The men’s professional volleyball draft has recorded the lowest employment rate in history. This is due to the decline in the performance of college players and the introduction of the Asian quota.
At the 2023-2024 Korea Volleyball Organization (KOVO) Men’s Rookie Draft, held at Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu on Tuesday, 42 players applied and 20 were hired.
Samsung Fire had the most players with five, followed by KB Insurance with four. Woori Card and OK Financial Group selected three players each, while KEPCO and Hyundai Capital selected two. Korean Air had only one hire.
The employment rate of 47.62% is the lowest on record. The previous low was 56.25% in the 2005-2006 season (9 players selected from 16 applicants).
The overall decline in the quality of college volleyball has been cited as one of the reasons. The decline in the level of college volleyball has led to a shortage of players.
Samsung Fire coach Kim Sang-woo pointed out that “there is a gap between college and professional skills.” “It’s true that the quality of (college players) and the level of volleyball has dropped from previous years, so I think the employment rate has dropped,” said Hoo In-jung of KB Insurance.
Choi Tae-woong, head coach of Hyundai Capital, said, “We are investing a lot in youth volleyball, but we need to register players and find good players, and that seems to be lacking.” “It seems to end with enjoyment,” he said. “From what I’ve heard, Japan doesn’t have anything to teach players (technically) when they come to the pros. They only take care of the psychological part,” he said, adding, “In the case of Korea, the basics should be taught again in the pros.”
The early entry of college sophomores and juniors into the draft is also contributing to the decline. This year, the first four picks in the first round were not all college seniors. In addition, the fifth pick was Yoon Seo-jin, who is still a student at Suseong High School.
The level of college volleyball is declining as these younger players leave for the pros. The evaluation of students who remain in their fourth year is also bound to turn negative.
“I think there will continue to be a lot of early drafts in the future. “In order to change this, clubs and federations need to take measures. “To change that, teams and federations need to do something. Volleyball players need to think deeply about it.” 짱구카지노
There were also opinions that coming out early in the draft is good for individual players. “Different coaches have different perspectives,” said Shin Young-cheol, head coach of Woori Card. “If you learn bad habits for a long time, it’s not easy to change them.” “If you learn before you develop bad habits, you’ll be better than you are now.”
The Asian quota, which allows each team to sign one Asian player, is also believed to have a negative impact on the recruitment of college players. The influx of highly skilled players through the quota weakens the rationale for bringing in college players. “There is also the influence of the Asia Quota,” said Kim Sang-woo.