[Park Kangja's Basketball Story 8] Jang Sunhyung, Head Coach of Suwon University, and His 'Basketball-Only Life'

[Asia Economy, Guest Reporter Park Gang-ja] “Today, we train toward tomorrow.” The 2020 KUSF College Basketball U-League (College League), eagerly awaited for spring basketball, was postponed due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cluster infections, and the 36th MBC Cup National College Basketball Tournament (MBC Cup), scheduled for July, was also canceled, resulting in consecutive cancellations of tournaments. College teams are continuing their training in line with the delayed league opening at the end of August.

As the intense heat begins ahead of summer vacation, we met with Jang Seon-hyeong, head coach of Suwon University (age 45), who is dedicating himself to training for the first tournament, and heard his 'basketball story.' [Text & Photos by Park Gang-ja]

During a practice match against Onyang Girls' High School at Suwon Science College Gymnasium, Coach Jang Sun-hyung [Photo by Park Kang-ja]

Coach Jang Seon-hyeong joined the corporate team Kolon in 1993. When the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) was launched in 1998, he started his playing career with Bucheon Shinsegae (now Bucheon KEB Hana Bank). From 2008 to 2011, he played for KB Kookmin Bank (Cheonan KB Stars). He was known for his accurate mid-range shooting and aggressive rebounding and defense through physical play. He also represented the national team, participating in the Bangkok Asian Games, Sydney Olympics, and Busan Asian Games.

After retiring from professional play in 2011, he received a scouting offer from the corporate team Gimcheon City Hall and played alongside teammate Kim Young-ok until retiring in 2013. After retirement, he coached in club sports, served as a coach at his alma mater Daejeon Girls' Commercial High School, and was appointed head coach of Suwon University last December.

The MBC Cup scheduled for July was canceled. Regarding the continuous postponement of his first tournament since becoming a college coach, he said, “It’s frustrating, but we will focus on training for the first tournament. To prevent players from becoming lax by training without purpose, we plan to shift from individual skills to team training through practice games during the training camp. Currently, we play practice games about twice a week against professional teams or girls’ high school teams, and we are preparing for a training camp in Sangju at the end of July.”

From the back row of Suwon University basketball team, from the left: Park Kyung-rim, Lim Jin-sol, Kang Min-ji, Kim Hyo-jin, Bae Ye-rim, Head Coach Jang Seon-hyung. From the front row, from the left: Ham Hyun-ji, Choi Ji-hye, Park Min-joo, Lee Ye-rim.
Photo by Park Kang-ja

■ Basketball Player Jang Seon-hyeong

Coach Jang started playing basketball in the 4th grade of elementary school. He attended middle and high school in Daejeon. He joined the corporate team Kolon in 1993 and played professionally for Bucheon Shinsegae (now Bucheon KEB Hana Bank) and KB Kookmin Bank (Cheonan KB Stars). He continued his playing career at the corporate team Gimcheon City Hall until 2013 at age 36. We asked him about his nearly 30 years as a player.

In elementary school, “I think I just tried hard to do what I was taught.”

One day in 4th grade, a school broadcast shaped his basketball life.

“I attended a school without a basketball club. I was the third tallest in the whole school, and a coach from another school’s basketball club saw me and recommended basketball. At first, I didn’t know what basketball was. When I went home and told my parents, my father said to try it, but my mother told me to study. Out of curiosity, I started playing secretly without my mother knowing. Back then, there was no gymnasium, so we drew a basketball court on the playground and played. It was just fun. Because it was fun, I think I came this far.”

In middle and high school, a clear dream emerged. During his time at Daejeon Jungang Girls’ Middle School and Daejeon Girls’ Commercial High School, he worked toward the dream of becoming a national team player.

“Until middle school, I was determined to become a national team player no matter what, so I thought a lot about how to become one and what it meant to be on the national team.”

“In high school, the dream of being on the national team remained the same, but as I advanced grades, I felt a sense of responsibility. In my senior year, I was the team captain, and managing the players was challenging. I thought I couldn’t show any signs of wavering because I had to lead. When playing, teachers sometimes scolded or criticized us, so I tried hard to avoid that.”

Memorable Games from 20 Years of Playing

Jang won the championship and MVP at the National Championship in his first year of high school. He said he was fearless at that time. He also said his first year after joining the corporate team Kolon was very tough.

“The training itself was on a different level and class, so it was very hard. The physical training was very different from what I learned in school, which was confusing, but I learned a lot about the bonds between seniors and juniors.”

At the professional team Shinsegae, he has many memorable games as a founding member.

“It was during the finals against Hyundai, a best-of-five series. We won the first game, but senior Jung Seon-min injured her ankle, and we lost the next two games. We had to win the remaining two games. We won the fourth game, and the fifth was a close match throughout. I defended senior Kim Young-ok, who played out of position. She was a style of player who moved tirelessly everywhere, so defending her was very tough. I remember stealing the ball on defense at the end, and we won the championship right after the game.”

At KB Kookmin Bank, the players had a close bond.

“It was during the time when Shinhan Bank was dominating. When Shinhan was leading the regular season, we beat them in a very tough game by turning it around at the end, and it felt like a championship atmosphere. After beating Shinhan, Coach Jung Deok-hwa even smiled and ran onto the court, so that game is the most memorable.”

“At KB, there were two coaches: Coach Jo Seong-won, who let players play on their own, and Coach Jung Deok-hwa, who brought out players’ abilities and adapted to their styles. We went to watch movies together on days off and ate a lot of late-night snacks. I have many good memories and really enjoyed my playing career.”

At the corporate team Gimcheon City Hall, he enjoyed playing his style of basketball for three years.

“After retiring from KB, I was considering my options when then-coach Kim Dong-yeol, now the general manager, offered me to join. I gladly accepted. We trained at the Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium every morning and afternoon, and I participated daily.”

“My final retirement game at the National Sports Festival is memorable. Since it was the last, I wanted to finish without regrets and with a good ending. I gave it my all. We won the National Sports Festival three times in a row. If there had been no age limit, I think I might have played one more year. I felt the joy of basketball that I hadn’t felt before.”

Practice match against Onyang Girls' High School at Suwon Science College Gymnasium
Photo by Park Gangja

■ Coach Jang Seon-hyeong

“I received an offer from my alma mater Daejeon Girls’ Commercial High School and coached there for just over two years starting July 2017. Although I had coached in club sports, it was my first time coaching elite players, so I was very nervous and excited. I think I was very enthusiastic at that time,” he recalled.

He was more nervous than the players at his first official tournament.

“I always dreamed of standing on the sidelines coaching and giving tactical instructions during games. When I tried it, I made many mistakes. I missed the timing to call timeouts and sometimes called them too hastily. In critical moments, I think the tactics were insufficient.”

“Since I was a player who trained a lot, I think I made the players go through the same process. I believed ‘practice is the answer’ and made them practice a lot. Because I was lacking then, I restructured everything step by step from the basics. So the players must have had a hard time. I scolded and criticized a lot, so I thought the players would dislike me, but they seem to appreciate it in their own way. The players I first trained with still keep in touch. Seeing that makes me grateful and proud,” he confirmed that his communication with his students was effective.

“Seeing the players change and grow made me very proud. Also, when the results were good because the practice paid off in games, I felt a great sense of accomplishment,” he said.

College players quickly understand basketball.

“When I was offered the position of head coach for Suwon University’s basketball team, I was surprised but thought it was a good opportunity and accepted. I was quite worried. I thought high school and college would be different, but they were similar. The difference is that college players understand quickly when you explain. High school players need more detailed and specific coaching, but college players understand and do things on their own.”

For the revitalization of women’s basketball, high school and college teams must be revived.

“Nowadays, when girls’ high school teams play practice games against professional teams, the skill gap is too big. I think players with outstanding skills after graduating high school should go straight to the pros, but those who are not should go through college teams to build their skills before turning pro. Professional teams must be concerned about the skill gap. Looking at the recent rookie draft, high school players were picked first, then college players in the second round.”

“To overcome the slump in women’s basketball, I think high school and college teams need to be revived and activated. Some players go pro right after high school, but there are no prestigious women’s college teams. There are no women’s teams at SKY universities, but I think prestigious universities like Korea University and Yonsei University should establish teams. Even if not prestigious universities, I hope two or three more women’s teams are added. Currently, there are seven teams, but only Yongin University and Suwon University are in the metropolitan area. I hope there will be teams in Seoul or nearby. If the system is that players go to college after high school and then to the pros, professional teams can also coexist well. For that, college teams must properly train players aspiring to go pro.”

■ Determination for the first tournament

The first tournament since his appointment as Suwon University coach was the MBC Cup scheduled for July. Coach Jang said, “Since it’s my first tournament after appointment, there is pressure to perform well. The school told me not to worry, but I want to be ambitious. This year’s point guard hopes to go pro. Anyway, good results are necessary for pro teams to notice and recruit players. The goal is not necessarily first place but to win games. Teamwork is the most important in winning games.” He added, “As a coach, I won’t act authoritatively but will try to catch what the players want and communicate,” emphasizing his goal to win through teamwork.

Director Jang Sun-hyung [Photo by Park Kang-ja]

■ Jang Seon-hyeong, who has walked the path of basketball alone

“Basketball is my life. Basketball suddenly came into my life, and I have thought of it as something that revolves around 24 hours a day: waking up in the morning to play basketball, eating to play basketball, sleeping because of basketball, and running hard to play basketball.”

“Still, there are times once or twice a year when I want to rest. Sometimes I want to quit coaching because managing is hard. I vaguely look for work unrelated to basketball but end up continuing basketball. I really like basketball. Basketball is fun, and teaching kids is fun. When I see players in middle school, high school, and college now, whether they go pro or to college, I want to tell them that basketball can open other paths, and I hope they have a sense of purpose and work hard toward that goal.”

Coach Jang said his ultimate goal is to become a professional coach.

“Recently, senior Ha Sook-rye (former Shinhan Bank coach) offered me a coaching position for the women’s national basketball team coaching staff. It is a coveted position that everyone dreams of, so I applied with gratitude. In Korean women’s basketball, there are not many female coaches on women’s teams, which is unfortunate. In other countries, like the U.S., many women’s teams are led by female coaches. Of course, there are many male coaches too, but mostly female coaches lead women’s teams. In Korean women’s basketball, there are more men than women coaches. Therefore, having a female coach lead the national team is groundbreaking. It seems like a good direction to have female head coaches and female coaches.”