Coach Joo Hee-jung’s leadership concessions and Kim Tae-hyung’s sincerity
KU head coach Joo Hee-jung conceded the leadership award to KU coach Kim Tae-hyung. This is the result of Kim Tae-hyung’s hard work since he was a player.
At the 39th MBC Varsity National College Basketball Resident Tournament in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea University won its 13th championship, beating Yonsei University in the final for the second time in the last year.
After the tournament, an award ceremony was held. Head coach Joo Hee-jung was not present. Usually, the coach of the winning team receives the Leadership Award. However, it was not Joo Hee-jeong who was awarded the Coach of the Year Award, but Kim Tae-hyung.
Coach Kim Tae-hyung, who was in charge of power analysis in 2019 and has been assisting Joo Hee-jung as a coach since 2020, said, “When the coach’s name was called, the coach was nowhere to be seen, so I had to go out and receive the award, but I was dumbfounded when my name was suddenly called.” He said it was unexpected.
It is not uncommon for coaches to receive leadership awards at the collegiate level instead of managers.
“I received a lot of awards when I was a player,” says Joo. “It’s not that I received a lot of awards as a player, but the coach takes all the responsibility, but coaches also play a lot of invisible roles.” “It’s a harder job to be a coach than a manager. Coach Kim Tae-hyung is the head coach, and I think he deserves it,” explaining why he conceded the leadership award.
When asked about his last award, Kim said, “When I thought about the last time I won an award, I thought I didn’t have any except for the one I won in high school, but this is the first time since I won the D-League MVP,” and added, “I was very emotional and excited.”
Coach Kim Tae-hyung won the Migi Award at the 2006 National Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Tournament and was named the D-League MVP for the 2016-2017 season.
Kim went to Sungkyunkwan University, not Korea University. He connected with KU after retiring in 2019 due to his relationship with head coach Joo Hee-jung at the Seoul Samsung.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have difficulties (not being from Korea University), and I still have difficulties all the time. That’s why I try a little harder than others, and I’m a little more passionate. I don’t get lazy,” he said, adding, “If I get lazy, I think the coach will criticize me, so I think the only thing I can give back to him is my grades, so I try to win.”
It is because of her sincerity that Joo Hee-jung trusts Coach Kim Tae-hyung and continues to work with him as a coach.
In his 2019 power analysis, Kim said, “I’m not a player who played a lot of games. What I did well was not being called an unfaithful player, but more of a faithful player.” “The most memorable thing was training with coach Joo Hee-jung until 11 or 12 at night. It was so intense that my shirt got wet in the middle of the summer. Even when we were out of town, we went in and worked out. I remember the moment I burned up like that, and that’s why my relationship with the coach who looked at it so favorably has continued to this day.”
His sincerity didn’t stop at the coach-manager relationship, but also led to a concession in the leadership award 스포츠토토.