Shin Ho-jin, who almost couldn’t compete, embraced MVP
I almost couldn’t even compete, but I won the MVP. Shin Ho-jin (22), an apositive spiker of OK Financial Group, has emerged as a star in the cup competition.
OK Financial Group beat Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance with a set score of 3-1 in the men’s final of the 2023 Gumi-Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament held at Park Chung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi on the 13th. OK Financial Group, which had only been runner-up three times in the cup competition, enjoyed the joy of winning its first championship.
The officer’s handgun was Shin Ho-jin. Shin Ho-jin scored 34 points (72.34% attack success rate), the most among both teams that day. Responsible for attacking with the team’s main gun. In the semifinal against Panasonic the previous day, Shin Ho-jin, who set the record for the most points scored in a single game (31 points) since his debut, 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 Financial Group players who reached the top by beating Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance in the men’s final of the 2023 Gumi Dodram Cup Pro Volleyball Tournament held at the Park Chung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi on the 13th. Photos Korea Volleyball Federation
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 his first group stage match.
However, he arrived at dawn on the 8th and appeared as a substitute in the match against Korean Air in the second group stage match 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 it a bit, it seemed like I drank a bottle and ran. I was tired and out of breath.”
OK Financial Group Shin Ho-jin, who won the men’s MVP at the 2023 Gumi Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament. Photos Korea Volleyball Federation
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 went in by chance, 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 me to. 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 after coming to Korea after playing against foreign players were used스포츠토토
. I think I gained confidence because the attack routes were diversified.”
I am also practicing Japanese to communicate with the director. He said, “I worked hard. I also talked to my Japanese teammates during the U tournament. 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, he once again proved his potential with his performance in this tournament.
Shin Ho-jin of OK Financial Group attacking Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance in the men’s final of the 2023 Gumi-Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament held at Park Chung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi on the 13th. Photos Korea Volleyball Federation
Regarding the use of Shin Ho-jin, coach Ogino said, “I’m not thinking about it in detail because foreign players have not joined yet. I haven’t seen Leo in person.” If Leo plays apposite, the signal team should play as receiving light or apposite spiker. Shin Ho-jin said, “I am practicing the spike serve receive. (During the regular league) I will change my position, but if I work hard even in that situation, an opportunity will come someday. I will not be greedy and prepare for the upcoming season as enjoyable as possible.”