“Difficult decisions, we have to be more determined”
Asan Woori Bank finished the 2023-2024 regular season in second place. They lost the first round of the playoffs to Samsung Life Insurance in Yongin. However, they won games 2-4 and defeated Cheongju KB three games to one in the championship game. They were the last team standing.
But Woori Bank had its own problems. Except for Kim Dan-bi (180 cm, F), four of their best lineup (Park Hye-jin, Park Ji-hyun, Choi Yi-sam, Na Yoon-jung) were released as free agents. For that reason, the 카지노 Woori Secretariat had to win the hearts of the players even after the championship.
However, Park Ji-hyun (183 cm, G), who was the first free agent, chose ‘voluntary termination’. Park Hye-jin (178 cm, G), Choi Yi-sam (182 cm, F), and Na Yoon-jung (173 cm, F) all chose ‘transfer’ to challenge overseas leagues. Woori Bank‘s main power was gone all at once.
Woori had to look for outside free agents, one of which was Park Hye-mi (182 cm, F). Park is a tall player with a long shooting range. Woori Bank signed Park Hye-mi with a ‘contract period of 3 years’ and a total annual salary of 90 million won (2024-2025: salary: 70 million won, allowance: 20 million won).
Park Hye-mi said on the afternoon of the 23rd, “I wasn’t impressed with my first free agency. It was because I couldn’t do anything due to injury. But this time, I got a call from Woori Bank. I had to think about it. Should I stay in the familiar environment or make a change,” she said, talking about what happened during her free agency.
The reason for Park’s decision. She had played for Samsung Life for four seasons, starting with the 2020-2021 season, and had established herself as a backup big man under former coach Lim Geun-bae and the Samsung Life Secretariat.
“I could have quit playing basketball, but coach Lim Geun-bae and everyone at the club looked at me well, and that’s why I’ve been able to play basketball as long as I have. Samsung Life is a team that is grateful to me,” she said, starting with the meaning of ‘Samsung Life’.
“I wanted to repay Mr. Lim for believing in me, but I didn’t meet his expectations, and I was very sorry. While I was thinking about that, Coach Lim stepped down after the season. She expressed her gratitude to coach Lim, saying, “I want to tell him that I’m sorry and thank you.
As mentioned above, Park Hye-mi took Woori Bank’s hand, choosing ‘change’ over ‘familiarity’. “The new director, Mr. Ha Sang-yoon, also suggested, ‘Let’s do it together,’ so I thought more about it. However, I thought more about ‘change’ myself,” she said, sharing the keyword.
“Myung-kwan (Lee), who played with me, went to Woori Bank first. I think it was hard at first. But Myung Kwan got better and better. Eventually, we won the championship trophy. And he told me, ‘I can’t say it’s not hard, but it’s a place where basketball can grow. There will be many opportunities for you. I was also inspired by Myung-kwan’s results,” said Lee, who is looking forward to reuniting with his former teammate Lee Myung-kwan (173 cm, F).
“Our bank’s main resources have been drained. The director said, ‘There will be many opportunities.’ As I made the decision difficult for myself, I need to strengthen my mind,” she said, sharing her mindset as a Woori player.
Park Hye-mi reflected a lot on her time with Samsung Life, but she seemed to care more about her time at Woori Bank. This is because her time at Woori Bank is her ‘present’ and ‘future’. Furthermore, it is also the time to determine the ‘basketball player Park Hye-mi’.