There was a player who was eating the championship. The summit has always been his place. However, there is no eternal best in professional sports. He always seemed to be on top and he also faced a downward curve.
I endured 5 years on a downhill road. After five years of perseverance he came out on top once again. Standing at the top for the first time in a while, he enjoyed greater joy. This is the story of Asan Woori Bank captain Park Hye-jin.

6 consecutive losses after that…
Woori Bank did not miss the ‘regular league championship’ and ‘champion match championship’ from the 2012-2013 season to the 2017-2018 season. It was a team that achieved ‘integrated 6 consecutive wins’. Second in WKBL history. (The first team to win 6 consecutive wins in WKBL is Shinhan Bank)
Park Hye-jin was the key player in winning 6 consecutive wins. Even after 6 consecutive losses, Woori Bank was protected. From the 2019-2020 season, he also led the regular league for two consecutive seasons.
However, Woori Bank has not won the playoffs since the 2017-2018 season. Frustrated at the threshold of the summit. Park Hye-jin, who was the main player in the combined six-game losing streak, was also far from winning. Both Woori Bank and Park Hye-jin were evaluated as ‘not the same as before’.

In the 2017-2018 season, we achieved 6 consecutive victories.
It was five years ago, so my memory is hazy.
In the 2018-2019 season, they failed to win 7 consecutive games. Also, Lim Young-hee (current coach of Asan Woori Bank), who was with me, retired.
When coach Lim Young-hee said he was retiring, I felt very empty. It felt like half of our team was leaving. (Laughs) Personally, I had a lot of determination and the time we spent together was long, so I think I was worried, ‘Can I do it alone?’
From the 2019-2020 season, we ranked first in the regular league for two consecutive seasons. However, Woori Bank is far from winning the playoffs.
There could be several reasons. However, if you put all those reasons together, it comes to the conclusion that we were lacking. I think we couldn’t go to the championship match because we didn’t do well.

Change and Will
Woori Bank is a team that built a ‘dynasty’. However, after the 2017-2018 season, it became a team far from ‘normal’. In particular, it was pushed back by KB Stars, which Park Ji-soo joined. turned into a challenger.
The 2021-2022 season was even more frustrating. Although they made it to the championship match, they never defeated KB Stars, which Park Ji-soo and Kang I-seul endured. Woori Bank was frustrated in the championship match for the first time since coach Sung-Woo Lee came to Woori Bank.
Frustrated in the championship match, Woori Bank recruited Kim Dan-bi, who was released as a free agent (FA). Danbi Kim is a Shinhan Bank franchise star and WKBL’s best all-around player. In particular, Danbi Kim’s defense was a factor that could be a plus for Woori Bank.
Was that so? Park Hye-jin welcomed Kim Dan-bi more than anyone else. After Danbi Kim’s addition, he insisted on the goal of’winning’ more strongly, saying, “After (Kim) Danbi’s sister came, he thought of winning as his goal.” The will to reach the top was refined once again.

Danbi Kim added.
I talked to the director on the phone while on vacation. ‘I’m going to recruit (Kim) Danbi, what do you think?’ He asked me for a doctor. (To the director who asked me for a doctor) I was so grateful. Because of my desire to win, I thought, ‘I hope Danbi will come’. And Danbi unnie joined our team.
What was the first word you exchanged with Danbi Kim?
Even when we first met at the practice gym, I felt like I was in the national team. (Laughs) Also, I was too shy to say “I’m glad you came” (laughs), so I think we just talked about small things.
I think Danbi Kim also relied on Hyejin Park a lot.
From the time Danbi decided to transfer to Woori Bank, we talked a lot through social media. Danbi unnie said, “I trust you and go. Help me a lot”, and I also replied, “I will help her sister a lot”.
I tried to match the sum in the national team, but breathing at Woori Bank may be different.
There are many good players, but only one ball. As a result, there were many things to adjust, such as the time of holding the ball, movements without the ball, and the movement of the players. We talked a lot with each other, and the director took care of that as a whole. I don’t think there were any major problems.
On defense, there was no doubt. (Park) Even with Jisoo, it was to the extent that Danbi unnie took first place in block shooting. (Laughs) So I trusted Danbi unnie and was able to defend strongly.

Exceeding expectations or
overwhelming Woori Bank, who recruited Kim Dan-bi, sprinted for three straight victories in the opening season. The average goal margin over the period was a whopping +19. There seemed to be no team to stop Woori Bank.
Although he lost 74-85 to Samsung Life Insurance in the 4th game of the 1st round, Woori Bank’s true uptrend began from then on. He ran 14 consecutive wins. This is the first achievement since December 8, 2016 (vs Bucheon KEB Hana Bank, now Bucheon Hana One Q).
There was nothing rough about Woori Bank. Woori Bank, which ran fiercely, confirmed the regular league championship against BNK on February 13th. Won 14 regular league championships, the most in WKBL history. Finished the 2022-2023 regular season with 25 wins and 5 losses. The regular season ended with a performance that exceeded expectations or an overwhelming performance.

Danbi Kim played the first game after joining.
In fact, even during the practice game, it creaked. I couldn’t find the way I needed to move, and the timing wasn’t right. However, ‘Team A has changed dramatically. I heard a rumor that Team B exceeded expectations. Both the coach and the players were insecure.
The opening game wasn’t good either. But I think it’s true that I solved it better than I thought. I think I gained a lot of confidence thanks to the first match.
Woori Bank has recorded 14 consecutive wins in the regular league in 6 years since the 2016-2017 season.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a long winning streak. It’s more difficult than 6 years ago. But the winning streak itself doesn’t mean much. I think the result was 14 consecutive wins just because we prepared diligently for each game.
Woori Bank has been dominant throughout the season. The result was a regular league championship.
The team as a whole never thought, ‘If we win a few more games, we’ll win the regular league’. I think everyone came in with the mindset of ‘win every game’.
There was a case of failure after winning the regular league. I think there must have been anxiety.
In the previous season, the ranking battle was fierce. Because of this, there was not enough time to prepare for the playoffs. But this time it was different. The regular league performance was good, and Danbi was there too. (laughs) I think that’s why I was more confident.

Full-fledged match
Woori Bank advanced to the playoffs as the top team in the regular league. The opponent is Shinhan Bank. It was a tough opponent for Woori Bank. This is because they recorded 2 wins and 4 losses against Woori Bank.
Also, the playoffs are different from the regular league. The advantage in the regular league is of no use in the playoffs. Besides, Shinhan Bank had nothing to lose. That put a burden on Woori Bank.
However, Woori Bank easily headed for the championship match. Advancing to the championship match for the second year in a row. After finishing the playoffs in two games, Woori Bank waited for the opponent team for the championship match. Park Hye-jin also watched the match between BNK and Samsung Life Insurance.메이저놀이터

The playoffs have begun. I think the psychological burden was greater.
As you know, it’s a series with so many variables. That’s why I thought I shouldn’t be pushed back in the early fight. Fortunately, I finished the first game well, and I was able to finish the second game without difficulty.
As you said, we won both games 1 and 2. Both matches were won by double digit margins.
(Woori Bank won the first game 65-51, and finished the second game 70-58)
Scores are important, but basic things such as defense, loose ball fights, and boxing out are more important in short games. I think we dominated both games because we did a good job at that.
advanced to the championship match. The opponent was either BNK or Samsung Life Insurance.
I think every team has its strengths and weaknesses. Instead, I wanted the match between BNK and Samsung Life to go until the 3rd game. (Laughs) Although the opponent was decided quickly, on the contrary, I was able to prepare for the championship match quickly.

Woori Bank, who advanced to the championship match there after 5 years, had a final match with BNK. BNK is a team with a young triangular formation centered on Kim Han-byeol, Ahn Hye-ji, Jin An-Lee So-hee. It was not easy for Woori Bank, as it was a team that was in line with the new structure.
In fact, Woori Bank struggled in the first game. I almost missed the game that could have been finished early due to BNK’s fierce pursuit. However, Woori Bank, recalling the lessons from the first game, overwhelmed the second game 84-67. There was only one win left in the combined championship.
For the 3rd game, I crossed over to Busan, the enemy. Although they were burdened by the long travel distance and the away game, Woori Bank took care of the 3rd game with solid basic skills. A combined championship in 5 years after the 2017-2018 season. It marked the beginning of a new dynasty for Woori Bank. Park Hye-jin was also at the top, just like she was 5 years ago.

It struggled quite a bit in the first round.
Basketball is a sport where fighting is important. I had to bring it when I passed the flow, but since the score difference was so large, I think I thought ‘I’ll still win’. Because of that mindset, I couldn’t manage the game well. I think that’s why I won the first game with difficulty.
However, we won the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I won the unified championship in 5 years.
After Danbi joined, the goal of my team and me was to win. I only saw that goal and prepared hard. It felt like I was being rewarded for the results, so it was great.
In fact, winning always feels good. But this win was a little different. There were more moments that made me cry. So many emotions came out in a complex way.
The long season is over. What do you want to do now?
As I said in a previous interview, I want to play when I want to play and rest when I want to rest. I want to act according to the stream of consciousness. I’m still putting everything down and resting comfortably. (Laughs)
It’s out of the blue, but I’ll end the interview with this question. Can we say that this victory means the reconstruction of the Woori Bank dynasty?
Next year, (Park) Ji-soo will come back healthy, and other teams will go through the season without injured players. It won’t be easy. It’s hard to say anything. However, our team also has many positives. I will prepare harder.