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*** JAPANESE MEN BASKETBALL MAIN PAGE ***
 | Jangki and Nozawa finished Eurobasket Summer League | |
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by Eurobasket News - Jun 30, 2008 | |  | Che Jangki (172-G) and Ryosuke Nozawa (178-G-82, college: Hawaii-Hilo) finished the Eurobasket Summer League that was held in Chicago. Che Jangki's Madrid team lost two very close games which everyone at the ESL thought they gave away and knew that they should have been playing in the final.However a combination of not closing out games and late game decision making cost this very talented team a couple of should have, would have and could have win games. The last game for the third place saw 98:100 from Berlin. Diego Aguiar led the winners with 26 points and 6 rebounds. Bryan Edwards netted 15 points, while David Johnson had 14. Justin Johnson and Eric Vierneisel ended up with 16 points in the losing effort.
Ryosuke Nozawa had 3 assists for Paris in the last game for his team. The 7th place game was probably the most exciting game of the day as Athens beat Paris 127:126 in the pride check up game. Phillip Gilbert top-scored for the winners with 33 points. Lawrence Brocks netted 23, while Stanley Thomas scored 22. Courtney Bradley ended up with 28 points in the losing effort. Before that Ryosuke Nozawa's Paris lost to Madrid 102:114 in the opener. Madrid was impressive as Daniel Bandy and Eric Vierneisel put on a show by scoring 23 and 22 points a piece. Dainiel Bandy scored on an array of sweet drive to the baskets finishing with either hand.
In the second day Amsterdam beat Paris 100:86 with Junior Austin leading the way with an impressive 22 points and 8 rebound performance. Jimmy Williams chipped in with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Eugene Seals added 19 points and 9 rebounds. |
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| Che Jangki tries hard at Eurobasket Summer League | |
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by Eurobasket News - Jun 28, 2008 | | | Che Jangki (172-G) tries hard at Eurobasket Summer League for Madrid. The first edition of the Eurobasket Summer League took place in Chicago at the famous Attack Athletics facility where some of the famous NBA players train daily during the summer. The ESL in Chicago feature 80 players across the United States and some international players looking to advance the careers in the European market. In the first day his team overcame Paris 114:102 in a good game from both squads. Che Jangki ended up with 2 points and 4 assist for the winners.
In the final game of the last night Warsaw came back from being down 8 points with 1:11 left in the game against Madrid and snatched a 106:105 victory.
Madrid with about five minutes remaining had a 15 point margin but crumbled by under the full court pressure trapping defense by Warsaw. Steve Taylors Warsaw guards forced several turnovers and Madrid could not manage a simple inbounds strategy to close out the game. The crowd at the Attack Athletics gym were stunned by the sudden collapse of Madrid. Maurice Carter the European veteran scored 20 points and hit several key 3 pointers to lead Warsaw to the championship game. Demarius Bolds scored 19 points and made all of the crucial free throws during crunch time for the Warsaw team. Madrid played very well throughout the game was was led by another bright performance by Daniel Bandy who scored 25 points and dished out 5 assists. Che Jangki produced 2 points and 3 assists in defeat. |
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| Kurino returns to the JBL | |
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| | | The Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins announced today that they have acquired former OSG Phoenix forward Jo Kurino (Jo Kurino-Dews (195-F, college: Mount Olive)) from the bj-league. The soon-to-be 28-year old half-American, half-Japanese scrapper started his career in Japan in the JBL with the OSG Phoenix when he joined them in 2003 from Division II Mount Olive College in the U.S. After playing 2 seasons with OSG, the 6-5 Kurino made the jump to the start-up bj-league in 2005, becoming the 1st pick overall in the bj-league's 1st ever draft. Overall, Kurino played 3 seasons in the bj-league for 2 different teams, the Oita Heat Devils and the Tokyo Apache.
The bilingual Kurino is only the 2nd player ever to go from the JBL to the bj-league and then return to the JBL-the 1st player to do so was G Hiroyuki Ueyama who went to the bj-league after the JBL's Fukuoka Red Falcons folded midway through the 2005-06 season. Ueyama then returned to the JBL after that season with the Hitachi Sunrockers in 2006 where he still plays.
JBL news and notes: The Panasonic Trians have reportedly released German F Tilo Klette, who spent the past 2 seasons with them. No word yet on who will replace him, although F Jerald Honeycutt's name has been floating around and has been linked with a few JBL teams ever since Mitsubishi let him go after this past season. |
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| Tabuse searching the path back to the NBA | |
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| | | It appears that the former Phoenix Suns and the first Japanese player to ever reach the NBA Yuta Tabuse (175-G-80, college: BYU-Hawaii)(Anaheim Aresenal) will be participating in the NBA summer league as a member of the New Jersey Nets. Tabuse had signed a contract with the L.A. Clippers in the preseason of 2006 and was released before the season started. Since then Tabuse has signed and played in the D-league after he was released and ended the season of 2007-08 averaging 4.5ppg, 1.2rpg, 2.0apg playing for the Bakersfield Jam and Anaheim Aresenal.
For the past six years, except the Phoenix contract he had in 2004 that was bought out by the team after playing for four games, Tabuse has signed contracts with several NBA teams in the summer but never to have his name on the roster when the season begins.
Will the Japanese star player make the NBA this year? Break the custom of bouncing back to minor leagues right before entering the season? Lets see. |
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| BJ League Transaction and News Update | |
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| | | With the Bj League Finals and 2008 draft now complete, it is now transaction time. During this brief off-season, there have been numerous moves that may wow fans as the bj has had one of its most busy off-seasons in leagues history. With the implementation of free agency this season, many players have declared themselves eligible. However, at the moment there haven't been any transfers as most players have returned to their original teams. This may be the case due to the fact that teams bidding for a coveted players' services must not only pay a player his salary, but pay his former team 50% of his new contract as a free agent transfer fee.
In the coaching spectrum there have been several aggressive moves made by team executives to make a run at improving their team(s).
The Oita Heatdevils, which finished in 3rd place during the 2006-2007 Season, ended up biting the dust in its 2008 campaign and released its young strategist Dai Oketani. Down below, NBA scout and Ryukyu head coach Hernando Planells was shown the door after struggling to make his expansion club competitive. Niigata's Masaya Hirose must be in the hot seat after not taking his Albirex team to the Promised Land.
Here are the latest transactions in the BJ:
Contract Expirations:
Ryuzo Nakazono, Rizing Fukuoka-4/10
Kazuyuki Murakami (also announces retirement)-4/15
Sung Ming Eum, Rizing Fukuoka-5/9
Teruaki Ikeda, Takamatsu Fiver Arrows-5/23
Shuhei Shiroma, Takamatsu Five Arrows-5/23
Jo Kurino, Oita Heatdevils-4/30
Takuma Yamashiro, Ryukyu Golden Kings-6/2
Takashi Hirai, Rizing Fukuoka-6/2
Yuji Kondo, Sendai 89ers (Kondo also announced his retirement)-6/2
Shinji Miyamoto, Takamatsu Five Arrows-6/5
Player Signings:
Sendai 89ers
2008 Draftee Takehiko Shimura agrees to terms
Keniichi Takahashi re-signs for a 1-year contract
Hikaru Kusaka re-signs for a 1-year offer.
Osaka Evessa
Kazuya Hatano agreed to terms to a new 1-year contract after announcing FA.
Naoto Nakamura re-signs for another 1 year-offer.
Takamatsu Five Arrows
Satoshi Takeda renews contract announcing FA
Rizing Fukuoka BB
Michael Parker signs one year deal.
Jun Nakanishi remains with Rizing for another year.
Tsuyoshi Kawazura returns for another season.
Masahiro Kanou signs 1-year deal to remain with Fukuoka.
Toshiyuki Chijiiwa secures 1-year deal for next season.
Masahide Haraguchi decides to stay put in Rizing for another season.
Ryukyu Golden Kings
Kenya Tomori is signed to a 1-year deal
Coaching Transactions:
Sendai 89ers
HC Honoo Hamaguchi renews contract to coach 2008-2009 season.
Niigata Albirex BB
HC Masaya Hirose receives one-year contract extension
Toyama Grouses
HC Masato Fukushima agrees to one-year deal to coach next season.
Osaka Evessa
HC Kensaku Tennichi extends contract after leading Osaka to V3
Oita Heatdevils
Dai Oketani is relieved of his Head Coaching duties
Ryukyu Golden Kings
Announce the signing of former-Oita Heatdevils HC Dai Oketani. |
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| 5 former JBL players selected in bj-league draft | |
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| | | The bj-league, entering its 4th season, held its annual draft yesterday (5/26) in Tokyo. With an influx of players from the highly-competitive JBL, this draft was the deepest draft in the history of the bj-league. With 5 players from the rival JBL participating in the bj-league tryouts, it was a mortal lock that they would be taken high in the draft.
Going #1 overall was F Yosuke Machida (198-F-83) to the expansion Shiga Lakestars. The Lakestars, who will be coached by former Hitachi Sunrockers head coach Bob Pierce, surprised no one by selecting the athletic 6-7 Machida. Machida, who joined the Toshiba Brave Thunders of the JBL in 2006 and played 2 seasons for them, decided to walk away from company employee/player life at Toshiba to start anew as a fully professional basketball player. 'Matchy,' as he's known to teammates and friends, will provide the Lakestars will solid 3-point shooting as well as exciting dunks as he's one of the few Japanese players who can dunk with regularity.
Also crossing over from the JBL to the bj-league and taken in the 1st round of the draft were G Yosuke Sugawara, formerly of Rera Kamuy Hokkaido (selected by the Ryukyu Golden Kings), F Shuichi Takada (formerly with Mitsubishi/selected by the Takamatsu Five Arrows), and pint-sized (5-3) G Takehiko Shimura, who was teammates with Machida on the Toshiba Brave Thunders and was selected by his hometown Sendai 89ers in yesterday's draft.
F Yuta Kojima also crossed over to the bj-league from the Hitachi Sunrockers of the JBL and was selected in the 3rd round of the draft by the Shiga Lakestars.
Notes: G Kosaku Yada, who spent last season as an assistant coach with Rera Kamuy Hokkaido, was selected by the Tokyo Apache in the 1st round. The half-American, half-Japanese Harvard grad reportedly wasn't able to make the Hokkaido roster last season and had to coach instead, but he should be good enough to make the less competitive bj-league's Apache roster. |
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| Toshiba lands big man from OSG | |
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