Asia-Basket.com All-Japanese B League Awards 2020 - Apr 4, 2020
Asia-Basket.com All-Japanese B League 1st Team 2020
Fujii
Tanaka
Hiejima
Gardner
Fazekas
Player of the Year: Davante Gardner (203-F/C-91) of Sea Horses M. Guard of the Year: Yuma Fujii (178-PG-91) of Kawasaki BT Forward of the Year: Davante Gardner (203-F/C-91) of Sea Horses M. Center of the Year: Nick Fazekas (211-F/C-85) of Kawasaki BT Domestic Player of the Year: Nick Fazekas (211-F/C-85) of Kawasaki BT Import Player of the Year: Davante Gardner (203-F/C-91) of Sea Horses M. 6th Man of the Year: Yuma Fujii (178-PG-91) of Kawasaki BT Newcomer of the Year: Sebastian Saiz (205-F-94) of Hitachi SRT Coach of the Year: Tsutomu Isa of Hitachi SRT
All-Domestic Players Team
PG: Yuma Fujii (178-PG-91) of Kawasaki BT
SG: Daiki Tanaka (191-SG-91) of Alvark T.
G/F: Makoto Hiejima (190-G/F-90) of Tochigi B.
F/C: Joji Takeuchi (207-F/C-85) of Alvark T.
F/C: Nick Fazekas (211-F/C-85) of Kawasaki BT
B. League cancels remainder of season, playoffs - Mar 27, 2020
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the B. League ran out of all options but one: canceling the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The league announced on Friday that it will not play any of the games remaining on the schedule, including the postseason. The decision was reached during an emergency board meeting earlier in the day. The revised regular season was to end in early May and be followed by the playoffs. The final was to be held on May 11 at Yokohama Arena. The league initially went on hiatus from late February to mid-March, as the national government called for a postponement of large gatherings, including sporting events. The B. League then resumed its season on March 14 with games held without spectators. But after only one weekend, the league suspended the campaign again on March 17 after three players and a game official recorded a fever. According to league chairman Masaaki Okawa, the decision was made 'unanimously' this time. Okawa said during a video news conference that the B. League had to make the tough decision for various reasons. But he added that the biggest one was obviously the coronavirus, which is spreading throughout the world and could threaten the safety and health of players, coaches and staff. 'We've prioritized the mental and physical health of our players, coaches and club officials,' Okawa said. 'The spread of this coronavirus has been beyond our imagination and we've emphasized that we cannot afford to expose our players and others who are associated with our league to the danger.' Okawa said that because the postseason has been called off, the league will not declare a 2019-20 champion. He insisted, however, that teams' win-loss records would remain intact. Therefore, the teams with the best winning percentages are officially the conference winners. In the top division (B1), the Alvark Tokyo (32-9), Kawasaki Brave Thunders (31-9) and Ryukyu Golden Kings (27-14) are the East, Central and West Division champions. In the second division (B2), the Sendai 89ers (35-12), Shinshu Brave Warriors (40-7) and Hiroshima Dragonflies (40-7) are the East, Central and West Division kings. The Alvark captured back-to-back league titles in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. League officials plan to discuss whether or not to present 2019-20 season awards, such as Most Valuable Player, at a later date. Because the league abandoned the promotion/demotion playoffs as well, it will install an exceptional regulation that states no team in the top division will be relegated to B2 for the 2020-21 campaign. Instead, the two second-flight teams with the best records (Shinshu and Hiroshima), will get automatic promotion to B1, although they will have to be issued club licenses to make the move to the top flight. The license council is scheduled to meet on April 24. Thus, the circuit will have 20 teams in B1 and 16 in B2 for the 2020-21 season. Okawa said the allocations of the teams in the two divisions for the 2021-22 campaign and beyond will be discussed later. Okawa hinted that with 20 teams in B1, it would be difficult to retain the current three-division system in the top flight. The 61-year-old league chief, who has held his position since the start of the inaugural 2016-17 season, acknowledged that the league and its teams must cope with financial losses due to this decision. For instance, Okawa projected that B1 clubs will earn about 30 percent less for this season than previously estimated. As for B2 teams, he's estimated a 20 percent drop in revenue. 'To me, we have to weigh in two concepts. One is to overcome this crisis by forming solidarity with the players, league and clubs,' Okawa stated. 'And the second is, all the 36 clubs (in B1 and B2), maybe we should include B3 as well, we want to make sure to help them raise money so that there won't be a single team that can no longer exist.' As for the players, Okawa said their base salaries should fully be paid, although they may not receive some bonuses for competing in games and winning depending on the club. League officials held a meeting with the Japan Basketball Players Association on Wednesday, giving players a forum to discuss issues related to the cancellation of the season. Courtesy of: japantimes.co.jp
Sunrockers capture crown - Jan 12, 2020
The Sunrockers Shibuya are back on top of Japanese basketball for the first time in five years. The Tokyo side claimed the Emperor's Cup title on Sunday with a nail-biting 78-73 win over the Kawasaki Brave Thunders in the All-Japan Championship final at Saitama Super Arena. It was the second-ever title for Shibuya, which has gone 19-9 during the ongoing 2019-20 B. League season. Spaniard forward/center Sebastian Saiz (205-F-94, college: Ole Miss) guided the Sunrockers to the emotional victory with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while former Japan national team guard Leo Vendrame (183-PG-93) followed with 13 points and four assists. The game was played nearly evenly throughout the afternoon, but Kosuke Ishii (182-G-87) and Kenta Hirose (193-G-85) sank clutch free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining in the final quarter to help Shibuya earn the win in front of 8,533 fans. 'Because this was the final game (of the tournament), we were determined to play with the entire team,' said Vendrame, who was chosen as the tournament MVP, after the final. 'We kept playing defense for the entire 40 minutes with all the members and it paid off for us.' Kawasaki trailed by nine points during the third quarter but bounced back in the fourth, even taking the lead at one point. The Brave Thunders, who have the B. League's best record at 24-4, had a chance to tie the game with 17 seconds left and Naoto Tsuji (185-G/F-89) shooting free throws. But the guard missed one of his two attempts from the charity stripe, which cost his team the game. Kawasaki converted only 15 of 23 free-throw attempts. The Sunrockers were 18 of 38 from inside the arc, with Saiz standing out with an 11-for-13 performance. 'Saiz and Vendrame certainly led our scoring, but other players set screens and contributed defensively as well,' Sunrockers head coach Tsutomu Isa said. 'So I think it was a victory that was accomplished by the whole club, including our bench and staff members.' For the Brave Thunders, who were looking for their first Emperor's Cup title in six years, Nick Fazekas (211-F/C-85, college: Nevada) had 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while staying on the floor all 40 minutes. Tsuji and Jordan Heath chipped in with 23 and 18 points, respectively, with Tsuji knocking down four 3s as well. Vendrame, Saiz and their teammate Ryan Kelly (211-PF-91, college: Duke) joined Tsuji and Fazekas on the all-tournament team. Before this year's event, the Chiba Jets Funabashi had captured the last three titles. Courtesy of: japantimes.co.jp
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