`It Is My Fault`

Would the end of change be mine only?

Basketball Coach Choi hee-am (47) of Mobis Automons has changed much nowadays. In a word, he has become soft. He doesn`t shout at players. And he pats on player`s backs with a smile at bench.

Differently from his face of resourceful general, which comes from his thick horn spectacle, he used to give hard time to players. It was his character since coach at Yonsei University. Then, why did he suddenly become a `soft man`?

Coach Choi who started leading pro team with brilliant spotlight in March, committed trial and error due to his self-justified management. In selecting players that is called half harvest of one year, he chose players wrongly due to little information despite right of appointment and changed players in the middle of season. And he interfered with players` one by one causing conflict. He used to seize players mobiles and used to switch them off after 11P.M in the hostel, causing rumors of `Mobis high school`.

Players were also busy in reading face of the coach. They played game with a negative mind thinking it is good not to be scolded, instead of playing well.

Therefore, team didn`t go well at all. Mobis got defeated five times successively before the game with Korea tender at Yeosu on 24th of the last month. Five successive defeats was the first insult to coach Choi since coach of Yonsei University in 1986. Manager started to have doubts on the `effect of coach Choi`.

The result that coach Choi made after thinking over, losing even 5 kg of weight, was `it is because of me.` He admitted his fault in front of players, saying, “There were many problems as I put all of you into a corner severely and one-sidedly. ”

And he promised, “I will put into practice team work that makes all players as one, throwing away my desires and enforcement. ” Seeing style of coach Choi, it is unusual.

Players might have recovered their pride due to this change in coach Choi. Mobis achieved two successive victories last weekend.

At the time of coach of Yonsei University when he led it to victory three times and 44 successive wins, if team was in slump, coach Choi used to have his hair cut fully for raising teamwork and spirit of players. Would change of coach Choi who faces crisis in his success myth be in effect at stage of pro?

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com