By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
Hyundai SkyWalkers head coach Kim Ho-chul announced that he would stay with the volleyball club, Monday.
``I will do my best to keep the club progressing to be the biggest powerhouse in the V-league as well as contribute to improve Korean volleyball,'' Kim reportedly told the club.
The SkyWalkers and Kim verbally agreed to extend his contract.
The 54-year-old was rumored to be set to move to another club after coaching the SkyWalkers for seven years, as his contract is due to expire on Friday.
A couple of league teams had purportedly offered to sign him, but the SkyWalkers managed to persuade Kim to stay with the 2009-2010 season runners-up. Kim has been at the helm of the club since November 2003.
Under his leadership, the SkyWalkers put the brakes on the reign of their archrivals, the Samsung Blue Fangs, breaking the team's consecutive winning streak at 77 games and claiming the league championship for two straight seasons in 2006 and 2007.
They have lost out on the top spot to the Blue Fangs in the last few years. This season, the SkyWalkers were edged out by the Blue Fangs in a neck-and-neck championship series that went the distance to the final fifth set of Game 7.
``I appreciate Hyundai SkyWalkers helping me put in place a solid system as well as giving me their support,'' Kim said.
Kim is currently taking a break after the season, and is considering visiting Italy, where the former star setter played club volleyball for more than 10 years in the 1980s and 1990s.