Japanese coach Masashi Ogino, 53, has been named as the third head coach of OK Financial Group next season. As the club’s first foreign coach and the first Japanese coach in the men’s team, he emphasized “communication” with players and set realistic goals.
Ogino attended his inaugural press conference at the Korea Volleyball Federation in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul on July 7. A defensive outside hitter for the 토토사이트 Japanese national team during his playing days, Ogino has also competed in three world championships, appearing at the 1992 Barcelona and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He also has ties to South Korea. Ogino has faced South Korea on several occasions in international competition. “I’ve played a lot of games against them in the national team. There were many close games when the Japanese national team and the Korean national team played, and even though I was a Japanese player, I had a lot of respect for the Korean players,” he recalls.
Ogino’s playing career came to an end in 2010. Since then, she has been coaching the Sunbirds of the Suntory Sunbirds in the Japanese League. “We thought he was the right person to fill in the gaps in the team’s understanding of Korean volleyball and the team’s lack of fundamentals and defensive organization,” said OK Financial Group.
OK Financial Group ranked sixth in receptions (31.53% efficiency), seventh in digs (7.787 per set), and seventh in defense (13.684 per set) last season.
Ogino is well aware of OK Financial Group’s weaknesses. “There are a lot of good teams in Korea. I think defense is especially good, and I think OK Financial Group is lacking in that area. We plan to strengthen it.”
On the outside, he emphasized “skinship” with the players. Active ‘communication’ by approaching the players first is also something Ogino envisions.
He said, “We have a rule in the team that we don’t call ourselves ‘coach’. I want you to call me ‘Ogisan’ as well. That way, we can have a more friendly conversation. I always want to be approachable. Different cultures emphasize friendly communication.”
“We emphasize communication in practice. The players are the ones who are in charge, and it’s the coach’s job to advise them when they’re struggling. We have a lot of players with potential to grow. I hope to be a coach who can advise them when things aren’t going well,” he said.
He also added a realistic goal. In many seasons, OK Financial Group has narrowly missed out on a last-minute ticket to spring volleyball. Last season was no different.
Coach Ogino said, “We want to win the championship, but our goal is to enter the playoffs. “We missed the playoffs last season by a narrow margin, so there is a lot of regret within the squad. We will play a season as a challenger,” he said, adding, “We will build a team color that will not give up until the end and will not give up at any time.”