The 3×3 basketball team Masterwok (Lee Dong-yoon, Kim Jung-yeon, Yoon Sung-soo, and Jung Sung-jo) will compete in the FIBA 3×3 World Hoops Penang Challenger 2023 in Penang, Malaysia from October 10-11.
The FIBA 3×3 Challenger is the gateway to the FIBA 3×3 World Tour (the “World Tour”). The Challenger winner and runner-up will qualify for the World Tour, the highest level of FIBA 3×3. The Challenger is a Level 9 event, while the World Tour is a Level 10 event.
The higher the level of competition, the more points an individual is awarded under the FIBA 3×3 rules, which can have a positive impact on their national ranking. Considering that the recently concluded FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup and World Cup were at Level 9, it’s clear to see how high the level of the Challengers is.
Masterwook, which was officially founded in January this year under the leadership of Kim Ki-wook, has emerged as an up-and-coming Korean 3×3 powerhouse, winning the men’s Korea League title at the second Korea Tour event in Inje, Gangwon Province, in May. Not content to rest on his laurels, Masterwok has also set his sights on the international stage to experience a higher level of competition.
His participation in the FIBA 3×3 Ulaanbaatar Superquest 2023 in Mongolia in April was the catalyst for this, and this time he qualified for the Challenger, which is one level higher than the Superquest (Level 8). This is the first time in four years that a Korean 3×3 team has competed in an overseas Challenger since Skydive Inje competed at the Yichang Challenger in China in July 2019.
After qualifying for the event in Penang, Malaysia, Masterwok will travel to Malaysia with four players, including captain Kim Ki-wook, to compete against 3×3 teams from around the world under the team name ‘Seongnam Office Check-In’. The challengers will be joined by global powerhouses such as Beijing (China, World No. 11), Futian (China, World No. 12), Harlem (USA, World No. 18), and Düsseldorf (Germany, World No. 19), which includes former Liga players Noris Miedzis (Latvia, World No. 4) and Kalis Rasmanis (Latvia, World No. 5).
Lee Dong-yoon, Kim Jeong-yeon, and Yoon Sung-soo, who have competed in the previous Ulaanbaatar SuperQuest, said, “It’s our first time competing in a Challenger internationally in two months, and we’ve spent that time working on tactics, video analysis, and other aspects that we lacked in the Ulaanbaatar SuperQuest.” “If we had the attitude of ‘let’s go for it’ in Mongolia, we want to show what we’ve been practicing, despite our experience, in this tournament. We’ve been working hard as a team, and we’ve set a specific goal to get a win this time. It’s our first time competing in a Challenger held overseas, so we’ll try to represent Korea with the mindset of playing a game we’re not ashamed of and come home with a win.”
Jung Sung-jo, who is competing in his first 3×3 international tournament after switching to 3×3, said, “I’m excited and looking forward to it because it’s my first international tournament after playing 3×3. I’m curious to see what the level of world-class teams is like, and I think our team can grow to the next level by experiencing the patterns and habits of our opponents firsthand. As the youngest player, I will help my older brothers and come back with my best performance.”
Most importantly, Masterwok has embraced an easier grouping this time around, unlike at the last Ulaanbaatar SuperQuest. Instead of going through a separate qualifier, the Quilifying Draw, Masterwok will go straight to the 12-team main draw, where the 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three, with the first and second place finishers from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
MasterWook, who left the country in the early hours of Friday, September 9, and will begin play on Saturday, September 10, was placed in Group B of the Main Draw alongside Japan’s Saitama Alphas EXE. This is the second time MasterWook has been drawn in the same group as Saitama after the Ulaanbaatar SuperQuest, so it’s a ‘match of fates’.메이저놀이터
Furthermore, the one remaining spot in the Main Draw B group is likely to be taken by Putian, which will create a bizarre phenomenon of being drawn in the same group as the Ulaanbaatar Quest.
The FIBA 3×3 World Hoops Penang Challenger 2023, featuring Masterwok, will be streamed live on the FIBA 3×3 official YouTube account (https://www.youtube.com/user/3x3planet), and Masterwok will play his first game of the Main Draw at 3 p.m. ET on October 10.