“I just wanted to focus on my workouts.”
Suseong High School outside hitter Yoon Seo-jin has thrown down the gauntlet for the 2023-2024 Korea Volleyball Organization (KOVO) Men’s Rookie Draft, which will be held at Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on June 30. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter is a coveted resource for teams in need of a wing attacker who can both attack and receive well.
Several teams are keeping an eye on Yoon. We caught up with him on Sunday in Mokpo, where the 104th National Sports Games are underway. “My coach gave me a lot of advice and said that if I had the opportunity to go pro, I should go as soon as possible. “I thought about going to college, but I wanted to experience an environment where I could focus on sports,” he said, explaining why he decided to enter the draft.
“When you go to college, you get into the swing of things and you’re like, ‘I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep up with my workouts.’ Of course, when you go to the pros, you’re in a position where you have to survive, but I wanted to focus on my athleticism. I thought (going to the pros) had more advantages,” he added.안전놀이터
After a strong No. 1 ranking. Yoon captained South Korea to its third-place finish in 30 years at the FIVB U-19 World Championship 2023 in Argentina in August. She was responsible for 88 points in the tournament, while also ranking seventh in receptions.
“At first, I had a hard time adjusting because of the blocking and height,” Yoon said, “but I definitely felt more confident after experiencing the world tournament. I could see the blocking better, and I realized how to utilize and attack it.”
It wasn’t just his coach who advised him on the pro challenge. The second-generation volleyball player spoke with his mother, SPOTV and college volleyball commentator Kim Sung-min, who played for Honam Jungyu. “I was actually worried too. At first, I thought it was better to go to university to prepare, but then I realized that it’s okay to go early.”
At the national championships after the draft decision, the team lost 2-3 to Suncheon First Team in the quarterfinals. After taking the first and second sets, the team lost the third set to end their high school career. “I wanted to finish on a high note with everyone, and it would have been better if I had won a medal,” said Yoon Seo-jin. “There was some pressure (right after the draft), but I didn’t care about that and tried to work harder,” she said.
There were two weeks left until the draft. Yoon plans to continue training hard until the draft. “If I go to the pros, I want to show my ambition,” he concluded. “I want to be humble and modest,” said Kim.