First-time free agent Lee Dae-heon (31, 197 cm) has stayed loyal to KOGAS.
Daegu KOGAS officially announced the re-signing of internal free agent Lee Dae-heon on April 19. The contract is for a period of four years and compensation of 550 million won ($440 million in annual salary and 110 million won in incentives). Lee, a founding member of the GAS Corporation, will continue his career in Daegu for another four years.메이저사이트
“I have a lot of good memories in Daegu,” Lee said in a phone conversation with the publication. I was disappointed with our performance last season, but I’m going to try again with my teammates. I am grateful for the good treatment I received from the club. As the main player of the team, I will have to take more responsibility and lead the team well,” he said.
Currently, GASCO is in a noisy situation internally. Coach Yoo Yoo-hoon’s whereabouts are unclear, and there is talk of cutting operating costs by 20 percent. Despite this, Lee Dae-heon remained loyal to the team and signed a new contract.
“I never thought about leaving Daegu. The director-general of the GAS Corporation told me that the reduction of operating expenses would not affect the support of the team, and the influence of (Cha) Rock, (Im) Soo-Joo, (Park) Ji-Hoon, and (Cho) Sang-Yeol was huge. They were so good to me, like family. Even when I signed a contract, their faces were the first thing that came to mind,” says Lee.
Despite acquiring the house rabbit Lee Dae-heon, the GAS Corporation was somewhat weakened compared to last season. Another internal free agent, Lee Dae-sung, decided to pursue a challenge abroad, while Jung Hyo-geun moved to Anyang KGC. Lee Dae-heon was particularly disappointed with the departure of his best friend Jung Hyo-geun.
He said, “I wanted to show good things with (Jung) Hyo-geun in the new season, but he chose to challenge himself in a new environment. Personally, I’m very disappointed. We are close friends in private, but now we have to meet as enemies on the court. We only spoke on the phone because we were preparing for the wedding, but we didn’t have a deep conversation. I hope to meet him in the future and talk about it.”
One positive is the return of Kim Nak-hyun from the commercial side. He will join GASCO on November 15 after completing his military service. For GASCO to regain its pride in the new season, Lee and Kim will need to be a one-two punch.
“Some people say that our team is weaker, that the player base is thinner, but I don’t think so. When (Kim) Nak-hyun comes back, he needs to take more responsibility and make plays that can unite the team. I think we can only go up from here. I’m not worried at all because I think I have a good match with Nak-hyun,” he said, expressing confidence.
“I’m happy to be able to stand in front of the Daegu fans once again as a founding member of the GAS Corporation. It’s unfortunate that Hyo-geun left, but I will try to fill the void. Until the day I retire, I will show a responsible side and strive to become a player who is dedicated to the team.”