because I am scared, so there are many cases where the same situation is repeated. As a player, I have played positions 1 through 5, so I can give advice to players regardless of their position. It also has the advantage of being able to see everything. During my long career as a player, there was a situation where I had to play with a bench player due to an injury to a key player. I think the experience of playing while understanding the players at that time is very helpful as a leader. I wouldn’t have had this experience if I had only played with great players.
It’s a stressful job. Is there a way to relieve it?
I sleep a lot. Even as a player, I slept when I was stressed. After that, it seemed to get better soon. When I was a player, my juniors always said, ‘Jung-eun doesn’t come out of the room. It was ‘we have to make sure she’s alive’. Other players often couldn’t sleep.
Do you have any help from your husband? They gave surprise commentary and came to the stadium a lot.
That’s my hobby (laughs). I really like basketball. He knows a lot more than me, and his love for basketball is excellent. Anyway, since you’re married, there are things you need to pay attention to. The groom takes care of everything, such as cleaning, laundry, and small matters. The biggest part is to create an environment where you can focus only on basketball.
Coach Jeong Seon-min (current women’s national team coach) once said, “Park Jeong-eun is the best among Korean female small forwards.” what do you think?
When she played basketball together, she had a clear position. She’s good at her assigned role, so I think she was a good fit. They say she knows everything just by looking into her eyes. She didn’t even overlap the movements, so I guess she said that. I usually did a lot of dirty work (laughs). I think this kind of praise came because she did a lot of things that her sister didn’t want to do instead. haha.
Commentator Kim Eun-hye said, “It’s a style that hates basketball.”
She used to like to cheat on others. I wonder if she didn’t hate her because of that (laughs). I played basketball by digging into my opponent’s weaknesses and hiding my weaknesses. (She didn’t just shoot a layup on a fast break, she also shot a 3-pointer?) That was when I had a good shot feel. If you go in, it’s 2 points, but if you shoot from outside, it’s 3 points (laughs). I threw it with the thought that I would gain 1 more point and save my stamina as it consumes my stamina to go in. But it is correct to attack with high probability (laughs).
Manager Park Jeong-eun was a franchise star who played for Yongin Samsung Life Insurance from 1995 to the 2012-2013 season. As a member of the national team, he competed in four Olympic Games. After his retirement, he worked as a playing coach and head coach at Samsung Life Insurance, and also served as the head of the WKBL game operation headquarters. He is truly a man of ability who has experienced most of the jobs you can have in the basketball world. All of these experiences made Park Jeong-eun the current director.
Players, coaches, WKBL Game Operations Headquarters, and even the manager. What if you look back at many jobs?
As a result, everything is helpful in my current coaching life. When I was a player, I experienced a part that players could feel, but the coach could stand one step behind and see the players. I think he looked at the broader side when he was in charge 메이저사이트of running the game. He knew the details of the game management, referees and rules. He learned about the tendencies of referees, and while working in the federation, he obtained his referee license. If he had continued to play on the court and become a manager, I don’t think he would have been able to lead the players like he is now. I think all experiences have been the foundation.
What are your plans for the upcoming season?
I signed a contract extension in December, so my plans for the year are already in place (laughs). Physical training, overseas field training, and practice games by inviting Japanese teams are all planned. First of all, when the players return, we will start with skill training, and we will leave for physical training in Jeju Island.
The goal for the first season was to make the playoffs, and for the second season, the goal was to win the playoffs, but we achieved them all. What are your goals for the next season?
When I first came to BNK, I had a strong thought that my hometown team shouldn’t collapse like this. I graduated from Dongju Girls’ High School (now Dongju Girls’ High School), and if there had been a professional team in Busan at the time, I would have gone 100%. I always wanted BNK to do well, but the opportunity to contribute to my hometown team came. I wanted to be loved by the fans, but I thought I had to get good grades to do that. So we set a goal for the playoffs. We got more and more fans until we went to the playoffs, but the season is over. It was very sad. But this season, I played a longer season, and I received a lot of love. Now we have more fans and the love we send them is great, so we don’t want to disappoint them. I want to give people the perception that BNK is always a winning team, not a losing team.
What direction is the team ultimately pursuing?
I want to help players grow and stand alone well in autonomy. A player who can develop himself rather than relying on others. I am also hoping for a chemistry in which players with strong personalities gather and run towards the goal. I want to be a team that can blend well.