March 8th, 2023. It is a meaningful day for Park So-hee (Bucheon Hana One Q). Because it’s the only day in her life when she won her Pro Rookie of the Year.스포츠토토
So Park So-hee shed tears. However, she had no intention of ending the rest of her career in tears. She has set other goals and is looking higher.
It was July 2021 when BIG 3
Park So-hee made her debut to WKBL fans. Park So-hee visited the Park Shin-ja Cup as a member of the Korean women’s basketball under-18 national team at the time. She played without hesitation even in front of professional seniors.
Park So-hee, a graduate of Bundang Business High School, is a dual guard who combines her passing sense and shooting ability. She was praised as ‘She is the 2nd Park Hye-jin’. Amid high praise, she participated in the 2021-2022 WKBL New Player Selection Ceremony, and drew attention as the BIG 3 along with Lee Hae-ran (Yongin Samsung Life Insurance) and Byeon So-jeong (Incheon Shinhan Bank). And Park So-hee joined Hana 1 Q as the 2nd overall player.
In July 2021, she participated in the Park Shin-Ja Cup as an under-18 national team.
My generation participated in the Park Shin-Ja Cup for the first time as a high school student. There was a lot of pressure, and I was also nervous. But being with her friends made me feel comfortable. That’s why I think we achieved results that exceeded our expectations. (The under-18 national team, led by Park So-hee, advanced to the semifinals of the Park Shin-ja Cup) I joined Hanawon Q as the second overall in the 2021-2022 WKBL New Player Selection
.
I have always wanted to go to Hana 1 Q. I heard that both the facilities and the atmosphere of the team are good. Also, since I have an older sister (Kim) Hana from the same school, I had a strong desire to go to Hana 1Q.
And there was a rumor that “Hana 1Q will select Park So-hee” even before the draft. But I was very nervous. I was anxious because I thought, ‘What if Hana 1 Q doesn’t call me?’ After my name was called, I was relieved. For that reason, I remember crying after being called
. I think I must have felt burdened.
Me, (Lee) Haeran, and (Byun) Sojeong were selected as the BIG 3. I got attention even before I became a pro. There was a lot of pressure to ‘meet the expectations of others’. I was worried that ‘if I can’t do it, people will be disappointed…’.
Injury
Park So-hee is a player with potential. However, there was an element of anxiety surrounding Park So-hee. It was an ‘injury’. It is also a ‘knee injury’ that a basketball player should not have.
Of course, Park So-hee said in an interview with this magazine before her rookie selection, “I didn’t have knee surgery, I did surgery. It was a procedure to remove foreign substances in the cartilage. I walked 3 hours after the procedure. She dismissed it, saying, “After a month, she was running around.”
However, Park So-hee could not play properly due to an injury after entering the professional league. Park So-hee’s debut season averaged 12 minutes and 18 seconds in 8 games. While other classmates were on the court for a long time, Park So-hee had to watch the game from outside the court. This is why the 2021-2022 season left Park So-hee with regret.
She made her debut on 25 October 2021 against Asan Woori Bank.
(Park So-hee played 1 minute and 53 seconds in that game)
He thought he would not enter the court, but someone suddenly said, “(Park) So-hee, come out.” I was bewildered. (The late) Ara (now Asan Woori Bank), who was the captain at the time, said, “Don’t be nervous. Be confident” and made me feel comfortable, but I harmed the team with unnecessary actions. When we got a team foul, I fouled. I remember being depressed because he allowed a free throw he didn’t have to give up.
I didn’t play much in my debut season. Was it because of an injury?
Head coach Lee Hoon-jae (currently coach of the Korean men’s national basketball team) gave me many opportunities. “Try bumping into it,” he said with confidence. But I only played 8 games. He had a stress fracture in his left knee. After that, I couldn’t go out on the court, so it was a big regret.
Wait a minute, have you noticed the difference between pros and amateurs?
In high school, if I put my mind to it, I could play whatever I wanted or play 1v1. But the pros were different. I had to do karate moves that fit the team. But I couldn’t get along with my older sisters, so it was more difficult. The physical and skill gap with the older sisters was huge.
The new start
2021-2022 season was a time I didn’t want to remember. Park So-hee and Hana 1 Q were like that. Park So-hee suffered from an injury, and Hana 1 Q left a poor report card of 5 wins and 25 losses.
Hana 1 Q has newly appointed director Kim Do-wan to refresh the atmosphere. Director Kim Do-wan solidified the ‘defense’ and ‘basic skills’. He also emphasized aggressive play against younger, inexperienced players. Park So-hee started anew under the guidance of the new coaching staff.
Director Kim Do-wan is new. What did you order from Park So-hee?
He said, “No matter how badly you put it, throw it at any chance.” Even though my shooting success rate was not good, the coach said, “It’s okay if I make mistakes, and it’s okay if I don’t shoot. Don’t dodge, bump into it. You will grow while doing so” and gave me confidence.
It was also his first off-season training as a pro. How was it different from when you were an amateur?
In high school, I did strength training in the snowy winter, but in the pros, I did strength training when it was really hot. It was difficult to follow the older sisters in weight training, endurance, and core exercises. I think that’s why it was more difficult.
And it was the first time I realized how complicated defensive tactics can be. In high school, all I had to do was stop my matchups, but not in the pros. There were a lot of things to think about, such as how to deal with the screen, breathing between teammates, and how to defend according to the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing players.
Are there any options that are personally important to you?
After becoming a pro, I changed my shooting form. (In the pro), the defense is strong, so it was difficult for him to throw in his original form (as he did in his amateur days). So he corrected his form by the end of this season. He had a lot of awkwardness, but he kept throwing to adapt to his new form.
Accumulating experience
Park So-hee played 26 regular league games in the 2022-2023 season. He averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 14 minutes and 56 seconds per game. He has accumulated much more experience points than in his debut season. In particular, when Shin Ji-hyun, an ace guard, was injured, Park So-hee gained more experience.
Director Kim Do-wan also gave Park So-hee confidence. On December 24, 2022, during a match against Busan BNK Some, he said something impressive. “You do one on one. Whether you shoot from outside or fight the defender and create a foul. If you run away, I won’t play basketball,” he said strongly. I thought ‘aggressive play’ and ‘experience’ were necessary for a promising player like Park So-hee.
This is the second season of his debut. He’s been on the court a lot more than in his first season.
I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of the season, and I also lost a lot of prayers. But after running a lot, I could see the road without even realizing it. I also got a little bit of leeway. I was so grateful to the coaches and coaches who gave me valuable experiences.
Director Kim Do-wan’s time out (December 24, 2022 vs Busan BNK Some) is memorable. Park So-hee was fouled right after the timeout.
A lot of his main sisters were missing due to injuries at that time. Only the players below had to run. But I was timid and attacked, and the director tried to correct my timidity. I think that’s why you spoke more strongly.
Has anything changed since that timeout?
My confidence has risen, and the thought that I can do it has grown. When I attacked with that mindset, I think it worked out better. I think the biggest change is the mindset that ‘you can do it if you set your mind to do it’.
What was the biggest difference from the first season?
I think the team defense adaptation has improved a lot compared to the beginning of the season. Little by little he learned how to block opponents.
Rookie of Tears, and
Park So-hee qualified for the 2022-2023 season as Rookie of the Year. At the awards ceremony held after the regular season ended, 106 out of 110 votes were obtained. With overwhelming support, he won the Rookie of the Year title only once in his life.
Park So-hee cried endlessly after winning her rookie of the year. He talked about his memories of being scolded by director Kim Do-wan in an official setting. Her feelings mixed with tears became a hot topic for many fans and brought laughter to many people involved.
However, Park So-hee’s ultimate goal is not to become the rookie of the year. She must look higher. She has a lot to do in Hana OneQ. What was the goal Sohee Park set?
She won Rookie of the Year.
Even at the beginning of the season, she had no idea. She had no expectations, no greed. However, in the second half of the season, the coach said, “You’ve been nominated for Rookie of the Year, are you greedy?” It was only then that I realized that I had been nominated for Rookie of the Year.
Even so, I thought that if I was greedy (to become the rookie of the year), it wouldn’t work out any more. I didn’t expect it at all on the day of the awards ceremony. But everyone said, “(Rookie of the Year Award) Get ready. He said, “I think you are the rookie of the year,” and from then until I won the award, I continued to practice my feelings. (Laughs) My
tearful feelings became a hot topic. It may not have been intentional, but it was the same feeling mixed with diss(?) toward director Kim Do-wan.
There is something I want to clarify.
Please speak.
The reason I cried is not because of the director. It was because of the unnies who comforted me so that I wouldn’t faint. When I was down, the unnies next to me said, “You can do more. Be more aggressive. It’s okay,” he comforted me.
I was moved to tears when I thought of those unnies, but I burst into tears when I was talking about the director. I had no intention of dissing the director at all. Then, as we were riding the bus, the coach jokingly said, “I’ll wait and see.
” What would you like to supplement?
What I want to improve the most is defense and shooting. This off-season training plan will focus on those two.
The goal seems to be slightly different.
The goal I set for the summer of 2022 was to play all games without injury. But no matter how good I was, it was difficult for me to play. So this time too, I am aiming to ‘appear in all games’. And I want to help the team.