Hyundai Capital Veteran MB Choi Min-ho said, "A player who is happy enough..."I hope you can focus on winning"
Hyundai Capital Veteran MB Choi Min-ho said, "A player who is happy enough..."I hope you can focus on winning"
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The 2023-2024 season was a disappointing time for Hyundai Capital. It declared the end of the team's rebuilding in the 2022-2023 season and set a goal to regain the top place as it reached the championship game, but a completely different situation developed. It lost five consecutive opening games for the first time since its foundation, and had only two wins (10 losses) until the second round. In the end, former coach Choi Tae-woong put down the baton, and coach Jin Soon-ki took charge of the rest of the season as acting coach.
Fortunately, his performance did not continue. After winning four games each in the fourth and fifth rounds, he rebounded higher in the sixth round to advance to the "Spring Volleyball" league. However, his dream came to an end soon. Hyundai Capital ended the season quickly after losing in the semi-playoff with OK Financial Group (currently OK Savings Bank).
It is also a bitter memory for Choi Min-ho, a franchise star. "I felt like I was possessed by something. The mood was down from the beginning. It was a season that really did not suit our stature. Manager (Choi Tae-woong) took the responsibility, but it was everyone's fault," he said.
Nonetheless, the team underwent major crises and became solid. It has gained strength to overcome difficulties. The new season is off to a good start. Hyundai Capital with "French master" Philippe Blanc confirmed its hope to make a leap forward by winning the Cup that ended last month. Vice-captain Choi Min-ho contributed greatly. He took the lead in winning the title at every critical moment by banking on his superb speed and blocking.
What's especially welcome is his good chemistry with the new head coach. "He likes to touch players. He also likes to talk to players," Choi said. "He often has meetings by position. He makes people understand what they want and what direction they are pursuing. He emphasizes the basics of defense, blocking, and connection, but he also gives them a lot of autonomy. Rather than following the coach's style, he emphasizes to 'try first and challenge'," Choi said.
Expectations for the new season have grown even higher. However, rather than setting excessive goals unconditionally, he tries to stay true to today's performance. "Looking at the team's formation, it is time to achieve results. Still, I will not overdo it. I think if we let go of our minds and play one game at a time, results will be achieved," he said.
This is also the path that Choi Min-ho has taken. Having started volleyball at the age of 16, he spent most of his school years as a striker, and his position remained the same when he joined the pro league. Afterwards, due to team circumstances, he switched to a middle blocker, but did not try hard to stand out.
"I'm trying not to have big goals. I'm already a happy player just because I've been playing for a prestigious team for a long time," Choi said. "However, I want to have a star (winning title) at this moment when I'm about to finish." 스포츠토토