There was a brief flash of time. Because of my sparkling memories, my desire for basketball was even greater. Although he was unable to fully develop his passion due to injury, his love for basketball still remained. I am continuing my basketball career with that mindset. This is the story of Seung-yeon Seung, who teaches student athletes at Gwang High School.
“It was such an honor to join Samsung.”
Woo Seung-yeon, who graduated from Jeonnam Jeil High School and Kyung Hee University, appeared in the 2007 KBL domestic new player draft. Although he was a decent forward with good balance between offense and defense, there were many obstacles in front of him. This is because people who were called the golden generation, such as Kim Tae-sul (current SPOTV commentator), Yang Hee-jong (formerly Anyang KGC Ginseng Corporation), Jeong Young-sam (Anyang High School coach), and Park Sang-oh (current Ssangyong High School coach), appeared in the draft.
However, Woo Seung-yeon joined Seoul Samsung with the 9th overall pick. Since he earned the title of ‘1st rounder’ even among the golden generation, Seungyeon’s future was more positive. However, while other classmates took the court, Seungyeon Woo sat on the bench. This came as a disappointment.
Entered the professional ranks as the 9th overall pick in the 2007 KBL Domestic Rookie Player Draft.
As you know, a lot of good players came out. Still, I had some expectations. I thought I would be selected in the mid-1st round. But even after 6th place, my name did not appear. I felt disappointed and frustrated at the same time.
But my high school friend (Sungkyunkwan University coach Hong Seong-heon) who was next to me tapped me. Samsung called my name, but I didn’t know. (Laughs) I think I was very nervous.
The team I joined was Samsung. What was your first impression?
I played a few practice games with Samsung in college. But I did so poorly every time. So I never thought Samsung would choose me.
Also, Samsung is a prestigious team within a large company. (When I joined Samsung) I was so surprised and so honored. And during off-season training, we moved the practice gym to Samsung Training Center (STC), and all the facilities, including the gym, weight training room, restaurant, and sauna, were the best. I thought, ‘Now all I have to do is exercise hard.’
During his debut season (2007-2008), his average playing time was only 7 minutes and 13 seconds.
Two foreign players could play at the same time, and Samsung at the time was a team with many national players. In particular, there was Lee Kyu-seop (current SPOTV commentator) in my position. Coach Seo Dong-cheol (former Suwon KT coach) watched my workouts a lot and I tried my best, but it was difficult to get in between the seniors. Surviving the competition was harder than I thought (laughter).
Shinhwa Seung-yeon’s unexpected
debut season was disappointing. However, an incident occurred that changed the future of ‘athlete Seung-yeon Woo’. Ulsan Mobis (currently Ulsan Hyundai Mobis) requested Samsung to “lease Woo Seung-yeon for one season.” After receiving the request, Samsung decided to ‘lease trade Woo Seung-yeon.’
Woo Seung-yeon unexpectedly wore a Mobis uniform. However, he made an impression on coach Yoo Jae-hak, who considered his defense important, and played in all regular league games in his second debut season (2008-2009). His average playing time was also 18 minutes and 45 seconds, more than twice that of the previous season. He set career highs with 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game and a 41.2% 3-point shooting percentage (0.9/2.1 per game).
Mobis also produced results that exceeded expectations. Even without Yang Dong-geun (current head coach of Ulsan Hyundai Mobis), they ranked first in the regular league. Although they fell in the playoffs, Mobis’ performance was amazing. Thanks to the ‘unexpected myth’ created by Woo Seung-yeon, Mobis was able to maintain its status as a powerhouse.
After his debut season, he was traded on loan to Mobis.
This is my second off-season at Samsung. But something was strange. All players go into the secretariat to negotiate salaries, but I wasn’t called.
Then the manager said, “Go to the general manager’s office.” The general manager, coach Ahn Jun-ho, and coach Seo Dong-cheol were sitting. There was something strong about it. Sure enough, the general manager brought up the trade topic.
What did you think?
As this was my first experience with the trade, I was dumbfounded. But I also had some good thoughts. I thought that any team I could play on would be fine.
What was your first impression of Mobis?
There was a Mobis practice gym near our school. We had a lot of practice games. So the atmosphere and facilities were not unfamiliar.
However, ‘Director Yoo Jae-hak is a really scary person. I heard someone say, ‘Mobis does a lot of exercise.’ Because of that, I was very nervous. But I made up my mind and thought, ‘I survived the four years at Kyung Hee University, and I can survive here as well.’ (Laughs) I also thought, ‘Mobis called me because they needed me.’
For the first and last time since his debut, he played all regular league games, and Mobis also took first place in the regular league.
Senior Kim Dong-woo (currently coach of LG in Changwon) and senior Dong-geun Yang (currently coach of Hyundai Mobis in Ulsan) were missing. There were senior Lee Chang-soo (current coach of Chung High School) and Woo Ji-won, but young players were the main players of Mobis. In addition, Mobis was the lowest ranked team in the 2007-2008 season, so Mobis in the 2008-2009 season did not receive many expectations.
However, the players said, “Let’s try to have an accident this year.” The earnestness was great. So did I. Since I didn’t have many opportunities in my debut season, I really wanted to be on the court. So I did a lot of personal exercise outside of training, and I think I achieved good results because of that.
After spending
a year at Mobis, Woo Seung-yeon returned to his former club, Samsung. However, he failed to show the same performance during his Mobis days. Moreover, there were injuries. During the 2013-2014 season, when he did not get a chance, he was traded to Seoul SK.
Even after going to SK, Seung-yeon Seung-yeon’s seat was on the bench. And after the end of the 2013-2014 season, he declared free agency. It was an adventure. Because there was nothing to show, there could be no people looking for Seungyeon.
However, Seung-yeon Woo signed a contract with Busan KT (currently Suwon KT), which needed a backup forward, with a three-year contract period and a total compensation of 70 million won for the 2014-2015 season. However, a back injury bothered Woo Seung-yeon. Woo Seung-yeon ultimately failed to complete the contract period with KT. He announced his retirement after the end of the 2015-2016 season.
Returned to Samsung after a lease trade. But he didn’t get a chance at Samsung.
He applied for the position of Managing Director after the end of the 2008-2009 season. But he was eliminated. And he returned to Samsung, saying, “I wish I would have joined after my military service.”
He took a physical examination for military service, and because of his history of knee surgery, began his military service as a public service agent (now a social service agent). He was anxious and nervous. While my friends at Sangmu trained every day to get a feel for the game, I couldn’t train with the team. So I did more individual exercise. Because I don’t want to be ignored by others.
But I over-paced it and my knees got worse. I had knee surgery twice while working in the public service. Even after being discharged from military service, I had to undergo rehabilitation. At the time, Director Kim Sang-jun (current director of Sungkyunkwan University) gave me time and leisure, but my heart did not. I returned with a less-than-perfect body, which led to injuries. As this happened repeatedly, my confidence dropped a lot.
Traded to SK during the 2013-2014 season.
Samsung needed senior Kim Dong-woo. So I had mixed feelings. And I started my professional career at Samsung. I had great pride in being a Samsung player. Besides, it wasn’t a rental trade this time. I had to leave Samsung completely. For that reason, my heart ached even more.
But SK chose me out of many players. I thought they needed me at least a little bit. I also had expectations, thinking, ‘Wouldn’t I be able to spread my wings at SK?’
He signed a three-year contract with KT starting from the 2014-2015 season. However, he retired after the 2015-2016 season.
At that time, Coach Jeon Chang-jin (current KCC coach), Coach Kim Seung-gi (current Goyang Sono coach), and Son Gyu-wan (current Goyang Sono head coach) were at KT. I think they recruited me because they wanted me. I also wanted to live up to the expectations of the manager and coach. I worked really hard after joining KT. I was also desperate.
But he got injured during a practice match. His recovery took a long time, with him returning mid-to-late season. I was so sorry. I couldn’t help the team, and I couldn’t live up to the team’s expectations.
After the 2014-2015 season, coach Dong-Hyeon Cho (current coach of Ulsan Hyundai Mobis) took office for the first time. He prepared hard, but didn’t get many opportunities. He wasn’t in good shape, and he couldn’t play the basketball that Coach Dong-Hyun Cho was pursuing.
And after the 2015-2016 season ended, I started off-season training. Even though he was on vacation, his knees and back were bad. He devoted himself to rehabilitation, but he was never the same again. My mind was ahead of the curve, but my body wasn’t following along. I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle off-season training. After much consideration, he decided to retire.
Leader
As mentioned earlier, all professional sports players face a new life. This is because players cannot do it their entire lives.
The winning year was the same. He coached at his alma mater, Kyung Hee University, from 2017 to 2021, and has been teaching student-athletes on the Gwangju High School basketball team since 2021. He is passing on his know-how to basketball juniors. He is living his second life as a leader.
I have been a coach at Kyung Hee University since 2017.
Immediately after his retirement, he received an offer from KT to become a power analyst. I was so grateful. As a power analyst, I went to watch college and professional games. In particular, I watched a lot of college games, and I often visited coach Kim Hyun-guk at my alma mater.
I was curious about how they coach their players. So I visited Kyung Hee University a few times. And coincidentally, the coach position at Kyung Hee University was vacant. Coach Kim Hyun-guk also suggested, “Would you like to try coaching?”메이저사이트
I had a lot of concerns. I wanted to take a new path, but I had something I was already doing. I requested a meeting with Director Dong-Hyeon Cho, and he readily supported the direction I wanted to take. That’s why I was able to go to Kyung Hee University as a coach.
I have been teaching Gwang High School students since 2021.
Director Kim Hyun-guk called me after the MBC Cup. “Gwang High School is supposed to participate in a competition, but they said they don’t have a coach. He said, “Gwang High School offered you to become a coach. What do you think?” I was also thinking about becoming a main coach, so I headed to Gwangju High School without hesitation.
I have been teaching student athletes for 6 years. What are you emphasizing?
At Kyung Hee University, I assisted Director Kim Hyeon-guk. When coach Kim Hyun-guk taught the players, I only played an assisting role next to him.
But it was different in Gwangju High School. I have to take the lead in teaching student athletes. The basics are also basic, but a lot of emphasis is placed on mindset. He said, “You have to work hard in practice and training as if it were a game, and have confidence on the court.”
Was there a reason you emphasized confidence?
I think half of sports is confidence. And I’m still a student. You have to bump into it, break it, and even fall. Only then can you stand up again. So I often said, “Even if it doesn’t work out, let’s try.”
I think you are also aware of the reality of student basketball.
Most local teams have trouble supplying players. Even if good prospects emerge, they often end up going to metropolitan areas or schools with good grades. I also receive a lot of scouts.
Also, when I was a student, I focused on sports, but today’s student-athletes are doing both academics and sports. Compared to when I exercised, I don’t have much time to exercise. However, I have to improve my student-athletes’ skills within a short period of exercise time. Although it is not an easy task, we must establish the most effective teaching method in the current situation.
“No matter how much I think about it…”
The final topic of ‘What are you doing?’ is looking back on one’s basketball life. She asked the same question to Seungyeon Woo. “If you were born again, would you still play basketball?”
Woo Seung-yeon responded, “It was difficult, but no matter how much I think about it, I think I’ll play basketball again.” Even though his basketball life was difficult, he chose the basketball ball. He ended the interview by saying, “I don’t regret choosing basketball in my life.”
What does ‘basketball’ mean?
The only thing I knew was basketball, to the point where I couldn’t even think about anything else. Even though it’s been about 7 years since he retired, he still dreams of playing on the court. (Laughs) I think he loves basketball that much. It was my whole life too.
Please take a look back at ‘Woo Seung-yeon’s basketball life.’
Although there were ups and downs, I do not regret choosing basketball in my life. I did my best during my playing career. And thanks to basketball, I’ve met a lot of great people. I also gained joy from teaching players.
If you were born again, would you still play basketball?
When I think back to my middle school, high school, and college years, it was really hard and difficult. If I think about that time, I think I would worry. But no matter how I think about it, I think I’ll play basketball again. The sport of basketball has had a great impact on my life.