“Thank you for encouraging me when I was lacking.스포츠토토 Thanks to you, I did not give up.”
Now, he is starting anew as a ‘first-year setter coach of OK Financial Group’ rather than a ‘player’. Hwang Dong-il opens the second act of his volleyball life. Hwang Dong-il joined the coaching staff of massage director Ogino Ogino, who took office as director of OK Financial Group on the 1st.
Hwang Dong-il was the 4th pick in the 1st round of the 2008 rookie draft and was the rookie of the year in the 2008-09 season. Hwang Dong-il is the first player to record a record in the V-League, and that record is that he tried on the uniforms of 7 V-League teams. Hwang Dong-il went through five trades, one release and test. Starting with Woori Capital (now Woori Card), he stayed in the order of LIG Insurance (now KB Insurance) – Korean Air – Samsung Fire & Marine – Hyundai Capital – Korea Electric Power – OK Financial Group.
There were moments when I wanted to give up, but I didn’t. As a result, he was able to record 731 points in 399 matches in the V-League, and an average of 6.281 sets per set.
Hwang Dong-il now stands at a new starting point. His new role is a setter coach who must strive to develop the skills of the setter team of OK Financial Group, which consists of Lee Min-kyu, Kwak Myung-woo, and Kang Jung-min. I came to meet coach Hwang Dong-il, who is spending his time giving 200% of his energy, not 100%.
Coach Hwang Dong-il, who we met at the OK Financial Group practice gym in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do on the 12th, said, “After 15 years of professional life, I am learning a lot from Coach Ogino. Feelings are new. Expectations are also high. After last season, the club suggested a playing coach. Of course, from my point of view, it might be better to do it for another year, but when I saw a big future, I thought it would be better to focus on the development of my younger siblings’ skills. Now, as a setter coach, I want to help Jung Min-yi, Min-kyu, and Myung-woo.”
It is never easy to end a 15-year professional career. He also thought a lot. He also talked a lot with his strong companion, his wife.
Hwang Dong-il said, “I talked a lot with his wife. He said, ‘I think I should prepare for the future too’, and his wife also said that she would work. Because of the difference in money, his wife also started working. So I am very sorry and I am very grateful.”
He continued, “It seems that my wife and I are still growing together. Now that I am retiring and joining the coaching staff, they were moved while watching the video of my life as a player. My KakaoTalk profile is still the sub-point scene of my last match,” he laughed.
It’s not that there’s no regrets, but there’s a lot of expectations to overcome the regrets. Hwang Dong-il, who was always at the edge of a cliff, always says, “I am lucky.”
He said, “Since the trade target continues, it seems that we have prepared every year. He always had the mindset that he should prepare for a leader. At the same time, he thought that he should prepare properly at the time of the second year of KEPCO, and from then on he started studying. I have more expectations than regrets.”
What is the most memorable moment in your professional career?
Coach Hwang said, “I remember when I was released from Samsung Fire & Marine and Hyundai Capital gave me a test opportunity and signed a contract. He learned a lot from coach Choi Tae-woong,” he said. “I remember scoring a serve in the last game last season against Hyundai Capital. Last season, his wife was also preparing for work, so she couldn’t come to the stadium a lot. But that day, I felt strange. His son also plays volleyball, which he thought was his last chance to show something as a player. Everyone was told to come. I did, but I remember going into the one-point server, scoring a serve, and holding a ceremony in front of my family.”
He is sweating heavily with coach Ogino, who came over from Japan. Now, he is the youngest coach, not a veteran setter. Everything is new and difficult. So Hwang Dong-il is spending more time on volleyball than when he was a player.
Coach Hwang Dong-il said, “Now is the time to incorporate, fix, and conduct detailed training on the volleyball that the coach is pursuing. Recently, Ishikawa said, ‘Japan will play our own volleyball against any strong team’, and the coach’s style is also the same. The style of playing volleyball in a certain style is clearly established.”
“The players’ eyes are also different. I have the will to do anything,” he said. “I am also here with the mindset of starting over. You have to run for the players. I try to form a consensus by writing down my thoughts and showing the prepared videos.”
Five trades, one release. Is there anything coach Hwang Dong-il, who has gone through all kinds of prenatal battles, wants to convey to the players?
Coach Hwang Dong-il said, “In the end, the players themselves have to take responsibility. You need to know why the players are standing here on the court. It is not natural to stand on the court. If there is a player who has thought ‘this is enough’ until now, he has no choice but to be resolutely organized. He must know what to do. Of course, even if he is an ace, he shouldn’t have that kind of heart.”
Finally, coach Hwang Dong-il said his final goodbyes to the fans.
“I wasn’t good at it, but I always tried to fill in the missing parts because I knew I wasn’t good at it. For 15 years, I received a lot of love and expectations. In a way, I think that belief was lacking. Still, the fans greeted me with warm encouragement rather than pointing fingers. Human Hwang Dong-il and volleyball player Hwang Dong-il were lacking a lot, but thanks to the fans, they did not give up. Now, as a coach, I will give my all to the players. I will jump one step further than anyone else and hug you. We will do our best to make OK Financial Group into a strong team that no one can surpass. I will grow under the many teachings of Director Ogino.”
Coach Hwang Dong-il, who thanked OK Financial Group for being his last professional team and his first coaching team, how about his volleyball second act.