Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus
울산 현대모비스 피버스
Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus 울산 현대모비스 피버스 logo
LeagueKorean Basketball League
Established1986; 38 years ago (1986)
HistoryKia Motors Basketball Team
1986–1996
Busan Kia Enterprise
1997–2001
Ulsan Mobis Automons
2001–2004
Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
2004–2017
Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus
2017–present
ArenaDongchun Gymnasium
(Capacity: 5,831)
LocationUlsan, South Korea
Team coloursRed, Dark Blue, White
     
General managerYoo Jae-hak
Team managerLee Seung-min
Head coachCho Dong-hyun
Team captainHam Ji-hoon
OwnershipJo Seong-hwan
Affiliation(s)Hyundai Mobis
Championships7 Korean Leagues
Retired numbers6 Yang Dong-geun
10 Woo Ji-won
14 Kim Yoo-taek
Websitephoebus.kbl.or.kr
Hyundai Motor Group sports
Football
(Men's)		 Football
(Women's)		 Baseball
Volleyball
(Men's)		 Volleyball
(Women's)		 Basketball
Archery
(Men's)		 Archery
(Women's)		 Rugby
Motorsport

The Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League.

History

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Foundation and amateur era

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Before the professional Korean Basketball League was established in 1997, domestic basketball was an amateur sport and teams were sponsored by corporate companies or private universities. Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus traces its origins to the basketball team sponsored by Kia Motors in 1986. The team was based in Busan where Kia Motors had manufacturing operations.[1]

During the amateur era, all teams competed in the National Basketball Festival (농구대잔치). The Kia team dominated the late 1980s, despite being relatively new compared to Samsung Electronic and Hyundai's teams (now Seoul Samsung Thunders and Jeonju KCC Egis, respectively). Their roster at that time consisted of the legendary Chung-Ang University quartet: centers Han Ki-bum and Kim Yoo-taek, all-rounded shooting guard Hur Jae and record-breaking point guard Kang Dong-hee. The "Hur-Dong-Taek Trio" would later be retrospectively dubbed the most formidable offensive unit of the amateur era.[2]

Professional era (1997–2001)

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With the founding of the KBL, Kia chose to register its team and joined the league as Busan Kia Enterprise. They won the inaugural KBL Championship. Although they finished the next two seasons as championship runners-up, the team went through a period of upheaval. As with many major corporations, Kia Motors suffered from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which had hit South Korea hard. Kia was bought over by Hyundai Motor Company in 1998 but the basketball team remained solely under Kia and retained the name.[3] The team was unable to go through a generational change due to financial constraints and the aging squad found themselves behind other teams, especially a much younger Daejeon Hyundai Dynat team driven by the likes of Lee Sang-min and Choo Seung-gyun. Han had already retired by then while Hur and Kang both left for other teams for various reasons.[2]

Hyundai then acquired the basketball team prior to the 2001–02 season as it was no longer feasible for Kia to sponsor a sports team.[4] The team moved to its current home city of Ulsan.

Ulsan era (2001–present)

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The first several seasons after the move were forgettable, as the newly-renamed Ulsan Mobis Automons mostly finished in the bottom half of the league table. Incumbent head coach Yoo Jae-hak, himself a former Kia player during the amateur era, was hired in 2004.[5][6] At the rookie draft that year, Mobis won the lottery for the first overall pick and Yoo drafted Yang Dong-geun, who would go on to become the team's longest-serving player.

Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
G 0 Philippines RJ Abarrientos (AQ) 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) 25 – (1999-09-14)14 September 1999
G 1 South Korea Kim Young-hyun 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 33 – (1991-05-18)18 May 1991
F 2 South Korea Shin Min-seok 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 25 – (1999-08-31)31 August 1999
G 3 South Korea Park Jae-han 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) 30 – (1994-05-24)24 May 1994
G 5 South Korea Yoon Seong-jun 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 25 – (1999-04-15)15 April 1999
G 7 South Korea Seo Myeong-jin 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 25 – (1999-06-29)29 June 1999
G 8 South Korea Kim Ji-hoo 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 32 – (1992-01-20)20 January 1992
F 9 South Korea Lee Jin-seok 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 27 – (1997-05-24)24 May 1997
G 11 South Korea Lee Woo-seok 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 25 – (1999-07-10)10 July 1999
F 12 South Korea Ham Ji-hoon (C) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 39 – (1984-12-11)11 December 1984
C 13 South Korea Kim Hyeon-min 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 37 – (1987-09-15)15 September 1987
F 17 South Korea Jeon Jun-woo 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 23 – (2001-01-23)23 January 2001
G 21 South Korea Kim Tae-wan 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 23 – (2001-04-27)27 April 2001
G 22 South Korea Kim Dong-jun 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 25 – (1999-03-15)15 March 1999
F 23 South Korea Choi Jin-soo 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 35 – (1989-05-11)11 May 1989
F 24 South Korea Kim Young-hoon 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 32 – (1992-05-21)21 May 1992
C 25 South Korea Jeong Jong-hyun 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 25 – (1999-06-01)1 June 1999
G 26 South Korea Yeom Jae-seong 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) 24 – (2000-05-03)3 May 2000
F 30 South Korea Kim Gook-chan 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 28 – (1996-02-15)15 February 1996
C 31 South Korea Jang Jae-sok 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 33 – (1991-02-03)3 February 1991
C 35 United States Henry Sims (I) 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 34 – (1990-03-27)27 March 1990
F 40 United States Justin Knox (I) 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 35 – (1989-01-13)13 January 1989
F 44 United States Gaige Prim (I) 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 25 – (1999-04-08)8 April 1999
Head coach
  • South Korea Cho Dong-hyun
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (I) Import player
  • (AQ) Asian players quota
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 15 November 2022

Honours

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Domestic

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Winners (7): 1997, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2018–19
Runners-up (3): 1997–98, 1998–99, 2005–06
  • Korean Basketball League regular season
Winners (7): 1997, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2018–19
Runners-up (5): 1998–99, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2020–21
  • KBL Cup
Runners-up: 2022, 2023

Continental

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Winners: 1992
Runners-up: 1997
Runners-up: 2013

References

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  1. ^ "[최기성의 허브車]'바퀴의 제왕' 기아차, '한국 최초' 자전거·삼륜차도 제작". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "코트의 전설, 그 이름 허동택". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). March 21, 2000. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS; Hyundai Completes Deal For Takeover of Kia". The New York Times. December 2, 1998. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  4. ^ "[안테나] 현대모비스, 기아농구단 인수 外". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). September 1, 2001. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "오빠들 플레이 여전히 멋있네". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). February 19, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "규율과 자율 사이…유재학은 90년대생도 움직인다". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). May 5, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
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