Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Kim Jun-woo seized the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and won the Rookie of the Year title.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Kim Jun-woo won the Men’s New Player Award at the Dodram 2022-2023 V-League Awards Ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul on the 10th.
In the 2022-2023 season rookie draft, Kim Jun-woo, who joined Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance with the 3rd pick in the 1st round, spent his debut season with a record of 6th in blocking (0.54 per set) and 10th in fast play.
Kim Jun-woo, who visited the interview room after the awards ceremony, said, “I think he spent his debut season as the best season because he finished the season well and even received an award,” expressing his feelings as a rookie.
Throughout the season, Kim Jun-woo competed with setter Lee Hyeon-seung of Hyundai Capital for the Rookie of the Year title. Public opinion was split in half. The reason for this was that Kim Jun-woo’s individual performance was good, but Hyundai Capital, where Lee Hyun-seung belonged, finished second in the regular league and runner-up in the championship match.
However, Kim Jun-woo eventually succeeded in making his rookie king his own. Kim Jun-woo said, “Actually, I thought about half and half the odds. Still, I think the fact that he played games from the beginning of the season and showed improvement over time helped him win the award,” he said, explaining why he was able to win the award. 토토사이트
Kim Jun-woo went up to the podium to receive the Rookie of the Year award. Many people headed to Kim Jun-woo with bouquets of flowers to congratulate him. And middle blocker KEPCO Shin Young-seok, who represents the V-League, also visited Kim Jun-woo and personally delivered a bouquet of flowers. This was an unforgettable moment for Kim Jun-woo. He said, “When we met before the awards ceremony, he said, ‘I hope middle blockers get the Rookie of the Year award after a long time. Thank you for saying that, and it’s an honor to receive a bouquet of flowers in person. He said, “I will try to become a player like Shin Young-seon.”
Coincidentally, Kim Jun-woo is the first time since Shin Young-seok in the 2009-2010 season that a middle blocker won the Rookie of the Year title in the men’s division.
Samsung Fire & Marine Manager Kim Sang-woo’s role was also indispensable in helping Kim Jun-woo win the Rookie of the Year award. Coach Sang-woo Kim was an outstanding middle blocker during his active career. Kim Joon-woo also tried to resemble director Kim Sang-woo’s active career. “When I first came to the pro, I tried to be like the coach as he did when he was active. That part helped a lot. However, I will try to improve more and show you a better image.”
When Kim Jun-woo was asked how he would use the 2 million won he received as the Rookie of the Year award, he said, “I plan to eat delicious food with the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance hyungs and use it for the hyungs and the team. Not all, only about half,” he said and left.