Hansolemikon is summoning its former comrades-in-arms to restore its honor.
The second round of the 2023 KXO 3×3 Seoul Tour and KXO League will be held on May 10 and 11 at the Gwangmyeong Spydome outdoor special court. The tournament, which was originally scheduled to take place on May 20 and 21, has been postponed by two weeks due to rain.
The tournament, which will be held across three categories – U18, Men’s Open, and KXO League – will be centered around Hanwool E&C’s second consecutive KXO League title, as well as the resurgence of Skyfall Inje and Hansolemicon.
Hanwool E&C, whose original members Bang Sung-yoon, Ryu Kyung-sik, Stable Hoon, and Lee Seung-bae have consistently combined to win the first round of the KXO League and the Korea Tour Seoul this year. After suffering from the runner-up jinx and not being able to connect with the championship for a while, Hanwool E&C broke through and cracked the existing 3×3 game.
In contrast to Hanwool E&C’s rise, the decline of Skyeonraein 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 April 4, Hansolemicon withdrew from the tournament.
Hansolemicon has been struggling with the departure of its main players and difficulties in reinforcing players. Kim Chul, Lee Ji-joon, and Kim Dong-woo anchor the team, but the departure of big men such as 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, a team that even the players themselves say has hit a rough patch, is looking to restore its honor ahead of the second round of the KXO League.
With the departure of Lee Seung-jun to Romania, Hansolemicon’s big man position has been completely disrupted, and they have added foreign player Robert Pollard, who participated in the ‘FIBA 3×3 Jeju Challenger 2019’ with them in 2019, and brought back Zhu Kin-wan, who was living in Hong Kong, to compete in the second round of the KXO League.
Robert Pollard, a 192-centimeter 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 quarterfinals, and has been with Hansol Remicon players in various competitions throughout 2019.
After retiring from playing for Hyundai Mobis, DB, and KCC, Joo Gin-wan continued to play 3×3 for Hansolemicon and recently moved to Hong Kong. The former Hong Kong resident was happy to accept Hansolemicon’s request to return to the country and will join Kim Chul and Lee Ji-joon in the second round of the KXO League.
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 worst, 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 traveled all the way from Hong Kong for the team,” he said.
Kim Chul, who said the team’s goal is to qualify for the second round of the KXO League, said, “My goal has 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 reasons. However, 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 because of Zhu Kin-wan, who traveled from Hong Kong for the team, and Robert Pollard, who 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. 안전놀이터
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.