Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Phoebus coach Yoo bags 500th win
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Ulsan Mobis Phoebus coach Yoo Jae-hak holds a trophy his team gave him to mark his 500th career coaching victory, over the Seoul SK Knights at Ulsan Dongchun Stadium, Sunday. / Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
Ulsan Mobis Phoebus coach Yoo Jae-hak claimed his 500th win Sunday, something no Korean Basketball League (KBL) coach has ever done.
The milestone was set after the 51-year-old's team beat the Seoul SK Knights 70-60 at Ulsan Dongchun Gymnasium. During the game between the league leader Phoebus and the third-ranked Knights, Phoebus captain Yang Dong-geun led his side's win with 22 points and six rebounds.
Serving 17 years as a head coach, Yoo has recorded 500 wins and 384 losses, for a .566 winning percentage. During that time, he collected four regular season trophies and four playoff championships, raising his reputation as one of the best coaches in the KBL.
Despite the significance of the 500-win mark, a milestone only 15 coaches in NBA history have reached, Yoo reacted calmly.
“It is a natural result because I have coached for a long time,” he said. “I feel a bit ashamed since the winning percentage is not that high. Seventeen years ago, when I was appointed as a head coach, I never thought that I would do this job for this long. I am a lucky person.
“It was much more important to win the game than being obsessed with the 500th win, because we are in a tight race for the regular season lead.”
Basketball watchers describe Yoo as “a tactician with 10,000 tactics,” because of his approach to games thorough analysis of opponents and a coaching style which emphasizes disciplined movement.
During his playing career, Yoo was dubbed “computer guard” because of his accurate passes. However, he had to retire early, at the age of 28, because of a knee injury and started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Yonsei University basketball team in 1993. Five years later, he made his KBL debut as the head coach of KDB Daewoo Securities basketball team (now Incheon ET-Land Elephants), at 35, making him the youngest coach in the league at the time.
His career was not that successful at the start. The team had to change its name because of ownership changes and, after he moved to the Phoebus in 2004, he suffered extreme ups and downs _ finishing first the 2006-07 season but plunging to ninth of 10 teams the following season.
Much of Yoo's glory came after 2008. After becoming the champions of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 regular seasons, his side clinched the 2012-13 and 2013-14 season championships and the national basketball team under his leadership bagged a gold medal at the Incheon Asian Games last year, ending a 12-year drought.
In this 2014-15 season, the Phoebus are leading the league with 35 wins and 12 losses, two games ahead of runners-up Wonju Dongbu Promy and 2.5 games ahead of the Knights. Sunday's victory also gave the Phoebus the honor of becoming the first KBL team to clinch more than 35 wins in three straight seasons.
“With the win, we proceeded one step closer to the regular-season title,” Yoo said. With six more wins, his side can capture the league title.