“It’s rare now, but in the past, there were often people who asked me what kind of relationship I had with Bang Seong-yoon. I think it’s because there aren’t many basketball players with the surname Bang, and the names are similar. There are some small episodes from my school days that were tangled with names. I’ve never actually seen one. My name is Dorimja, which has been passed down from my older sisters.”
Few fans remember Bang Bang-yoon (41‧174.5cm), ‘Pangpang’, who was active as a shooting guard for WKBL Shinsegae Cool Cat. He was recognized for his talent from his youth and had quite a few male fans due to his extraordinary beauty, but it is correct to say that he was easily forgotten due to the short period he played in the professional league. Because of her, people who know her say, ‘If she had taken her playing career just a little longer, she would have become a player with both skill and popularity…’ ‘ is expressing a lot of regret.
“In a way, I think it’s because I’m not well known. Bang Seong-yoon was a very famous star, but the women’s and men’s divisions are different. During his career as a player, there are good times and not a few bad times. In particular, it is important to endure when the body and mind are tired and difficult, but I don’t think I could overcome that moment. In the end, her professional career had to be cut short, and by the time she realized that and had an eye for basketball to some extent, it was already too late.”
Bang Ji-yoon, who was selected for Shinsegae in the 6th overall in the 2001 WKBL freshman selection, only played 76 games until 2005. At the time, Shinsegae’s power was so solid that he mainly played as a sixth man, recording 3.09 points, 0.72 rebounds, and 0.34 assists in an average of 9 minutes and 27 seconds. In the match against Woori Bank in 2004, he played 35 minutes and 11 seconds, scoring 18 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, stealing 2 shots, and shooting 1 block.
“Usually, congratulatory voices pour in when you are selected at the new player selection meeting. In my case, there were not a few people who comforted me. Of course, it was nominated for Shinsegae, which was called the strongest team at the time. I’m not saying Shinsegae is bad. It was a very strong team, so it was a big reason why it was not easy for rookies to get playing time. Then, after the main players left, it went downhill and hovered around the lower ranks. So, this time, the biggest rookies joined the team. I really wanted to know what this was all about. It’s an excuse, of course. If I had the will, I should have worked harder and overcome with my skills.”
If there is darkness, there is also light. Bang Ji-yoon still regrets those days, but he is not simply passing the time regretting it. He reflected on his ups and downs as a player and used it as his nourishment in his leadership career. As much as his students, he hopes that he will not make an unfortunate choice like himself, and emphasizes his love for basketball and his will to endure when it is difficult rather than improving his immediate skills.
After teaching students at her alma mater, Sookmyung Girls’ High School, for about 10 years, we met coach Bang Ji-yoon, who plans to continue her leadership career after moving to Sookmyung Girls’ Middle School, to hear her thoughts on basketball and her message to her juniors.
“I am growing as a leader while accumulating various experiences.”
Q. How are you doing these days?
Nothing much has changed. ah! There has been a change in place. You know that I coached for 10 years at my alma mater, Sookmyung Girls’ High School, right? I also received a 10-year continuous service award from the Middle School Basketball League (laughs). Sookmyung Girls’ Middle School coach quit. I went to that vacant seat. In the process, there were people who wondered, ‘No, why?’ It’s not that the school is completely different, it’s that I need to leave the familiar girls’ high school I’ve been in charge of for a long time and go to a girls’ middle school. It was a decision I made after thinking a lot. Seocho Elementary School’s basketball team, which we had a relationship with, was disbanded. As a result, Sookmyung Women’s Middle School had a difficult time supplying players. Scouting isn’t easy either. Right now, Sookmyung Girls’ High School’s power is not bad, but in the long run, it’s a crisis. If Sookmyung Girls’ Middle School is shaken, it will naturally affect Sookmyung Girls’ High School. That’s why I decided to go down to Sookmyung Girls’ Middle School, which is the root of it.
Q. In a way, you are deliberately taking a more difficult path.
It won’t be easy. Moreover, it is even more so from my point of view, having only been at Sookmyung Girls’ High School for 10 years. Girls’ high school is a process of refining friends that have been made to some extent. So, I had a vague idea of wanting to teach younger students and teach them from the basics to bad habits. Don’t get me wrong. Just because I coached a girls’ high school doesn’t mean I was blindly hired for the name. After submitting an application and going through an interview, I was accepted and appointed as a coach. I don’t know if the fact that I came from my alma mater and worked as a leader at a girls’ high school for a long time worked as a plus, but the process itself followed the procedure. In the case of girls’ high schools, there are currently vacancies, but a new teacher will come in the near future as they have posted a job announcement. Girls’ high school and girls’ middle school are definitely different, so there are many new things to learn, and for a while, the hardships were wide open.
Q. I understand that while coaching at Sookmyung Girls’ High School, you also coached the U18 Korean women’s basketball team.
Oh, that’s how lucky I was. I first joined as a coach in 2016. At that time, I was in my 5th year as a leader, and the motivation to gain more experience and learn something just came up. At that time, coach Kim Yeong-min of Chuncheon Girls’ High School was leading the national team, and I expressed my opinion to the school that I wanted to join the team. I was happy. I thought it was an opportunity to learn a lot as a leader while experiencing a new stage. Even after that, luckily, even if the coach changed, opportunities continued to be given, and I gained experience as a coach three times. After that, as my career progressed, I also thought that I wanted to lead the team as a manager, and I applied and was accepted and then took over. Personally, I think it was an opportunity for me to learn and grow a lot. Participating in international competitions as a leader is a great learning experience in itself, and I felt a sense of responsibility as a commanding tower.
Q. It seems like an odd question, but is there an episode that happened because of the name?
Ah, are you talking about Bang Seong-yoon? I used to get asked a few questions like that from time to time. What’s the relationship? (Laughs) There aren’t many basketball players in Bang, and our names are a bit similar. It must have been during his professional career in Shinsegae. My second sister’s name is Bang Jeong-yoon. He works in the hospital operation department, and he said that he has a younger brother who is a basketball player, so customers ask if his younger brother is Bang Seong-yoon, and he said that there was such a thing. Even during my school days, player Bang Seong-yoon had a lot more recognition than me. That’s why there were people who wondered about his name or joked with him. Well, I didn’t feel bad or anything like that. He’s a really good player. I vaguely thought that it would be fun to do an interview together when I become famous later on. Of course it didn’t happen.
“Retire? I packed my things at dawn and ran away at night.”
Q. It seems that you worked diligently after you retired.
There are so many diligent people, so I wonder if that word would suit me, but it is true that I tried to work harder after retirement. After graduating from Sookmyung Girls’ High School in 2001, I immediately joined Shinsegae Coolcat, stayed there until 2005, and then played for the Daegu Donga Department Store (now Daegu City Hall) unemployment team in 2006-2007. Then, in 2009, I went to Yongin University where head coach Seo Kyung-hwa was leading the basketball team. I felt the need for college because of my social life, but Lee Mun-gyu, who guided me during the procedural, said that it would be good for me to go to college for my future, so I made the choice. Then, as soon as I graduated, Sookmyung Girls’ High School called me, so I started my leadership career right away. Even now, when I think about it, I am very, very grateful. 바카라사이트
Q. I think the road to becoming a leader is connected quite naturally.
Again, thank you very much. It is even more so when I think of the disappointing professional life. To be honest, it’s not long-running or famous. Somehow, I ended up quitting after a short while, so I feel regretful even thinking about it now. When I came out of the pro, I packed up and ran away. Falling over the fence in the morning… , It was literally a night getaway. I ask my brother-in-law to come to help me in advance. I was very immature. It was the fifth year at the time, and the Japanese field training was held. It was literally a 007 escape operation by asking the interpreter to secretly take out the passport. I don’t know if it’s because I was young, but I couldn’t say that I would retire openly. So I acted like that, but thinking about it now, I’m really ashamed. I also wondered why.
Q. Are you continuing your leadership career for a long time?
There are a lot of people who have been leaders for so long, so I’m not enough to be part of them, but considering my age, I think I’m doing it steadily. After graduating from college, I have been teaching students in one place. In the future, I want to walk the path of a leader with an unchanging heart. In fact, if you repeat the same mistake again after finishing your player days like that, you are not qualified as a leader. After leaving the professional stage, I regretted a lot and reflected deeply. In particular, I learned a lot from watching Lim Young-hee unnie. In the case of her sister, it wasn’t even the main thing from the beginning. The sadness of being unknown, the backup life was really long. However, it is really amazing to see that he endured to the end and left his name as a long-term plastic surgery. I wondered why I couldn’t do it like my sister. But spilled water cannot be collected again. Rather than regretting and having a hard time over the past, I think you need to make an effort to mature and grow through mistakes. Reflection in your head is meaningless. After having an accident and having such years, my gaze toward the disciples has deepened and I am trying to understand their hearts.
Q. Your bright expression and kind tone are always impressive. I think it’s the reason why I didn’t have a bad image even though I finished my career unfortunately.
Me? (Laughs) The current facial expressions and tone of voice were largely created while living as a leader. When I was active, it was a little different from now. He didn’t have a dark personality, but since he’s at the youngest level, he looked down on himself because he was depressed, and it didn’t work out well as a player, so his bright side didn’t come out well. He was also bad at expressing emotions. Even in the early days of my leadership career, I remember having a hard time with that tendency. But a leader is different from a player. If I had been in the player’s position, I could have done something like this, but as a leader, I had to take care of others, so I had to change. As I tried to make changes like that, I think that many of the regrettable parts were fixed, and I laughed a lot while watching the students grow and their expressions brightened.
Q. The fact that your expression has become brighter also means that you have more room in your heart.
that’s right. They say that the older you get, the more likely your thinking becomes inflexible and rigid. Do you think that your own beliefs are getting stronger? I think you can grow only when you can let go of it yourself and listen to and empathize with others. When I was a rookie, (Jeong) Seon-min unnie, (Yang) Jeong-ok unnie, and (Jang) Seon-hyeong unni were the main pillars of the team. Because they were also seniors like the sky, I couldn’t talk carelessly. Now that I think about it, the unnies didn’t do anything difficult, but I froze alone. But the relationship that I knew like that was a big help when I was in social life. He always takes care of me and says a lot of nice things, and I gain a lot of strength in many ways. It can be said that it is the greatest wealth acquired by entering the Shinsegae family.
“It was a hasty retirement, but I learned a lot.”
Q. You seem to have learned a lot after retiring as a pro.
After coming out of the Shinsegae, you played 3 years in college and 2 years in unemployment. That period is also an indispensable part of my life. It was a time when I was able to learn social life belatedly and grow in many ways. When I was a pro, I was literally immature. When I encountered a difficult task, I only felt that it was difficult, but after going through college and unemployment, I learned to think differently. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I changed completely while I was a leader. More than anything, I think I have become a person who knows how to tolerate while looking far away rather than struggling right now.
Q. Even so, I don’t think you would have run away at night simply because training was difficult. I think other factors may have overlapped.
you’re right. If I was only going to quit because of hardships, I would have already hit basketball in my school days. I can’t even get to pro. As you know, the team was really strong when coach Lee Moon-gyu was leading Shinsegae. In the regular league, there was no opponent enough to allow only 4 losses and win the championship. Then, after being replaced by coach Kim Yun-ho, they plummeted to the lowest-ranked team in an instant. Of course, it wasn’t entirely his fault. When it comes to basketball, there are good times and there are bad times, and it was also a cycle of going up and coming down with all your might. Anyway, since the team stayed at the bottom of the list, I ended up picking the biggest player during the rookie draft.