‘Most wins by a coach’ new history, Shin Young-cheol says, “I never thought we’d do this well…so the record will last”
277 wins.
Shin Young-cheol (59), the head coach of Woori Card, has amassed 277 wins as a head coach in the V-League, the most in the history of the league.
Woori Card defeated defending champion Korean Air 3-2 in a full-set thriller in the first round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Men’s Division at Jangchung Gymnasium on Friday to complete a four-game winning streak to open the season. Notably, it was Shin’s 277th win (214 losses). Until then, he was tied with former Samsung Fire coach Shin Chi-yong (276 wins, 74 losses), but today he made history.
It was dramatic. Woori Card was in deep defeat after dropping one or two sets. They were in danger of losing their opening three-match winning streak, let alone Shin’s personal record, but then a great comeback began. After stabilizing in the second set, the Korean team came out on fire in the third set, eventually pulling off a thrilling upset. It was a 165-minute battle. It remains the longest men’s game in V-League history.
Before the game, he was calm. “I’ve come this far by accident. I’m a leader, and the records come naturally,” he said. It didn’t change much during the match. Even when he dropped the first set in straight sets, he still had a smile on his face.
Not so in the fateful fifth set. At 15-15 deuce, after Matej scored his 47th point of the day on a backhand attack, setter Han Tae-joon, who had struggled throughout the match, intercepted a quick opener from Korean Air’s Asia Quarterfinalist Espejo to complete the stunning upset, and he celebrated with a big gesture. “I think today’s match will stay in my memory for a long time. I think it’s even more memorable because it was against the defending champions, Korean Air.”
He is also happy about the ‘most wins’ title, which will be talked about for a while. “It feels good to hear people talking about it. It’s a great honor for me personally,” he said. “Honestly, I hope this record lasts a long time. I want to make it hard to break in the future, and I hope it will continue to go to Shin Young-cheol,” he said frankly. There’s a good chance he’ll get his wish. It is a ‘work in progress’ record that changes with every win.카지노사이트
What makes Woori Card’s rise this season even more special is that no one expected it. The departure of star player Na Kyung-bok to KB Insurance left a huge power vacuum, which led to a major roster shakeup. A lot of turmoil was expected, but instead, the team has dominated the early season with four straight wins.
“I didn’t expect (to do well),” Shin said. I told the club, ‘This season is going to be very difficult. The ball is round, so we’ll do our best,'” he said. Everyone is playing a role. I promised to build a stronger team so that we don’t fall apart easily.”
Shin, who played on the court as a setter as a player, began his coaching career as a coach with Samsung Fire in 1996 and first took the helm at LIG Insurance (now KB Insurance) in February 2004, followed by Korean Air (February 2010-January 2013) and KEPCO (April 2013-April 2017) before taking the helm of the Woori Card in April 2018.