Although he was highly anticipated, his playing career was not smooth. There were times when he was frustrated by injuries. Leaving behind his regret, he left for an unfamiliar place and recklessly gained experience. He became a coach recognized by everyone based on his efforts at that time. In his first season as head coach, he achieved a unified victory for Ginseng Corporation with coach Kim Sang-shik, who found him. Choi Seung-tae (41), head coach, makes responsibility his motto and continues to walk his own path.
Coach Choi started his career as a professional player by joining KCC with the 7th overall pick in the 2004 rookie draft. Although he was noted as a smart player from his college days, his chronic knee injury was a problem. “Ever since he was young, he has seen a lot of basketball from various angles. He did not choose between Korea and America. It was fun. He was also influenced by his father, who was a professional basketball technical commissioner,” he said. “I learned that scoring isn't everything in basketball. As a result, he felt like he could see the road from a young age.” He continued, 스포츠토토 The biggest thing I regret about being a player. He also thought about what it would have been like if he hadn’t been injured,” he added.
He tried various teams such as KCC and LG, but he was not satisfied. After his retirement, it was an opportunity for him to leave for the United States. At his own expense, he left for Birmingham versus Alabama in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He said, “His sister went there, and there was a language school and a basketball team. He went because he vaguely wanted to experience it, but he was very fortunate. He wanted to learn basketball properly because he regretted not being able to achieve it as a player.”
It was a header on the ground. It started with the manager. As the years went by, he was accepted into graduate school and qualified as a GA (Graduate Assistant/Student Coach). Coach Choi said, “The number of players I teach has increased. The proportion also increased. I went to the NCAA Tournament in the 2014-2015 season, my third year, and it felt like I was being compensated for the past days when I started from the bottom. The feeling was new,” he recalled.
After leaving KCC in 2018, he once again gained experience at the University of Alabama for a year and a half before joining the LG coach. He said, “I was going to take a break, but the coach of the University of Alabama asked for help, so I joined as a coach. He had a different attitude towards the players compared to the first time he went. As he gained experience and confidence, the players accepted my words well,” he said.
Coach Choi said, “The thing I felt the biggest difference in America was the culture. The way basketball is played and the skills of the players do not deviate much from the big picture. I felt that the culture of the players and the coaching staff, and the culture of the players and the players are definitely different.”
Sang-Sik Kim, who took over as the head coach of Ginseng Corporation last year, cited 'ability' as the background for appointing Coach Choi. It was an unconventional decision to appoint him as the head coach, who had not had much experience. Coach Choi said, “Thank you so much. In fact, I had no special relationship with director Kim Sang-shik. Since he is a senior in the basketball world, he only came and went to say hello. When he first contacted him, he was really taken aback. And I immediately felt grateful.” He continued, “He is an open person. You think of everything from the player's side. As a result, the players seem to be able to deal with it comfortably. Be firm in your own philosophy. He is learning the good parts hard.”
Even before the season, there were many question marks in the coaching staff. There was a series of evaluations about the lack of experience compared to other teams. However, it broke everyone's expectations and achieved an integrated championship in the 2022-2023 season. He also became the first champion of the East Asian Super League (EASL) Champions Week held during the season. ran the road to success Coach Choi said, “The performance at the beginning of the season was good. He thought he could clear everyone's concerns. As the coach’s philosophy was applied to the players, we also developed our own color.”
During his first season as head coach, his sense of responsibility became stronger. Manager Kim Sang-sik gave coach Choi the defensive part and gave him strength. Coach Choi said, “I didn’t know the weight of the head coach, but it was definitely different. He was lost because he was worried about what to do if he made a mistake. He also had to act as a bridge between the coach and coach Cho Seong-min. He is confident in working hard, but it was not easy to see the details. It was a time for him to mature,” he said. Regarding coach Kim, “I think we all do defense together. Basketball is a team sport, so there are promises. I think it's okay to make mistakes within the promised part. Instead, the emphasis is on reducing small mistakes.”