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*** JAPANESE MEN BASKETBALL MAIN PAGE ***
 | Tucker back in Japan | |
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| |  | According to league sources, the Sendai 89ers of the bj-league have acquired 33-year old forward Rashad Tucker (202-F-75, college: S.Illinois). The Southern Illinois product will be returning to Japan after playing in the JBL back in 2001-02 with the Aisin Sea Horses. After not being re-signed by Aisin, Tucker played 1 season in the CBA before starting a 5-year run in Australia's NBL. The super athletic 6-8 Tucker will most likely be one of the top imports in the bj-league as he averaged more than 21 points per game in his stint with Aisin 7 years ago. |
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| Niigata Albirex BB sign Calvin Chitwood | |
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| | | Niigata Albirex BB (BJ League) signed 22-year old American forward Calvin Chitwood (203-F-86, college: Cal.St. Northridge, agency: Passing Lane). Chitwood played most recently at Cal State - Northridge (NCAA) in the U.S. It will be his first year in professional basketball. His senior year (07-08) of the college was the most successful in his career. His stats were 10.7ppg, 4.7rpg and 1.1bpg and for the second time he was selected to All-Big West Honorable Mention team as his college was Big West Regular Season Runner-Up. |
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| Shiga well prepared for 2008-09 season | |
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| | | Shiga Lakestars, the new expansion team that will join the bj-League for its first year in the 2008-09 season is taking matters very seserious. The team started off with signing a contract with Robert Pierce , A formor coach of Hitachi Sunrockers from JBL who has lived in Japan for many years and has great experience with Asian players. Pierce also has experience as a international scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It seems that Shiga is taking full advantage of Pierce's connections through out the world by signing formor college stand out Bobby Nash (198-G/F-84) and a very physical big man Brayden Billbe (208-C-85, college: American) who has led his formor team Svendborg Rabbits to a Danish cup championship and league finals. Shiga has not yet announced their full roster but Shiga is showing that they are not going to take their first year easy and not excepting the common expansion team role as a doormat team. |
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| The Dolphins Wear Parada | |
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| | | According to sources around the league, the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins of the JBL have acquired 7-foot Mexican-American center Adam Parada (213-C-81, agency: Octagon, college: Cal-Irvine) for the upcoming season. The soon-to-be 27-year old U.S.-born, Mexican national team member has played in Jordan, Korea, and the Philippines since finishing his career at UC-Irvine in 2004.
The JBL regular season will tip off on September 26th.
Notes: Aisin has decided not to renew the contract of 2-year JBL veteran swingman Alpha Bangura while Toshiba has decided to not renew the contracts of both 2-year JBL veteran Randy Holcomb and F Jamar Smith. |
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| Tabuse's summer with Nets ends | |
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| | | Yuta Tabuse (175-G-80, college: BYU-Hawaii)'s summer audition with the New Jersey Nets was, well, a short one.
The veteran point guard played in three of the team's Orlando Pro Summer League games last week, helping the Nets post a 4-1 record. He was on the court for 8 minutes, 46 seconds in that span.
Tabuse, the former BYU-Hawaii standout and the first Japanese to play in the NBA, missed all six of his field-goal attempts in Orlando, including a pair of 3-pointers. He was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, and collected two assists and two rebounds while turning the ball over once.
It remains to be seen if Tabuse will hook up with the Nets or another NBA team for the 2008-09 season or return to the NBA Development League. He is a free agent. |
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| Tochigi adds two import players to their roster | |
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| | | Newly joined JBL1 team Tochigi Brex has announced the addition of two new import players, Randy Orr (207-C/F-82, college: Georgia Perimeter) and Joe Hickingbottom (208-F/G-82, college: Huron). Orr has NBDL experience and has played internationally, most recently in Paraguay. Meanwhile 25-year old Hickingbottom has most recently played in the US in the IBL and ABA leagues. Randy and Joe's height should add some balance to the Brex roster as each stand tall at 6'10. |
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| Sun headed to Land of Rising Sun? | |
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| | | According to an article in today's Japan Times, the newest member of the bj-league, the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix, have acquired 7-9 giant Ming Ming Sun (235-C-83, agency: Passing Lane) from China for the upcoming season. The 24-year old center, who has reached legendary status in the U.S. even though he's never played in the NBA, reportedly participated in the bj-league tryouts in July and showed enough skills for the Phoenix to sign him. Sun gained notoriety in 2007 for appearing in the Jackie Chan flick, 'Rush Hour 3,' but failed in his attempt to make an NBA roster after moving to the U.S. from China in 2005. The Phoenix, formerly known as the OSG Phoenix, defected to the bj-league this season after spending the previous 6 seasons in the JBL's top division. |
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| Hitachi acquires Smith | |
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