The "NH Nonghyup Bank FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon Challenger 2024" was held on May 11 and 12 at a special court in the Tori Forest City Forest Park in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon State. 16 3x3 teams from around the world participated in the fierce competition. 안전놀이터
Participants include the U.S. (Princeton), Latvia (Adaji), the Netherlands (Witherrecht), and Germany (Dusseldorf). It is the only 3x3 basketball international competition to be held in Korea this year. A total of four Korean teams participated in the competition: Seoul, Busan All-One Bank, Hamo Jinju, and Yesan Hanul.
Notably, Seoul has Kim Jeong-nyeon, No. 1 player in the Korean rankings, Jeong Seong-jo, No. 2, and Yoon Sung-soo, No. 3. Seoul beat Ha 21-14 in the first round match, which it held on Sunday morning. In the second round match, Seoul beat Davao City in the Philippines 21-18 to qualify for the main draw.
Kim Jung-nyeon, who has recently become the hero of controversy due to his elimination from the national team, did a good job. Kim was in charge of 10 points out of 21 points scored by Seoul against Jinju. Kim showed off brilliant individual skills in the game against the Philippines as well, showing off his outstanding skills. Kim also scored 10 points this time, playing the role of ace.
Such a good player did not wear the Taegeuk mark. Former coach Lee Seung-joon did not pick Kim Jung-nyeon, the No. 1 player in Korea, but selected his academy coach, Lim Won-jun. Controversy arose over whether it was a preferential selection, not a fair selection based on skills.
To make matters worse, Lim\'s poor performance caused a "catastrophic disaster." In the FIBA 3-on-3 Asia Cup held in March, South Korea, ranked 41st in the FIBA, was eliminated from the group stage after losing to Indonesia, ranked 62nd, and Sri Lanka, ranked 78th.
As the situation got serious, coach Lee Seung-joon resigned as national team coach on Wednesday. Lee said, "It is true that the controversial player worked at the same coaching academy. It is also regrettable that the player failed to display performance that he had expected. As he left the coaching academy while taking charge of the national team, he felt complacent. He should have made a more careful judgment. We will pay close attention to prevent such controversy from occurring again."
Kim Jung-nyeon suffered direct damage due to the incomprehensible selection of national team players. In addition, the reputation of Korean basketball has been tarnished.
Kim Jong-nyeon, whom I met at the Hongcheon Challenger, said calmly, "When I work out, this and that happen. Life is the same. My teammates don\'t care and I decided to work hard."
Lee Seung-joon\'s resignation paved the way for Kim to play again with the national flag. "If I work hard without dwelling on (the national flag), I think I will have another good opportunity. I desperately want the players, too. I also gain strength from them," he said.
In 3x3 basketball, a point system is implemented. Kim Jeong-nyeon is the highest ranking player recognized by others in terms of points and skills. According to common sense, a player who ranks first in Korea should wear the national flag of course.
"I feel pressured because I am the No. 1 player in the country, but I am trying to overcome it. I will do my best to make my name sung by my fans more. I will make it a place where I am not proud of myself," Kim said.