‘Great coach’ Jeon Chang-jin picks friendship over money

“I cannot leave alone by dumping people who continuously trusted and followed me. Even if I am paid an annual salary at the level for a rookie manager, I would wish to work with them,” said Jeon Chang-jin, former KT coach who received the best coach award five times, which is the most among coaches in the Korean pro basketball league.

Jeon (52) has been affiliated with the same teams with Kim Seung-ki (43), former senior assistant coach of KT, throughout the years since the 1999 – 2000 season when Jeon as the coach of Sambo (currently Dongbu) met Kim who had been playing for the team. When serving as Samsung, Jeon was also involved in recruitment of Kim, who was studying at Chung-Ang University. The same holds true with Sohn Gyu-wan (41), former assistant coach of KT who moved to Dongbu in the 2005-2006 season. The two assistant coaches followed Jeon when moving to KT six years ago, but they recently all became jobless, as KT gave up renewing contract with coach Jeon.

Coach Jeon met with the manager of Korea Ginseng Corp. on Monday. He demanded the KGC manager that the team also recruit Kim Seung-ki and Sohn Gyu-wan, plus two employees who had been taking charge of training and international affairs. In return, Jeon conveyed his message that it would be ok if his and the two assistant coaches get paid smaller than what they were paid at KT. He thus picked "friendship" over "money." The Corporation could not afford to accept Jeon’s offer immediately. The team said, “Selection of a coach is the head coach’s own right in the first place and would not pose any serious problem. As for staff, however, it is difficult to make a decision because KGC already has human resources, and hence decision is difficult to make."

Kim, who returned to Korea on Friday together with Coach Jeon and Sohn after completing a four-day tour to Japan, said, “If Jeon had chosen to move alone, he would have already signed the contact. He seems to have suffered loss because he is trying to take care of us as well, for which we feel very sorry.”

Will Coach Jeon and his two assistant coaches who opened an era of Dongbu in the mid-2000s be able to recover fame at KGC? The corporation will inform Jeon of the decision early this week.

why@donga.com