"He went off in search of playing time, and scored a career-high 21 points right out of the gate" — Park Jin-young's stunning turnaround... Can Shinhan Bank also turn things around after "three consecutive playoff misses"?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"I felt that Jin-young needed a place where she could play more actively."

These were the words of an official from Bucheon Hana Bank, Park Jin-young's (22, Incheon Shinhan Bank) former team, which traded her away last month. And in her first game with her new team, Park exploded for a career-high 21 points in a single game, proving her worth.

Incheon Shinhan Bank, led by head coach Choi Yoon-a, defeated Asan Woori Bank 65-58 in a home game of the 2026~2027 KB Star Banking Women's Professional Basketball regular season held at Incheon Dowon Gymnasium on the 4th.

They pulled off an upset right from the season opener. Shinhan Bank had finished last place with a record of 9 wins and 21 losses last season, but this time they started the new season on a high note by defeating Woori Bank, who is considered a strong championship contender.

At the center of the victory was transfer player and prospect Park Jin-young. Starting the game, Park played for 36 minutes and 21 seconds, recording 21 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists to score the most points among both teams. She made 7 of her 9 two-point shot attempts and also hit one three-pointer.

Most importantly, it was significant that she set a new personal record for single-game scoring. Park's previous best mark was 15 points, recorded against Woori Bank on March 1, 2024. She surpassed her own record after about two years and eight months.

Park took an aggressive offensive approach from the early stages of the game. She poured in 9 points in just the first quarter to give her team the lead, and added another 6 points in the second quarter.

Her presence shone in the crucial moments as well. Shinhan Bank led 55-52 through the third quarter but allowed Woori Bank to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. However, Park brought the momentum back with a basket under the rim, and subsequently, scores from Kim Ji-young and Noguchi Sakura sealed the victory.

Sakura, an "Asian quota" player, also contributed with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Kim Ji-young added her strength with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In particular, Shinhan Bank showed focus by committing only 2 team turnovers. On the other hand, Woori Bank committed 13 turnovers.

It was an even more special victory for Park Jin-young. The 178cm forward Park graduated from Samcheonpo Girls' High School and is a prospect who was selected by Hana Bank with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2022~2023 WKBL Rookie Draft.

However, at Hana Bank, her playing time was limited due to fierce positional competition. Last season, she appeared in 28 regular season games, averaging 16 minutes and 3 seconds on the court while recording 4.9 points and 2.1 rebounds.

She was clearly a player who had shown potential, but she needed more playing opportunities.

Accordingly, Hana Bank and Shinhan Bank executed a trade last month, swapping Park for guard Heo Yu-jung. It was the result of matching interests between Shinhan Bank, which needed forward resources, and Hana Bank, which wanted to strengthen its guard position.

At the time, an official from Hana Bank explained in a phone call with StarNews, "It was a process of continuously testing and competing players until the start of the season. Jin-young had been preparing hard, but the positional competition was quite fierce."

He continued, "From the player's perspective, there could have been pressure or stress coming from the competition," adding, "In our view, we felt that Jin-young needed a place where she could play more actively."

He also emphasized, "The intent was not to reduce players' opportunities, but to open up opportunities in places where they can play more and change the atmosphere for each other."

And Park proved her worth right from her first game after the transfer. She far exceeded her previous season's average playing time of 16 minutes, spending more than 36 minutes on the court against Woori Bank. This means that head coach Choi Yoon-a trusts Park. Park also lived up to expectations with a career-high 21 points.

It is also a hopeful signal for Shinhan Bank. Shinhan Bank has failed to advance to the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. They finished fifth in both the 2023~2024 and 2024~2025 seasons, and fell to last place last season.

This season, they must show a definitely different appearance. Shinhan Bank, aiming for a resurgence under head coach Choi Yoon-a, showed possibility by defeating championship contender Woori Bank in the opening game. At the center of this was newly joined Park Jin-young.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original