By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
It's often believed that star players have difficulty becoming head coaches in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
Lee Chung-hee had to step down as Daegu Orions headman after going 4-22 in 2006, while Huh Jae had little success in his first few seasons as coach of the KCC Egis before the team finally turned it around and won the league championship this past season.
Lee and Huh were known as two of the best players in the league during their careers but that success did not follow when they moved to the coaching ranks. Lee was arguably the best scorer in the history of Korean basketball and Huh was the league's best all-around player and even received an offer from the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which he rejected.
New Dongbu Promy boss Kang Dong-hee does not completely believe the theory.
``I can agree to some extent that high-profile players have less of a chance of becoming successful coaches,'' the former star point guard, 42, said in an interview with The Korea Times.
``While working as an assistant coach for the Promy over four seasons, I have found that the stardom that they had during their careers puts them in a tough position to understand the bench warmers.
``But once they relinquish those penchants, they can become good leaders because they have a good grasp of the game and they have the experience from their careers.
``They need to keep in mind that they should begin their new jobs from the bottom of the ladder.''
Kang was a top recruit at Songdo High School in Incheon before moving to Chung-Ang University, a prestigious basketball program.
At that time, a pro league had not yet been established. But Kang, along with Huh and twin towers Kim Yoo-taek and Han Ki-beom, made the college team, which was a tough nut to crack. The team played neck and neck games against senior teams in an amateur-league competition called the ``Jumbo Series.''
Following his flashy college career, Kang joined some of his Chung-Ang teammates with the Kia Motors. He contributed to the team's seven straight Jumbo Series titles.
In the KBL, he played eight seasons _ six with the Kia Enterprise, a predecessor of the Ulsan Mobis, and two with the LG Sakers _ averaging 11.13 points, 6.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Kang, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season and playoffs in the KBL's first season in 1997, led the league in assists four times and made the first team six times.
In pursuit of the Promny's fourth league title, Kang said he plans to use as many players as possible, including many who saw little playing time while Chun Chang-jin was in charge.
``I will employ many players, up to 10 or 11. I believe that using only six or seven cannot motivate the bench players,'' he said.
``If they provide quality minutes and raise their game, I will ensure them steady playing time during the season.''
Despite the Promy's colorful history in the league, they have been plagued by the absence of a big-time floor leader that can orchestrate the team's offense.
``Pyo Myung-il is aging and Lee Se-bum has retired, so adding a solid point guard is a priority. We are in trade negotiations with the LG Sakers to bring in guard Park Ji-hyun. If an agreement is reached, we will be a competitive team. Otherwise, it will be tough to even to reach the first round of the playoffs, where the top six teams are promoted,'' Kang said last week.
On Tuesday, one week after the interview, Kang got his wish as the Promy acquired Park and forward Jin Kyung-suk from the rebuilding Sakers for veteran guard Kang Dae-hyup and rookie Park Jin-soo.
Other than the two import players, 2.05-meter lanky power forward Kim Joo-sung was the only Promy player to post double-digits in scoring last season with 13.9 points.
The new head coach said they would need to get more scoring from their non-imports. ``I think the point guard and perimeter shooter should each be producing 10 points or more per game. Forward Yun Ho-young needs to produce 10 points, Kim 15 to 20 and 25 to 30 by foreign players."
Kang gave advice to Yun, who entered the league as the third overall draft pick in the 2008 season but turned out to be another bust.
The 1.96-meter forward, regarded as the heir apparent to Kim Joo-sung before the draft, had just 4.7 points and 3.2 boards in 53 games.
``Yun did not live up to the hype at all,'' Kang said of his fellow Chung-Ang alumnus.