Former Japanese national team coach Masashi Ogino (53-photo) is the new head coach of the men’s professional volleyball team OK Financial Group.
“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ogino as our next head coach,” OK Financial Group said in a press release on Sept. 29. Ogino is the first foreign head coach of the OK Financial Group Volleyball Team. This is the third time in the history of the V-League Men’s Division that a foreigner has taken the helm.
“We wanted to make an innovative move to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the club, so we selected the candidates with a foreign head coach in mind from the beginning,” said OK Financial Group, explaining the selection process. “We considered a variety of candidates from Brazil, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan, and conducted written interviews.”
Ogino was a defensive outside hitter for the Sunbirds in the Japanese League from 1988 to 2010. He won seven league championships and seven receiving awards. Ogino also has plenty of international experience. She represented Japan at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After his retirement, he served as Suntory’s head coach from 2010-2012 and 2017-2019.메이저놀이터
“I’m excited to take on this new challenge, and I’m looking forward to strengthening the defense, which is a pillar of the team, and building a system that utilizes all attacking channels,” said Ogino.