Seoul SK has decided to keep head coach Jeon Hee-chul (50) for another three years.
SK announced in a press release on Wednesday that it has signed a three-year contract with coach Jeon Hee-chul. It did not disclose specific terms. However, it is said to be the highest in Korea.
Jeon, who played for Daegu Orion, Jeonju KCC, and then SK for four years starting in 2004, turned to coaching and served as a power analysis coach, second team coach, and first team head coach. Moon then took over as the 토토사이트 추천 KBL’s head coach for the 2021-22 season.
It was a strong start. He won the overall championship in his first year as head coach. The former coach’s leadership and command of the team was uncharacteristic of a rookie, as he took SK to the top. The team dominated the regular season with an impressive 40-14 record and a 74% win percentage, culminating in a 4-1 victory over Anyang KGC in the championship game.
The following year, SK finished third in the regular season and made it all the way to the championship final, where they were defeated by Anyang KGC (now Jung Kwan-jang). It was a disappointing season for SK, who were one step ahead of Jung Kwan-jang but failed to conquer the top for the second year in a row due to a lack of depth. However, it was SK and its former coach who brought balance to a series that was objectively a complete disadvantage and brought Jung Kwan-jang to the brink of sinking.
The 2023-24 season was plagued by a string of injuries to domestic players. However, the team managed to make it to the playoffs, giving birth to the ‘shield syndrome’ at one point midway through the season. It was a season in which they had to settle for EASL runners-up.
After three years of more than adequate results, the former coach was reappointed by SK to take on a new challenge. In fact, it was only at the end of May that he ended his contract with the club. The announcement was delayed due to free agency.
“The announcement was delayed. I’m very grateful to the club. The word ‘re-signing’ itself is a sign that they believe in me again, no matter how good or bad my performance has been. I think I have to do better to repay their faith.”
Jeon has been with SK for 23 years since his retirement in 2008. He had the opportunity to learn how to manage the club while serving as the head of the operations team. Jeon has very special memories of that time. He had the opportunity to expand his knowledge by looking at the organization from the front, not the players.
After a short stint as head of operations, Jeon joined the squad, then spent time as second team coach, power analysis and head coach before taking over as head coach three years ago.
“With this contract, I will be with SK for at least 24 years. It’s not very common. I think it’s a great honor. It’s a great honor for me personally,” he said.
We change the subject to power or grades.
“We won the overall championship in the first year. The next two seasons, even though we made the playoffs, we felt like we weren’t good enough. Every coach wants to win a championship, so we’ll try to go up in the next three years.”
SK made few changes during the off-season, with the departure of the two oldest players, Heo Il-young and Song Chang-yong. The core remains the same. Jamil Warney, Kim Sun-hyung, Ahn Young-joon, and Oh Se-geun remain. The backup big man, Choi Buk-kyung, was acquired through free agency. The guard core of Oh Jae-hyun and Choi Won-hyuk is also present. The two forward gaps are filled by Kim Ji-hoo from Goyang Sono and Jang Moon-ho, who returned from Japan. It’s just a matter of turning experience into energy.
“In the past three years, we were challenging for the championship, but we didn’t develop our rookies well enough. I will pay attention to the rookies with a long-term perspective. Raising their energy level is one of the most important things. We have few power enhancement factors. We will start by aiming for the top six.”
Last but not least, Jeon thanked his fans. “I want to say thank you to the fans, I don’t want to disappoint them. One of the things I emphasize to the players is, ‘Don’t lose your mind. I’m going to be fierce with the idea that I’m a novice coach,” he concluded.
The former coach’s pre-season interviews were always exciting. They give an in-depth look at their team and their opponent, detailing the likely scoreline and the game plan that they can and will use to win. As a result, any journalist watching the game against SK will have plenty of information and game plan in advance. This made the game more interesting to watch.
The most impressive of these was the ‘shield syndrome’. The former coach, who was forced to play with gum due to a line injury to a starter, optimized his defense to minimize conceded goals and continued his mid-season winning streak.
He mentioned before the game the number of points he was going to concede due to the squad he had, and it was a win and a streak that protected him.
This season will be no different. There’s a lot to look forward to this season as he looks to deliver wins and losses for a reason.