Hansolemicon summons comrades-in-arms to restore their honour.
The second round of the 2023 KXO 3×3 Seoul Tour and KXO League will be held at the Gwangmyeong Spydome outdoor special court on the 10th and 11th of this month. The event, which was originally scheduled to take place on 20 and 21 May, has been postponed by two weeks due to rain.
Spanning three categories – U18, Men’s Open and KXO League – the main focus of the tournament will be on Hanwool E&C’s second consecutive KXO League title and the resurgence of Skyfall Inje and Hansolemicon.메이저놀이터
With the original members of Bang Sung-yoon, Ryu Kyung-sik, Stable Hoon, and Lee Seung-bae continuing to work together, the team has won the first round of the KXO League and the Korea Tour Seoul in succession this year. After suffering from the runner-up jinx, the team has been unable to connect with the championship for some time now, and has broken through the 3×3 divide.
In contrast to Hanwool E&C’s rise, the decline of Skydown Inje and Hansolemicon was unexpected.
The two teams, who represented Korea’s 3×3 scene, have struggled this year, falling out of the top 10. While the latter managed to redeem themselves by winning their first title of the year at the Korea Tour Yangsan, which ended on the 4th, Hansolemicon withdrew from the tournament.
Hansolemicon has been struggling with the departure of its main players and difficulties in recruiting new players. Kim Chul, Lee Ji-joon, and Kim Dong-woo anchor the team, but the departure of big men Lee Seung-jun, Lee Dong-joon, and Seok Jong-tae has led to a slump that has seen the team fail to reach a single final since 2023.
Hansolemicon, which even the players themselves say is at a low point, is looking to restore its honour ahead of the second round of the KXO League.
With the departure of Lee Seung-jun to Romania and the complete collapse of the big man position, Hansolemicon added foreign player Robert Pollard, who competed in the FIBA 3×3 Jeju Challenger 2019 with them in 2019, and brought back Zhu Kin-wan from Hong Kong to compete in the second round of the KXO League.
Robert Pollard, a 192cm forward from the United States, played alongside Lee Seung-jun and Lee Dong-joon at the FIBA 3×3 Jeju Challenger 2019, helping the team reach the quarter-finals, and has been with Hansol Remicon players throughout 2019 in various competitions.
After playing for Hyundai Mobis, DB, and KCC, Joo has continued to play 3×3 for Hansolemicon since his retirement, but recently moved to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong-based player accepted Hansolemicon’s request to return to the country and will be competing in the second round of the KXO League alongside Kim Chul and Lee Ji-joon.
Hansolemicon’s Kim Chul said, “We were unable to participate in the Korea Tour Yangsan last week due to too many vacancies. We were planning to compete in the second round of the KXO League no matter what, but at the worst case scenario, we would only have three players available. Fortunately, Robert Pollard and Joo Jin-wan decided to join us, which was a big boost. We are especially grateful to them because they travelled all the way from Hong Kong for the team,” he said.
Kim Chul, who said the team’s goal was to qualify for the second round of the KXO League, said, “Our goals have become much more modest (laughs). First of all, the players are not able to spend as much time together as before due to their own circumstances, so there is a feeling of clutter. But I’m going to do my best under the conditions I can,” he said, adding, “It’s not easy to be in a group at this tournament. However, I will try to be stronger and show a good performance, especially because Zhu Kin-wan travelled from Hong Kong for the team and Robert Pollard decided to join us for old times’ sake. It’s only June, so I’m sure the team will be back to its best soon,” he said, vowing to do well in the second round of the KXO League.
With Joo Gin-wan and Robert Pollard returning to the team, Hansolemicon will face Hanwool E&C and Hongcheon Effin in the second round of the KXO League.