Men’s volleyball OK Financial Group has appointed Japanese Massa Ogino (53-photo) as its new head coach.
OK Financial Group officially announced the signing of Ogino on the 29th. Specific terms of the contract were not disclosed. Ogino, the third head coach of OK Financial Group since its inception, is the third foreign coach in the men’s V-League after Roberto Santilli (Italy) and Tomi Tilikainen (Finland, Korean Air). It is only the second time a Japanese coach has taken the helm in both the men’s and women’s divisions, with Mamoru Bandaira previously serving as coach and head coach of Heungkuk Life (2010-2011 season).메이저사이트
During his playing days, Ogino was a defensive outside hitter for the Suntory Sunbirds of the Nippon League from 1988 to 2010, winning seven league titles. He won the Isai Receiving Award seven times and was named to the Best 6 twice. He represented his country at the 1992 Barcelona and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
After retiring in 2010, he went on to have a coaching career with Suntory from 2010-2012 and 2017-2019.
As OK Financial Group prepares for the new season, they have parted ways with Seok Jin-wook and have decided to go with a foreign manager as their next head coach. A number of foreign coaches of various nationalities were in the running, but the group narrowed the field to those with experience in Asian volleyball. The club interviewed the final three candidates, all of whom were either in the Japanese league or out of contract, before finally selecting Ogino.
OK Financial Group said, “Coach Ogino has a wealth of experience as a coach, having worked directly or indirectly in Asian (Japanese) volleyball as well as South American and European volleyball. He also has a strong understanding of the way Korea plays and performs based on his experience as a member of the Japanese national team, which is a rivalry with Korea,” said the group.
Kwon Chul-geun, head of OK Financial Group’s Sports Division, said, “We saw him as a leader who can strengthen our weaknesses in fundamentals and defence. He has always been interested in Korean volleyball, as he is familiar with Korean coaches. He will have no problem adapting.”
“I will do my best to help OK Financial Group win the championship again,” Ogino said through the club, adding, “I will strengthen the defence, which is the pillar of the team, and build a system that utilises all attacking channels.”