[Cheongju On-Site] "I Always Believe in Shin Ji-hyeon": Head Coach Choi Yoon-ah's Unwavering Trust... Behind the Young Shinhan Bank Team Stands a 'Veteran Captain'

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Incheon Shinhan Bank is a team with many young players. That makes one presence all the more important: none other than 'Veteran Captain' Shin Ji-hyeon. Head Coach Choi Yoon-ah of the Shinhan Bank expressed strong faith in Shin Ji-hyeon.

On the 11th, at the Cheongju Indoor Gymnasium, the Shinhan Bank defeated the Cheongju KB 76-54 in the 3rd and 4th place match of the 2026 KB Kookmin Bank Park Shin-ja Cup.

With this, the Shinhan Bank finished the tournament in third place. They advanced to the semifinals as the second-place team in Group B with a record of three wins and one loss in the group stage, marking their first appearance on the top-four stage since the Park Shin-ja Cup was restructured into an international format in 2023.

Although they lost to Japan's Fujitsu Red Wave in the semifinals, they secured a decisive victory in the final match against KB, bringing the tournament to a successful close.

In particular, the performances of the young players stood out.

In the 3rd and 4th place match against KB, Kim Ji-young, born in 1998, played for 35 minutes and 8 seconds, recording 13 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals. It was an outstanding performance that fell just one assist short of a triple-double.

Hong Yu-soon also contributed with 16 points and 9 rebounds in the paint, while Japanese Asian Quota player Noguchi Sakura recorded a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.

And captain Shin Ji-hyeon played for 30 minutes and 24 seconds, recording 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Judging by the statistics alone, she was not the most dazzling player of the day. However, the role Head Coach Choi Yoon-ah expects from Shin Ji-hyeon cannot be explained solely by scoring numbers.

Head Coach Choi said, "Shin Ji-hyeon serves as the team captain. I think that is the most important part."

She added, "Because the players are young, she needs to control the situation in such moments, and there are times when she has to solve problems herself when the other players are struggling."

As someone who must lead a young team, the burden on Shin Ji-hyeon is not small.

Head Coach Choi said, "I worry that she may be stressed about those aspects," but added, "However, because she has been doing this for so long, I believe she will do it well enough."

In particular, he highly evaluated Shin Ji-hyeon's ability to deliver in clutch moments.

Head Coach Choi emphasized, "Ji-hyeon is, after all, a player who has a big shot. I think we must always believe in her."

In fact, Shin Ji-hyeon actively went for points from the early stages of the game against KB, helping the Shinhan Bank seize the lead from the first quarter.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, she assisted on a three-point shot by Noguchi Sakura. With that score, the Shinhan Bank pulled ahead to 67-43, effectively crushing KB's will to chase.

Shin Ji-hyeon is a veteran guard who has accumulated extensive experience in the WKBL over a long period.

Selected by the Hana Bank with the first overall pick in the first round of the 2014 WKBL Rookie Draft, Shin Ji-hyeon has appeared in 315 regular season games in her career. She has recorded career averages of 9.4 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds.

In particular, during the 2021-2022 season with the Hana Bank, she played in 30 games, averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds, establishing herself as a representative offensive guard of the league. She also recorded averages of 15.3 points and 4.6 assists in the 2022-2023 season.

Even after donning the Shinhan Bank uniform, she has played as a key guard. In the recent 2025-2026 season, she appeared in 30 regular season games, averaging 26 minutes and 23 seconds of play with 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists.

Above all, she is a player who has overcome numerous major and minor injuries throughout her career to return to the court, much like a tumbler that always bounces back.

Now, with young players such as Hong Yu-soon and Lee Ga-hyeon growing in the Shinhan Bank, and new reinforcements like Noguchi and Kaneda Mana joining the roster,

Shin Ji-hyeon's role is changing accordingly.

When young players waver, she must organize the flow of the game; when her teammates are stuck, she must deliver a big shot herself. Additionally, off the court, she must serve as the center of the team as captain.

At this Park Shin-ja Cup, the Shinhan Bank reached the top four for the first time since the international restructuring and secured third place overall. It was a tournament where young players showed their potential.

And the presence that steadied those young players was none other than Veteran Captain Shin Ji-hyeon. During this tournament, she was frequently seen taking careful care of not only the domestic young players but also the Asian Quota players.

That is why Head Coach Choi Yoon-ah emphasized that she is a player in whom one must "always believe."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original