Korea Expressway Corporation head coach Kim Jong-min, 48, has one goal for the 2023-2024 season: to win the championship.
“The goal is always the highest,” Kim Jong-min, who is currently training in Japan, said in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “I hate losing the most, so I want the players to show their desire to win.”
The team finished the 2022-2023 season in third place in the regular league, but won the women’s championship with a series of victories in the playoffs and championship match.
Coach Kim Jong-min, who led the team to the trophy, signed a three-year contract extension on March 22. His term runs through the 2025-2026 season.
The club did not disclose the amount of money, but said it was the “best deal ever for a women’s head coach.”
Kim, who has led the roadworks since 2016, will become the longest-serving coach in women’s professional volleyball history if she fulfills her contract, surpassing former IBK head coach Lee Jung-chul (2010-2019).
“I’ve lived in Gimcheon for a long time. “I chose to re-sign because the club needs me and I know the team and the players well,” he said.
“I’ve been told that it’s ‘the same old volleyball,’ but I think it’s a coach’s job to build a winning team,” he said, adding, “I will continue to maximize the strengths of our team and minimize the weaknesses.”
After the end of last season, the team parted ways with Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank) and Chung Dae-young (GS Caltex).
They were replaced by younger players such as Ko Eui-jeong, Choi Ga-eun, and Park Eun-ji.
Coach Kim said, “Go has only been with the team for a few days, so she will have some difficulties. Practice matches are important to minimize that and find her strengths.” “Park Eun-ji seems to have an introverted side. She is a young player and an expected setter. I hope she talks more and stays cheerful.”
Kim has high hopes for new foreign player Vanya Vukiric.
“She exceeded my expectations,” Kim said, “She’s positive, quick to integrate, and willing to learn more. He hasn’t been in Korea for long, but he has adapted very quickly.”
“I think training and practice matches are very important for him because he doesn’t have much experience,” he said, adding, “There is still a little overlap in travel, but it’s a matter of settling down in the training process.”
Coach Kim Jong-min said, “We’re missing Park Jung-ah and Jung Dae-young, but I don’t think our team is that weak. It’s not that strong,” he said, adding, “In the end, it’s all about how the players do what I want them to do. There will be a tough training process. If I set the bar low, they will be weaker. As a coach, the goal is always the highest,” he said, predicting success through training. 파워볼