*This content was translated by AI.
Despite selecting three rookie players, Woori Bank signed one additional player. The initiative began when Jeong Jin-wan, Chairman and owner of Woori Bank, read an article.
On the 25th, Asan Woori Bank announced: "We participated in the 2026–2027 WKBL Rookie Draft but did not select high school graduate guard Jeong Hye-yoon; we have now added her as a trainee player."
Earlier, on the 19th, Woori Bank selected three players at the rookie draft held at Cheongju Gymnasium. They chose third-round pick Kim Ri-hye (a third-generation Korean-Japanese who played for Aisin Wing in Japan's W League), followed by Jeong Ji-yoon (Gwangju Suifa Girls' High School) in the second round and Lee Soo-hyun (Seonil Girls' High School) in the third round.
From the club's perspective, selecting three players was far from insignificant. However, Chairman Jeong Jin-wan held a different view after reviewing the draft results.
A Woori Bank official told StarNews: "We believed that selecting three players was already more than in previous years," but added, "After reporting the draft results to the chairman, it seemed he had read a related article." The official then described the situation at the time.
This year's draft saw 39 participants in total: 26 high school graduates, 4 university graduates, 4 players from corporate teams, 1 player active overseas, and 4 foreign-national Korean athletes.
Although this marked the second-highest number of applicants since the introduction of the single-league system in the 2007–2008 season, it was an especially difficult draft for high school players. Only two high schoolers had their names called in the first round: Im Yeon-seo (Gwangju Suifa Girls' High School·Busan BNK) at second overall and Lee So-hee (Sookmyung Girls' High School·Yongin Samsung Life) at sixth overall.
Foreign-national Korean players and those with overseas league experience received high evaluations, leaving high school graduates without selection from professional teams.
Chairman Jeong Jin-wan also encountered an article covering this reality.
A Woori Bank official explained: "After reading an article stating that few domestic high school players were selected, the chairman expressed concern and said, 'If we can select one more, please do so. Discuss it with the coach.'"
The official continued: "After discussions between Team Manager Lee Jeong-seop and Coach Jeon Ju-won, the decision was made to sign one additional player. The player chosen by Coach Jeon was Jeong Hye-yoon."
Born in 2008, Jeong Hye-yoon is a 165cm guard known for her speed and ball-handling skills. She was selected as a youth national team player to compete in the U-18 Women's Basketball Asia Cup, earning recognition for her potential.
Despite being a promising prospect worthy of selection by Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) teams, her name was not called during this draft. Facing the possibility of missing out on a professional career, Jeong Hye-yoon regained an opportunity to challenge through Woori Bank's additional signing decision.
A Woori Bank official stated: "Coach Jeon Ju-won had been closely monitoring Jeong Hye-yoon even before the draft," adding, "He believed she would fit well with Woori Bank's style of play due to her ability to advance quickly with the ball."
The official further noted: "She received positive evaluations from other coaches regarding her character and training attitude. Given that she was also selected as a youth national team player, it seems Coach Jeon paid special attention to her."
Jeong Hye-yoon's school, Masan Girls' High School, also wrote touching stories this year. The school's basketball team once faced near dissolution due to the difficulty of gathering even five players. From 2017 to 2023, they had no record of participating in official competitions.
However, under the guidance of Coach Lee Yu-ri, the team gradually regained competitiveness. In the final match of the 107th National Sports Festival Gyeong Nam (CEO) qualifiers for girls' high school division held last June, Masan Girls' High School defeated Samcheonyo Girls' High School 47–44. This marked Masan Girls' High School's first appearance in the National Sports Festival as Gyeong Nam (CEO) since 2000 — a span of 26 years. Jeong Hye-yoon led the team's revival as its ace player.
There is also a special connection with Woori Bank. Former coach Im Young-hee, a legend of the club, is also an alumna of Masan Girls' High School. In a team where the legacy of a senior who graduated from the same school and grew to become a representative figure in Korean women's basketball remains, a junior from the same school has now begun her professional journey.
The signing of Jeong Hye-yoon carries special significance across the entire WKBL, as it marks the first time in six years that a trainee player has been introduced in women's professional basketball.
The previous case occurred when Choi Min-seo, who participated in the 2019–2020 Rookie Draft, joined Cheongju KB Stars as a trainee player in June 2020.
Although the system remained on paper since then, it was rarely utilized in practice. Woori Bank's decision has effectively reopened a pathway that had been closed for six years.
Trainee players do not have guaranteed registration as regular players. They must prove their competitiveness through the club's training and development programs before earning a spot on the official roster. Nevertheless, for players who had to abandon their professional dreams due to non-selection in the draft, this offers a precious second chance to challenge again.
There are also cases where trainee players successfully established themselves on the professional stage. Baek Ji-eun, currently the head coach at Dankook University, began her career with Bucheon Hana Bank. Kim Dan-bi, who played for Woori Bank and Samsung Life, is another example of such a case.
A Woori Bank official remarked: "The trainee player system had become largely nominal in practice," adding, "Through this opportunity, we hope players can receive even more attention and opportunities."
The official continued: "Even if a youth national team player is not selected in the draft, they must reconsider their career path. Even if they enroll in university and re-enter the draft later, professional entry is not guaranteed." They emphasized: "More high school players need to enter the professional stage for the entire women's basketball ecosystem, including the Futures League, to become more active."
Jeong Hye-yoon, who has joined hands with Woori Bank, is determined not to miss this hard-won opportunity. Through the club, she stated: "While I was struggling with my career path after failing to enter the professional stage, Woori Bank extended a hand, giving me another chance to challenge. As this is a precious opportunity, I will approach every training session with sincere determination and definitely achieve my first goal of being registered on the official roster."
Coach Jeon Ju-won said: "We judged that Jeong Hye-yoon, a guard with fast speed, can contribute to strengthening our team's depth. We are grateful to the club for fully supporting us in acquiring such a talented player."
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*This content was translated by AI.
