I almost couldn’t compete, but I won the MVP award. Shin Ho-jin , a positive spiker of OK Financial Group, has emerged as a star of the cup competition.

OK Financial Group beat Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance 3-1 in the men’s final of the 2023 Gumi-Dodram Cup professional volleyball tournament at Gumi Park Chung-hee Gymnasium on the 13th, and OK Financial Group, which finished second in the cup only three times, enjoyed its first championship.

Handguns are worn out. Shin Ko-jin scored 34 points (72.34% success rate) the most among the two teams, taking charge of the team’s main gun attack. Shin Ko-jin, who set the record for the most points (31 points) in a game since his debut in the semifinals against Panasonic the previous day, broke the record again.

Shin Ho-jin received the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP), beating his teammate Cha Ji-hwan, who received 4 votes, with 27 votes in the reporters’ vote. Shin Ho-jin said, “I didn’t think of MVP. I scored a lot, but I don’t think I could have won without the help of my brothers and my classmates. I want to say thank you to (setter Kwak) Myung-woo hyung.” He said, “I think I should buy some meat because my brothers said I can’t have coffee.”

OK and Samsung played closely every set. Shin Ho-jin said, “Overall, the hyungs and I didn’t feel heavy. We won by playing volleyball without giving up until the end. It’s a good experience.” My body began to sweat and my condition returned. I saw blocking from the 4th set.”

On this day, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Park Seong-jin struggled with 30 points and won the MIP. Shin Ho-jin and Park Seong-jin have the same draft motivation and position. Shin Ho-jin said, “My heart went up and down because of Park Seong-jin’s play. Every time he scored, he thought a lot about ‘I’m doing well’, and I thought a lot about what I should do more calmly.”

In fact, Shin Ho-jin could not have stepped on the court in this tournament. This is because he was selected as a national representative for the Universiade held in Chengdu, China. Shin Ho-jin did not play in the first match of the group stage.

However, he entered Korea early on the 8th and played as a substitute in the match against Korean Air in the second round of the group stage held that day. Unfortunately, starter Song Hee-chae missed the tournament due to an injury, and Jeon Byeong-seon, who was in charge of the apogee, injured his ankle in the Korean Air match, so Shin Ho-jin continued to apogee. Shin Ho-jin laughed, saying, “The Korean Air match was the hardest. If I exaggerate a little, it was like running after drinking a bottle. I was tired and out of breath.”

Shin Ho-jin smiled shyly, saying, “I didn’t think I would be able to play right away after coming back from the Universiade. I wanted to go out as a substitute to gain experience and prepare for the league. Suddenly, Byung-seon hyung was injured, so I accidentally entered the game, but it just happened to work out.” . He said, “Actually, I was envious of the players who took a break after going to the U tournament. I played because the coach wanted it. I have to do it again at this time to become a professional player.”

He said, “I was confident (although I entered suddenly). There were situations where skills that were not working when I came to Korea and played against foreign players were working. I think I gained confidence because the attack routes were diversified.”

Shin Ho-jin is also practicing Japanese to communicate with coach Ogino, the Japanese commander. He said, “I put in a lot of effort. During the U tournament, I also talked to my Japanese teammates. I used a translator to talk about the parts I didn’t know. I also talked to the coach in Japanese. I also met Panasonic’s Tarumi Yugawa in the dorm room and talked. It’s not perfect, it stutters, but it works about 30 to 40 percent.”

Shin Ho-jin, who entered the professional league last year as a senior at Inha University, was selected as the first overall pick in the draft. At the beginning of the season, he started as a starter with great expectations, but his opportunities to play gradually decreased as he did not live up to expectations. In the end, he was also eliminated from the Rookie of the Year competition. However, his performance in this tournament once again proved his potential.

Regarding the use of Shin Ho-jin, coach Ogino said, “I’m not thinking about it in detail because no foreign players have joined yet,” adding, “I’ve never seen Leo in person.” If Leo plays properly, the signal team should play as a light or attacking spy. Shin Ho-jin said, “I’m practicing Spike sub-receive. “I will change my position (in the regular league), but if I work hard in that situation, I will have a chance someday,” he said adding, “I will not be greedy and prepare for the upcoming season as much as I can.”

by: 안전놀이터