Bucheon Hana OneQ’s meteoric rise in the women’s professional basketball league has been the talk of the town lately. It’s still early in the season, but the word “remarkable” is apt. The Hana Wonq has been in last place for the last two seasons in a row, but in the 2023-2024 season, they have four wins (and six losses) in 10 games. This is not the same team that won just six games (24 losses) in 30 regular season games last season.
The team enjoyed back-to-back wins for the first time in two years and 10 months with back-to-back 20+ point victories against Samsung Life Insurance in Yongin (65-44) and Shinhan Bank in Incheon (78-51). Against Shinhan Bank, the team set a new record for the fewest points allowed in a quarter (1 in the fourth quarter). The team is currently in fourth place, half a game behind Samsung Life Insurance, and is in position to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years. The transformation of the ‘lethargic’ Hanawon Q into a ‘breath of fresh air’ is not without its share of credit. It is the “innovation” of head coach Chung Seok-hwa (58).
When coach Kim Do-wan said in a post-match interview on April 6
“I am grateful to the general manager and secretary-general for providing a lot of support, including the introduction of expensive special equipment,” he was not just paying lip service. Chung, who took over as captain of the wrecked Hana Wonkyu in April 2021, had a philosophy that he steadfastly pursued during the club’s two consecutive seasons at the bottom of the standings: change from a team that wanted to leave to a team that wanted to stay. That steadfastness seems to be starting to bear fruit. From the beginning of his appointment, 온라인카지노 Chung sought to find the cause of the ‘team that wants to leave’, not only by interviewing the players, but also by seeking advice from outside basketball players and experts. He was considered a master of customer service and communication as he worked as a branch manager, sales manager, and executive director at Hana Bank. Before blaming the objective team strength or the leadership of the manager and coach, the secretariat realized that there was a lot to reflect on internally. Due to the nature of women’s professional basketball, there were many players who entered the professional league after high school, but there were practices that hurt the feelings of the ‘girl players’ rather than hugging them.
Even small complaints like, “I was criticized for eating a lot of meat at team dinners because it would add to the cost,” showed how the team had been treated. In addition, when proposing cuts in salary negotiations, he often hurt their egos by ‘bullying’ them instead of soothing them. Meanwhile, the players’ hearts were leaving them, and it showed in their performance.
In order to fix the lack of communication with the players
Chung started to innovate as a ‘communication-friendly secretariat’. He hired Kim Ki-rim, who had experience with the K League 2 Seoul Eland, as the secretary general. After hearing that the team’s buses were uncomfortable for traveling long distances to away games, they switched to airplane transportation. The introduction of ‘FixCam’, a high-tech camera system for power analysis, was also a result of Kim’s suggestion. “The effectiveness of the fix cam has been significant in improving our performance this season,” said Kim Do-wan.
“Hana Financial Group is a company that invests a lot in sports social contributions such as soccer, basketball, and golf, and Hana OneQ should not tarnish that image,” said Chung. “We will breathe new life into the team from ‘a team that wants to stay’ to a team that wants to come.”