‘Second triple-double’ Park Hye-jin of Woori Bank, the story of how she cut her hair short
One fan said this after seeing Park Hye-jin short hair. She said, “Isn’t she like the main character of a youth cartoon? “She’s even good at basketball, so she’s perfect as the main character,” she said.
Asan Woori Bank won 84-66 in the second round match against Busan BNK Some in the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball Tournament held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on the 4th. Choi I-sam and Park Ji-hyeon’s offensive power was also outstanding, but Park Hye-jin’s all-weather performance shined. Hyejin Park achieved her triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 33 minutes and 10 seconds of action.
This is the second time in her career that Park Hye-jin has recorded a triple-double. Her last season, on November 2, 2022, against BNK, she also recorded her first triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Two triple-doubles are tied for 7th place in WKBL history (Jeon Joo-won). The record for the most is Jeong Seon-min (formerly Shinhan Bank) with 8.
Park Hye-jin, whom we met after the game, said, “I was able to do it because the players played well and I had time to spare. I am grateful to the coach and players for all their help in making this happen. I don’t know when she last had a triple-double. She knew because she told me in the middle. “She was just running and suddenly they told me to come out, so I came out thinking it was all filled,” she said with a laugh.
Park Hye-jin, who was unable to train with Woori Bank in the off-season, announced her return to the Yongin Samsung Life Insurance game on the 18th of last month. It felt like she came back rather quickly, and director Wie Wi-Woo also said the same.
Hyejin Park said, “Honestly, it was faster than I thought. Sometimes, when I lie down and think about it, I feel like it’s an absurd situation that I’m playing in the stadium. Anyway, seeing our players having a hard time was harder than having a hard time physically. So I decided to come back quickly. “Even though I had ups and downs, I wanted to do it first,” she said, explaining the reason for her quick return.
On the day of her return, Park Hye-jin appeared with her hair cut short. Several people were surprised by her appearance and even complimented her, saying she looked like the main character of a youth comic.
When asked why she cut her hair, Park Hye-jin said, “The team won the championship (last season’s combined championship), but personally, I had an injury to the sole of my foot, and there were times when I became complacent and lazy. So, I thought a lot about letting go. Should I say it’s a bit of a burnout? I am grateful that the club gave me a lot of time during the offseason to allow me to come back. “I thought a lot during that time, and I cut my hair short because I wanted to try it with a fresh mind.”
He continued, “Because my hair is so short, a lot of people around me say that it feels like I’m back to when I was a rookie. My hair is shorter than the rookie players these days (laughs), right? “Thank you for saying that we match well, though,” he added.
Regarding the off-season that came after training intensely for a long time, he said, “I really rested well. I also watched basketball on TV during the Park Shin-ja Cup. My body felt completely like that of an ordinary person. Watching our team play, I thought, ‘This is really amazing. I thought, ‘I played like that?’ And I tried to rest as much as I could. “But before the season, I had improved a lot and was hungry for basketball, so I came back,” he explained.
Park Hye-jin also explained the process of cutting her hair short. “She went to say hello to the team two or three weeks before she came back,” she said. I went to see her face and the players were really welcoming. It’s been 6 months since I went, but there were some players who were crying. So I wanted to come back quickly. Right after that, I went to Busan and cut my hair short. Since I had to return again, I went to Busan and learned some exercises from a crossfit teacher I knew. “I think I did strength training there for about three weeks before joining the team.” Hyejin Park says: