Woori Bank Wins League Title, Cho Cries Out of Joy

When the buzzer sounded and the game ended, players with Woori Bank Han-Birds jumped out of joy and rushed into the court. It has been 18 years since the team, formerly known as Commercial Bank, won the title last time in 1985.

Cho Hye-jin, 30-year-old leading player of the team, left on the bench alone, however, and soon went out to the locker room. It was her first victory and she could not stop crying in the locker room, while the team was posing for photo shots. She joined the team in 1992 and has been with the team for 12 long years. Yet this is the first time she tasted the joy of victory. ˝Now that we have done it, it reminds me of former teammates and I feel kind of something is missing,˝ she said.

Cho is next to 31-year-old Jeon Ju-won (31, Hyundai) when it comes to the oldest players in the league. In fact, she almost gave up playing twice before. In 2000, she was haunted by the knee injury from 1995 and it took three months of hard training to get on her feet again.

Things got worse in 2002, however. She panted and felt dizzy often and the doctor told her that she had pernicious anemia. Her hemoglobin level was only about a half compared with healthy people. But Cho decided to hold on fast, thinking `I just can`t give up here without winning the league.` She sometimes had to receive blood transfusion to play when her conditions got worse. Luckily she now feels a lot better.

Coach Lee Jun, who helps Cho maintain physical strength, said, ˝She works really hard. Even when she does not feel well, she goes through a hard training even challenging for men.˝

Cho plans to leave the court after the winter season this year. She believes it is the time for her to go given her physical conditions and for young players. When asked what she would do after retirement, she wore a shy smile and replied, ˝I have to have a boyfriend to get married….˝

Yet, it remains uncertain whether head coach Park Myung-soo will let her go. ˝She sets an example for younger players although she does not play long time. It is the basketball court where she has to be,˝ he said emphatically.

Woori Bank won a match with Kookmin Bank Savers by 108-90 in Chuncheon on February 24, and grabbed the title for 2003 women`s professional basketball league. Cho blocked the shoot attempt by Hong Jung-ae at 2 minutes 16 seconds during the second quarter, setting the 100th block record seventh time in women`s pro basketball history.

Kookmin Bank lost for the sixth time in a row, plunging down to the fourth place tying Hyundai Hyperions.

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com